randy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2008
Posts: 117
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Post by randy on Aug 9, 2008 2:03:55 GMT -5
I am new to the forum and new to polishing. I purchased an AR-1 and an AR-2 (single 3# and a double 3#). I have been reading about using plastic pellets for cushioning and space filling. I decided on the non-abrasive ceramic media that I ordered from The Rock Shed (the fast service was beyond amazing). The ad said that it can be used from "start to finish". Since the pellets have such a smooth and hard surface; are the ceramic pellets washed and rinsed with the rocks and then sent on to the next stage with the rocks? Or treated like plastic pellets and separated by stage?
My first load is one barrel with quartz from the yard, and one that I have no idea. The later was found by my grand-daughter as a tubular core sample. It should be a good learning experience.
I can't decide on the load for the single unit, but I have many to pick from now that I have ordered and received two on-line orders. I might just be lucky, but both The Rock Shed and Berg's Rock Shop had service that was way beyond prompt. It was downright fast and 100% accurate. I would recommend both for anyone that is looking for a company to do business with.
I look forward to using this forum and growing my knowledge of this great hobby.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Aug 9, 2008 6:49:22 GMT -5
Alot of us order from the Rock Shed all the time, Shawn is awesome to deal with. Did you get a little bag of candy? ;D I think that with ceramic pellets, you can probably use the same ones in every stage. I've always used plastic pellets but it makes sense to me. As long as you burnish between stages with Borax and keep the pellets in the tumbler for the burnish, they should be good. Be sure to post pics of the progress!!
One more thing, where do you live?
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 9, 2008 7:40:00 GMT -5
The biggest advantage of the ceramic media is it doesn't embed with grit so moves with the rocks from start to finish. It acts like small rocks in early stages to speed up the process and cushions in the later stages.
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randy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2008
Posts: 117
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Post by randy on Aug 9, 2008 14:10:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses folks. Very much appreciated. I suspect that I will be back with lots more questions as time goes on. I live in Marysville, WA (30-35 miles north of Seattle).
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tombodc
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2008
Posts: 88
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Post by tombodc on Aug 9, 2008 17:46:28 GMT -5
Ahhhh, I never thought of using them for "mxing" as rocks, lol. DUH...  |
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lsmike
spending too much on rocks
Maxwell's demon lowers tumbling entropy
Member since January 2007
Posts: 468
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Post by lsmike on Aug 10, 2008 6:36:09 GMT -5
I use ceramic in my vibes all the time,but I had heard that they are not for rollers.I have moved to using just the small size so I'll try the leftover large in the Lortones.Thanks,Mike.
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Post by connrock on Aug 10, 2008 7:48:03 GMT -5
I keep some separate just for the polish stage but run the other stages with the same media.
connrock
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randy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2008
Posts: 117
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Post by randy on Aug 10, 2008 13:55:40 GMT -5
Mike,
I was thinking about what you said and went back to the web-site for The Rock Shed to check the item from their listing. I copied and pasted it bellow.
This is a non-abrasive Ceramic media. These can be used when tumbling rock to act as a grit carrier and filler to aid in grinding and polishing of the stones in the tumbler. They are angle cut cylinders measuring 3/8" x 5/8" and can be used in all steps from start to finish.
Need less to say, I felt a bit better that I don't seem to have messed up my very first batches (yet anyway).
One more thing. Yes, Biker Randy, I did get a baggie of candy to munch while we were going through our new treasures. In marketing, I think they call that a delighter. Nice touch!
Randy
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Post by Titania on Aug 15, 2008 7:04:14 GMT -5
I hate, hate, hate plastic pellets, so I use ceramic filler instead. I move mine along from stage to stage with the rocks. I do keep a small amount of the media that's gone all the way through a polish phase around to add to a polish batch in case I need some more bulk for that last phase. |
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tombodc
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2008
Posts: 88
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Post by tombodc on Aug 15, 2008 12:15:36 GMT -5
Can you reuse the ceramic filler in new batches of rocks or do you need to throw them away when you start a fresh batch?
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randy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2008
Posts: 117
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Post by randy on Aug 15, 2008 12:49:44 GMT -5
The ceramic media is reusable. One of the reasons that I chose this method to try first (like there isn't enough plastic junk in the land-fills already).
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