cavemama
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2010
Posts: 8
|
Post by cavemama on Feb 23, 2010 19:41:24 GMT -5
I have a lot of old glass that has colored w/ age. I want to use it in jewelry. has anyone tumbled glass? I have some in a vibe tumbler right now. went to the beach in WA state this last summer & found sea glass that was gorgeous, would like to take all this old glass I find & put it too use.
|
|
dbrealityrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2010
Posts: 1,084
|
Post by dbrealityrocks on Feb 23, 2010 19:46:27 GMT -5
my brother tumbles glass frequently, he is looking for the sea glass look so he only goes part way w/no polish stage. I think that would work great and make beautiful jewelry
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
|
Post by Sabre52 on Feb 23, 2010 19:50:52 GMT -5
Yeah, I've used purple "desert glass" fragments as tumbler filler and it came out quite nice, looking almost like amethyst with included bubbles. I just put it in with an agate jasper mix and it did fine. On the sea glass, I think I heard somewhere that tumbling it destroys its value as jewelry makers like that sea finished sort of frosty effect which is removed by tumble polishing....Mel
|
|
bendsum
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2008
Posts: 140
|
Post by bendsum on Feb 23, 2010 21:53:40 GMT -5
now i know what to do with all the broken carara glass arrowheads i tried to make toss them in the tumbler and that large purple chunk of slag glass i was givin
|
|
cavemama
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2010
Posts: 8
|
Post by cavemama on Feb 24, 2010 9:58:14 GMT -5
thanx for the input folks. I have a treasured few pieces of seaglass that I wouldn't touch. that will go into a personal piece of jewelry cuz I spent the day w/ my daughter finding it, & it was one of the best days of my life. the other, just trash I have found but it seems to pretty to toss. the coloring w/ age is amazing. I also am doing a mosaic for my bathroom with the tumbled peices
|
|
|
|
Post by Toad on Feb 24, 2010 10:20:09 GMT -5
I would think 60/90 would be the only stage you need if you want the frosted effect - or maybe even 40/70. Like Mel said, anything beyond that would smooth it too much.
|
|
|
|
Post by 150FromFundy on Feb 24, 2010 18:12:48 GMT -5
If you want your glass to shine like glass, treat it as you would Obsidian or Apache Tears in a modified rotary or vibratory multi-stage tumble. The extra stage is 1000F beofre the polish and lots of cushion. Either plastic, or ceramic depending on whether you go rotary, or vibratory.
I haven't tried this, but I read it in a really good book. It all makes sense. Obsidian and Apache Tears are volcanic glass. To polish man-made galss, treat it like mother nature's glass.
Good luck.
Darryl.
|
|
cavemama
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2010
Posts: 8
|
Post by cavemama on Feb 24, 2010 18:25:02 GMT -5
Darryl, that makes a lot of sense. I have polished apache tears & forgot all about it! but I do want the glass to have a frosted look, so I won't go that far.
|
|
blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
|
Post by blessed on Feb 24, 2010 20:42:29 GMT -5
Cavemama, I tumble glass often, as of lastnight I took a lode out of one barrel. I only run the coarse 60/90 for 6 or 7 days. I pick up broken glass often. Some of it looks good after it has been frosted.
Oh, almost forgot, I use tumblers for my glass.
Have a blessed day.
Blessed
|
|
|
|
Post by llana2go on Feb 24, 2010 22:23:19 GMT -5
I tumble glass in a rotary tumbler too. Some I just run for a few days in 60/90 to get the frosted look and some I run all the way through the polish stage.
I break beer & wine bottles. And go to garage sales/resale shops and buy all the colored glass I can find. Then bust it up and tumble it.
Plan on doing some mosiac tabletops, birdhouses and a couple other things with it.
Right now, all the glass I've done is in vases and it's pretty neat looking just sitting there.
|
|
revco
starting to spend too much on rocks
Another Victim Of The Rockcycle
Member since February 2010
Posts: 162
|
Post by revco on Feb 27, 2010 23:46:00 GMT -5
|
|
Rogue Trader
freely admits to licking rocks
"Don't cry because you are leaving, smile because you were there."
Member since December 2008
Posts: 839
|
Post by Rogue Trader on Feb 28, 2010 8:11:18 GMT -5
Can't mind whom it was, but there was a regular poster that posted pictures of some Blue Glass that they had tumbled. Think the bottles were from Harveys Bristol Cream me thinks. Was about this time last year too.
Or maybe the whole thing is just a figment of my imagination.
|
|
|
|
Post by NatureNut on Feb 28, 2010 8:13:06 GMT -5
|
|
Rogue Trader
freely admits to licking rocks
"Don't cry because you are leaving, smile because you were there."
Member since December 2008
Posts: 839
|
Post by Rogue Trader on Feb 28, 2010 8:15:02 GMT -5
|
|
chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
|
Post by chromenut on Feb 28, 2010 13:51:30 GMT -5
Wow, that is beautiful glass, and such wonderful photos! I've never thought of that, gonna have to give some a shake...
|
|
bendsum
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2008
Posts: 140
|
Post by bendsum on Apr 17, 2010 17:21:50 GMT -5
i didnt want to start a new thread so imma piggy back on this one i came to own a 5 gal bucket and broken saftey glass will it tumble? i went to pick up what i was told to be plate glass (for knapping) well when i went to cut the 8'x2' panel in half it turned into a million little chunks so it either try to tumble and get sumthing usefull for toss in dumpster
|
|
snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
|
Post by snuffy on Apr 17, 2010 21:03:15 GMT -5
I was told by a rock shop owner that the broken safety glass pieces are what he uses for filler media in his tumbles. I went to a glass shop and they gave me a gallon of it.I used it about a year,seemed to work fine.Cheap enough.
snuffy
|
|
bendsum
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2008
Posts: 140
|
Post by bendsum on Apr 17, 2010 21:46:40 GMT -5
sounds good to me thanks for the reply
|
|
