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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 14, 2009 21:57:26 GMT -5
Good evening all!
I decided to stop this batch (okay, okay .... I couldn't stand any longer). I rinsed off the stones, pulled out all the plastic pellets, rinsed them off and set aside to dry and then put them into the separate bag for polish pellets. I then proceeded to exam each stone as I was wiping them off.
In the next couple of days, once I get a grip on how this camera can take pictures of very close up small things, I will snap a bunch and post them.
However, this is what I am seeing and know that there are probably a dozen things that I need to do differently.
1. Some of the stones, mostly the smaller ones, have great shines. They are not pure glassy, but very shiny.
2. I have some stones that still have very rough areas on them, so that part did not polish at all. AND ... the polish (if I am seeing this right) may be embedded into small cracks and such.
3. There are larger ones that have a matte, sort of shiny appearance.
4. Most, if not all my rocks are not consistent in their shapes. I do not have any two stones that are the same shape.
5. Since theses stones came with the kit with the Rolling Stones tumbler, they are not easily, if at all identifiable. So I have nothing to compare these stones to and their possible great outcome they can have.
All input is greatly needed, wanted, and I am looking forward to starting my learning process for this very cool hobby.
Thank you all!
Julie
ps .... almost forgot .... since I started this, I have been keeping very detailed records of what I do, when I do it, what medium I am using, when I change something, when I don't, and anything else I would need to know so that if I should not be doing that, I can cross it off my list of proper processes.
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Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
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Post by Saskrock on Jan 14, 2009 23:14:29 GMT -5
I think this is your biggest problem, the rough spots show it was not in the course stages long enough. The rough spots can scratch the other rocks too keeping them from shining up. Before they go in the polish they really should be smooth. Just back up a step or two depending on how rough they are and it will turn out fine.
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Post by Michael John on Jan 15, 2009 2:53:30 GMT -5
Julie, if you followed the "instructions" that came with the tumbler, that's your first problem.  The stones that come with the Rolling Stones tumbler are advertised to be "amethyst, jasper, agate, and others" ... my guess would be that there's no Amethyst in there and that "other" is probably junk. In my opinion, the best thing that you can do is chalk-up that first batch to experience and get some stone that'll be worth the two months of effort to tumble. Before starting your new batch, read the tumbling sections of this forum A LOT, paying close attention to threads which deal with timing, grits, slurry, problems, and "troublesome" stones. If you have questions, don't be shy to ask. Ensure that you know exactly how you're going to tumble your good stone before you start. Don't ponder on the problems of this first load. Armed with decent rough stones and good knowledge, your next batch will go much better. |
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ejs
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 478
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Post by ejs on Jan 15, 2009 13:51:19 GMT -5
Don't sweat it, it's all a matter of trial and error.
Take any stone that you are not happy with and put it back in stage #1 (coarse). Don't move a rock out of coarse until you are happy with the shape. When you have enough well-shaped rocks out of coarse for stage #2, start that. Don't move any out of stage #2 that you are not happy with the smoothness. Any that you are unhappy with, move back to stage #1 to start again. Once you have a full barrel (or nearly so) that you are happy with the shape and smoothness, run them through pre-polish, polish, then burnish. I bet you'll be much happier with the end product! Remember: patience is key. You can't ruin them by overdoing it.
The next big suggestion is to get better starting material. Find some decent jasper and/or agate to start with. Good luck and have fun!
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 15, 2009 15:06:17 GMT -5
Thank you all!!
It's good to know that this is not an exact science and I am making the typical mistakes.
These two batches and their outcomes do not bother me at all. I was actually expecting to do much worse. So I am happy all the way around.
to .... MichaelJohn ....
I had not seen this thread (responses) yet this morning before I sent you an email. Now I cannot wait to hear from you and to get my first order in the process.
Thank you all (again) for your input and time to give me the advantage of your expertise.
Julie
note to self ... wonder if Michaels has another sale so I can buy my third tumbler? ;D
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 15, 2009 15:58:49 GMT -5
Other than the two tumblers that I bought at Michaels, I ordered a small supply of grits and polish from Black Cat Mining. I have two grits ... do not know the rating as it is not written on the bags.
That order also came with pre-polish and polish but no burnish (off I go to learn about burnish).
Again thank you to all!!
Julie
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Post by sparkles on Jan 15, 2009 17:02:25 GMT -5
Hi Julie,
Sounds like you have the right direction from our helpful and knowledgeable members, (top job folks - as always!), and I thought I'd add my one additional thought.
I'm quite fastidious in my record keeping, I find it helps me to understand how the tumbler is progressing my rocks. And to get a really good measure of the effect your having on your tumble stones, I'd suggest an additional step in your notes. I weigh my batch before starting each grind, and again when the stones are washed off and being examined. You may need quite an accurate scale, mine weighs to +- 1g, and gives me quite a precise measure of whats being removed during each round of grinding. By calculating the difference between the start and finish weight, you'll know exactly how much stone you have ground away from the rocks, and therefore how effective your process is on those particular stones. When you change something (grit loading - rock type - water level, etc...) you can see just what effect the change has had.
Hope this helps - and I'm looking forward to seeing your photos. Stick with it, the results WILL be worthwhile! ;D And the most important point.... Have Fun!!! ;D ;D ;D
Cheers,
Sparkles.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 15, 2009 17:47:49 GMT -5
You should write down EJS's advice as it is probably the most important tumbling tip you will get. As far as grit kits most US companies use mixed grade grit and low cost polish. The sequence is generally Step One (60/90), Step Two (120/220), Step Three (500F, 500 and finer) and Polish. Sometimes they call the Step Three prepolish but it really should be Fine Sanding. Soft stones need an actual prepolish between step 3 and 4. If your prepolish is white it could be 600 grit Aluminum Oxide which some companies use instead of 500F S/C. The polish in most kits are not the best. A good grade of aluminum oxide or tin oxide would work better. Burnishing in tumbling is just a wash cycle of Borax or something like powdered Tide in a wet mixture overnight or longer. That should take care of your polish residue. And, if you are in a crappy water area use distilled water for polish step.
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fiftiesrock
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2009
Posts: 23
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Post by fiftiesrock on Jan 15, 2009 18:42:21 GMT -5
Julie---like you I am a newbie and after reading a number of posts in this forum I have started a procedure almost to the 'T' as EJS has stated. I am a lot happier with my results. The two bags of stones that I got with some grit. Well I tumbled one and gave most of them away to kids and the second bag I gave away completely.
Charles
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Post by llana2go on Jan 15, 2009 19:18:47 GMT -5
My suggestion is, when you can, get a good tumbler. The Rolling Stones tumblers just don't really do a good job and some morning you will wake up to a mess because the barrel cracked. I prefer the Lortone tumblers, but Thumblers are also good. There is another brand (Chicago something) this is a bit less expensive and won't hold up as well as a Lortone or Thumblers. The coarse cycle of tumbling is the most important. Before you move on to stage 2 (120 grit), the rocks have to be shaped and smooth. Unfortunately, the coarse grit stage also takes the longest, depending on the rocks. I personally have never had a batch ready to move on after just a week. It's hard as heck to wait for the rocks to go through the coarse grit for two or three weeks, but taking that extra time will make a huge difference in the way your rocks polish. One thing about it is the course grit stage will teach you patience!  But it will be worth the wait. Other than that, I agree with what the other's have said. Good tumbler, good rocks, good grit & polish and A LOT of patience. That's the secret for a great batch of polished stones! llana |
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Rogue Trader
freely admits to licking rocks
"Don't cry because you are leaving, smile because you were there."
Member since December 2008
Posts: 839
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Post by Rogue Trader on Jan 16, 2009 14:43:43 GMT -5
Other than the two tumblers that I bought at Michaels, I ordered a small supply of grits and polish from Black Cat Mining. I have two grits ... do not know the rating as it is not written on the bags. That order also came with pre-polish and polish but no burnish (off I go to learn about burnish). Again thank you to all!! Julie If it's any help, when I am explaining to people that are interested in my polishing rocks but have no interest in doing it themselves, I tell them about the differences in the grits. The easiest way to help them understand about the differing grades of grit is 60/80 is similar to sugar, 220 is silmilar to salt, 400 is similar to icing sugar and cerium is similar to flour. |
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 16, 2009 20:43:24 GMT -5
Rogue Trader, please don't send me any cookies. (biscuits in UK)
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 17, 2009 19:27:46 GMT -5
Hi all!
This is for Sparkles. I loved the idea of weighing.
However, since I am not mama warbucks, I am trying to make do with what I have.
A couple years ago, I bought a small and flat digital scale to weigh my "click n ship" boxes of leather (this scale is for people but weighs in pounds and ounces).
I took my marble mortar and pestal and placed it on the scale. It came up as being 2.4 pounds.
I took the rest of the rock (rest of stuff from my newbie tumbler sets) and placed it in a small and very light copper tin and placed it on the scale. It is below one pound as it did not register. So, I placed the rocks in the copper tin on top of marble mortar and pestal and the weight changed to 2.6 pounds.
I then went to a great conversion site and found that the .2 pounds is equal to 3.2 ounces.
Hopefully this will work well for me for the time being. Right now I would really just love to spend a bit on goodies and hopefully soon a decent tumbler.
Is this a decent makeshift way around buying a new scale right now?
My thanks to all
Julie
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Post by sparkles on Jan 18, 2009 16:21:43 GMT -5
Hi Julie!
Glad you found the idea of interest, it's a crafty way of assessing your tumblers, rocks and process. Sounds like your scales weigh quite heavy weights, and this will be fine if you have very large tumbler barrels, however I'm not sure of how useful they may be for smaller measures. For example... My barrels are very small - just 1.5lb each, and so I tend to roll about 3/4 to a 1lb of rocks. After much measuring and tumbling, I established that the average reduction of material on a weekly basis was something around 10% of the total weight, in this example, 10oz of rocks lost 1oz of their weight in a weekly cycle. So measuring in 3.2oz divisions may not give as much precision as you will need to monitor and fine tune the variations in your tumbler and rocks.
There are plenty of ways you could use to make a simple scale that would do the trick, or have a search for a smaller scale for the job. I use the kitchen scales but replace the weigh pan with a cheap disposable plastic tub, it works great for me. Hope this helps! And do let me know how you get on with the tumbles. Always willing to help in any way.
Cheers and Good Luck!
Sparkles.
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But it will be worth the wait.
