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 7, 2011 7:56:38 GMT -5
about the fluorite. i might should start a new thread but stopped my flourite a couple of days ago. when it was in ao500, 1/2 t ao and 1/2 t walmart soap flakes and 1 t borax, after one day it was thick white slurry that hardly moved in the lot-o vibe. added water several times but could not get it going good. put water in and drained and put water in and drained it again and then got some movement but then after a couple of hours it was too much suds and hardly moving again. was it the walmart great value soap? anyway washed the flourite and did the borax and soap wash per conrock and then started with ao1000. after a day looked at a couple of the stones and could not see that they were getting any polish at all. when they were wet in the barrel they looked so nice and shiny but dried off, they were dull. so i took that batch out and set it aside. i didn't use any plastic beads or anything and that may be what i need with the flourite??? now i have a mixture of agate and quartz in there and it is looking good without getting so much soap suds. i cut the soap down to 1/4 t for the polish phase. right now it is on the tripoli stage and will add ao polish today... i hope i can get the flourite looking like it's shiny someday. charlie
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Roan
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2008
Posts: 600
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Post by Roan on Jan 7, 2011 8:36:48 GMT -5
Charlie,
I've never done fluorite, however I have some tumbles here that are nice and shiny, so it can be done. I would go with the Ivory bar soap flakes, like Susan did. I use that with all my soft rocks, including amber, and it worked very well.
Eileen
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Post by susand24224 on Jan 7, 2011 14:53:56 GMT -5
Charlie, I did mine exclusively in a rotary with at least 50% ceramic shapes throughout the process. When they came out of 1000 grit, they were beginning to pick up a shine; after a few days in polish (with borax) they were completely dull.
I had fracture issues as well, but had tumbler problems during the process and the fractures appeared during the problems. I suspect they probably need cushion regardless of whether it is rotary or vibe, but my vibe knowledge is severely lacking.
Susan
P.S. I used regular AO polish, not the walnut shell procedure recommended by the Rockshed.
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