Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 19, 2013 22:28:10 GMT -5
I finished my first batch of obsidian yesterday using Krystee's excellent tutorial. They turned out very nice. The mahogany pieces came from Susan24224 (Thanks Susan!) Most was purchased from a rock shop that was recommended by Krystee. There's a green piece in there, with more to tumble some other day.
The most difficult part for me was the rough tumble in my 6 lb Lortone. After ten days, the rocks were frosted on the corners. I saved all the slurry by picking the obsidian out with my fingers. After the next ten days, the slurry had thickened up and the frosting had disappeared, but the rocks still needed more time in rough grind (I didn't use Krystee's shortcut on the grinder). I was pretty sure I'd be pulling some pieces out at the next clean out because some were very close, but at the next clean out, nothing was done and I was pretty disappointed. I ran them in rough for another week or two after that with not much change and very few rocks finished. At that point, I decided to clean everything and start again with clean water. As I expected, there was frosting after the first ten days, but none after the next ten and the rocks started improving again. So what seems to work for me is two rounds of rough tumbling and then a full clean out.
![](http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s555/jugglerguy/IMG_7312_zps9a50f06c.jpg)
I think this piece came from a box of saw scraps that I bought from cabbingrough. I don't know if it's rock or glass, but it's green with sparkles. You can see that my rocks are shiny but have sort a film on them that I haven't quite figured out how to remove. There are what look like water spots on them. Should I burnish in Dreft or borax?
![](http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s555/jugglerguy/IMG_7317_zpsb2707c94.jpg)
![](http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s555/jugglerguy/IMG_7325_zps285afada.jpg)
The most difficult part for me was the rough tumble in my 6 lb Lortone. After ten days, the rocks were frosted on the corners. I saved all the slurry by picking the obsidian out with my fingers. After the next ten days, the slurry had thickened up and the frosting had disappeared, but the rocks still needed more time in rough grind (I didn't use Krystee's shortcut on the grinder). I was pretty sure I'd be pulling some pieces out at the next clean out because some were very close, but at the next clean out, nothing was done and I was pretty disappointed. I ran them in rough for another week or two after that with not much change and very few rocks finished. At that point, I decided to clean everything and start again with clean water. As I expected, there was frosting after the first ten days, but none after the next ten and the rocks started improving again. So what seems to work for me is two rounds of rough tumbling and then a full clean out.
![](http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s555/jugglerguy/IMG_7312_zps9a50f06c.jpg)
I think this piece came from a box of saw scraps that I bought from cabbingrough. I don't know if it's rock or glass, but it's green with sparkles. You can see that my rocks are shiny but have sort a film on them that I haven't quite figured out how to remove. There are what look like water spots on them. Should I burnish in Dreft or borax?
![](http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s555/jugglerguy/IMG_7317_zpsb2707c94.jpg)
![](http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s555/jugglerguy/IMG_7325_zps285afada.jpg)