Post by zero on Oct 18, 2009 21:55:12 GMT -5
After telling my wife that I've always wanted a rock tumbler as a little kid, she actually got me a nice Thumler Tumbler as a gift a few months ago. I've already polished my first set of rocks that came with the set. It was all prepackaged, so I had no issues.
For my second set, I purchased a 4 Step Rock Tumbling Grit Kit and Magnesite. I didn't realize that the company would just ship one large rock, so breaking it up into smaller pieces was a challenge. For the first step, I just threw everything into the barrel -- dust, pebbles, and all.
I'm now on step 2. How small can the rocks be as I continue the process? I have a ton of smaller pebbles that came out of the process.. Are those safe to tumble or will they scratch the larger rocks?
I've also noticed that I don't have enough rock to fill 3/4 of the barrel. It only fills up to a little less than a half. The grit kit that I purchased came with a ton of plastic beads. Can I use these beads to fill the barrel to 3/4 or are the beads just for the polishing phase?
Second, can I reuse the beads, not on different steps, but on the same step for different rocks?
Next, will I have any issues if I tumble the rocks for longer periods of time -- say 2 weeks instead of 1 week? I have a trip coming up soon and I'll be gone for that period of time. I can have my wife check up on the tumbling to make sure its still going, but I'd like to examine the rocks as I take them to the next step.
For my second set, I purchased a 4 Step Rock Tumbling Grit Kit and Magnesite. I didn't realize that the company would just ship one large rock, so breaking it up into smaller pieces was a challenge. For the first step, I just threw everything into the barrel -- dust, pebbles, and all.
I'm now on step 2. How small can the rocks be as I continue the process? I have a ton of smaller pebbles that came out of the process.. Are those safe to tumble or will they scratch the larger rocks?
I've also noticed that I don't have enough rock to fill 3/4 of the barrel. It only fills up to a little less than a half. The grit kit that I purchased came with a ton of plastic beads. Can I use these beads to fill the barrel to 3/4 or are the beads just for the polishing phase?
Second, can I reuse the beads, not on different steps, but on the same step for different rocks?
Next, will I have any issues if I tumble the rocks for longer periods of time -- say 2 weeks instead of 1 week? I have a trip coming up soon and I'll be gone for that period of time. I can have my wife check up on the tumbling to make sure its still going, but I'd like to examine the rocks as I take them to the next step.
I actually put a crack in my garage floor when I was pounding the magnesite with a hammer. However, you are right. The rocks shaped up really fast in step 1.
