lookout
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2024
Posts: 4
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Post by lookout on Oct 3, 2024 7:32:15 GMT -5
I’m getting ready for my first tumble. I have this bunch of rocks, mostly agates. I found them scattered in the middle of an alley in my little town. My story is someone was cleaning out a shed and tossed them. You can find these in the local rivers. I need some reassurance that this is a good starting place! I’ve watched Michigan Rocks and Agate Ariel’s videos, written up a procedure and am awaiting delivery of my Lortone 33B with grit and media. I will be setting up the tumbler in our unheated garage. It never gets below freezing in there but can get close. I’ve seen one mention in the forum of temperature and would like your thoughts. We have a small house and I suppose I could set it up in the crawl space which is where our furnace is so it’s warmer than the garage in the depths of winter. Crawl space requires knee pads, head lamp, gloves, etc. and as the furnace filter changer, I’m not a huge fan. Looking forward to batch one!  |
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Post by vegasjames on Oct 3, 2024 8:16:43 GMT -5
I’m getting ready for my first tumble. I have this bunch of rocks, mostly agates. I found them scattered in the middle of an alley in my little town. My story is someone was cleaning out a shed and tossed them. You can find these in the local rivers. I need some reassurance that this is a good starting place! I’ve watched Michigan Rocks and Agate Ariel’s videos, written up a procedure and am awaiting delivery of my Lortone 33B with grit and media. I will be setting up the tumbler in our unheated garage. It never gets below freezing in there but can get close. I’ve seen one mention in the forum of temperature and would like your thoughts. We have a small house and I suppose I could set it up in the crawl space which is where our furnace is so it’s warmer than the garage in the depths of winter. Crawl space requires knee pads, head lamp, gloves, etc. and as the furnace filter changer, I’m not a huge fan. Looking forward to batch one! They all look like quartz type rocks, so they would polish well. Best to avoid the ones with small deep pits, or cracks that can trap grit as this will be a problem in later stages. |
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 3, 2024 9:03:48 GMT -5
Agates and quartz may take several rounds of Stage 1 before they get well rounded.
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hplcman
spending too much on rocks
Looking forward to my Friday Night Barrel Clean out!
Member since August 2022
Posts: 492
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Post by hplcman on Oct 3, 2024 11:37:45 GMT -5
In my opinion those should be fine rocks to start with. Agree with the previous comment about the deep pits and cracks. Those will require a lot of time at stage 1 to remove completely, and that can get frustrating. As for the temperature, if the garage stays above freezing you should be fine. Putting it in the crawl space doesn't sound like fun!!!
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 3, 2024 21:28:54 GMT -5
So...these are likely going to take quite a bit of time in stage one. As long as you're okay with learning the "patience" factor right off the bat...then yes...these will work!
As far as running them in the garage. I've done it over winters where it got WELL below freezing. I took a cardboard box big enough to go over the tumblers and the heat of the motors kept the temps under the cardboard box above freezing. Others have taken a Styrofoam cooler and used that instead of a cardboard box. I kept a thermometer under mine so I could check the temps under there.
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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 0:20:04 GMT -5
Garage should be fine. My Lortone 33b runs pretty hot so that will help.
Rocks look good. If you have any that are light, look like sandstone and water evaporates from the surface real fast, those are probably too soft. I say go for it for your first go round. Yes, patience is required for stage one and that's part of the game and that's the reason I run eight barrels and a vibratory tumbler.
Good luck and keep us updated.
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nolasean
having dreams about rocks
Member since March 2024
Posts: 58
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Post by nolasean on Oct 4, 2024 21:55:00 GMT -5
Have fun with it and welcome to the club!
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WhiskeyZero
starting to shine!
Member since December 2017
Posts: 48
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Post by WhiskeyZero on Oct 28, 2024 8:06:20 GMT -5
I live in Denver and tumble in an unheated garage all winter. It can get down below -10 F a few nights each year and I've never had trouble with the tumblers at those temps.
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 341 
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 28, 2024 10:23:53 GMT -5
So...these are likely going to take quite a bit of time in stage one. As long as you're okay with learning the "patience" factor right off the bat...then yes...these will work! As far as running them in the garage. I've done it over winters where it got WELL below freezing. I took a cardboard box big enough to go over the tumblers and the heat of the motors kept the temps under the cardboard box above freezing. Others have taken a Styrofoam cooler and used that instead of a cardboard box. I kept a thermometer under mine so I could check the temps under there. Those are also good just for muffling the sound. My tumblers are in the basement directly under the living room, and it helps to keep the noise from travelling upstairs :-) |
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