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Post by connrock on Jul 30, 2009 11:18:43 GMT -5
These are photo's after running 220 grit continuously for about 48hrs.  Here are the rocks wet,,,,,,  At this point I wanted to show the "grain" or "texture" of the rocks so I shot this photo of the rocks dry. This may help others to see what the rocks look like before going into a 500grit.  This is a close-up of one of the rocks to better show the "grain" and some of the flaws that don't show up looking with the naked eye. These flaws can cause trouble down the line and should be cleaned out as good as good gets.  The rocks are now in 500 grit and they will run for about 24 hrs. I might add that I used 1-1/2 tablespoonful of 220 grit for each run. I also used only 1/2 of 1 TEASPOONFUL of 500 grit. connrock |
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Good Vibrations
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Overanalysis leads to Paralysis
Member since May 2009
Posts: 91
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Post by Good Vibrations on Jul 30, 2009 16:27:48 GMT -5
Hi connrock, Your competition posts are really helpful, especially for someone new to this, like myself. I'm really glad you posted the above "Close-up to show grains & flaws" photo, as I have been wanting to see other's photos of rocks prior to the 500 grit. It looks like you have cleaned out any flaws pretty thoroughly! THanks again connrock. I'm looking forward to seeing some "after the 500" photos! ~Erica
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Post by connrock on Jul 31, 2009 6:39:46 GMT -5
G'Vibes,
Thanks,
I should have pointed out that rocks with flaws like this one shouldn't be going into the 500 stage.They should either be re-broke or sent back to the rough stage which in this case I think would be fruitless.
The ONLY reason I am continuing with this rock and others just like it is that I am reducing the weight of the entire batch so much I afraid I won't have enough of the required weight of rocks to submit!!!
If you buy a 5x-10x jewelers loup it will let you see a LOT more of what your rocks really look like and tell you weather or not they should continue in the process.
connrock
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jul 31, 2009 7:27:45 GMT -5
Yup, those flaws are going to be polish collectors. In the dry photo I can see some of the other rocks with pits that you mentioned in an earlier post. It's too bad they sent you such problematic rough.  I guess the good news is that everyone should be dealing with the same problems. That problem child sure sticks out like a sore thumb! LOL Overall, they're looking good though! I hope people are learning a lot through your hard work! Chuck |
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10thumbs
spending too much on rocks
I want to be reincarnated as a dog.
Member since March 2009
Posts: 480
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Post by 10thumbs on Jul 31, 2009 14:54:45 GMT -5
Is it legal to fill those pits with super glue at this stage to hide the blemishes and minimize your clean up time between stages?
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Post by connrock on Jul 31, 2009 17:55:44 GMT -5
10t's,
No.
The only thing that is allowed as far as altering a rock is that after the first rough you can re-break or grind rocks with any flaws.
In a LOT of cases the bad flaws can't really be detected in th early stages as they may look like they are "surface flaws".
this type of flaw may get bigger as you progress through the tumbling process.
A bummer in this case!
connrock
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Good Vibrations
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Overanalysis leads to Paralysis
Member since May 2009
Posts: 91
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Post by Good Vibrations on Aug 1, 2009 2:03:35 GMT -5
10t's, In a LOT of cases the bad flaws can't really be detected in th early stages as they may look like they are "surface flaws". this type of flaw may get bigger as you progress through the tumbling process.... connrock Boy, have I been discovering this! I keep putting them (rocks) back for another round in the 120/220, and the flaws keep on growing! I finally have to retire them to the "untumbleable" bin. Oh, and I looked at my batch through a 10X loupe today! It really clarifies those fine surface details & whether or not they're ready to move on. |
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Post by connrock on Aug 1, 2009 8:01:12 GMT -5
g'vibes,
Some times those bad rocks that keep getting worse and worse are the prettiest ones in the load!
Aint it hard to toss them?
The whole tumbling process is just making scratches in the rocks.
(in this case the scratches are like a "matte" finish)
The scratches grow in number and get smaller as the process goes on.
The whole idea is to get the most scratches possible which ends up being the shine you see on the rocks.
Look at the shiniest rock you have with your loup and it will amaze you how many tiny "bumps" there are!!
Now look at a rock that has just finished roughing and compare the two!!
connrock
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