wendyhj
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2010
Posts: 1
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Post by wendyhj on Jun 21, 2010 20:15:17 GMT -5
My husband and I recently went to North Carolina and did some rock hunting. Now we're back home with a huge bag of garnet, ruby, sapphire, amethyst, aquamarine, black tourmaline, all kinds of quartz, and even some amazonite and something else that I can't even pronounce. Mostly, I want to see what is inside the garnet - they're just rusty balls. There's so much mystery! Yeah - I'm on a rock hunting high. HAHA I want to tumble some of my "treasures", but need someone to point me in the right direction of a decent setup that a rookie like myself can use until I learn the tricks of the trade. Any suggestions? Thanks!
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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 Jun 21, 2010 20:36:31 GMT -5
Welcome to the boards! There's definitely a lot to learn, so I recommend spending some time on the boards. I'd also do a search for your rock types because some of them can be very challenging or take special efforts. (e.g. aquamarine, garnets, ruby, etc.) There's also a tutorial on the main page that will help cover a lot of the basics. I don't want to rewrite the many tutorials that are out there...but I'll cover the lay of the land at least.
Your first place to start would be to acquire a tumbler. Depending on your budget, there's a number to choose from. I recommend either Lortone or Thumlers and my personal preference is for the Lortones. The dual barrel models are a lot more flexible and give you the ability to do multiple loads at the same time. The Lortone 33B is a trusty model...it has (2) 3lb barrels and I liked it so much, I have two!
The other consideration is your grits. You'll need the gamut - 60/90, 120/220, 500 in silicon carbide and then some sort of polish, like cerium oxide and/or aluminum oxide. Different polishes have different strengths and weaknesses as far as rocks go, so again, this is where your research comes in. You should also pick up some plastic pellets, a strainer (perhaps a collander will do), and other basics like a measuring spoons, and some containers for your new stuff.
I, and many members here, would recommend The Rock Shed for supplies and tumblers. They have good prices and the service is excellent.
I would also recommend starting out on some lesser "treasures" before jumping in full bore. There really is a lot to learn and the hobby really is more challenging than one might initially think. It's a lot of fun and makes for a great background hobby...but there's a lot more to it than just throwing some stuff in a barrel and letting them turn. The rewards can be excellent, but there's also a lot of things that can go wrong and the learning curve can be a challenge.
Anyhow, hope you dive right in and enjoy the effort! I've been tumbling for quite a number of years now and it's still quite interesting! Good luck to you and let us know if you have any specific questions!
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jun 22, 2010 0:59:30 GMT -5
Hi Wendy hj, Welcome to the RTH family, There is a lot to learn as "revco" above says have a look at the RTH polishing guide check out this RTH threadand you will get a Idea forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=trtphoto&action=display&thread=22055Get a Tumbler I would say from experiance a 6lb aprox capacity and follow throught the RTH 4 stage polishing recepie I would advise you to get a few local beach pebbles(Idont know how far from a beach you are) but its a good starting point to have some nice smoothish stones to start with cuts out 4 weeks of grinding And be clinicaly clean as you was up between stages Write up all your runs which can be a great help and time saver Hope htis helps a bit , dont be put off its a great hobby Teaches you paitiance if nothing else !!! Jack Yorkshire uk
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jun 24, 2010 3:49:42 GMT -5
Just a quick explanation Why 6lb ? I Found that The weight in the rolling barrel (grinding action) makes a big difference from the smaller 3lb to 6lb
So go for a 6lb if you can
Im sure others will add their views
Jack Yorkshire uk
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