saaz
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2023
Posts: 15
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Post by saaz on Aug 7, 2024 19:06:16 GMT -5
Wanted to share a test I just did, maybe people would be interested in this to save a little grit, or maybe it will trigger some more experiments.
I ran fresh rocks that have never been tumbled (quartz, jasper, agate, mostly crushed, some cut), in a 12# tumbler for 1 week with the usual amount of water but no grit. They lost 3.9% of their weight, vs ~9% for a normal run with 120/220 or 60/90 grit. So not super effective at removing material, but it didn't cost any grit.
At the end there were little bits of rock that had chipped off, as usual; but the barrel also contained slurry, thinner than usual, but it seems some grinding was going on.
This got the rocks very clean and easy to see what you've got, better than just rinsing, so maybe this could be a useful step if you like to look over rocks and cut off parts or cull rocks that just won't turn out well.
Something that's interesting to me is that the sharp edges got knocked off, but the rocks are not smoothed very much. They still have a lot of character. I wonder if rocks could go through 1 or 2 weeks with no grit, then straight to polish, and give you interesting, lumpy rocks with a high polish? I might pull a few promising rocks out of this batch and try it.
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 7, 2024 20:41:29 GMT -5
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Post by pebblesky on Aug 7, 2024 20:49:18 GMT -5
I wish I had another 12lb tumbler to try it out!
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Post by pebblesky on Aug 7, 2024 20:51:43 GMT -5
And it would be great to have these tumblers solar powered so that it doesn't cost any paid power either, which could be more expensive than the grit.
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 7, 2024 21:53:54 GMT -5
And it would be great to have these tumblers solar powered so that it doesn't cost any paid power either, which could be more expensive than the grit. Would take a lot longer to finish since the tumbler would only run during the day.
Should not cost much to run a rock tumbler motor unless a massive tumbler. My 2 17 pound barrels are going all the time, and my power bill is not bad at all. Usually $80-110 a month which is mainly the 2 fridges and the air conditioner.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller 
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,432 
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Post by Wooferhound on Aug 8, 2024 14:16:12 GMT -5
I have always thought that a batch of rocks could be tumbled all the way to polished without any grit at all. Just filling the barrel enough and extending the time as necessary.
Have always done a Stage 0 tumble with all my batches. One hour without any grit to clean off everything before reloading the barrel properly for Stage 1.
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 8, 2024 18:56:56 GMT -5
I have always thought that a batch of rocks could be tumbled all the way to polished without any grit at all. Just filling the barrel enough and extending the time as necessary. Have always done a Stage 0 tumble with all my batches. One hour without any grit to clean off everything before reloading the barrel properly for Stage 1. Yes, grit simply speeds the process, it is not a necessity. |
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lapidary1234
spending too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 293
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Post by lapidary1234 on Aug 9, 2024 21:57:05 GMT -5
The wisconsin moonstone I work with alot I've done some experiments with for a couple reasons. First is its a softer stone (around 6 +/-). Secondly it tends to get what I believe would be called "orange peel" effect on the cleavage planes and can ruin the asthetic.
What ill do to retain a more "natural" look is to just skip the first stage completely and start them at 220 or even sometimes 400.
I agree that you may be able to Slowly get some grinding action without grit but I'd think the additional time necessary would ruin my motivation (for me st least).
As far as skipping ahead over any stages and putting polish in unfortunately I don't think it will work.
I've done experiments with stones found on lake superior that were heavily "wave tumbled". These were sooo smooth they were almost shiny already. I skipped the coarse stage and ended up with really poor results.
I was just talking with a coworker who collected a bunch of stuff on lake superior last weekend and started their first batch in a tumbler and they were asking if they needed to run stage 1 on already round rocks.
I think its always a good idea to do the coarse stage to bring everything to a uniform stage. Maybe don't need to run a full week but it is always a good idea to get things to a uniform position before moving onward!
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Post by Starguy on Aug 9, 2024 22:07:45 GMT -5
Never underestimate the work you get from impacts in the barrel.
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chaosdsm
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2024
Posts: 162
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Post by chaosdsm on Aug 10, 2024 12:57:01 GMT -5
And it would be great to have these tumblers solar powered so that it doesn't cost any paid power either, which could be more expensive than the grit. Solar Power is expensive to get started, about $400 for the setup I'm building, more if you buy a pre-made battery pack. However, at 50Ah, the one I'm building could potentially power (depending on tumbler motor efficiency) between 3 & 10 tumblers at once. A good LiFePO4 battery pack could potentially last 10 to 20 years of continuous use giving a pretty quick break-even period of about 2 years for my setup, a bit longer if you buy a pre-made battery. |
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saaz
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2023
Posts: 15
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Post by saaz on Sept 24, 2024 19:15:54 GMT -5
Thread necromancy, but I've got a direct followup that didn't seem worth a new thread. I did take a few of the promising rocks from my no-grit test and ran them through 500 and polish. Very similar results to vegasjames.  roughrocks by Eric, on Flickr |
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Post by vegasjames on Sept 24, 2024 22:17:58 GMT -5
Thread necromancy, but I've got a direct followup that didn't seem worth a new thread. I did take a few of the promising rocks from my no-grit test and ran them through 500 and polish. Very similar results to vegasjames. roughrocks by Eric, on Flickr Those came out pretty nice. I like the more natural shape. |
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titaniumkid
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 499
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Post by titaniumkid on Sept 25, 2024 4:17:00 GMT -5
saaz They do look great. How long did you run them with no grit? Was the entire process done in a rotary tumbler? Apologies if you answered this elsewhere.
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saaz
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2023
Posts: 15
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Post by saaz on Oct 3, 2024 20:14:10 GMT -5
saaz They do look great. How long did you run them with no grit? Was the entire process done in a rotary tumbler? Apologies if you answered this elsewhere. One week in a 12 lb rotary with no grit. Then grabbed a few promising rocks, and 2 weeks each in 500 and polish, in a 3 lb rotary. |
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mirkee
starting to spend too much on rocks
Started tumbling a couple of months ago but now have four tumblers. Very interested in the hobby.
Member since March 2024
Posts: 125
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Post by mirkee on Oct 4, 2024 0:25:43 GMT -5
And it would be great to have these tumblers solar powered so that it doesn't cost any paid power either, which could be more expensive than the grit. Solar Power is expensive to get started, about $400 for the setup I'm building, more if you buy a pre-made battery pack. However, at 50Ah, the one I'm building could potentially power (depending on tumbler motor efficiency) between 3 & 10 tumblers at once. A good LiFePO4 battery pack could potentially last 10 to 20 years of continuous use giving a pretty quick break-even period of about 2 years for my setup, a bit longer if you buy a pre-made battery. Interested in finding out more about your solar/battery set up. I'm actually thinking of setting mine up for a small outdoor fountain but would be interested in tumbler potential as well. Just getting started researching it. |
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chaosdsm
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2024
Posts: 162
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Post by chaosdsm on Oct 5, 2024 14:41:39 GMT -5
Solar Power is expensive to get started, about $400 for the setup I'm building, more if you buy a pre-made battery pack. However, at 50Ah, the one I'm building could potentially power (depending on tumbler motor efficiency) between 3 & 10 tumblers at once. A good LiFePO4 battery pack could potentially last 10 to 20 years of continuous use giving a pretty quick break-even period of about 2 years for my setup, a bit longer if you buy a pre-made battery. Interested in finding out more about your solar/battery set up. I'm actually thinking of setting mine up for a small outdoor fountain but would be interested in tumbler potential as well. Just getting started researching it. Check out DIY Solar Forum for info & help with what you would need! |
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Post by Starguy on Oct 5, 2024 16:39:13 GMT -5
I’ve forgotten to add grit a few times while coarse tumbling agate. The rocks were nearly polished after a week. As you said, thin slurry and lots of chips. It has made me rethink how polish works in a rotary tumbler. There’s more to it than simply abrading the rocks. It also explains why a burnish stage helps improve the polish.
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