Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite

ejs
spending too much on rocks

Member since July 2008
Posts: 478

Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite Jan 9, 2009 10:12:45 GMT -5

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Post by ejs on Jan 9, 2009 10:12:45 GMT -5

Greetings! I am getting low on my crushed tumbling rough, and I have 1-2 pounds of each of the following:

Labradorite (Mohs 6.0-6.5)
Apatite (Mohs 5)
Nephrite Jade (Mohs 6.0-6.5)
Unakite (Mohs

)

I don't have enough of any of these to run a full barrel in my Lortone 3lb., so I'd like to mix/match them. I've had a lot of trouble with labradorite in the past, getting serious pitting toward the end.

Any advice on which of these will tumble/polish well together in a rotary? It seems like the labradorite and jade are well matched in terms of hardness. I have no idea about the unakite. Is the apatite too soft to tumble?

I assume that Mohs 6 is hard enough to run the usual routine (starting with 60/90 SC). I've read on the board that some folks skip the rough and go right to 120/200 on softer stones, but these aren't that soft, are they?

Any and all experience/advice is appreciated!

pebblepup
has rocks in the head

Succor Creek Thunder Egg

Member since July 2008
Posts: 515

Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite Jan 9, 2009 13:14:01 GMT -5

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Post by pebblepup on Jan 9, 2009 13:14:01 GMT -5

Unakite is 6-7 on the Mohs scale.

I always have mixed materials in my barrels. The key is to keep the materials in the same hardness range. I have on occasion added softer material unknowingly only to find it trashed when the first grit stage was over.

Last Edit: Jan 9, 2009 13:14:52 GMT -5 by pebblepup

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frane
misunderstood rock expert

Member since July 2008
Posts: 11,015

Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite Jan 10, 2009 16:52:57 GMT -5

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Post by frane on Jan 10, 2009 16:52:57 GMT -5

The apatite is really soft for that load. I started tumbling some on it's own, then mixed it with hemetite that is also a 5 and pulled it a few days later, waiting for more material since even alone, you will loose about 50%. I just got a few more pounds of it in and have to wait for a barrel to be available to use so I can get these to catch up. I can't tell you how the finished product will be since I haven't gotten it there yet.
I will say that with the labradorite, I have been mixing it with amazonite since they seem to have the same layered structure and and hardness. Do a 1000 grit pre-polish phase with it also.
The unikite has always given me grief. Maybe it is just the stuff I had. The pink areas always come out right at the end and leave me with pits. I have seen that others are more successful with it than I ever have been.
Fran

ejs spending too much on rocks Member since July 2008 Posts: 478	Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite Jan 10, 2009 20:17:14 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by ejs on Jan 10, 2009 20:17:14 GMT -5 Yeah, this seems like it's going to be tricky mixed batch. I'll probably start off with the jade + labradorite and then just see what happens.

Michael John driving up their electric bill Member since June 2007 Posts: 2,432	Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite Jan 10, 2009 20:47:51 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Michael John on Jan 10, 2009 20:47:51 GMT -5 In a mixed batch, use a lot of plastic pellets for cushioning. It'll reduce the damage to the softer stones.

ejs spending too much on rocks Member since July 2008 Posts: 478	Mixing apatite,labradorite, nephrite jade, unakite Jan 10, 2009 23:32:07 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by ejs on Jan 10, 2009 23:32:07 GMT -5 Good advice, MJ. Do you mean just in the pre-polish and polish, or all the way through?