Eric Campbell
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3
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Post by Eric Campbell on Feb 6, 2005 21:15:29 GMT -5
I have 2 questions about the final polish stage:
1. If tiny pieces of rock have chipped off (due to structural flaws in the rock) these pieces tend to be sharp (as they haven't gone through the initial stages). Do I need worry about removing the small chips AND the larger rocks they chipped off of? In other words, will those sharp edges scratch up the rest of the rocks and prevent a final polish. Opinions are great -- and if you have specific experience with this situation, even better.
2. Generally, grit lasts 7-10 days. Does polish have the same life expectancy AND what happens if you add plastic beads -- the general effect of beads is to slow things down to prevent chipping... Does this also slow down the break-down of grit and polish? ...so does grit/polish last 14-20 days or something if you use plastic beads? Again, all theories welcome, but specific technical knowledge is great...
Thanks, Eric
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momma
starting to spend too much on rocks
YUMMY
Member since December 2004
Posts: 183
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Post by momma on Feb 6, 2005 21:48:57 GMT -5
Hey Eric. About the polish girt. I found out by doing some research that you can reuse pre-polish and polish grit. Just drain the water off the top of it let it dry for a wile and reuse it in a later batch. As for the other stuff Im a totall Newby myself so I could not really help you there. I Hope I was able to help with the polish.
Good Luck
momma
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Post by cookie3rocks on Feb 6, 2005 22:24:16 GMT -5
Hi Eric! The plastic beads cushion the stones and help a great deal to prevent breakage but they have no effect on the length of time the stones stay in polish. They almost act like more stone, filling in the amount that was lost in the coarser stages, but more importantly cushion the stones. Also, I have been saving polish for a while now with pretty good results. The polish can only get finer as it breaks down, so I sometimes add the used polish in at the last part of the phase, and it seems to do well.
cookie
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RedwoodRocks
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 762
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Post by RedwoodRocks on Feb 6, 2005 23:04:48 GMT -5
Hi Eric,
If small pieces chip off, throw them out. The big chipped pieces go into the "do-over" bucket, or back into the coarse barrel, if I have one open.
I don't think the big chipped pieces will polish where chipped.
I also toss any rock that I am not happy with - missed pits or cracks into the do-over bucket also.
Cal
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Feb 6, 2005 23:29:27 GMT -5
Hello Eric, I too remove any chipped pieces and put them aside to be done again in a later batch ... if they are big enough. The smaller chips ... I toss mine. As for the polish ... I generally only use my polish for one cycle. I do this to keep from cross contaminating my new batch ... you know ... from the unseen particles or tiny sharp chips from a previous batch. Everyone has their own technique ... so it all comes down to what works for you Enjoy, John
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Blue Tigereye
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2005
Posts: 118
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Post by Blue Tigereye on Feb 6, 2005 23:33:36 GMT -5
Or more likely what you can afford. Being poor is sometimes the mother of reusing items
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Eric Campbell
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2005
Posts: 3
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Post by Eric Campbell on Feb 7, 2005 8:49:24 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads-up about the polish being potentially re-usable... and thanks for the feedback about tossing the rocks in the "do-over" barrel -- in retrospect, I don't know why that didn't immediately occur to me... -Eric
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Feb 7, 2005 10:05:23 GMT -5
I too have been saving my polish and pre polish- I am very careful about removing any chips and putting them in a container (no sure about what I will do with them) Some of the rocks that the chips came from will go in the redo- some just come out fine and I don't worry about them!
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Post by creativeminded on Feb 7, 2005 10:27:56 GMT -5
I put the tiny pieces of rock that have chipped off during the process back in each stage, because I will adventually use them and I want them to be nice and shiny too. The only stage I don't use plastic pellets in is the first stage because my tumbler is usally fillled completely with rock, as the rock grinds down the pellets I have to add. I really don't know how long my 60/90 grit lasts I just let it tumble for two weeks. I usually don't check my barrel until after that two weeks. So far I have not had to recharge my barrels I am usually able to move onto the next stage, however, this new load maybe different because I am tumbling red and blood jasper.
Tami
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Feb 7, 2005 10:34:37 GMT -5
You fill yopur barrel FULL of rock? To the top? I usually only fill the barrel 1/2 to 5/8 full. Can I fill it full?
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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 16:13:51 GMT -5
A few things I've learned so far:
Start getting really, really picky about what you put into polish, and use a ton of cushioning material. If if isn't smooth, don't send it to the next stage. The very fine bits at the bottom seem to be the worst offenders, lots of 1/8 inch bitsies have very sharp edges.
If bits are breaking off in polish then you are in trouble; some minerals like garnet are popular abrasives because they naturally break into very sharp particles, thereby recharging themselves. Not good for polishing. Re-using polish is prolly not a good idea, but I guess some folks get away with it by passing it thru fine seives and filters.
So grade those rocks out of the third stage really carefully. In fact, be a brutal grader at all stages; hammering the junk or just chucking it out back will make tumbling much easier; experience will soon tell you what the junk is, it's often not very obvious.
A lot of tumbling rough is really cheap, so don't be afraid to hammer it. Sturdy tile nippers or a small rock trimmer really help - bigtime! Some stuff you can break apart with just your fingers. Quite often you'll see that what looks like a perfectly innocent crack is very deep and full of junk, and the stone happily splits right in half. I've been seeing a lot of fragility in self-collected amethyst and sodalite. Get rid of the thin platy pieces that will snap, and knock or pry out the shallow dish-shaped chips, chuck 'em back into coarse.
Wash twice, and inspect twice before into polish, and btw every stage if you're crazy like me. A comfy chair, frosty beverage, and good lighting helps; pamper yourself a bit while doing the scutwork! I'm running twelve pound tumblers and this takes a significant amount of time, but it's worth it.
Hope this helps a bit!
SirRoxalot
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Post by creativeminded on Feb 8, 2005 8:56:44 GMT -5
When I said full I meant to the right level, 2/3rds full. If you have it too full the rocks can't tumble. Now I do probably add more water that most people do, I figure since ocean's and rivers are the best natural tumblers then it doesn't hurt to have more water. Tami
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Post by Tweetiepy on Feb 8, 2005 10:28:54 GMT -5
I guess I'm going to have to be more vigilant with the stones that get out of the coarse grit. But now that I'll have a 33B (OMG did I say that and mean it! ;D - should be getting it soonish) my kiddy tumbler may be just for that - kiddies. The other day I was cleaning all of my stones with a toothbrush before they went into polish (it took me at least an hour - showing the kids the rocks, checking them out, stuff like that - and I only had a kiddy tumbler - what, maybe a 1/2 lb?) and hubby said that if I spent as much time on housework as I did cleaning those rocks, he'd be a happy guy! - (I quickly shut out that small voice and went on scrubbing)
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Feb 8, 2005 12:24:27 GMT -5
Don't give up that kiddie tumbler just yet- I love mine for doing small batches and chips. Plus it is nice to have a backup- Oh and you can never take too long cleaning up before polish- Hey good job silencing that little voice- That is why I have 2 tumblers going- WHAT I CAN"T HEAR YOU IT IS TOO NOISY DOWN HERE!
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Post by connrock on Feb 8, 2005 19:04:39 GMT -5
Polish does not break down like grit does. If you are going to save it be very careful not to contaminate it. I suggest squeezing it through a piece of muslin cloth until most of it through the cloth.Don't squeeze the it to the last drop because that's where the contaminents may be. You can do this as many times as you want but the more you use it the more cahnce you'll have of contaminating it. As for pre-polish I would say if you are using something like Tripoli it's OK to save it but if you are using silicone carbide grit or some of the oxides used,don't reuse it. The tiny chips can be used in as many ways as your mind leads you to. Here's what I do witth some of my tiny rocks. Excuse the photo.I took it in poor light. Tom
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stubby
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2004
Posts: 150
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Post by stubby on Feb 11, 2005 9:51:52 GMT -5
connrock,
Do you have a good source for bottles like that? It's nice.
stub
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