Robert
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2003
Posts: 15
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Post by Robert on Apr 14, 2003 16:12:12 GMT -5
Hi Andy
What is your oppion on adding Ivory soap to step 4 final polish or doing a short(4-6 hr) step 5 with only Ivory soap?
Thanks
Robert
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Post by user 02 on Apr 16, 2003 0:03:26 GMT -5
hi robert i have never used soap in the stage 4 but have heard talk of it. I have used ivory as a stage 5 though it is called the burnishing stage and it can add an extra shine to your gems I use pellets in this stage as well to make sure there is no chipping of the stones. I look forward to hear what Andy has to say on the topic HURK
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Post by Hurk on Apr 16, 2003 15:34:20 GMT -5
Thanks for the reply. You confirmed what I have read. The article was very specific about using Ivory bar soap shavings. Guess I'll give it a try.
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Post by user 02 on Apr 17, 2003 12:00:36 GMT -5
hello robert I was at a local gem show last week and was talking to several different people with more tumbling experience, several of them told me to add a small amount of dryer lint to to the polish stage the lint acts like a buffer on the gems when mixed with the polish have you read anything like this in any of your books? I will ask andy if he has tried it! HURK
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Post by Robert on Apr 17, 2003 15:32:33 GMT -5
Hurk Dryer lint is a new one for me. I have heard of saw dust, cut up rubber bands and walnut shells being used. Seems like the lint would turn into a wet blob of stuff. Robert
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Post by Andrew on Apr 22, 2003 6:43:59 GMT -5
All,
Ive heard all manner of different soaps and washing being added to the final polish stage, and then for a short "after tumble" which would be a stage 5.
A soap in the polish phase to me has never made any difference - the only real impacting effect I have ever had is simply to leave the last tumble going for weeks!!!
I actually added this soap bit into the tricks, as I too have heard about it - but I am sorry to say I havent any evidence in my own experience to accurately describe any measurable benefit!!
Sometimes though, I place a "just polished" load into soapy water and pellets in a barrel and leave for a few hours. I do this when the cerium is still present in tight crevices and fractures in the stones.
In particular, when the samples are translucent, this can still remain behind so a soapy tumble can get it out - for sure - the deeper the fractures, the longer the wash needs to be.
As for shine though, I cant understand how soap can help to be truthful?
Anyone else know?
Andrew
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 12, 2004 19:16:24 GMT -5
ya know, my Chicago #3 directions actually call for soap flakes for the burnishing stage (yahoo try and find'em in the grocery store....) so i tried just plain ol' liquid baby Ivory stuff and sure enough it seemed to help give my stones a little boost in the shine department. of course what i have read in here has led me to believe that i would be well off getting seperate barrels to prevent cross contamination and really improve the last cycle. meanwhile, i have read the pros and cons on detergent and YES! sugar! to improve the burnishing part......this isn't hard but it ain't easy, is it? ? KD
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 12, 2004 19:31:33 GMT -5
I'm going to use Borax. I don't really understand what it is, but I used it in my second batch polish and then after to clean up the stones. That batch did turn out better than the first, but that ain't sayin much cookie
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 12, 2004 20:08:35 GMT -5
yeh..what IS borax anyway....dessicated mules?
as far as i have read, you can use anything like that as long as it doesn't have bleach in it....which all the new whiz-bang cleaners have these days....whiter mules.
KD
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Post by sandsman1 on Jun 12, 2004 20:22:23 GMT -5
hi all i went back to my acme for more borax and there was none so i grabed (arm and hammer) super washing soda detergent booster and i havent seen any dif so ill use it till they get borax again it dosent foam and the barrels and stone are clean to the touch
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 12, 2004 20:34:17 GMT -5
I was really suprised at how much was left on the stones after I scubbed each one with a toothbrush and then put them in Borax for 2 hours, the water was brown! It cleaned the barrel really well too ;D
cookie
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RedwoodRocks
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 762
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Post by RedwoodRocks on Jun 12, 2004 21:02:27 GMT -5
I use Ivory soap shavings after each step for a few hours or so. I do this to help clean the rocks and help loosen any left over grit.
I don't have the patience to clean each rock by hand. Besides the one time I used my wife's toothbrush, she was very peeved! Just kidding.
I am amazed that even after thoroughly rinsing the rocks, the soapy water still comes out very greyish!
I am not sure that Ivory soaped helps burnish the rock.
Cal
Cal
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 12, 2004 21:06:40 GMT -5
Oh Cal, scrubbins half the fun! I have 3 brushes, a vegatable brush, a nail brush and a tooth brush. I dunno, it just feels good to hold them and watch them get clean. I know KD, I got it bad, and that's good.
cookie
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duke
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2004
Posts: 77
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Post by duke on Jun 12, 2004 21:10:42 GMT -5
Is Borax easier to find in the stores than Ivory soap flakes? We have tried most of the stores here and have yet to find the Ivory. Cookie...sounds as though you recommend Borax? How much Borax do you use? I assume you use it in the final polishing stage?..
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RedwoodRocks
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 762
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Post by RedwoodRocks on Jun 12, 2004 21:15:44 GMT -5
I used Ivory soap, I think based on Andy's suggestion. Other folks have talked about using Borax. After the Ivory soap is gone, I'll give the Borax a try.
Cal
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 12, 2004 21:21:29 GMT -5
Duke, Yes I use it in the polishing phase, but I'm still experimenting with how much. Last time I think I just used 1 tablespoon. 20 team mule Borax was all I could find at the store. Use it in my laudry and surface cleaning now too. Eats your hands up, so be careful.
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 12, 2004 21:24:29 GMT -5
if anyone out there finds Ivory soapflakes ANYWHERE let me know. also i read about honest to goodness real (Real with a capital R) industrial (?) burnishing goop called Royal Green (availabe from Custom Technology Ltd.) or so my reference sez... i haven't done a search on it. this is the same expert that recommends sugar in the burnish cycle, so take that with a lump of salt.......
btw, so called expert, aka Edward E. Smith, touted as the Inventor of the Mini-Sonic and Vibra-Sonic Tumblers
how many of you out there are vibratory vs, rotary???
krazy persons have to know, KD
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 12, 2004 21:26:59 GMT -5
Isn't Royal Green made out of PEOPLE? No, wait, that's solient green. My bad.
cookie
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duke
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2004
Posts: 77
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Post by duke on Jun 12, 2004 21:30:15 GMT -5
Duke, Yes I use it in the polishing phase, but I'm still experimenting with how much. Last time I think I just used 1 tablespoon. 20 team mule Borax was all I could find at the store. Use it in my laudry and surface cleaning now too. Eats your hands up, so be careful. Cookie..1 tablespoon .. how many pounds is your tumbler? Also, do you just use just Borax and water, or do you mix the Borax with the polishing grit and water? duke
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 12, 2004 21:35:25 GMT -5
Mix it with the grit and water. It's a three pound tumbler, but alot of that is pellets by the time I get to polish. I was adding way too much water before the last batch, so I don't really know if it was the cosistancy or the borax that helped.
cookie
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