jmmccann
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by jmmccann on Dec 8, 2013 11:41:56 GMT -5
We recently bought my son who has taken a big fascination with rocks, a tumbler for christmas. It was important to us not to buy the plastic toy tumblers that are available at Walmart and Toys R' Us, but to get a decent machine that would serve us well and last. We ended up with a used Lortone (3lb) which has barely had any use at all. The seller gave us a lot of extras and was happy to see it being used.
I am hoping to gather everything up before Christmas, and am wondering if anyone can help me decide on a good type of rock that will yield interesting results and not be too complicated for a first tumble. Anyone have any thoughts?
Thanks, so much! Looking forward to getting into this with him.
Jeff.
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Post by roy on Dec 8, 2013 12:00:37 GMT -5
any agate ,jasper ,petrified wood will work when i did my first batch i used wood ! welcome to the club
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jmmccann
off to a rocking start
Member since December 2013
Posts: 3
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Post by jmmccann on Dec 8, 2013 12:46:24 GMT -5
Awesome! I picked up 1lb of rough leopard jasper on ebay. Now I just need to make sure I have all the necessary products for the various steps. Thanks for your help!
Jeff.
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Post by catmandewe on Dec 8, 2013 13:03:18 GMT -5
Welcome!
Any hard agate or jasper will make for a good first tumble. The better the material you start with the better your final results will be.
Good luck with it.................Tony
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Post by pghram on Dec 8, 2013 15:28:09 GMT -5
Good for you & your son! The biggest challenge for a young person is patience, so find a way to keep him interested while the barrels roll. And don't forget to show us the results.
Rich
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,547
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Post by tkvancil on Dec 8, 2013 16:39:15 GMT -5
Dittos. Agates or jaspers. The first things I tried were Lake Superior agates and Mexican Crazy Lace. I made a lot of mistakes but they still came out really nice. You'll find lots of experience and help here so post questions if you get stuck. Have fun and welcome.
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Post by johnjsgems on Dec 9, 2013 15:07:59 GMT -5
If you have a 3lb. barrel you need it 3/4 full. If the purchased rock doesn't fill it you can add filler (I like ceramic media). Keep adding filler through the steps to maintain the 3/4 full level.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Dec 9, 2013 15:32:43 GMT -5
welcome and good luck! Be prepared to let the barrel run longer in the first stage than what you may have read elsewhere (you want them rounded, smooth and no cracks or pits before you go to the second coarseness)
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Dec 9, 2013 23:39:55 GMT -5
All the advice given is spot on, good luck. But if your like me your first batch will be far from perfect because I was so anxious I did not head the advice to go long.... The good thing is you can always back them up and re-run any stage. Cheers.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 10, 2013 7:33:18 GMT -5
I got started with a Lortone 33B for my son two years ago. Now I have another rotary tumbler, a vibratory tumbler, a flat lap, two saws, a drill press, and a Dremel. I just thought you should know what you've gotten yourself into!
As others have said, take your time with the first stage. I like to run the first stage until the rocks are completely free of pits. With hard rock like agate and jasper (which I agree are good to start with), the first stage can take months. I take a couple rocks out on each weekly clean out until I have enough accumulated to run the next stage. As I take rocks out of the first stage, I replace them with more rough rock. You can replace them with ceramic, but then you're just wearing down the ceramic when you could be wearing down more rough rock. So I'd suggest you get more than one pound of rough rock.
My son and I get impatient with the really rough hard rocks and mix it up with beach stones from the great lakes. The beach stones never come out quite as nice as agates and jaspers, but they're already rounded and fairly smooth from the wave action so they get done much quicker. It's also really satisfying to collect your own rocks to polish. So if you're near water that isn't frozen solid, you could consider getting some beach stones.
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Post by pghram on Dec 11, 2013 22:27:08 GMT -5
Yea, Like Jugglerguy says, the name of this forum should be RTH Anonymous.
Rich
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MrCoffee
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2005
Posts: 634
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Post by MrCoffee on Dec 13, 2013 0:06:39 GMT -5
For that Lortone 3A, I would recommend buying at least a couple pounds of 60/90 grit. If you purchase broken agate for your first batch of rough, you won't have to deal with as many pits. They usually shape nicely, given enough time. And yes, it's true. It will usually take about 8 weeks to round them out. Patience is a must.
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