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Post by Tweetiepy on Jan 17, 2005 15:54:01 GMT -5
Anyone know of a Canadian site where I could get rocks to polish? I've seen what's out there and it is amazing - someone had amazing pictures of polished Tiger Eye d ) (my hat's off to you)!! What's easiest to polish for a newbie? Where can us frozen folk (Canadians) get rocks - I looove the look of the pictures I've seen of the Fancy Jasper, the Carnelian Agate as well as the Brazilian Agate. Are these do-able in a kiddy tumbler?
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Post by Tweetiepy on Jan 17, 2005 18:09:59 GMT -5
Yeah I was looking into a REAL one, or having my dad build me one (he has a motor he's had hanging around for a while with no obvious use for it yet - until I came along). ;D But my problem will still be finding a barrel to use on it - the kiddy one has 3 "ribs" inside to tumble the rocks, do the other barrels have this as well to keep the rocks moving? Are the ribs necessary/better?
I did see one on a Canadian site that is a whole kit for $136 cdn. I may get this on since all is included - I'd only need a small barrel 1 lb (or 3 lbs which is what this one is I think- 3A-NR Tumbling Kit (is it 3 lbs?)
BTW I'm in the frozen Ottawa region. I'm having a woman at work collect rocks for me when she gets back to the cottage in the spring...
Thanks for your help!
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Jan 17, 2005 23:55:19 GMT -5
the ribs or flat spots inside the tumbler are very important they make the rock roll inside thus polishing themselves, I started out with homemade barrels but soon discovered that the store bought ones do a lot better job. buy as big a barrel as you can use and then buy another until you are satisified with your set up I currently run 4 barrels at a time - 6 lb Lortones- and if I change the grit often enough and watch them a little they turn out good yes tumbling is very addictive
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Post by Tweetiepy on Jan 18, 2005 7:42:28 GMT -5
*runs off to parent's place across from Gatineau Park*.
Maybe if we climb those rocks again I could find some good stuff. Kinda scared of the bears that are up there roaming around (my biggest fear) Maybe that's why the roadway rock is so interesting if they get it from the mountain
Thanks for the tips! ;D
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on Jan 19, 2005 0:39:46 GMT -5
Gee, I'm late to the party. Been busy for the last couple weeks.
Anyhoo, I'm the Calgary guy. I buy my rocks right from the store at Green's, so can't comment on their shipping quality. However, I have also bought from US stores and ebay. The "problem" with US stores is they document everything very well for customs, and this most often leads to us being charged customs for the merchandise. If it comes via UPS, the courier adds another 20 or 30 dollars in service charges (I learned the hard way).
So, I've found the best way to buy rocks currently is through ebay. Because it's person to person shipping, not business to person shipping, customs does not tend to evaluate the box, saving lots of $$ in customs charges.
I also have people "look for me" when going to other countries.
Wherever you buy from in the US or otherwise, you must be prepared to buy BIG...like 12 lbs of rock minimum. This is because the shipping cost is pretty hefty and needs to be divided across a large amount of rocks in order to keep the price per pound low.
Hmmm...maybe the Canadians should just set up a trade network. Buy big and then ship it between the other canucks, eh?
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on Jan 19, 2005 0:40:57 GMT -5
I should add, I have done web searches for other Canadian rock stores and they all suck. There's not many, but the pricing is ridiculous and often the stuff being sold does not even look that good in the pictures. Stick with ebay and communicate with the sellers. Or better yet, buy from others on this site.
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