yghper
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2008
Posts: 5
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Post by yghper on Jun 15, 2008 21:17:55 GMT -5
I am new to tumbling, the guy at the rock shop where I bought a Lortone 33B. Said to use 60/90 for 30 full days then Tripoli for 15 more days. Has anyone tried this, It is different from anything I have read. Thanks!
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Post by Noosh9057 on Jun 15, 2008 21:23:19 GMT -5
Well I have tryed something like this and it will get a polish. Sometimes it works very good.
Roger
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Rockygibraltar
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,404
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Post by Rockygibraltar on Jun 15, 2008 21:53:27 GMT -5
I might work but it's not going to be consistent. I think the result will be less than great.
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Post by bobby1 on Jun 15, 2008 22:08:19 GMT -5
I've used a very similar method successfully for many years. I call it my lazy man's method. 30+ days in 60/90, 30+ days in polish. If you are not in a hurry and you don't have a compelling itch to keep opening your tumbler for a peek and you are generally running a mix of agates, it work really well.
Bob
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Jun 16, 2008 1:06:48 GMT -5
I think it might work to give you a shine, but you might not get the rock shaped like you want it. Grit breaks down to roughly half its size every 4-7 days, and only the coarse grit stage shapes the overall rock shape. So you would get about a week's worth of coarse grinding, but any pits, rough areas etc. would remain right to the end.
-Don
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 16, 2008 8:08:10 GMT -5
Don nailed it. you would have to open and check every 5-7 days and adjust grit/water level. Once the rocks were ready to move to step two you could let it run until grit was completely broken down. Not sure what polish they are using that takes 30 days to get a polish.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,494
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 16, 2008 10:08:14 GMT -5
Yeah, I tried it a couple of times by accident when I got lazy and didn't change the tumbler for a long while. The theory is the coarse grind breaks down in size in 30 days and replaces those other stages. I had mixed results and prefer at least a four stage method because you wash between each stage. In theory the coarse grind breaks down in 30 days but you always have to consider it only takes a few grains that get caught in some crack and this method is defeated. Even after 30 days, I still found some coarse grains left in one of the loads I'd forgotten and left the whole month.....Mel
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Post by Condor on Jun 21, 2008 12:51:10 GMT -5
I tried a similar one taught to me by a rock shop in Bourne, Texas and it works quite well. It's 60/90 anywhere from five to seven weeks, then skip stage two straight to 400 and then polish. Works excellent.
Condor
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Post by Lady B on Jun 25, 2008 12:39:18 GMT -5
Over the course of this past year that I have been tumbling, I have tried all kinds of approaches and techniques. I think the most important factors to keep in mind re: any tumble are: - What type of rock am I tumbling? - Do I have uniformity, as in all agates or all pet woods, or is this a hodge-podge of mixed rock types?
- What sizes of rocks am I tumbling? - Do I have a nice variety of stones in there by size, or are they all about the same size?
- What is the pre-tumble condition of the rocks? - Do they have a relatively clean surface without a lot of matrix, pitting, or irregualrity of shape, or are they a hodge-podge of mixed conditions?
- Are there any rocks in there that need special attention? - Obsidian (Nature's Glass) and Glass need to be checked frequently at first to allow for the escape of natural gasses released during the tumbling breakdown. Cleaning up after an exploded tumbler has blasted slurry all over everything within an amazingly large range IS NOT FUN!!! Fortunately for me, I listened to the experts on this proviso and have not had first-hand experience with excessive gassy build-up in any of my tumblers.
- What type and size of tumbler am I using? - First of all, no 60-90 in a vibe! NOT A GOOD PLAN, EVER!! (Again, I listened to the experts and have been grateful for their advice!!)
But when I am using one of my roataries - I have many choices now:
- 1.5# Lortone Barrels - used for small loads of single type stone, such as Apache Tears or Sodalite
- 3# Lortone Barrels - used for dedicated tumbles, such as a mix of a particular stone (Aventurines) or tumbles for the children in the family (stones they selected, weighed, photographed, and checked on through the various stages).
- 12# Ball Mill Barrel - used for either 60-90 or 120-220 rock-specific tumbles where I have uniformity of some type (Thunder Eggs that I want to eventually slab so I remove the matrix first in tumbles, or pounds of picture jasper that have already gone through smaller tumblers and are now all ready for 120-220)
- 15# Thumler's Barrels - my big Kahunas--used for all those larger specimens that haven't told me yet whether they want to be slabbed/cabbed or simply kept larger for certain polished displays (surrounding large candles on in indoor rock garden containers)
I have let some of my barrels run for only 6 hours before checking and some for 20 to 30 days, BUT there is never a sure-fire routine for me and my stones. Listen! Look! Feel! Your stones will tell you a lot about how they want to be tumbled. And in most cases, the worst case scenario is just put them back a stage or two and keep going forward! ;D That's my 2-cents based on my year of experience! ;D ;D ;D Lady B |
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