zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 6, 2008 8:49:01 GMT -5
hi my gf just gave me this rock tumbler. i love the hobby i cant wait tell i get my first batch done i got this small little 1/2 lb rock tumbler scientificsonline.com/product.asp_Q_pn_E_3037875 its week it comes with enough supplies for one batch and a varity of rocks a pile enogh for 1 batch well im at the last stage and there are not really shining they have been in for like 12 day and they only have illitle shin to it but not glossy its a mixed of rocks and it only came with enogh grit and polish for one batch and im broke i really dont wont to trow out the polish in the barrile becasue i dont have enything to start over and retry and it only comes with one barrel i need help please this is like my life hobby i know it i love rocks and the whole tumbling theme i wish i hade a better tumbler  Thank you Robert Harper |
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Post by Tonyterner on Feb 6, 2008 9:52:18 GMT -5
I bought the same tumbler for my daughter when we first started out. I only managed to get one batch out of the machine before it died but it was a pretty good batch. One thing I would suggest is to burnish with either Ivory soap or Borax. I used the Ivory in this machine between the last two stages and after they were done in the polish. A couple of days of this should make them much shinier. If you are using the Ivory shave in about 1/4 of a bar and add water like you normally would and run the machine. You will be surprised at the difference.
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 6, 2008 19:42:29 GMT -5
It may be the case that more time was needed in an earlier stage. Possible it needed to run again that a particular grit. When they give enough for 1 batch, they do not take into account that you may need to recharge multiple times at each stage.
It may also be that more pellets, for cushioning or fill, is needed in the polish set. You will have lost material at each stage, and the barrel may be empty enough that too much banging of the rocks is occurring.
If you can post a pic of how the rocks look now, and also say how long you went in each stage, and how many times, if any, you recharged each stage, we can comment more specifically.
If you do need to go back a step, you can possibly pour off your polish slurry and save it. Some folks do get multiple use out of polish because it breaks down less than the other grits. Don't try to save any of the earlier grit slurries.
At the beginning there is some trial and error and sometime you do not fully break down some grit, or need to rinse things off and try again. You learn and get better over time, but you should plan for some waste of grits and polish in the 1st few batches.
You might be able to get a kit that is good for a number of batches form someplace like therockshed.com, and not pay too much.
Good luck
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Post by Tony W on Feb 7, 2008 0:39:05 GMT -5
To save your polish.....Get a vegitable sive at the dollar store and put it over a container.. I use an ice cream tub... and pour the contents of your tumbler into the sive. Slowly pour a gallon milk container of water over the sive shaking it a lot to move the rocks around and wash off the polish. Cap the tub and let it sit for a few days. When the polish has settled to the bottom pour off the water. I use my polish over and over. The money goes to grit!
20 bucks will get you a bunch of grit from Rock Shed shipped... but mostly you need to save up for a good tumbler.
While you are at the dollar store get some marbles to run with the rocks to cushion them from banging so much. T
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Feb 7, 2008 5:29:23 GMT -5
Hi Robert ,
It takes a long time to get a good gloss can be as long as 3 month's at least with a small tumbler
I rotary tumble for 6 weeks to shape Broken rock . Beach stones can be done in a week
after that the Vibe (Lot "O") it polishes in 10 days what used to take ages
I use a 3 1/2 lb tumbler after using 1lb and 1 1/2 lb barrelswheen I started out the difference is imense
Robert I hope you keep polishing its a fantastic hobby and can lead into all sorts of things , jewelry making to name but one ,
Time and paitience are golden as they say in tumbling & also be clinicaly clean.
Wash between stages and burnish with Borax and do a final borax wash/burnish for 48 hours
1 - with a bigger Tumbler you get the weight of the tumbling rocks helping to grind the rocks faster, this you havent go so it takes time
Hope you keep polishing keep us informed and a picture would be helpfull
Have a good day
jack
Yorkshire UK
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zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 12, 2008 22:53:35 GMT -5
do be fooled they are not that shinie its the glar in like a week im getting some more grit and pellets from rock shed and some red jasper and amyithist and i orderd some more barrels it only cam with one im doing it for a sisence project for school that was my excuse to get more rocks and what does recharge mean <a href="http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/zeo1943/?action=view¤t=rocks.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f83/zeo1943/rocks.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a> |
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zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 12, 2008 22:54:45 GMT -5
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Post by Cher on Feb 13, 2008 0:17:40 GMT -5
My daughter got one of those for my grandson, she never did get a shine on her's either. It's too bad that concept doesn't work, it would be really cool to watch your rocks tumbling.
Recharge is the same as reloading the barrel, or adding more rough and grit. After the first week, you take them out, check to see if any can move on to the next step and set them aside. Put the rest back in your barrel, add more rough to bring it up to optimum level, add water, grit and put it back to tumbling.
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 13, 2008 0:21:13 GMT -5
Looks like jasper, and should shine. How full is te barrel. Is there room for the rocks to slide when it turns.
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zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 13, 2008 8:19:19 GMT -5
well it is not jasper its a mixed of things and these are all the rocks that cam with it i am geting more and ill give it a nexed shot
its only an 1/2 lb tumbler
i think it is becasue i have all these difrent kinds of rocks
or maby becasue i dont have plasstic pellets
or even becasue i use tyhe same barrel each time
eather way these will all change sooon im geting a 1 lb of red jasper and 1 lb of amythist and a 1lb of spiderman jasper (my Fav)
im getting pettets and enough grit and polish to do 6 batches
what is pre polish and what is the deal with the 4 and 5 extra stages 500 grit and 1000 grit and what is the diffrences between all the polishes like tin and aluminum
and what is a seive
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Post by Cher on Feb 13, 2008 10:21:58 GMT -5
One thing that is extremely important to getting a good shiny load is to make sure you clean the rocks and the barrel really well between loads so you don't carry grit over in each step.
A sieve is like a large bowl with holes in that you can use to wash things off. You can get them for a buck at a dollar store. If you are going to start saving your polish, you have to understand that it's VERY IMPORTANT not to contaminate it with anything else. I save the slurry from my 500 grit, 1000 grit and polish to reuse. I have a different sieve and container for each grit so they don't get contaminated with the previous grit. Make sure you mark them with a black magic marker so you never get them mixed up.
The deal with using the extra steps is just a preference that some have and some don't. There are a few, Don (rollingstone) that just use the four step method and get beautiful results so it's not like something you have to do.
Look back through the members photos .... way back and you'll find some of of his batches with the steps he used and how long to tumble each one. There's lots of great info in there, it's worth it to look at them.
You don't need to put plastic pellets in the first round or coarse grit. Plastic pellets are not going to guarantee you a good shine unless they are used properly.
Most important DO NOT use the same pellets all the way through. Any pellets you use in the coarse grit cannot be used in any other grit. You can reuse them but only with coarse grit. Same with pellets used in any of the grits or polishes. They should be washed with the rocks then put into a plastic baggie that is marked with what grit they were used in and never used for anything but that grit.
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Post by cina on Feb 13, 2008 12:30:35 GMT -5
I have one thing to add TIME it takes time to get them to shine I run mine for weeks and weeks and and and lol. It is hard when you start but your best friend is time. Good luck and best wishes, Steph
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zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 13, 2008 20:30:50 GMT -5
well i hope i can get the batch right im geting a bag of barricat jasper from mexico and bannd amythis and 4 barrels and 1 lb of 1 stage grit and 2 stage grit 3stage and polish with a bunch of pellets its causting me like 40 somthing dollars but i gop with all this i can get it right o and my gf just orderd me spiderman jasper its my fav
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Feb 14, 2008 3:35:38 GMT -5
Hi Robert ,
Thats the way to go .
Love to see your photos later.
have a good day
jack
Yorkshire UK
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Post by deb193redux on Feb 14, 2008 14:56:17 GMT -5
The Spiderman Jasper will take a high satin polish, but not always a glass-like shine.
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zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 15, 2008 9:08:02 GMT -5
i know but i love it dont i have to use tin oxide
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 15, 2008 9:17:02 GMT -5
I don't know what your water is like there but it helps sometimes to use distilled water in polish stage and run in either borax/water or powdered Tide /water after polish for a day.
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zeo1943
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2007
Posts: 14
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Post by zeo1943 on Feb 15, 2008 19:51:49 GMT -5
I mean i herd i have to use tin oxide for the polish
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Feb 15, 2008 23:22:57 GMT -5
Tin oxide is the most expensive polish, but unlike a lot of other things, more expensive doesn't necessarily mean better.
A good Aluminum oxide polish (like they sell at the rock shed) can deliver very excellent results, provided- as others have mentioned, all of the steps leading up to the polish stage are done correctly.
Keep trying, eventually you will get a batch to come out like you want.
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Feb 16, 2008 3:28:18 GMT -5
I Do as Johnj sgems above says
Agood wash/Burnish with soap flakes and Borax realy gets the gloss to come out I use CO and it usualy polishes most things. Agates and the like if yours are these you will get a polish
Jack
Yorkshire UK
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