rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Feb 2, 2007 16:18:45 GMT -5
Hello from the UK:-) I have just started rock tumbling and I am enjoying it... I have tumbled one drum of rocks and although they are not perfect I am happy with my first go! I have just bought some malachite and this weekend I will try that in the tumbler. I hope that I can get some good tips from this forum because from the posts I have read you all seem so good at it! I only have one drum and that is a one and a half pound one. I see that I should have several so later I will buy another. I think this hobby is a lesson in patience which I am learning to have:-) I hope I can make some friends here:-)
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flatumbler
starting to spend too much on rocks
Now totally addicted!!!
Member since January 2007
Posts: 191
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Post by flatumbler on Feb 2, 2007 18:28:53 GMT -5
I know how you feel, I too rushed that first batch through just to see something shiny in the end. They weren't the best by far, but it was defenitely something special. Glad to have you here and welcome to the boards. Don't forget all of us love pictures, so post some up in the members photos section of things you work on. I am a little behind on that myself lol. ~Andy~
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Feb 3, 2007 3:50:41 GMT -5
Welcome, Rockfan!
It's okay to rush the first few loads, I suspect everyone did that. Gives you some quick and nice results, and you can use them later as a baseline to improve upon.
As for the malachite, I'm sorry to tell you that it is a poor choice for tumbling -- much too soft to take a polish in a tumbler, and will probably be eaten up in the barrel before you can say boo. You are better to start with quartz-based materials -- quartz, agate, jasper, amethyst, citrine, chalcedony, chert, flint, etc. Many of these are quite common and can be purchased cheaply or found yourself, and they are far harder than malachite, so they can be somewhat abused in a tumbler and still end up with a good shine. -Don
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Feb 3, 2007 8:21:30 GMT -5
Welcome to the board Rockfan! This is the place I started out too! I've learned much of what I know from these fine folks....
Dan
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spacegold
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2006
Posts: 732
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Post by spacegold on Feb 3, 2007 13:21:36 GMT -5
Don is right about the malachite, rockfan. It is gorgeous material, but delicate in the tumbler. It can be done if you take great care. If you choose to try it, get enough that you can tumble it by itself. Start with 220 and check it every day. As soon as it is rounded, go to prepolish with lots of pellets (1/3 or so). Tripoli is good. In a couple of days you will have all you can get with prepolish. Then take it to polish, again with lots of pellets, and you should get a pretty nice shine.
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rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Feb 3, 2007 15:26:26 GMT -5
Thank you for welcoming me:-) However I fear that I have made a mistake already with the malachite. I thought it would be a good rock to polish but now I see I was not right. Also because I did not have enough to three quarter fill my drum I have added some small rocks that came with the kit to make up the amount. I think now that I have wasted my money on the malchite. I have to admit to choosing that one because I thought it would not take as long as other rocks... See I have not yet learnt the patience. I can see I need all the help from the rest of you that you are willing to give. I started it at 3:30pm today, there is malachite and a white stone that is also soft and the very small selection of rocks. Should I leave it all night and look in the morning. If I have lost the malachite should I just continue with the rest of the small rocks and learn from my mistake. I have fancy jasper and tiger stone in rock form, maybe I should try those instead next time. Can I tumble those together? You will become tired of me soon I am sure but I have to learn as I am sure you all had to... Thank you again..
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erbojones
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2006
Posts: 659
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Post by erbojones on Feb 4, 2007 15:24:58 GMT -5
Hi rockfan and welcome to the board from a fellow UK tumbler - I would whip the malachite out whilst its still intact and put some of the jasper or tiger eye in instead - they are a bit harder and will probably give more pleasing results in the end. Once you have some gleaming, shiny stones from your first run then you can get the confidence to experiment with ones like malachite. I must admit I've got a bit of malachite and I'm too scared to tumble it!! (I'm also waiting to have enough to fill up a barrel of it). Let us know how you get on!
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rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Feb 4, 2007 16:09:41 GMT -5
Hello! Nice to speak to you, you come from one of my favourite counties along the coast west from me! I expect that you have some good beach pebbles there? I decided to take the malachite out after seeing that the water and grit was green and frothy:-) I have left the mixture of hard rocks in there and added a few beach pebbles from home. I have ordered some more malachite and I will have a go with just that because I have spent too much on it to not at least try. I have become a "tumbleholic" and spend ages looking at websites and drooling over rough rock! I was pleased with my first attempt and hope to improve. It is good to have found somewhere that I can talk to others who are not all experts and we can learn together... I will leave the drum tumbling until tomorrow evening and see what has happened. I have still not learnt the patience of a true tumbler but I am sure that will come...
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jjckitti
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since January 2007
Posts: 775
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Post by jjckitti on Feb 5, 2007 19:32:52 GMT -5
Welcome... patience is something we dont have in our house. We quickly upgraded to a vibe... which requires patience but not as much. Even though we still run our rotary (or will when we get another one soon). Have fun with it.. that's all it's about.
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rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Feb 11, 2007 17:15:52 GMT -5
Hello! Nice to speak to you.. The drum is tumbling now on stage 3 of its cycle. I decided to finish this one and then try again with the malachite but do it in a drum by itself! What is a vibe, if it needs less patience perhaps I should get one... Do you know if I can tumble fancy jasper and tiger stone together as I have both waiting to be done? I have put in some pebbles from the beach here but I do not know what they are, or if anything will happen to them in the polishing stage? I am enjoying seeing how the rocks become smooth stones anyway...
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181lizard
Cave Dweller
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Feb 11, 2007 17:56:32 GMT -5
Hi rockfan! A vibe is a Vibratory machine that instead of rolling to tumble, shakes or vibrates. I don't have one, but lots of members do & sounds like they really like them. MUCH faster than a tumbler, but I understand you have to keep a vigilant eye on them. (at least compared to a rotary) It's really hard to tell someone else EXACTLY how to tumble. You learn the most from trial & error and asking questions. There are the basic facts, which are all over this website & can be gleaned just from reading. Then there's the stuff ya learn from being "hands on." Hate to say it but...be patient. and welcome.
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rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Feb 22, 2007 15:46:43 GMT -5
Hello! I have now taken out my second attempt at rock tumbling and once again I am pleased but I am not sure if they are as good as they could be. On pebbles from the beach the flat sides have sections that are like glass but some parts that are not. The others are the same really, some better than others. I did the polishing stage for 4 days and then added some plastic pellets because I thought there was too much space in there and tumbled for another 4 days. They were mainly quartz and some others of the same sort of hardness. Am I expecting too much from a small tumbler or could it be that it runs too slow? Perhaps I am rushing things and should have increased some of the stages. They were very small stones to start with from a National Geographic tumbling pack. Before I start again I want to be sure I am doing it right. Can I tumble Tiger Stone and Jasper together? How long should the first stage be for these rocks. Can you recommend a good book for those that seem to have not a clue! Nice to speak to you all again, sorry to be so dim!!
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RockyBlue
fully equipped rock polisher
Go U.K.
Member since June 2006
Posts: 1,719
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Post by RockyBlue on Mar 2, 2007 22:00:16 GMT -5
Hey Rockfan! Welcome to the board! I came on board in June,06 so i`m still new, i`ve probably ask 44,000 questions and got 120,000 answers,so i`m at the right place,The biggest thing that i`ve learned to be patient and walk away for a week and just let things tumble,I`m not against books but the knowledge that i`ve found here is greater than any book i could read,You will not beleive the knowledge.I found friends that i never had before,this is my 2nd home.Good Luck!....Rocky
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emyhro4048
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2007
Posts: 396
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Post by emyhro4048 on Mar 2, 2007 22:55:07 GMT -5
:)Hello and welcome. I too found tumbling a lesson in patience. Always allow for the full time period for each step. I cut mine short the first time and the polish was just OK. My last batch was beautiful and I think it was because I went the full week to 10 days. Don't give up, just keep experimenting and you'll get really good at it.
Ed
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rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Mar 9, 2007 15:59:30 GMT -5
Hello! Thanks for the replies:-) It really is good to have somewhere to talk to friends who are as new to this hobby as I am! I think I have become more patient now and I am waiting the correct amount of time for the rocks that are tumbling at tghe moment! One thing that perhaps someone can help me with is breaking rough rock to put in the drum. I had some "fancy jasper" and it was in bigger pieces than I wanted. I broke it up using a hammer with the rock in a cloth but the shapes I ended up with are not wonderful. I am hoping that they will be better at the end of this stage of tumbling. Is there a special way to position the rough rock for breaking, or do you do as I did and just give it a hard bang with the hammer! Also can anyone tell me the name of the rock that looks as if it has little pieces of glitter in it, it is a tan colour. Thank you again for the forum, it is like having someone there to ask when things get confusing....
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Post by deb193 on Mar 9, 2007 16:22:42 GMT -5
You will get better results with a chisel. You need a high-temper steel, sometimes called a cold chisel, made for masonry or stone. Also, a heavy metal plate to place the rock on can help. Taking a step up, you can cut some rocks that are too big with a tile saw if it has a premimum diamond blade rated for porcelian and granite.
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rockfan
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by rockfan on Mar 11, 2007 17:05:51 GMT -5
Thank you for the advice, I see now that the hammer was not the right thing to use. I will look for the type of chisel you suggested. Thanks again!
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Post by LCARS on Mar 24, 2007 14:29:46 GMT -5
Rockfan, welcome to the forum. Malachite is a challenging tumble. I've been tumbling over 2yrs now and I recently attempted to tumble some lower grade malachite with mixed results. It's something you really have to keep a close eye on and requires some special technique to pull off with good results. It is much better suited as a carving stone or something to be worked using a Dremel right to polish. Some day down the road you will probably want to "get even" with it and try it again but by then you will have more knowledge and experience to draw on. Just don't give up.
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one80mike
freely admits to licking rocks
@(-_-)@ Princess Leia!
Member since February 2007
Posts: 908
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Post by one80mike on Mar 27, 2007 0:28:14 GMT -5
G'day Rockfan and welcome from one of the colonies (hahaha). Mike
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