samhuang
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Post by samhuang on Dec 17, 2012 20:59:05 GMT -5
Hi! I've looked around the internet, but can't find any help... I'm trying my luck on what appears to be this promising forum! Basically, what I'm try to do is round the edges of some rocks that are cut into cubes in my shop. They're soapstone (very, soft, so sands easily[with a machine, I've heard]) and are cut with a bridge saw into perfect, though sharp cubes. They are Soapstone Drink Chillers, which will keep your drinks cold for hours(after you place them in the freezer- these cubes wont melt and water down your drink )- the problem is that if they're so sharp, they *might* damage your glass, and I won't want to risk that with expensive wine glasses. Right now we've been using sandpaper, which does the trick, but is very painstaking and slooooowwww! I was wondering if I could get a rotary tumbler or something of that sort to easily throw 30~ or so 1"x1"x1" cubes into to soften the edges all at once. All of the tumblers I've found are what are described as "polishers" and make rocks shinny- I dont want this, as I just want some corners rounded off quickly and efficiently. Thank you so very much, Sam
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 17, 2012 21:24:06 GMT -5
I don't know anything about soapstone, but a rotary rock tumbler will round rocks like you want. If they're really soft, then they probably wouldn't ever get shiny. By using a coarse grit like 60/90, they won't get shiny even if you we're doing a harder rock. I would check out the health risks of using them in a drink because they will probably have silicon carbide grit embedded in them if they're really soft.
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 17, 2012 21:43:20 GMT -5
You could try running them without grit to blunt the edges. Soapstone is really soft. It will likely stain with drinks too. Sounds like a pretty strange endeavor to me.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 17, 2012 22:10:52 GMT -5
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 17, 2012 22:11:54 GMT -5
Hmmm I thought the reason folks used soapstone was at Mohs hardness of about 1 it can't scratch glass which is mohs 5-6. If I had to round the edges, I'd use a UV-10 vibe tumbler with ceramic beads as filler and a few tablespoons of fine grind maybe 220. Would probably round the edges in a few hours max....Mel
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 17, 2012 23:16:25 GMT -5
Go with sand.Play sand.It will pad and sand the soapstone.And it will sand the edges off quickly in a manufactured tumbler.If play sand is too agressive try mortar sand or river sand to get a smoother finish.So in a 12 pound tumbler i would start with 3 cups of sand and 3 cups water. There is sharp sand,rounded sand,bleached sand,many grades of sifted sand from 60-90-120-220-etc etc like sand paper grades eh.You gotta experiment. I tumble everthing in sight.Have fooled with a little bit of soapstone.It may not take long though.You may have a tmbler full of talcum powder...Should take 1-4 hours.
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The Dad_Ohs
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Dec 17, 2012 23:24:52 GMT -5
sabre/mel is right, you don't need to tumble them.. soapstone will round off naturally as it gets used and cleaned and re-used. It won't scratch glass unless the soapstone is loaded with impurities which is what will scratch the glass.
But if you really want to tumble them, vibratory tumbler, plastic pellets regular sand r nothing at all ... either way should round the corners in a couple hours.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 18, 2012 6:57:56 GMT -5
I looked up soapstone's majical property.It is it's high"specifc constant of heat".Whih is a number that describes how many BTU's per pound -or- heat per pound it can hold.Soapstone can hold twice as much as iron for example.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2012 8:41:32 GMT -5
I have carved a lot of soap stone and there is no way that I would put it in a rotary tumbler. I am with Mel on the vibe tumbler. A high grit like 220 or higher will probably do the trick.
Are you using Chinese soapstone or American soap stone? There is a big difference in the hardness. The photo looks like American soapstone and you probably can tumble them in a vibe without grit because the edges just about fall off that stuff it is so soft. Doing it without grit will also prevent grit being imbedded in the stones.
There is nothing unhealthy in the soapstone unless it has asbestos in it which is quite common. Most of the soapstone seller in America guarantee their soapstone to be asbestos free but the Chinese do not care if it has asbestos in it. Many people mix clay with water and drink it to clean out their insides and baby powder is made from it so as long as you are not getting it in your lungs it is actually healthy.
Like Mel said, there is no way that the soapstone will scratch glass so no worries there. Jim
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 18, 2012 11:46:16 GMT -5
Ok, I guess I gave bad advice. Sorry about that. I thought that rotary tumblers rounded rocks, but vibe tumblers didn't round them. Is this just a special case because soap stone is so soft?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 18, 2012 12:30:20 GMT -5
Would a rotary tumbler with lots of quartz sand be a bad idea?I would worry about the vibration chipping the edges of the soapstone.The low frequency impact of a 80 percent full rotary,plenty of sand and water sounds as gentle as it gets.Only curious
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samhuang
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Member since December 2012
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Post by samhuang on Dec 18, 2012 13:56:29 GMT -5
Thank you all for your replies and great information! I really appreciate the fact you'll all willing to help @ugglleguy They don't need to be shiny- in fact, I'm with you that they won't ever get shiny. Sabre52 Soapstone won't scratch glass (you can even dig into it with your finger nail!!!), but some people are concerned that the edges will scratch the glass, I dont know if the edges won't scratch the glass, but I'll test that out sometime. jamesp The sand sounds like a great idea!- it's something I have easy access to and it has to be much cheaper than any grit I can buy @wampidy The soapstone is both imported (in giant slabs) and from the Mid-North United States. None of it is from china, and parts with asbestos are generally not used at all in our shop. I'll have to look into that for safety's sake though... Thanks for the heads up! So I've decided that I would either be using a Vibratory and probably not a Rotary tumbler (wait- there's only two types right?)... and it will be a good idea to use some sand as the grit, right? Will a vibratory tumbler chip the soapstone though? That would be bad... Thanks to you all! -Sam (PS: Please use the poll thing at the top to vote)
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The Dad_Ohs
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Dec 18, 2012 14:08:50 GMT -5
Ok, I guess I gave bad advice. Sorry about that. I thought that rotary tumblers rounded rocks, but vibe tumblers didn't round them. Is this just a special case because soap stone is so soft? Because soapstone is so soft, a rotary tumbler may break it up as fast as it will round it. The main reasons to go with a vibratory tumbler are: 1) you only want rounded edges, not rounded stone. 2) A vibrating tumbler will allow the stones to keep their shape better than a rotary unit will. 3) It is much gentler on the soapstone or any stone for that matter than a rotary tumbler. hope this helps. Sam - I know the area where you are setup, I spent some time there while in the Connecticut Army National Guard. (I'm from CT originally) Just so you understand, you are going to need a much bigger unit than what we, most of us, use here. A commercial unit would be best if you cannot keep up with orders that you are receiving.
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samhuang
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2012
Posts: 6
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Post by samhuang on Dec 18, 2012 14:37:16 GMT -5
@the Dad_Ohs It's nice you've been in the area!- and thanks for clearing things up! Some of our artisans are also in the Connecticut Nation Guard- you may know them?
I think I'm convinced a Vibratory Tumbler will be the best option for smoothing the soapstone corners... Now, I don't know if I need a Commercial tumbler as this isn't the main product of the company- we specialize in Custom Stone Countertops(for bath, kitchen, etc) and Surfaces- these soapstone cubes as well as some soapstone trays we make are made from the extras of the countertops (we have lots, lots of them)- I also just want to test out a tumbler before I go all out with a industrial one.
Where would be a good place to buy a tumbler? I've been looking around on ebay (because of the good prices), but I need some pointers. I don't mind if the tumbler is used on ebay or craigslist because it's just a test- if all goes well, I'll go buy a bigger one.
Thanks, Sam
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 18, 2012 16:12:00 GMT -5
Why don't you try your best to scratch glass with the edges sharp? Once you determine that they won't scratch glass just advertise them as such. Unless you want to buy a 40 lb. Gy-Roc from me.
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The Dad_Ohs
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Dec 18, 2012 16:16:46 GMT -5
@the Dad_Ohs It's nice you've been in the area!- and thanks for clearing things up! Some of our artisans are also in the Connecticut Nation Guard- you may know them? Sam, most of the people I knew in the NG are old men by now!!LOL If you want to get a vibratory tumbler, talk to JohnJSGems here in the forum, that's who I buy my tools through, just bought a band saw for rock from him and blades for my trim saw too... he is knowledgeable and will give you a good deal too!!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 18, 2012 16:24:27 GMT -5
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 18, 2012 16:45:50 GMT -5
I think a rotary without grit would work if you check it frequently. The guy that tumbles Ulexite for the US Borax visitor center rotary tumbles it in water only. If you keep the barrel 3/4 full and use plain water run it and check every two hours until the edges start to round. You can buy a cheap rotary tumbler from Harbor Freight that would last long enough to test it. Or find a used Lortone or Thumler's. There should be a flood of them on eBay/Craigslist starting next month.
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samhuang
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Member since December 2012
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Post by samhuang on Dec 18, 2012 20:03:58 GMT -5
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 18, 2012 21:01:13 GMT -5
Both of those are designed for metal i believe.If they are then you best not use them for stone or i will tell you that you will have moonstone instead of soapstone.
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