mountainman
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2014
Posts: 4
|
Post by mountainman on Mar 16, 2014 8:24:11 GMT -5
Hey all, just joined up and need some advise. I got a harbor freight tumbler with 2 drums on it. It came with the coarse,fine,pre polish, and polish grit and just need to know the process. I have tons of pea size emeralds and peridot that i was thinking of mixing in with some different size amethyst and see what happens but i would like some educated advise before we start something we know little about. I know that the different size rocks are a good thing to fill the voids but how much rock do i put in and how much grit and is my mixture of stones ok to tumble together? Also how long do i run it for? Is the grit that harbor freight sells ok to use? Its kindof all i have acess to locally. And most of all,,,is this tumbler a OK model for beginners? Looking at all the pictures,,I think this hobby is going to stick so I know some good advise to steer me in the right direction at the begining is going to go along way. Thanks in advance for any info.
|
|
tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,547
|
Post by tkvancil on Mar 16, 2014 9:38:58 GMT -5
The harbor freight machines are OK for their price but replacement parts seem to be hard to get. The belt is likely not going to last very long. Replace it with a lortone 33b belt, it will fit your tumbler. You will also want to save one of your barrels for polish only or purchase a third for that purpose. You can run all other grits in the same barrel with a cleaning in between. You will want to fill the barrels between 2/3rds to 3/4 full. Correct volume as well as a mix of sizes is important. There are various opinions on how much grit to use. Lets talk coarse for now. Minimum is 1 tbs. per pound, which would be 2 tbs. for your size barrels. I use 4 tbs. in my 3# barrels similar to yours and that would be the maximum amount. You should run the coarse grit from 7 to 10 days, by then the grit should be broken down. It is highly likely that you will need to run several coarse cycles to get your rocks smooth and crack free. You will use more coarse grit than any other grit and will want more than came with the kit. The stones you mentioned range from 6.5 to 7.5 on the mohs hardness scale so in theory should be able to tumble together. My advice would be to try some agates or jaspers first, they are more forgiving than what you have. Here are a couple good web sites to look at for buying parts , grit , and rock if you desire.... www.kingsleynorth.com/ www.therockshed.com/
|
|
mountainman
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2014
Posts: 4
|
Post by mountainman on Mar 16, 2014 9:49:04 GMT -5
Awesome info, thanks so much for the input.I greatly appreciate it.
|
|
SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
|
Post by SirRoxalot on Mar 16, 2014 19:22:01 GMT -5
Try starting with something a bit softer and less expensive than emeralds; maybe something cheap and easy like Brazilian agate.
Bear in mind that tumbling makes the stones much smaller, so a small stone going into the barrel will be very small indeed coming out.
To understand what minerals you should tumble together, you must understand the Moh's Scale of Hardness. It's really simple, all you have to do is avoid mixing minerals of very different hardness.
The quartz family, from amethyst to jasper, agate, petrified wood, rose or smoky, clear or milky, is a great way to start tumbling.
Lastly, this is not a hobby for the impatient. Some stones can take a month or two in coarse grit alone!
|
|