revco
starting to spend too much on rocks
Another Victim Of The Rockcycle
Member since February 2010
Posts: 162
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Post by revco on Feb 27, 2010 13:51:48 GMT -5
First off, thanks to RTH for all the information that I've received here. I've been getting into tumbling again, after years of not, thanks to this site and living in the great state of Montana. I've read pretty much every post in the tumbling section...and didn't see this subject anywhere.
I've been accumulating a bunch of random rough lately and I see I'm not alone. For those of you who collect your own rough, I'm curious how you all are sorting/storing your rough for future tumbling efforts. For me, it's difficult to go by rock type as I have a little bit of a lot. I've created five general categories - small rocks (of all types), agates/minerals/heavy quartz content, sedimentary, coarsely grained metamorphic/igneous and fine grained metamorphic/igneous.
It would probably be more functional to store by hardness...but until I came across RTH, I knew little about hardness and have just thrown stuff in, hoping for decent results. The way I see it, if a few softer rocks get damaged, it's not that big of a deal...after all, they're just rocks and I can get and tumble more.
So what are your thoughts on storage of rough material? Thanks in advance!
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Feb 27, 2010 15:56:30 GMT -5
JUST ROCKS!?!?! Blasphemer!!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D I just sort my by 'Pretty' and 'Other', just simpler that way  (of course it helps if your only dealing with one type of stone too). Dr Joe . |
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Post by rockrookie on Feb 27, 2010 19:04:55 GMT -5
i'm a slob . mine are kept in the FRB that they come in . until box is empty . thway i know who it came from , since there addy is on box , as well as date it arrived by mail .
---paul
and by NEED to polish soon or later .
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,497
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 27, 2010 19:22:44 GMT -5
Rock garden for the boulders, milk crates for large rough, sorted by area, those plastic shoebox sized storage tubs for small or rare rough, endcuts, slabs, tumble rough etc, usually labeled by place of origin or type ( moss, plume etc), one gallon plastic storage jars for tumbles....Mel
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Brad
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2006
Posts: 161
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Post by Brad on Feb 28, 2010 15:08:35 GMT -5
I have some rock storage units (they sell them as trash cans @ hardware stores) on my back patio. In each RSU is a bunch of plastic bags (so nice of the store to give them away with the groceries!) , double-bagged and holding a bunch of rocks. Each bunch of rocks also has an index card describing what's in the bag.
I usually store things from a particular source together, in the same bag. So, if I get a box of petrified wood from someone, it goes in a double-bag with an index card. A bucketful of pieces might need a couple of bags.
Eventually, the plastic bags can deteriorate & need to be replaced, especially if that particular bag is overloaded (more than about twenty lbs.) or is being taken in & out of the RSU a lot (to get to another bag). Try to pick bags w/out holes to minimize rock escapes.
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Post by susand24224 on Feb 28, 2010 21:11:52 GMT -5
For the ones I collect myself, I tend to use small plastic containers, etc. to hold the rocks after broken up for tumbling. The individual containers are grouped based upon where I found them. I have just become sufficiently "un-anal" (is that a word?) that I can actually put the rough from two virtually identical rocks from the same location together in one plastic container.
Before I break them up, they usually remain in the bags I hauled them home in--ditto on the double plastic bags, I know well has easily a solo bag breaks.
From others, they remain in the box/bag/whatever they came in until I am ready to use them.
My system is based on the practicality of ability to return to the locality/vendor from which the rock came. If I break open something really special, I want to be able to go back to exactly the same bend in the road from whence it came!
Susan
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 1, 2010 3:41:53 GMT -5
I Usualy leave in orignal container /Box then I know when and where they are from and date,
Local stuff I use old Filing cabinets and plastic containers I cut some 20 lit square containers in 2 that make good trays
Also Gardening seed trays are a good help
All stored outside as I havent a lot of room inside
I put a lable in from where and when (usualy a plastic food container lid and use a CD /DVD pen as the writing lasts outside )
Jack
Yorkshire UK
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Mar 1, 2010 13:58:25 GMT -5
I store mine like Mel, except I don't have a rock garden and I use 5 gallon buckets instead of milk crates. I collect my own rocks, so I tend to have a lot of each type. I might have 2 types in the same container if they're easy to distinguish.
I guess your storage method depends on what you intend to do with them and how much you care about their provenance. Your basic categories seem fine to me, except that I would break the first one down and have a separate category for mineral specimens, another for agate and chalcedony, and another for macro-crystalline quartz, and then additional split up the rest by hardness.
I doubt if you're going to try to tumble sedimentary rocks. If so, let us know how that works out! LOL Otherwise, I think your other categories are fine and fairly typical classifications.
Chuck
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revco
starting to spend too much on rocks
Another Victim Of The Rockcycle
Member since February 2010
Posts: 162
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Post by revco on Mar 1, 2010 15:13:01 GMT -5
HRC - I've sought to improve my methods of storage and thus why I ask the question to solicit what others who are more experienced are doing. When it comes to tumbling, I do my best to try and get similar rocks together. (e.g quartz together / chalcedony together / etc.) The sedimentary stuff tends to be exceptional and usually just goes through the shaping stage only, if necessary.
So far, Brad's method seems the most logical, scalable and cost effective to me. It's not uncommon for me to come back with 20-50lbs of rocks from one outing. The one flaw in my current method is that I rarely remember where anything came from and like susand24224 said, I'd like to be able to return to the same bend in the road. The problem there, though, is that once they hit my tumblers, chances are very good that I'll get a mix from everywhere and lose track. I do have a 3A dedicated to rough of "special" batches, though...so that helps.
Thanks for the comments so far...it's helping me with ideas of what I'd like to do myself.
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Brad
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2006
Posts: 161
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Post by Brad on Mar 1, 2010 21:44:02 GMT -5
Revco, I'm glad you like my system! It works well for me. I can empty an RSU, take out whatever I was looking for, & refill it in 5 or ten minutes. Get nice, strong trash cans & don't try to move them when they're full (lest you damage them).
When it comes time to tumble, I try to keep good notes of what is in each barrel (a 12# & two 6# for grit, plus a 6# for polish) & I try to avoid mixing batches that I won't be able to segregate when I finish.
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Post by drocknut on Mar 5, 2010 12:08:03 GMT -5
I don't usually frequent this part of the forum because I don't tumble right now. My vibe is too big and loud to run in my apartment  I just happened to be surfing around and saw this post. Thanks for asking this question revco. I have wondered if there was a better way to store my rocks so ideas are helpful to me too. Right now I keep mine together with a label/tag about location, etc... in 5 gallon buckets. When I collect it's easier for me to keep all the specimens/rocks from one location together not just because of wanting to revisit but also because it is at least some way to remember what came from where. I don't have much room and I'm slowly running out but they do stack a little. I'd rather have storage shelves or something like that but money is tight and room is even tighter...lol. Thought about getting milk crates for the larger rocks that don't fit well into the buckets but can't find any besides the ones at Wal-Mart that are only made for light stuff and I know wouldn't hold up to rocks. Any ideas for where to get some good ones, I mean besides holding up a milk distribution location...lol. I do have some rocks in my apartment (well actually some in every room - granted it's only a one bedroom but you'd be surprised how many will fit in a bathroom...lol) I like displaying the nice ones and it protects them against the elements. revco, you have me beat on storing by categories. I don't ever get that far...lol. Sounds like you have a good system for sure. Diane |
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(of course it helps if your only dealing with one type of stone too).
