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Post by Voodoo Rage on Feb 5, 2005 0:07:04 GMT -5
Sorry, more newbie stuff. I was down in Sam Simeon, CA and collected a nice bag of ocean worn stones and thought it would be nice to polish them. I purchased an inexpensive tumbler on Ebay (harbor freight/Chicago Electric) from a seller who also supplied several extra belts and packets of grit for the first batch. (I figure if I like the hobby, I can always buy a better tumbler later...). I was unable to get a shine in the end. I'm not sure if the stones that I have just aren't polishable or if I should just back up and run it through the prepolish for another week. A few mistakes I might have made based on what I have read in this forum. 1. I kept all the the stones, even the one's with pits and porous veins. 2. I was not as dilligent as I have seen posted in this forum with cleaning out the barrel between changes of grit. 3. I think I put in too much water. With pellets, I filled it up to the point where the pellets were fully floating. So, I what I would like input on is what I can do to maybe salvage this batch. Also, should I continue to try to polish these mixed ocean stones or would I maybe do better to start out with some agate or jasper from a vender? Your help is great appreciated!
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Post by cookie3rocks on Feb 5, 2005 0:35:51 GMT -5
OK, lets see, Even the stones with pits should polish to some point, just not the pits. Cleaning between stages is essentual, you must clean completely, especialy if you are using one barrel for all stages. Less is more with water, err to less. You can add more. I would say back up to square one. Redo the whole batch and see what happens.
cookie
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Feb 5, 2005 0:53:09 GMT -5
Helo Voodoo Rage,
You definitely want to be sure and check each stone for trapped grit in the cavities, vugs, cracks, pits, etc. It only take one or two larger pieces of grit to goof your next load up.
It's a pain in the butt ... but, it is definitely worth the extra effort. Most of us try to sort the material before it ever goes into the first load. I cull out the pieces with cracks, vugs or pits ... and some cavities ... especially when they can not be cleaned properly.
I would definitely try it again and follow the tips you find on the board and I think you will be definitely surprised at the difference.
Keep us posted and we are always here if you need any help.
John
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Post by stoner on Feb 5, 2005 3:01:04 GMT -5
Hey Voodoo. I picked up a bunch of rocks last year from Morro Bay and tried polishing them also. I had sucess with some and others just wouldn't polish. I would try again and follow all the steps carefully. But first, put the rocks in some water, then lay them out on a flat surface and pull the rocks that dry up quickly as they are sandstone or some other soft rock that won't polish. I picked up alot of cool looking rocks that looked hard, but turned out to be sandstone. I sprayed gloss lacquer on some of them and they came out pretty good.
Good luck. Hey, join the group, the more the merrier
Ed
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Post by connrock on Feb 6, 2005 16:05:04 GMT -5
Join the group and I'll tell you what your doing wrong!! Awwwww,,,I'll tell ya anyway. I would say that your main problem is the hardness of the stones. This is typical of stones collected on the shores of lakes and the oceans. Yhey look pretty wet but won't shine. Take a small file or a piece of one or a GOOD pocket knife and see if you can scratch the stones.If they scratch they are leaverites and should be treated accordingly. And I AM NOT going to tell you what a leaverite is until you join the group!! Tom
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Feb 7, 2005 16:31:05 GMT -5
Go to a local rockshop (or online dealer) and buy some good rough. A lot of beach rock just isn't going to work out that well I'm afraid. Too soft, variable hardness, etc. If your local beaches have nice pure white quartz pebbles though, they'll turn out nicely. Lots of good rough is cheap, like a buck or two a pound, and you will take it to a mirror polish if you have the patience.
Don't tumble badly pitted stuff with open veins, unless you like wasting your time.
Clean thoroughly between each cycle, the stones and the tumbler, unless you like wasting your time.
Use less water, as per the instructions that came with the tumbler. You're looking to produce a slurry that's like thin pancake batter. Prolly fill to an inch under the top of the stone.
Good luck and have fun!
SirRoxalot
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