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Post by lbowman1 on Jan 24, 2007 14:32:11 GMT -5
I'm still researching tumbling before I buy a tumbler and reading everything I can find. And looking at tumblers and rough to see what's out there. One thing I've noticed from looking at rough on the internet is it's often separated into faceting, cabbing and tumbling grades with faceting being the best and tumbling the worst. I talked to one guy in Franklin, NC that has some really nice amethyst but when I mentioned that I want stone to tumble he said he would never sell it for tumbling because it's "too good for that." I'm a little confused. It seems to me that if I want to get something really good out of the tumbler at the end I would have to put something really good in it to begin with. Could someone shed some light on what kind of quality I should look for in rough? Thanks  Lori |
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Post by akansan on Jan 24, 2007 15:13:54 GMT -5
You're absolutely correct - the better product that goes into the tumbler, the better product that comes out. Tumbling grade can mean different things to different sellers, but I've found it's often either pitty material with less color than the "cab" worthy material or small chips that leave much to be desired. I'd like to say faceting quality is a bit much for tumbler fodder, but that's just because I'm not willing to pay the price for that grade.  For my tumblers, I look for 3 lb. chunks or so and demolish it from there - rough for slabbing/cabbing. If I go with "tumbler" grade, I'll get it from some place that has a high recommendation from people here, like the Rock Shed or other similar places. |
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Post by Tweetiepy on Jan 24, 2007 15:40:41 GMT -5
I've seen folks here put a shine on driveway gravel! cabbing grade also could mean less faults than tumbling grade - and hey if you want to put faceting grade stones in your tumbler you can - if you can afford it - some people even tumble polish glass in there -
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Jan 24, 2007 18:52:04 GMT -5
The thing is, tumbling is a somewhat random and for that matter- kind of brutal process, amethyst crystals and a lot of other materials are often quite brittle and fracture easily, so high grade specimen pieces and good facet quality material being put in a tumbler runs a serious risk of becoming useless garbage, not to mention making purists like your vendor there (and a few people on here) cringe with disgust.
Cabbing is a considerably more controlled process, and faceting is a very precise- almost mathematical art of very tight tolerances and controlled cutting. So pieces subjected to those processes tend to benefit from starting out with the best grade available.
On the other hand, scrap pieces, inexpensive agate and jasper pieces, partial crystals and the like can be transformed by tumbling into much nicer stones than their rough state would have led you to believe possible.
It kind of comes down to what you want to do, but I would strongly suggest- especially starting out, to invest money in equipment and materials like good quality polish and stuff, and pick up cheap or free rocks for the first few batches until you get a feel for the time and process involved.
Then if you want to go after more expensive rough, you are doing so with a bit more confidence that you'll get the kind of results your after.
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Post by lbowman1 on Jan 24, 2007 21:12:40 GMT -5
Thanks for the info.
Most of the rough I'm steered toward by sellers are small pieces that look like they are full of cracks and pits. Not very impressive. Even if I bought them, took them home and then broke them up I would just wind up with a whole lot of nice but tiny pieces that would probably grind away to nothing. I have a feeling they would do more harm than good no matter how cheap they are. I'm not sure why people are trying to sell me this stuff unless they are just trying to get rid of what no one else will buy.
Maybe next time I should keep quiet about what I want the rough for.
Lori
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Post by cpdad on Jan 24, 2007 21:39:45 GMT -5
lori....buy you some tumbling rough from the rockshed...or from a member here...just post that you want some tumbling material in the buy and sell section...and chances are you will be able to buy material reasonably that can be tumbled together...and save a lot of headaches.
FORGET ABOUT THE AMETHYST...its brutal to tumble...as said before...it fractures...it cracks...it chips....needs so much attention that i would never recomend it for someone new to tumbling...and it can take months to get out of the rough stage...just to have it fracture or chip in later stages.
if ya see some rough ya want...just ask the board if it is right for tumbling...they will point ya in the right direction...kev.
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Post by lbowman1 on Jan 24, 2007 22:13:01 GMT -5
Thanks! I'll try that.
Lori
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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 Jan 24, 2007 22:50:55 GMT -5
Yea my first batches so far have been agates, Adventurines, and some Citrine. I just recently ran into petrified woods, jaspers and a few others which I plan on working on soon. I agree with what the others said, ask on the buy/sell board for some tumbling mix, people will be happy to pass some on, and fairly inexpensive at times. Invest in some good grits, polishes and pellets and get you a tumbler or two before you go after the big names of tumbling rocks. Best wishes and keep us up to date on how things are going. Just remember there is never a stupid question, just stupid not to ask it... So if you every have anything your not sure of or would like to know, ask away here. ~Andy~ |
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spacegold
has rocks in the head
Member since September 2006
Posts: 732
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Post by spacegold on Jan 24, 2007 22:53:59 GMT -5
Lori, when you first start out, I would recommend going with hard stones that tumble polish really well and give you a sense of real satisfaction at what you have accomplished. These are agate, jasper, quartz, flint, chert. These are a little slower than softer rocks to get rounded out in the coarse stage, but you have to learn patience in this hobby sooner or later. A way to get the jump on these harder stones is to start with river, ocean, or glacier worn stones. Nature has the job half done for you and that will get them out of the coarse stage a lot quicker. There is a lot of this material in nature and much of it quite attractive. several members on this board go out and collect it for themselves and for trading with others to get a wider variety. And, believe me, tumble polishing a special stone you found yourself puts you a little nearer the zenith of satisfaction than bought material does.
Welcome to this captivating hobby.
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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 Jan 30, 2007 21:54:22 GMT -5
Hi Lori!
I agree with spacegold. When i first started out i started with Blue Lace Agate,which was wrong
for me,I ended up fractureing every piece and used them as giveaways because i just didn`t have
enough expirence yet,so somebody suggested that i start of with river rock so i went down to Lowes
in the garden section and picked up a 20lb. bag of riverock for $4.50 and learned a little more about
tumbling before i went to the good stuff. Thanks to RTH members i don`t do too bad. I too asked a lot of questions and still do....................Rocky
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