charles kuchar
spending too much on rocks
getting ready for the second coming
Member since November 2010
Posts: 300
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Post by charles kuchar on Jan 1, 2011 14:45:27 GMT -5
rocktumblingsupplies.com/faq.phtmlthis link has good information on tumbling rocks. there i learned what you can do if you don't have any grit. it explained how to do it that way. i finally wanted to do my flourite that i got from therockshed and thought i would test doing it without the grit. i put in 5# of flourite, some bigger agate without sharp edges and a pound of opal. added some small gravel and did not put in any sand. ran for two days in my 12# tumbler and looked at the stones this morning. the flourite looks beautiful with rounded corners and excellent color. i pulled all the flourite out and this afternoon will put it in my lot-O with 500 grit for a day. i don't think that grit is too heavy for the flourite? the opal corners were not rounded enough so i left them with other rocks and put in 4 teaspoons of sand and started the tumbler again. will check them in a couple of days. charlie
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marinedad
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 813
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Post by marinedad on Jan 2, 2011 0:06:54 GMT -5
can't be too much different than tumbling around in a river.
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Post by susand24224 on Jan 2, 2011 2:26:45 GMT -5
Your fluorite will do fine in 500 grit. I've tumbled it, but not with your method. I did it in a rotary and started at 120/220, which was fine, so I'm sure the 500 won't cause any problems. Keep an eye out for fractures, though--I found it very prone to fracturing even with lots of cushion. I would have predicted serious fracturing with agate and opal as companions, but obviously I was wrong.
Please keep us informed of your progress.
Susan
P.S. I polished with Rockshed AO the "usual" way; only afterwards did I read the Rockshed's instructions.
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