Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,473
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 16, 2013 16:34:46 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Well, I opened the rotary tumbler full of chiastolite crystals and agatized Goniobasis snails after five days in fine grind. Total gloppy. gooey mess again with everything stuck together. Snails will have to go back into a grind for another week as they didn't smooth much at all but the chiastolite was ground the way I wanted them, kind of nuggets. Now, I'll have to do another batch as, without the snails my load will be too small for the UV-10 and the crystals, being softer, will have to be done alone for best results. Any of you every tumbled this stuff? I'm debating whether to throw in an extra step of 500 fine grind before I go to the tripoli pre polish. Anyway, here's a pic of the chiastolite nuggets after I sorted them out of the gloppy mess.....Mel ![](http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b377/sabre52/DSCN7262_zps715d3626.jpg)
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,347
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Post by jamesp on Feb 16, 2013 16:44:11 GMT -5
Give me your phone number Mel and i will call to remind you to check the water level in your grinder.:>
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,473
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 16, 2013 17:34:40 GMT -5
*L* James, Dang, I've been tumbling for more than 40 years and I thought I had the water level right, just below the top of the stones in the 12 pound rotary barrel. Just something in that dang chiastolite that forms the stickiest dang muck I've ever seen *L*....Mel
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,347
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Post by jamesp on Feb 16, 2013 17:43:05 GMT -5
My local recycle glass is the worst thing to put in a tumbler.Turns tumblers into pipe bomb.I googled chiastolite and definition did not go into thick Georgia skull.What is a layman's def on that one.We have incredible staurolite/fairy crosses here.What is that got to do w/it?Are bthey fossils?
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,473
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 16, 2013 21:09:04 GMT -5
James, Chiastolite crystals ( sometimes called cross rocks) are an opaque variety of the mineral andalusite and the little cross patterns that change throughout the length crystal are caused by included carbon. I collected these crystals from decomposing micaceous shist along a road in Mariposa County, California. The rodlike crystals are usually four inches or so long but at this location, erosion almost always breaks them into short sections. There are smaller clear crystals in another part of the county. The crystal sections almost always have a mica layer on the outside and I'm thinking when that breaks down in the grinding process, the goo is generated that sticks everything together....Mel
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,347
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Post by jamesp on Feb 16, 2013 21:30:00 GMT -5
That is a big help.That is not a simple rock.Wilopedia mentioned Mariposa.And used geology terms.Thanks for the ed.I hope you will get the tumble right.Thanks
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Post by Bikerrandy on Feb 17, 2013 13:15:46 GMT -5
Don't see too much of those, they're really cool!
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Feb 17, 2013 13:32:56 GMT -5
those are pretty cool looking. nice shine on them also.
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