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Post by gaetzchamp on Dec 27, 2004 23:04:16 GMT -5
Well, just got my first 24 hours under my belt and hope I'm on the way to a good first batch of quartz, amethyst and citrine. If you could critique what I'm seeing, maybe you could save me some time, money, pain and heartache......
Here's what I''m seeing... 1- Rocks are tumbling nicely 2- Rocks seem to be covered w/ a wet, milky-like film. 3- Rocks seem to have settled a bit, do I need to add some more as filler???
Well, am I on the right track? Do I need to do anything else in the first 24 hours, 48hours??? What about cleaning?
thanks all,
Gaetz
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Post by stoner on Dec 27, 2004 23:38:43 GMT -5
Hi Gaetz. Sounds like all is okay. You shouldn't have to add more rock yet. After 5-7 days the rocks will have been ground down and the barrel will only be about half full and hopefully some of the rocks can be removed and put into the next stage. Do yourself a favor, forget about the tumbler for another 3 days, then check it. "Patience is a virtue, polishing rocks is a Bi#@*h". ;D The hardest part of this hobby is learning to let the grit and rocks do their magic.
Ed
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Dec 27, 2004 23:42:57 GMT -5
relax let the rocks roll check back in a week the rocks have been here for millions of years you can't expect overnight success
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Post by gaetzchamp on Dec 28, 2004 0:12:41 GMT -5
I was just hoping to get advice on if my rocks were "coated" OK, seeing how this is my first go-round.
I'm not expecting overnight sucess, just don't want to screw the batch up either!
Gaetz
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Post by Cher on Dec 28, 2004 0:35:08 GMT -5
Not quite sure what kind of a coating you're looking for on the rocks. All you really should see is that the water is starting to look like someone's been adding a little chocolate milk to it. By week's end, this will become a thicker slurry as it loads up with what's being ground off the rocks. As this thickens, it will "stick" to the rocks more and then it does look like they are coated with something but it rinses right off. Let them run for a few more days then go ahead and rinse them all off, check them over. Then you can put them all back in the barrel, maybe add a few more to bring the level up to about 2/3rds full, add more grit and let them go again. It's a good idea also to take notes or keep a journal so you know what you've done and when you did it. When you get more than a couple barrels going at one time it can get confusing trying to remember which one you checked last. The rest of the time, while those barrels are rolling, you will be learning patience. *smile* If it gets too hard, you can open the barrel everyday and do the whole recharge thing if you want but you'll soon learn it's a waste of grit.
Cher
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Post by rockyraccoon on Dec 28, 2004 1:38:24 GMT -5
gaetz i know nothing about a vibratory tumbler but see if this info helps www.stoneageindustries.com/tumbling_with_vibratory_tumblers.htmli know it moves much faster in the vibratory so i would think you need to keep a close watch on it where with a rotary you can just basically let it roll with weekly recharges. cookie, tom (connrock) and llana (just to name a few) have vibes and can tell you how long the 1st stage takes - i think getting the slurry right is important in the vibe with very little water and since it breaks down so much quicker in the vibe i would think you would either have to add more grit or completely empty and recharge and i have no idea what the vibe users do about adding more stone or filler as its going along but i'm sure you have to do that if the level drops to a certain point. do you have a separate polish barrel? you should get one if you don't have one. kim
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JEFFD
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2004
Posts: 242
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Post by JEFFD on Dec 28, 2004 6:54:10 GMT -5
HEY SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE DOING FINE. THE COATING IS THE GRIT AND ROCK GRINDINGS, ALL NORMAL. I WOULDN'T ADD ANY FILLER. WHEN YOU GET READY TO RECHARGE THE GRIT, WASH THE ROCKS AND BARREL.
THIS STUFF ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE BUT THERE IS A LEARNING CURVE. SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE WELL ON YOUR WAY INTO THIS ADDICTING HOBBY. HAVE FUN!!
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Dec 28, 2004 22:32:02 GMT -5
Sorry, didn't mean to sound that way, I can understand your nervousness. You are on track read back in the old posts here and you will gain knowlege everyone here was new at this at one time. this is the most helpfull site on the web
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