Need some advice ..PIC HEAVY

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I think you have two issues - readiness and a definite pitting. I'd agree with bikerrandy that many of those stones don't look anywhere near ready. I'd give them at least another 2-3 weeks...maybe more, pulling ones that are ready each week. (You don't have to wait until the last one is done to pull all of them...that would be a waste of material!) The rolling times are a guideline, and what could be expected for some types of stones, but the truth is that it can take a week to several months to get them right and it's up to you to be the judge. I've had some rocks spend three or more months in rough. All the grinder will do is shorten the amount of time they need to spend in rough...particularly those with concave indentations, which tend to take a long time. The point is that they are smooth and rounded, without pits and other grit trapping places when they get pulled. I find it helpful to observe the ones I pull with a magnifying glass as I'll often miss a pit/break with just my eyes.

Some stones will just pit like that, but you can do some things to try and reduce it. I find plastic pellets in rough will usually help a bit. I don't work with ceramics, so I can't tell you if it has the same properties. (I do know that pellets are generally advised for tumblers, and ceramics for vibes...but people break the "rules" all the time.) I will usually start with 3-4Tbsp+ (in a 6lb barrel) and increase if pitting continues past the first week with pellets. Also, you mention that you're filling with ceramics, which is good, but you also indicate that you might have been running low? It's important for the barrel to be always filled to proper levels.

Also, you say your slurry "looks good" - but just to be sure, it should have almost a pancake batter consistency to it. It will thickly coat the rocks when it's right.

Also looks like you might need some more size variety there. You're good in that you only have one big stone, and most of your stuff appears in the 3/4" to 1" range...but you could probably use some even smaller stuff too. Like pebble to 1/4" size or so. These help provide some cushioning, transport grit and also promote a proper tumble.

You didn't mention that you're refilling with rock - but I've noticed that I can get pitting in rough if I throw in relatively sharp stones in with otherwise smoothed stones. One of the keys is relative sameness between surfaces. I'll often times throw particularly sharp rock in a barrel for a week or two...and then they're ready to tumble with others.

Anyway...there's other things...but I'm exhausted from an 8 mile hike today and just want to crawl onto the couch and chill.

Some of those rocks are pitted throughout. They will not improve.

When you have deep creases it means the rocks will need a lot longer. Or you could cut them at the crease.

Today's OJ is often pitted. The good stuff was sold long ago.

Quartz will craze a lot because it is macroscopic crystal structure.

The size of your rocks is not too big for a 12lb barrel, but you still need lots of smaller rock. The small bag of ceramic I saw in the pic is nowhere near enough.

If you get rounded rocks and then get some chipping, that means the barrel is not full enough. They are falling instead of sliding. That does not look like the problem here though.

If your slurry is getting so thick so fast it is because some softer rocks are quickly turning to mud and the mud then kills the efficiency of the grit. Thinner slurry is more efficient.

I would set this load aside and come back to it later. Get a 5lb bag of something easy, like Dalmatian Jasper. Learn your barrels. Learn the feel of good slurry. Learn the sound of not too full and not too empty. Produce a good batch.

Then go back to this batch and pick out the ones w/o pits and with shapes that are not problematic. (No boomerang shapes. Cut those.) Put them with some good rock and try to get a nice 2nd batch.

You have mixed hardness and pitted rough. It is also harder to get a feel for 12lb barrels than it is for the little ones. This batch will give you lots of grief and may not be the best to learn with.

You can get plastic, but ceramic is OK unless your barrel is running a little heavy. Then swap out some ceramic for plastic.

Best of luck.

To answer your question about the small rocks - they significantly help with getting the grit to the right places in the rough stage. While few small rocks will technically work, my experience is that the smoothing is much less efficient. While SiC is very hard and very good at what it does, it needs lots of small rocks to push it all over the surface of the rocks. If you have a lot of larger rocks, the surface contact between the rocks (and consequently the grinding action of the SiC) will be reduced.

Filler material will also fill this role (pellets, ceramics, etc) - but I think the reason pellets are advised for tumblers is that they're small enough to really get in there to let the SiC do it's job. (I use both, though)

For me, many of these small rocks are a lost cause. While I pull some of them (when they're right) for future stages...many get ground down to nothing. Small rocks should take up 1/3 to 1/4 of the barrel or so...although I tend to eyeball it and settle on "close enough."

Man I feel your pain, I got a Lot O-vibe tumbler and I thought how hard can it be to throw in some grit and let the machine do its thing, LOL. Man I found out,!!!!!!!!!!! I have yet to really tumble a great batch for this very reason, impatience, not being picky enough, not having a wide variety of sizes, material pity by nature, too much water so the stuff was falling and not sliding, and hence breaking, tumbling is no joke, it is hard, which is why when someone produces a really stellar batch you know they nursed that baby for months!

Good luck if anyone can help you it is the people on here who have been tumbling and encountered the same problems you have! Pretty soon you will be a master!

Good luck!

Amber