caseystones
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 8
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Post by caseystones on Oct 20, 2011 21:55:26 GMT -5
HI, I am doing my very first batch with a vibration tumbler but here is the catch. I am making VERY thin 1-3mm slices of stone that has been shaped and run though a genie wheels 1-4. I am starting this process with 500 grit AO. I have a small tumbler 3 pound. I started today at 2. At first the flat pieces stuck together and clumped on one side. I am using a pound of small ceramic pellets too. I added 3 oz of 500 grit. After looking at it I decided to throw caution to the wind and added some additional stones. The vibration improved to the point it's turning inward really well and nothing is sticking to the sides. I am using a spray bottle to do the water. Here is my question. After around 8 hours I noticed they have sort of a frosted glass look. I washed one and put it under 60x jewlers loop. The scratches have decreased about 70%. Are they doing on? Are they supose to feel like frosted glass?
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JUDY
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 431
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Post by JUDY on Oct 20, 2011 22:26:29 GMT -5
Casey, I dont know how to link posts, but if you look under "totally rock tumbling" and then "Instructions for vibe tumblers"... BikerRandy has a great recipe
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 20, 2011 22:59:45 GMT -5
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JUDY
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 431
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Post by JUDY on Oct 20, 2011 23:00:23 GMT -5
thanks Don
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caseystones
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 8
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Post by caseystones on Oct 21, 2011 12:24:59 GMT -5
I was woken by my cat this morning at 5:30. I checked the rocks and was shocked that they were finished (almost over done) at only 18 hours. They really did go in very smooth. I went as far as 4th genie wheel with some of them before 500 grit. Anyways after burnishing them for 2 hours in borox I started the polish. I plan on checking them every 6 hours. So far so good. I was shocked at the change in them in only 18 hours. Wish me luck ;D
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caseystones
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 8
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Post by caseystones on Oct 21, 2011 12:25:41 GMT -5
I forgot to mention, Thank you for the info. I read it all last night.
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Post by deb193redux on Oct 21, 2011 18:36:04 GMT -5
I think it was way to much grit. for a 3lb'er you could just use a teaspoon. 3oz is more of a rotary quantity of grit.
same for polish - just a little bit goes a long way in the vibes.
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caseystones
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 8
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Post by caseystones on Oct 21, 2011 21:22:54 GMT -5
Lord keep me from opening up the container one more time. I think I have been checking it every hour. I was following the instructions that The Rock Shed gave me. I am at 9.5 hours of polish and I am getting spots of shine coming though. I noticed a few chips here and there but nothing major that I can't polish out. I have been cutting these rocks for 6 months. There are around 200 of them. They are very thin 2-4 mm thick. You will know exactly why when I post pictures
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Post by frane on Oct 22, 2011 7:39:03 GMT -5
Make sure you have enough ceramic filler in there so they don't continue to chip. It is always heartbreaking right at the end to have problems. Mine usually happens in the burnish phase so be careful and good luck! Fran
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 22, 2011 8:18:51 GMT -5
With flat stones about 70% small media helps a lot.
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caseystones
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 8
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Post by caseystones on Oct 23, 2011 1:58:14 GMT -5
Wow that answers my question. Can I leave them burnishing over night. Maybe that's not so smart if they chip. Well I had an interesting day. I woke up and wasn't that happy with my result. There were some scratches from the genie that didn't tumble out. So I left them for an additional 9 hours over the 24 hours. I was happier when they came out. I am now burnishing them so I won't know exactly what I have until I air dry them. There was a lot of improvement and some damage that can be fixed back at the genie. I went to work at the rock shop today. It was pretty crowded all day but in the morning it was not. My boss and I were talking about my shine problems and he said he wanted to reteach me everything as if I never picked up a rock in my life. It was great. My shop forman can shine dog poo if asked. He is that good. Anyways he held my hand against the machine until it made this ring like grinding sound. He said that's what I will hear when I do it right. Then he went over the function of each wheel and when to know it's time to move on. I picked up on all the problems I was having and I created the firsrt cab that actually looks like molded glass was poured on top of it. I was so excited that I finally did it. Then he gave me the advice I needed to fix it all. When I got deep scratches I went back to wheel two and redid everything. Apparently once you are done with wheel two you never go back. Wheel three is where you fix your scratches and you don't leave it until a stone is dry and has no markes. Then he had me use a sharpie marker and color over the scratches. He said one I grind off the sharpie marker the scratch will be gone. I did what he said and yes the scratches were gone and by the time I finished with wheel 6 I had glass. I am going to take the ones that have scratches back to the genie tomorrow and grind them out and throw them in my next polish batch. They should be perfect. The rest of the day I was teased by the cabbers that I went to the drak side and cheated. I laughed. I sort of thought I did that too. Right now I am all rocked out and I have to stay up for the next two hour watching this thin spin. The only problem is that I wish I hadn't taken ambien before I read they can chip at this stage... Oh live and learn! Maybe I will just turn it off and let them sit all night and just do it in the morning. I am sure the borax won't hurt them. I can't wait to have the next 100 stones done so I can do it again. Still not telling what I am doing it for. That will come when I post the pictures.
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Post by parfive on Oct 23, 2011 15:33:44 GMT -5
You say you took those slices through four wheels on a Genie. That’s a 1200 wheel on my machine, so why go backwards to 500 in the tumbler?
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