penny636
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2009
Posts: 1
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Post by penny636 on Aug 21, 2009 8:48:25 GMT -5
:help: Am just starting out exploring tumbling stones. Have recently gathered some from the shores of Lake Champlain/VT side. Pict shows samples of these.
The white in these I understand is calcite (Mohs 3) but not sure about the composition of the remainder, and wonder if it makes a difference in whatever might be needed when tumbling.
I do have a Lortone rotary tumbler...the one with the two rubber containers.
Any suggestions/recommendations that could be provided on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
I plan on using these in making jewelry. Have already made a couple of pieces, but thought I might want to explore tumbling as another alternative.
Thanks so much...
Penny636
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 21, 2009 9:05:14 GMT -5
Soft stones like calcite are not the easiest tumbling rock. If you want to round them off check frequently and use plenty of ceramic media or plastic. Polishing will test your skills. You would be better off tumbling agates/jaspers until you get the hang of tumbling.
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Post by connrock on Aug 22, 2009 7:50:46 GMT -5
As J'j's already pointed out ,calcite is VERY difficult to tumble or to polish in any way for that matter. A simple test to see if it's calcite is to put a few drops of vinegar on it and if it fizzes it's calcite. Something you can do in the future when choosing rocks for tumbling is to do a "scratch test". The best piece to test with is a piece of quartz with a sharp edge on it but a good file will do as well.try to scratch the rocks in question with either the quarts or file.If the rock "really" scratches(not just a white line) then it's too soft for tumbling.If not then it's a "keeper"! If you try to tumble soft materials while just starting out tumbling you WILL get VERY frustrated and discouraged. I've been tumbling rocks for a good many years with good results but would still hesitate to attempt calcite. I don't really know the geology around Lake Champlain VT but would guess that most of the "beach rocks" you find are too soft for tumbling and if not then they are of poor quality and would give you problems anyway. Of course (thinking out loud here) what you may desire as "polished" may be different then what others desire.This is normal for a person who is just getting into tumbling as the tumbled rocks they have seen are not quite up to par. The best way to tell if a rock has reached it's potential of being polished is to wet 1/2 of it.If you can't tell the difference between the dry part of the rock from the wet part,,,,,it's polished. Anything less then that and back it goes for another try. This is NOT accomplished in a short time or by tumbling "bad" rocks.It takes quite a while to be able to get that "wet look" and if you REALLY want that then we are here to help you get it. If you look back at some of the people who came here not knowing anything about tumbling and how much they have progressed it WILL amaze you. This is good quality tumble polished quartz,,,,,  This is good quality tumble polished petrified wood,,,,,,  This is tumble polished petrified wood that should have been thrown away before trying to polish it,,,,,  Being selective in the rough rocks you tumble is directly connected to the results you get. connrock |
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Post by MyNewHobby on Aug 22, 2009 11:56:51 GMT -5
Hey Connrock!
Whadda mean thrown them away!! That is some of my best work. ;D
I work very hard to get those pits/chips uniform.
Actually ... Penny .... Connrock is right ...
Do not knock yourself out trying to make/change certain rocks/pieces into something they just will not change into.
I have a few jars/glasses that I toss my done/nothing can be done to these into as a reminder of what not to work with and then move on to other great material.
I have found every batch is a learning process.
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Post by connrock on Aug 23, 2009 6:18:17 GMT -5
I used clear quartz and petrified wood as examples as they can be problem rocks to tumble.
Most any of the rocks in the quartz family can be tough to do and petrified wood is even tougher.
Petrified wood sometimes has hard and soft areas in the same rock,is full of pits,is in layers that hold grit and is loaded with cracks and fractures,,,to mention a few.
To find high quality material of either of these can be very difficult
and that's why you rarely see photo's of them without all the flaws in them.
The best quality petrified wood I have ever seen comes from Australia and is the good piece I used as an example in the photos.
It comes from Chinchilla in Australia and is the hardest,most dense pet wood with the most beautiful colors on the planet.
The funny thing is that it's quite abundant down under but costs a fortune for shipping it to the USA!
Someone here on the board from down under was offering it in a "group by" a while back.
connrock
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