Jortha
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2005
Posts: 12
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Post by Jortha on Apr 18, 2005 9:27:40 GMT -5
Hi all! I'm new to tumbling but its got a hold on me. I live on Lake Huron and have lots of nice looking beach stones and petoskeys to use. I hav'nt had any luck getting the petoskeys to shine. Is there a special receipe for these. Thanks for any help! Joe
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Post by rockyraccoon on Apr 18, 2005 10:51:34 GMT -5
i have a children's book "the legend of the petoskey stone" and at the end of the book it tells how to polish a petoskey stone. it says to dampen and sand the stone with 220 grit sandpaper until you are satisfied, then repeat with 400 grit sandpaper, then 600 grit sandpaper. then use a damp piece of corduroy or velvet sprinkled with polish and rub in a rotating fashion until polished unless you notice scratches then go back to 400 and redo. www.deq.state.mi.us/documents/deq-glm-rcim-geology-Petoskey_Stone_4_Page_Handout.Pdfthis ones better because it tells you what polish to use www.msu.edu/~mccullyc/PETOSKEY.htmli have never tried any petoskey stones but the info i've read on them leads me to believe that hand polishing is the best method even if more time consuming. kim
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Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Apr 18, 2005 11:27:52 GMT -5
I had no idea what a Petoskey stone was...till I saw the article in the link above. I think I have one floating around here somewhere. I put it in the tumbler and it slowly was getting eaten away...hope I didn't let it totally dissolve.
Now that I know what it is...if I can find the stone again, I'll give the hand polishing a try.
Thanks for the info...great link!
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stonedagain
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2004
Posts: 114
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Post by stonedagain on Apr 18, 2005 11:36:21 GMT -5
Hi Joe, Welcome to the wonderful world of tumbling!
I'm on Lake Michigan's shore, and have tried unsuccessfully to tumble petosky. The ONLY success I've had is hand polishing. The process is long, but the results, as you know, are spectacular!
Good Luck! ~stoned
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Post by gaetzchamp on Apr 18, 2005 12:07:12 GMT -5
That Petoskey picture labeled "well polished Petosky" is just stunning. Ya, if I lived up there and could find those babies, I'd be doing whatever to perfect that craft. Those are gorgeous.
Keep us posted on the progress and if you've got a digital camera, post some pictures of what they look like in their natural state. If you need help posting picts, lemmmme know and I'll give you some help.
Gaetz#nosmileys
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Jortha
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2005
Posts: 12
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Post by Jortha on Apr 18, 2005 12:10:30 GMT -5
Thanks everyone! Rockyraccoon: Thanks for the info, being a cabinetmaker I'm not looking forward to sanding more as a hobby. lol Stoned: Lots of goodies on the beach there? There has got to be a way to tumbler them? I've come close, some parts of the stone looks polished but other parts looks pitted or fuzzy. Maybe I'll try stepping up the grit by 200 mesh each week. Any other sugestions out there. Thanks, Joe
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Jortha
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2005
Posts: 12
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Post by Jortha on Apr 18, 2005 12:32:58 GMT -5
Gaetz: Help! will post pics if you tell me how?
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Post by gaetzchamp on Apr 18, 2005 14:23:18 GMT -5
Jortha-
Look in your Private Message box. The instructions will be there shortly.
Gaetz
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Post by sandsman1 on Apr 18, 2005 16:31:58 GMT -5
i think if i was gonna try them id run normal then add a 1000 grit run at the end for around ten days and then polish on a leather wheel thats how i would try first,, iv noticed that hard to polish stones need an extra 1000 grit run and extra time in it --- i dont tumble as much as id like to but when im doin a softer stone on the grinder and having trouble with polish i always go back and hit it with a 1200 diamond belt (real good) and then polish again it works most times
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Jortha
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2005
Posts: 12
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Post by Jortha on Apr 18, 2005 18:27:46 GMT -5
Sandsman1: Thanks! I like your idea of the 1000 grit run. I ran on screened beach sand for my rough grit, worked pretty good to round the stones. Next I looked around for some mesh sreens to sift the sand I have an endless supply of. Couldn't find any yet, so bought some {fine} and {polish} no grit written on the package. I ran the fine for ten days and then polish for a week with bad results.lol I also didn't have enough rocks and or filler in the barrel. (Boy I've sure have learned alot abought tumbling since I came to this site) I will try the step up aproach to 1000 grit then polish. Gaetz: Thanks, but me and puters don't get along very well. I'll save and try later. Well, gotta go walk the beach! Thanks all!
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kelley
starting to shine!
Member since March 2005
Posts: 27
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Post by kelley on Apr 18, 2005 18:44:42 GMT -5
Thanks for posting this....we are currently studying petoskey stones for Michigan history. My children are hand polishing the Petoskey stones they found in our yard.
Kelley
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Terry664
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2005
Posts: 1,146
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Post by Terry664 on Apr 18, 2005 20:21:55 GMT -5
I just ran a batch of Petoskey stones for about 5 weeks, I started with 120/220 since they were mostly rounded already on the beach and in the water. I ran for one week, then two weeks in 600, 10 days in polish, Alum Oxide, then burnished for 4 days. still not shiny, in fact wearing away. I have also hand sanded as mentioned by another member, they look better. But the best luck I had is fine sanding belt on Dremel, then pretreated polish cloth wheel with Dremel . Have you found any and hand sanded and found designs on them rather than the typical stone? I found a few like this. Terry
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texmom
spending too much on rocks
When life gives you lemons, squeeze it on fried catfish!
Member since February 2005
Posts: 344
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Post by texmom on Apr 18, 2005 20:47:36 GMT -5
Weird. My friend in Guam send me this beach rock a few days ago, said it is coral that washes up on the beach. I'm going to try and post the picture I put on photobucket... I think its one of those petroskys. i2.photobucket.com/albums/y36/texmom52/petrosky.jpglooks like the pictures. If it is maybe she can send me some more.#nosmileys
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Terry664
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2005
Posts: 1,146
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Post by Terry664 on Apr 18, 2005 21:20:38 GMT -5
The Petosky Stone is found all over beaches in Michigan. An article I read says that there were seas in the MIchigan area millions of years ago, and had great coral reefs, supposedly The Petosky stone is fossilized coral from those reefs. The stone was named after an Indian chief in the Petosky, Mi area. Terry
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texmom
spending too much on rocks
When life gives you lemons, squeeze it on fried catfish!
Member since February 2005
Posts: 344
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Post by texmom on Apr 18, 2005 21:29:41 GMT -5
reckon mine is just coral and not fossilized coral?
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Post by sandsman1 on Apr 18, 2005 21:37:09 GMT -5
tex yours are fossilized coral also thats the design you see in it there fossles in the coral
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Jortha
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2005
Posts: 12
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Post by Jortha on Apr 19, 2005 7:44:59 GMT -5
HI everyone, Thanks for the support! Terry664: Your pretreated pollish cloth wheel for the dremel? What is it treated with? The more I learn, the more confused I get! I was thinking after the 1000 grit to dunk them in crazy glue or polyuerathane, then pollish. What do you guys think about that? From what I remeber, the Petoskey stone is composed of fossilized coral, Hexagonaria percarinata. They were made from coral beds in a warm sea during the Devonian period some 325,000-375,000 years ago. Thanks again everybody for all the help (this is such a neat site) If anybody has more ideas, please help.
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Terry664
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2005
Posts: 1,146
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Post by Terry664 on Apr 19, 2005 19:24:35 GMT -5
Yes yours are fossilized, I am sure there is fossilized coral lots of places, the Petosky Stone, is just its name for here. Thers is a town named for it and it is our state rock. Terry
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Apr 22, 2005 12:34:56 GMT -5
This is too interesting to let it die so just bringing it up front again!
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texmom
spending too much on rocks
When life gives you lemons, squeeze it on fried catfish!
Member since February 2005
Posts: 344
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Post by texmom on Apr 22, 2005 16:21:06 GMT -5
I am going to ask my friend to send me some more before I try anything with this one. It is just too cool to ruin.
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