Post by Emerald on Aug 27, 2004 16:36:22 GMT -5
Hello from Georgia! Ever since I was little, I've always had my nose to the ground collecting "pretty" rocks. I wanted to get into collecting again and after a bit of research, I'm thrilled I found this forum. I look forward to reading more adventures into rock tumbling....and I have quite a few funny stories to share about my own modest collecting over the years.
My previous experience with tumbling wasn't the best. Years ago, I had an exceptionally noisy hobby-grade tumbler and simply didn't understand the process of tumbling. But now, thanks to the forums, and other great resources I've found on the net...I'm chomping at the bit to try it again.
If all goes well, I'm going to be ordering a Lortone - MODEL 3-1.5B from Kingsley North sometime this weekend. (I assume this will be a bit quieter than the hobby model I had)
I also saw oodles of rocks I'd like to tumble from rockshed.com. (Emerald in Matrix, Blue Jasper, Small Prairie Agate) The vendor area on the forums has been EXTREMELY helpful!
I was planning on putting the tumbler outdoors...in case it's still noisy. Right next to our basement door is a plug with a sidewalk and within a few steps of a garden hose, which should make the perfect spot for tumbling. All I'll need to do is build a sturdy table, with a small shed roof to keep the rain out. Also, I plan on having a spot there for a small crock-pot to cook/clean rock. I've done my fair share of woodworking, so no worries there.
Local finds...my backyard!
I've collected what's probably milky-white quartz from our backyard. Is this rock of a quality that would be worth tumbling? It appears to have lots of hairline fractures in it. (or is that just more Georgia clay?) I have samples of clear, yellow clear, milky white and milky yellow-white.
I hope to do my first tumbling batch with some of this material. It really is very pretty when the light catches it. If anyone would like some to tumble, let me know and we'll work something out. I can get several 5 gallon buckets just from our yard alone. It's fist size and below...and you get the honor of cleaning the delightful red Georgian clay from it! *chuckles* Or...should I continue to dump it in the ditch...to make lawnmowing easier? I have a whole new batch to dispose of...every time it rains.
On first inspection, this had some transparent qualities, so I decided to try an experiment. After donning my safety glasses, I wrapped 2 palm sized stones in an old dropcloth, placed it on a stump and then wailed away with my trusty hammer. Now, is this a bad idea? If my neighbors were watching....I think they'd cart me off to the funny farm.
Not as plentiful, but I found quite a bit of this rock as well. The whiter areas are more transparent and crystaline. Overall, the rock has a very fine texture to it. Is this granite? (I'm northwest of Atlanta, but I'm sure some of you know that Stone Mountain is a huge hunk of granite.) Is this worth a shot at tumbling or nah?
This was the most interesting back-yard find. It has a warm pink hue to it compared to the top few pics. Decided to go take another look today, and managed to find a fist sized piece, though it's just caked with clay. (We had heavy rain again the other day) *smiles* Ahh...the joys of erosion....
My son is going to take me out on Saturday for a rock field trip, we're going to head up 75 towards the North Georgia mountains and just see what we find. He's a photography nut....and is teaching me a bit about using his digital camera. This should make an interesting trip. Him taking pictures of flowers, landscapes and bugs....and me on my hands and knees looking at rocks.
I hope to have better/improved pictures in the future, when I figure out how to adjust the camera for depth of field. ;D
Thanks for hosting the forums...and your patience with someone new to the hobby.
Regards,
Emerald
aka: Helen Nicholson
My previous experience with tumbling wasn't the best. Years ago, I had an exceptionally noisy hobby-grade tumbler and simply didn't understand the process of tumbling. But now, thanks to the forums, and other great resources I've found on the net...I'm chomping at the bit to try it again.
If all goes well, I'm going to be ordering a Lortone - MODEL 3-1.5B from Kingsley North sometime this weekend. (I assume this will be a bit quieter than the hobby model I had)
I also saw oodles of rocks I'd like to tumble from rockshed.com. (Emerald in Matrix, Blue Jasper, Small Prairie Agate) The vendor area on the forums has been EXTREMELY helpful!
I was planning on putting the tumbler outdoors...in case it's still noisy. Right next to our basement door is a plug with a sidewalk and within a few steps of a garden hose, which should make the perfect spot for tumbling. All I'll need to do is build a sturdy table, with a small shed roof to keep the rain out. Also, I plan on having a spot there for a small crock-pot to cook/clean rock. I've done my fair share of woodworking, so no worries there.
Local finds...my backyard!
I've collected what's probably milky-white quartz from our backyard. Is this rock of a quality that would be worth tumbling? It appears to have lots of hairline fractures in it. (or is that just more Georgia clay?) I have samples of clear, yellow clear, milky white and milky yellow-white.
I hope to do my first tumbling batch with some of this material. It really is very pretty when the light catches it. If anyone would like some to tumble, let me know and we'll work something out. I can get several 5 gallon buckets just from our yard alone. It's fist size and below...and you get the honor of cleaning the delightful red Georgian clay from it! *chuckles* Or...should I continue to dump it in the ditch...to make lawnmowing easier? I have a whole new batch to dispose of...every time it rains.
On first inspection, this had some transparent qualities, so I decided to try an experiment. After donning my safety glasses, I wrapped 2 palm sized stones in an old dropcloth, placed it on a stump and then wailed away with my trusty hammer. Now, is this a bad idea? If my neighbors were watching....I think they'd cart me off to the funny farm.
Not as plentiful, but I found quite a bit of this rock as well. The whiter areas are more transparent and crystaline. Overall, the rock has a very fine texture to it. Is this granite? (I'm northwest of Atlanta, but I'm sure some of you know that Stone Mountain is a huge hunk of granite.) Is this worth a shot at tumbling or nah?
This was the most interesting back-yard find. It has a warm pink hue to it compared to the top few pics. Decided to go take another look today, and managed to find a fist sized piece, though it's just caked with clay. (We had heavy rain again the other day) *smiles* Ahh...the joys of erosion....
My son is going to take me out on Saturday for a rock field trip, we're going to head up 75 towards the North Georgia mountains and just see what we find. He's a photography nut....and is teaching me a bit about using his digital camera. This should make an interesting trip. Him taking pictures of flowers, landscapes and bugs....and me on my hands and knees looking at rocks.
I hope to have better/improved pictures in the future, when I figure out how to adjust the camera for depth of field. ;D
Thanks for hosting the forums...and your patience with someone new to the hobby.
Regards,
Emerald
aka: Helen Nicholson
If he gets bored with the digging, (doubt it).... I'm sure he'll pull out his camera and take plenty of photos.
... to the New Guys from The ChatBox V.2 Crew