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Post by MyNewHobby on Apr 4, 2009 15:39:06 GMT -5
On March 23rd I started a Citrine & Quartz batch with 3 tablespoons 60/90, no pellets, and cold water. I ran it for 12 days. The batch started as a whole looking like this ...       I apparently munched the crud out of this batch as it now looks like this ... I also think that by all the really small pieces (which I think were crystals), I could have saved some really nice ones before they got mashed.       My first question is ... Do I continue with 60/90 and add pellets? The stones are still rough. My second question is ... Is it okay to add back the 5 or 6 pieces that I showed at the beginning of this post to the batch? As always ... Julie |
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Apr 4, 2009 16:13:06 GMT -5
Yeah, you can continue with the 60/90 tumble...I'd go to the hardware store and get some of those plastic crosses used for spacing tiles and use them as filler, they work good with brittle material like quartz and they are cheap. Make sure the tumbler is 3/4 of the way full of the rock/filler material, that will minimize further smashing down of the quartz.
It will be fine to add the other pieces....next time you check the material, just remove the stones that have the shape you want, making sure to bring the level of material/filler in the tumbler back up to 3/4 full....
Mike
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2009 16:21:34 GMT -5
Hi Julie, since a 60/90 is essentially the 1st grind there is no problem adding other stones & instead of using plastic pellets just take a few quartz stones & put them in a old sock or nylons & crush them with a hammer!
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darrad
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2006
Posts: 1,636
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Post by darrad on Apr 4, 2009 19:36:15 GMT -5
Tumbling grade Citrine has a lot of fractures to begin with so it is going to do that. Add the new ones, move on and weed out the bad stuff before prepolish. Works for me.
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Post by LCARS on Apr 5, 2009 13:07:02 GMT -5
Your stones do look quite fractured.  Crystaline Quartzes can be tricky tumbles, they require slower RPM's, a fuller barrel, some kind of small filler (IE pellets or 1/8"-3/16" tile spacers) and avoid running larger (golfball) sized chunks as they tend to be the ones that beat up the others stones and get beat up by all the beating up they're doing in there.  When I tumble quartz I always make sure the water level covers all the stones to help cushion them. Any stones you're not happy with the shape of should stay in 60/90 for as long as it takes, loosing up to 40% of the stone's original mass in the process before they're ready is not uncommon when you start with a lot of irregular shaped stones. Always make sure that you add filler as the stones wear to replace the lost volume. Keep that barrel 65-75% full to get the best tumbling action with the least chance of chipping. |
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