tepperly
off to a rocking start
Full Metal Tumbler
Member since October 2007
Posts: 11
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Post by tepperly on Oct 21, 2007 21:49:34 GMT -5
I started a load of amethyst and citrine -- my second batch ever. I recharged it yesterday after 6 days of tumbling. I intended to keep it in coarse grit for another 6+ days, but I am starting to have doubts. It looks like the rocks already lost lots mass, and I am worried that 5 more days will be too much. The pictures are below. Any suggestions about how long I should keep these in coarse grit? Here is what the started looking like: Here is what they looked like yesterday after 6 days in coarse grit:
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Oct 21, 2007 22:41:35 GMT -5
I think I'd move them along to stage 2. They look like they've smoothed and rounded really nicely. I've never tumbled Ammy or Citrine, but I think you'd be alright going onto the next stage.. Looking good so far. Steve
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Post by LCARS on Oct 22, 2007 0:01:30 GMT -5
It looks like most of those are probably at the point where you could get away with moving them on to the fine grit stage. The fine grit will do a bit of shaping but not nearly as much as fresh 60/90 would in the same time. I also see some there that would definately cause you headaches later on if you moved them on at this point. To some degree, how long you leave them in is a matter or personal taste but there is a certain degree of shaping that is technically necessary to achieve good polish results in the end. If you don't leave them in long enough you will have irregular surfaces that are not going to smooth and polish evenly from there in. If you leave them in too long they become almost formless blobs that are a mere shadow of their former size. If there are some irregular surfaces then you will have to take your time with the rest of the stages to give the grit enough time to work over the entire surface (not just the edges and high spots). If you rush them through the next stages you will have problems getting a good polish and it will take forever. I would personally have those tumble another 3-5 days before moving them into fine grit but I tend to prefer stones with as few blemishes and irregularities as possible without dissolving their natural form in the process. (You're not putting them in a vibe are you?) I always find the last three stages go much smoother when I have stuck out the 60/90 stage for as long as necessary until most of them really look ready to move on. If you are worried about them losing too much mass then find the ballance between you wanting bigger shiney quartz and perfect shiney quartz. After a few good years of tumbling, I now have the luxury of a nominally stocked cache of different stones from pebble to golf ball sized at various stages of tumbling to add to any batch needing a volume top-up or size ratio tweak at any point along the way. If you're trying to do a load of just amethyst and citrine with no back-up filler material to add in later on then you may have to compromise a bit in the shaping department and do extended fine, prepolish & polish stages to compensate. Sometimes you can get a really nice result and also preserve much of the natural form by using finer grit for a longer time at slower RPM's in stage 2 & 3. I have done a small mixed batch trial with amethyst with this strategy and was fairly pleased with the results I got but I will have to reproduce those results again to see if it was a fluke or not. Before you decide what to do with them you have to ask yourself one question... (No, not THAT question... THIS one!) What exactly do want to come out of the tumbler at the end of this batch? Once you answer that, you should go with the method that best produces the desired end result.
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Post by creativeminded on Oct 22, 2007 9:32:21 GMT -5
I have tumbled alot of Amethyst and those are ready to move on to the next stage which will round them just a little bit more. They are getting small enough that if you let them go any further you will start loosing some of them. Tami
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Oct 22, 2007 10:02:22 GMT -5
I would move them to a 120/220 run of 3 weeks (no peeking!!!!)
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tepperly
off to a rocking start
Full Metal Tumbler
Member since October 2007
Posts: 11
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Post by tepperly on Oct 22, 2007 19:06:43 GMT -5
I would personally have those tumble another 3-5 days before moving them into fine grit but I tend to prefer stones with as few blemishes and irregularities as possible without dissolving their natural form in the process. (You're not putting them in a vibe are you?) No. I've only got a barrel tumbler. I always find the last three stages go much smoother when I have stuck out the 60/90 stage for as long as necessary until most of them really look ready to move on. If you are worried about them losing too much mass then find the ballance between you wanting bigger shiney quartz and perfect shiney quartz. After a few good years of tumbling, I now have the luxury of a nominally stocked cache of different stones from pebble to golf ball sized at various stages of tumbling to add to any batch needing a volume top-up or size ratio tweak at any point along the way. If you're trying to do a load of just amethyst and citrine with no back-up filler material to add in later on then you may have to compromise a bit in the shaping department and do extended fine, prepolish & polish stages to compensate. I don't have rocks to compensate. It's my second load ever. I would personally have those tumble another 3-5 days before moving them into fine grit but I tend to prefer stones with as few blemishes and irregularities as possible without dissolving their natural form in the process. (You're not putting them in a vibe are you?) No. I've only got a barrel tumbler. (No, not THAT question... THIS one!) What exactly do want to come out of the tumbler at the end of this batch? Once you answer that, you should go with the method that best produces the desired end result. Thanks for your advice, and I appreciate the question. I guess for this load I am aiming for more shine than the first one, so I've leave them in longer.
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karenfh
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,495
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Post by karenfh on Oct 22, 2007 19:40:18 GMT -5
Never tumbled ammy and citrine, but you can always move some on and keep some out to put in another batch. And, if they don't work, you can always go back and do another week in coarse.
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Post by LCARS on Oct 23, 2007 2:53:16 GMT -5
I think what he's trying to say Karen is that there isn't any leftover rock to add in and there may not be enough in the barrel if he take any pieces out and still keep it full all the way through after tumbling for too long in 60/90. If you're worried about the smaller ones getting too small before the bigger ones are shaped, you can always take some of them out sooner if they're ready sooner. The larger ones that may be ahead in the shaping department won't suffer too much shedding a bit of extra weight. Since you did a grit recharge anyway it's best to let them run another few more days at least so not to waste it. I'm sure in the end you will be glad you left them in longer too, that's just the way it works with tumbling.
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