chowbelanna
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2024
Posts: 4
|
Post by chowbelanna on Sept 18, 2024 3:51:43 GMT -5
So.... After reading all these replies.. kicking myself, contemplating my existence and reflection I have: - Ordered a grit pack from the Rock Shed - Ordered 5 lbs of Mexican lace agates - Bought some Borax and stole my wife's Dawn dish soap  - Contemplated the cost of shipping to Canada - Hid said purchase from the wife I think I'm ready to try this again with all the same material and better grit with burnishing in between stages after stage 2. I will let you know how it goes after I get the order! I think I was led into a fantasy with buying a "rock tumbling rock mix" and believing this would be the best place to start. I guess without any real experience one would believe that starter rock tumbling kits would provide the best place to get a batch of rocks that would all work well together.. alas, I am wrong. I think I may do some scratch tests on the rocks I had been working with to see where they all fall in the Moh's scale and maybe in the future I can add these into appropriate batches that are similar hardness... It is for sure a bumpy road to start with. I've just had an epic fail with a batch of amtheysts and rose quartz. They have now gone back a couple of stages in disgrace. I laughed at your hiding from the wife comment, I am the wife but have to hide as much as possible from the rest of the family, who think I am completely potty! |
|
|
|
Post by southernlakehuronguy on Sept 18, 2024 7:36:21 GMT -5
"Hid said purchase from the wife"....be forwarned, my wife has found an "app" that tells her when there is a package out for delivery, doesn't matter who the carrier is.
|
|
ronnsrockroundup
starting to spend too much on rocks
Hurry up and wait.
Member since October 2023
Posts: 154
|
Post by ronnsrockroundup on Sept 18, 2024 10:08:19 GMT -5
"Hid said purchase from the wife"....be forwarned, my wife has found an "app" that tells her when there is a package out for delivery, doesn't matter who the carrier is. Sure hope my wife doesn't find out about this app.  |
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Sept 18, 2024 14:28:22 GMT -5
Y'all are funny. What you need is a woman to teach you how to hide purchases. We're pros. LOL!
|
|
python
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2024
Posts: 292
|
Post by python on Sept 18, 2024 18:48:16 GMT -5
Y'all are funny. What you need is a woman to teach you how to hide purchases. We're pros. LOL! 🤣 |
|
luckymac
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2024
Posts: 1
|
Post by luckymac on Sept 28, 2024 18:23:04 GMT -5
Brand new at this. This is my first post here. After reading through this thread, I feel much better. I pulled a few rocks from a river that I liked and ran them through my brand new tumbler according to the instructions provided with the machine. Two rocks with different compositions came out of stage 4 with part of them as shiny as a person could hope for. The other half of those rocks and all the rest of the rocks still have a flat/eggshell sheen. Now I realize that I need to tumble each batch with the same or very similar materials. My question now is How can I tell what tocks to tumble with other rocks of similar composition. I know I can buy batches of the same minerals and if that's what to do I will. I would prefer to tumble rocks that I find that are of interest to me. I have one rock, about the size of a grape (now) that's a translucent pale green that I'd like to get a shine on. Any advice there? I know nothing about geology (I'm a retired car guy). The posts by python and coloursfly have given me some good insight in how to proceed as a novice. Any additional newbie advice from all quarters is greatly appreciated. TIA to all. Good Luck, L.M. |
|
RockyBeach
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2023
Posts: 342
|
Post by RockyBeach on Sept 28, 2024 18:43:50 GMT -5
... Any additional newbie advice from all quarters is greatly appreciated. TIA to all. Don't give up. Remember that a hobby is supposed to be FUN!!!! Rocks do their own thing. Some are made to shine in places and not shine in others and have their own kind of beauty. Most important advise ... hang out here, read the threads and posts and ask lots of questions and be sure to check out YouTube Videos ... especially those by Michigan Rocks and  |
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Sept 28, 2024 19:45:01 GMT -5
luckymac It sounds like you need to put together a hardness test kit. You can take it with you when you’re collecting. Hardness is the first way to identify what to tumble together. You already caught on to the “throw it in and see what happens method”. As you collect and tumble more, you’ll develop an eye for what will take a nice polish. welcome to RTH.
|
|
jimg
starting to shine!
Member since July 2024
Posts: 27
|
Post by jimg on Sept 28, 2024 21:25:52 GMT -5
Great advice to have a hardness test kit! Definitely better than what I do (below).
A slightly less effective, but much simpler, method is to use a cheap pocketknife. If the steel blade scratches the rock, the rock is too soft to tumble. If the knife leaves little traces of metal behind rather than scratching the rock, then it’s probably hard enough to tumble.
Quickly you’ll learn to identify most rocks by sight, but the knife-scratch test may do until that day comes.
|
|
python
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2024
Posts: 292
|
Post by python on Sept 29, 2024 4:02:14 GMT -5
Here is a very inexpensive hardness test kit that I got. It has helped me tremendously.đź‘Ť Mineral ID Kit |
|
|
|
Post by whalecottagedesigns on Sept 29, 2024 8:21:00 GMT -5
|
|
coloursfly
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2024
Posts: 8
|
Post by coloursfly on Oct 14, 2024 14:11:31 GMT -5
So... after taking these rocks back 2 steps and polishing using the rock shed polish I got *Bingo* nice and shiny! I've now got some Mexican lace agates going through stage one as we speak. BTW, I did burnish between each step and added borax and some dawn to the water.. works beautifully.
|
|
