Old Hickory
having dreams about rocks
Member since March 2006
Posts: 67 
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Post by Old Hickory on Mar 1, 2008 19:23:10 GMT -5
Hi Folks;
I am an everyday reader of this forum but I don’t post much. I treat this forum as a collage lecture class. I read, listen and take notes. And I have had most of my questions answered using this method.
But I have a question that I have not seen addressed. You tumblers refer to cleaning up your material before rough grinding. By this I mean you use a Dremel or a Foredom Grinder to clean out cracks and small vugs and do minor shaping. I would assume that you are using diamond burs for this grinding. Diamond burs require water lubrication or they don’t last long.
My question is what type of water lubrication setup do you use for this grinding? Do you use some type of a spray system a drip system or do you submerge the work in water?
Thanking you for any information in advance.
Old Hickory
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geogoddess
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2007
Posts: 287
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Post by geogoddess on Mar 1, 2008 20:21:18 GMT -5
I don't clean up or shape items before the tumble.... but I do drill holes into some rocks after they tumble... and I submerge the rock and the bit in water. I've taken a plastic tray (like the ones that hold 10 lbs of hamburger from walmart), and create small "lake" area with putty or plastic pieces.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Mar 2, 2008 13:44:45 GMT -5
Some might pre-shape stuff before tumbling, but it's not really the nature of the beast; you want the tumble to do all that work for you.
Now if you only exclusively tumble small batches of valuable rough for jewelry purposes, that's another thing, but hitting ten or sixty pounds of agate chips with a dremel before they go in wouldn't be my cup of tea.
I haven't used my Foredom tool much, tbh, but when I have I'll either keep the rock in a small plastic tray, almost submerged in water, or use a spray bottle, or just be a rebel and cut stuff dry. Messy either way, don't forget the eye and or lung protection.
SirRoxalot
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181lizard
Cave Dweller 
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Mar 2, 2008 14:01:56 GMT -5
Hey Hick! I'm on the same page as Geo is.  I use a little puddle of water to drill in too. If I try to shape a rock with my drill, I have some water in a bowl or something so I can dip it to cool it down but I really don't do this too often as I think it's a real pain. I agree with Sir Rox...I try to let first stage do it's job!  Here's some of the bits I like to use too. |
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Post by LCARS on Mar 2, 2008 16:16:17 GMT -5
Wow, $25 for 30 bits!  That's a pretty good deal!  |
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Post by Cher on Mar 2, 2008 22:50:22 GMT -5
Wow that's really pretty expensive. I bought the same bits on ebay for $10.00. There's one on their now that's a 50 piece set for $10.89 and that includes shipping.
Hey Old Hickory, how you doing? If I find something I want to pre-shape, I use my dremel and keep the tip of it in the water with the stone. Keeps down dust and keeps the burs clean. They will last quite awhile if you don't abuse them by pushing too hard against the rock.
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181lizard
Cave Dweller
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Mar 3, 2008 1:58:37 GMT -5
Yeah...I know! That box of bits was from my local rock shop about 2 years ago. I've learned to look elsewhere since then. (Rob...they're much less through other places...ebay for one.)
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Post by connrock on Mar 5, 2008 5:55:50 GMT -5
Pre-shaping your rough can be a very time consuming job. I have seen people carving rocks (agate,etc.) using a drip system.They hold the Foredom just as if it were a carving knife or better yet just like you would hold a knife to peel an apple.They cut toward themselves wearing rain gear as this is a very messy job. Drilling and pre-shaping are 2 different operations and are "normally" done quite different. A much faster a cleaner way to pre-shape rocks is using a diamond wheel such as the types used for cabbing. All the above being said,,,,,,, Something I don't see mentioned here is the way your rough is supposed to be prepared . To take rocks and just smash them and put them in a tumbler will make the roughing stages take a long time.If you "trim" your rough using a chisel edge hammer,,,,,  and an assortment of cold chisels,,,,,  A good pair of leather work gloves are also a must,,,,,,  You can trim off most of the sharp edges that take forever to rough out. I made a "breaking plate" that I put on top of my work bench (very solid bench) which has several 1/4" reamed holes that I insert 1/4" hardened steel dowels in to suit the shape of the rock I want to be held. It's hard to hold a rock,the hammer and chisel so the pins hold the rock in place for me.They also help to hold the rock when it's small and I want to hit it with the hammer's chisel end. I didn't draw all the holes but I think you can get the idea.  I also have a thin steel plate bent to fit around the plate in a square "U" shape to keep the rock chips from flying all over,,,, I I I I I_____I Trimming your rocks before tumbling is an important part of the cycle and saves a lot of roughing time. connrock |
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