rockhead2u
off to a rocking start
Enjoying God's blessings today while living with Jesus in hope of tomorrow.
Member since May 2009
Posts: 10
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Post by rockhead2u on May 7, 2009 0:07:56 GMT -5
I have a lot of opal chips (small pieces probably from an Australian cutter) I want to put in a vibratory tumbler.
Can I use the steps given here in the forum agates and jaspers or do I need different steps.
I won't be mixing them with any other material unless I would have to to make the action in the tumbler work. I have a small unit that I think would hold them OK.
I maybe should start a separate subject but I am wondering about some product names.
What is TOLOX 50?
Also: TXP?
I have some tumbling polishing powders from my deceased brother that I am not familiar with. Some are white powders very similar looking to the TXP.
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Post by Michael John on May 7, 2009 1:53:15 GMT -5
Am I correct in assuming that you're brand new to tumbling? I don't tumble, personally, but I have a little knowledge. My suggestion is that you supply the experts with a bit more information so that they can give you more concise answers. What make and model is the vibe tumbler? How many pounds of the opal chips do you have, and/or how many pounds do you intend to tumble (per load?). How large are the opal "chips"? Do you know what type of opal it is or where it came from? Are all of the chips the same type of opal?
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on May 7, 2009 2:06:13 GMT -5
Hi Rockhead2U,
Id be very carefull with tumbling Any opal as it is soft and the Vibe is VERY agressive espcialy in 220 G
I put some Potch through my 1 1/2 lb rotary for a few days that cleaned some of the calcium deposit of BUT Check every day ,
But with a vibe start at 600G ? and work back cking every 12 hours be very carefull as I said before Vibes are Very agressive in 2nd stage 220 Grit
I have a Lot"O" vibe & I personaly would NOT vibe any Australian opal or even potch
If the colours there cant you grind ? The colour soon disapears.especialy in Chips from Australia
Take extreem care
Jack
Yorkshire UK
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Post by johnjsgems on May 7, 2009 7:17:39 GMT -5
I knew an old guy that routinely threw opals in with his agate batches. He also left them dry on a work bench for months after wards before cabbing to make sure they wouldn't craze. I don't know what TOLOX 50 is but TXP is a 4 micron tumbling polish that works well in rotary tumblers, ok on some stones in vibes, and on buffs on hard stones that cerium oxide will polish. You will probably want to use a finer aluminum oxide in your vibe on the opals. Contact Val Carver at Minnesota Lapidary Supply. He produces the TXP and can tell you if it will work or not. I'd try the chips with about 50-50 ceramic media in 220 grit and watch closely (every two hours). Then move to 500F and then polish. If they are just chips anyway you are not risking losing valuable opal.
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rockhead2u
off to a rocking start
Enjoying God's blessings today while living with Jesus in hope of tomorrow.
Member since May 2009
Posts: 10
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Post by rockhead2u on May 8, 2009 2:23:40 GMT -5
Hi all,
Thanks for your interest in my situation. The opal is Australian. They have not been in water for a year or more to my knowledge. They came a part of a collection I purchased. They range in size from 1/8 inch by 1/8 inch to maybe 1/2 by 3/4 inch. There is nothing among the pieces that I would try to cab. There were some cabs started but a lot of it was cuttings from triplets and doublets.
I want to get them polished so I will have some polished opal to put into small plastic bags that I will put into kids grab bags that I will sell at rock shows.
I just haven't polished a lot of opal as most of what I work is agates, jasper, and wood. I have polished hundreds of pounds of the common agates, jasper, and wood. These I start to tumble in a home made 5 gallon bucket and then finish polishing in the 40 pound Lortone barrel.
Sometimes the opalized wood and other soft materials that get thrown into my barrels come out "grazed" or hazed on the corners. I will separate these out when i pull the material out of the tumbler and have just used them as "give away" stuff for the kids that walk by the house.
I am going to try to finish these to a better finish and let the Australian fire come out. Most every piece - even though they are small has that flash of color that I think kids would like and keep but I will need to first polish them and then put the pieces into a plastic bag to keep them separated from the rest of the rock and stuff that gets put into the grab bags.
I think what I will do is to kind of follow the directions that have been posted in places here on the forum.
My problem is that some of the "polishing" powders that have been given me are not named so I don't really know what some of them are and I can't tell by looking if they are a pre-polish or a polish. I will probably do some experimenting with them as I also have a lot of obsidian as well as opalized wood that I want to work up by tumbling.
I added more information about myself on my profile sheet and you can read more about me on my web site that I have listed. <www.jewelrycabs.com>
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on May 8, 2009 8:29:45 GMT -5
I've tumbled a lot of wood that has a very high percentage of opal in it, the softness isn't so much the problem as the brittleness of the material. I shape them in a rotory and finish them in the vibe starting at 500 grit. The only tips I can give you is vibe them with like materials and use plastic tile spacers to cushion them.
Mike
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Post by rocklicker on May 12, 2009 12:30:44 GMT -5
Thanks for the post! I was wondering the same thing. I have a jar of opals I was going to try in a 1.5lb tumbler. I was actually thinking of starting at 600 and letting them run as long as needed until they would be ready for prepolish. It's mostly chips.
Steve
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on May 12, 2009 13:53:42 GMT -5
I would think that 600 won't break down much but the opals will, so I'd be careful even starting with 600.
"chips" of agate and jasper are one thing, but many "chips" of opal can be worth some big bucks if carefully cut correctly.
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