jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2014 14:09:50 GMT -5
12 RPM barrel, contents in 2nd photo, no filler, 14,000 polish. Rocks moving even at 95% fill. 17 pounds, obsidian 32 RPM barrel, coarse grind, 80% full of agate. Just an average tumble. 14,000 polish results in slow barrel after 24 hours are 7 stones on right, 1000 on 2 bottom stones on left and 500 on top left stone. Full barrel is spanking a polish on. No bruises or frosting.
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Post by captbob on Oct 27, 2014 14:17:54 GMT -5
ROCK PORN !!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2014 14:18:58 GMT -5
How do you think I became such a qualified cameraman captbob?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2014 14:21:33 GMT -5
They ain't going to get a good polish without doing a 5000 step though. Will rerun them in the 5000, and redo the 14,000. Waiting on the 5000 to get here from Germany.
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Post by pghram on Oct 27, 2014 22:02:02 GMT -5
Nicey shaped, I'm really looking forward to the finish.
Rich
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Post by captbob on Oct 27, 2014 22:13:43 GMT -5
They ain't going to get a good polish without doing a 5000 step though. Will rerun them in the 5000, and redo the 14,000. Waiting on the 5000 to get here from Germany. Why don't you think you can get a good polish without using 5,000? People have been getting great obsidian polish results without using 5,000 so far. So is it something due to your method? Which something?
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quartz
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breakin' rocks in the hot sun
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Post by quartz on Oct 27, 2014 23:03:46 GMT -5
Like the movies, especially that they are "talkies".
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2014 23:52:13 GMT -5
They ain't going to get a good polish without doing a 5000 step though. Will rerun them in the 5000, and redo the 14,000. Waiting on the 5000 to get here from Germany. Why don't you think you can get a good polish without using 5,000? People have been getting great obsidian polish results without using 5,000 so far. So is it something due to your method? Which something? Hell captbob, i've been studying my agate tumbles and comparing them to cabs of the same material people made for me. I see a haze in all my tumbles of all materials. Nice polish, but still with a haze. It can be seen in bright sun light only. I believe it is the matte finish left from the 1000 grit that the 14,000 is slow to remove. it is a fine shine but still has pits from the 1000 grit that show as a haze in the sun. Never really cared that much. But wanting to fix it now. The pits look like this 1000 grit finished piece in the form of a haze These are in incandescent light, but in bold sun light that glaze is visible, the lines in the glare is from the coral-not related Cross cut coral has the lines clearly in pattern form, this out of 1000. Nothing to do w/the haze another example of the 1000 haze in bold sun, also coral But I am unable to photograph the haze well after the 14,000 polish due to glare. This stone with a fine polish, but still w/a shallow haze. It looks poorly polished due to the sun, but under clouds or artificial light it would pass as a wet shine just like these cabs seem to have a poor shine due to bold sunlight but look at the shine in the greenhouse, basically a giant light tent or in incandescent light, shine is great. You can tell they are wheel ground because of the wiggly outline of the lamp's reflection, tumbles don't have that this stone under clouds looks well polished, but still has the haze in the sun
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Post by connrock on Oct 28, 2014 5:29:28 GMT -5
I've only tumbled rocks in tumblers with rubber liners so I know the sound from a PVC barrel would be "louder" but it sounds to me like your rocks are "clanking" too much,,,even in the 12 RPM barrel? I like to hear more of a "swooshing" sound then a clanking sound as the barrels rotate.
This photo tells me that not enough "filler rocks/media" were used due to the matte finish on the flat. This is exactly what we were talking about in another post where you put in the semi-polished obsidian and it was only showing wear on the flats,,,,,rubbing rather then tumbling action? LOL
I've had a "haze" on a LOT of the loads I've done but a burnish with Dreft laundry soap and a LOT of either ceramic media or plastic pellets put a shine on them to beat all shines! The obsidian always seems to have that haze on it until I burnish it. connrock
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spiritstone
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Post by spiritstone on Oct 28, 2014 6:26:58 GMT -5
Interesting, and it sure is noticed on the coral cabs under the different lighting conditions. Thanks for sharing.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 28, 2014 8:43:44 GMT -5
I've only tumbled rocks in tumblers with rubber liners so I know the sound from a PVC barrel would be "louder" but it sounds to me like your rocks are "clanking" too much,,,even in the 12 RPM barrel? I like to hear more of a "swooshing" sound then a clanking sound as the barrels rotate. This photo tells me that not enough "filler rocks/media" were used due to the matte finish on the flat. This is exactly what we were talking about in another post where you put in the semi-polished obsidian and it was only showing wear on the flats,,,,,rubbing rather then tumbling action? LOL I've had a "haze" on a LOT of the loads I've done but a burnish with Dreft laundry soap and a LOT of either ceramic media or plastic pellets put a shine on them to beat all shines! The obsidian always seems to have that haze on it until I burnish it. connrock There are 5 things that add to the sound, the camera is real sensitive, the 100% water fill, the PVC, the large rounded rocks and the barrel running on straight steel. But it does not sound good, the clanking. And filler would fix that, no doubt. Not sure if that sound is the rocks hitting the barrel though, am suspicious of that. Have a Lortone 12 barrel. You would think there are no rocks in that one. Real quiet. When running coarse on coral at fast speed visitors come to the house and question the rattling sound, coming from 1000 feet away in a green house. So testing to see if the clanking is causing polish issues even at the slow speed and packed barrel situation. The 500 stage wear on the semi polished obsidian was quicker on the flats, but it was wearing of the edges too. 6 hours to do the flats and 24 hours to do the edges. All polish gone in 24 hours. And then run 48 more hours for safe keeping. That was fast IMO. Comfortable on that note. What opened my eyes this week was the haze on the coral I have been tumbling for 2 years. I have always noticed it in the past and wrote it off for some molecular thing or brain damage on my part. The haze is there and coarser after 500. The haze is there and finer after the 1000. The haze is there and the same after the 14,000. I am not comfortable with the haze after 14,000. I am not happy with the jump from 1000 to 14,000 as mentioned. I know that I have run the 14,000 for two weeks and got wet shine, but still a slight haze. Usually run it 5 days and haze is worse. Coral is easy to polish. And admit to being sloppy with polish. The haze is nonexistent on the coral cabs-hmmm. James is doing something wrong. You mentioned the sugar not letting the grit break down. No doubt, could be the issue. Would not surprise. One of my goals is to tumble fairly large loads of all bigger obsidians.And other soft stones. Can it be done and if it can not-prove it. One thing proven, the softer material grinds so easy with a packed barrel. Maybe not enough... Everything you have mentioned makes perfect sense. James gotta try the untravelled path. Like a prodigal child LOL. Will document failures gladly. If anything, it will prove the conventional ways are the best ways. Also have a load of coral of coral in 1000. Waiting for the Lortone 3000-9000 mix to be arrive. So will try the 3000-9000 on the coral and the obsidian rerun before going to 14,000. if still a haze, then gotta really scratch the head, buy a Lot-O or listen to wisdom. Stay on me though. I need your input.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 28, 2014 8:53:23 GMT -5
Interesting, and it sure is noticed on the coral cabs under the different lighting conditions. Thanks for sharing. Yep. A closer and less intense light source will show a great reflection spirit. Sun is so bright the reflection appears as glare to our eyes. and definitely the camera. Human eyes cannot handle such intense light, only aliens and sun monsters.
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Oct 28, 2014 9:33:35 GMT -5
Great video,music to a hounders ears..............Tumble away James,tumble away...........
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spiritstone
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Post by spiritstone on Oct 28, 2014 9:35:11 GMT -5
I was watching some guy tumble opal on a vid. In his last tumble with the final polish he added in Ivory soap chunks. He mentioned it gives it some kind of high polish. Have you ever heard or seen this. I think I can refind the vid if you would like to see this. Chances are you know this but going to post it in case not. Not the same vid but the same idea.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 28, 2014 10:48:17 GMT -5
I was watching some guy tumble opal on a vid. In his last tumble with the final polish he added in Ivory soap chunks. He mentioned it gives it some kind of high polish. Have you ever heard or seen this. I think I can refind the vid if you would like to see this. Chances are you know this but going to post it in case not. Not the same vid but the same idea. Excellent video spirt. The glass window is the cat's meow. The time will come for me to try the burnish. Problems in getting a burnish able polish seems to be the problem so far LOL. Glass a touchy thing to polish. They guys on the forum with vibs do it blind folded. and then get to burnish. Me not there yet
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quartz
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Post by quartz on Oct 28, 2014 11:35:29 GMT -5
Glad to see connrock's opinion on burnish as final run, we've done it for a long time and been told by several people it's a waste of time. With the quality of work he does, makes us feel good.
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spiritstone
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Post by spiritstone on Oct 28, 2014 12:09:06 GMT -5
I've had a "haze" on a LOT of the loads I've done but a burnish with Dreft laundry soap and a LOT of either ceramic media or plastic pellets put a shine on them to beat all shines! The obsidian always seems to have that haze on it until I burnish it. connrock Good call Connrock. Never caught that until now. Whoops
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Oct 28, 2014 17:40:53 GMT -5
Thanks for the advise on the burnish. Burnish it will be when these are done polishing. 48 hours and getting a decent shine, flat spots first and starting to work around the edges. This stone was in AO 220 eight days ago(3 days AO 500, 3 days AO 1000 and 2 days AO 14,000) 95% full of rocks, 100% full of water, 5 cups sugar each grit, 12 RPM. Looks promising. Looks like AO 1000 finish still not removed Closer, this is the 4th time those pits are in the obsidian at polish. Convinced I need 5000 to remove the 1000 pits.
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Post by fantastic5 on Oct 28, 2014 20:39:19 GMT -5
Hey James. If your interested send me a partial batch of your best tumbled corals. I'll run the polish and burnish stages in my lot-o and send back to you for a comparison. That way you can see if a Lot-O will greatly improve your corals or not.
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Post by captbob on Oct 28, 2014 22:10:00 GMT -5
This stone was in AO 220 eight days ago(3 days AO 500, 3 days AO 1000 and 2 days AO 14,000) Looks like AO 1000 finish still not removed Closer, this is the 4th time those pits are in the obsidian at polish. Convinced I need 5000 to remove the 1000 pits. How 'bout you're rushing the process in an unfavorable vessel. 3 days AO 500, 3 days AO 1000 And you wonder why they don't look better? I understand that this is an experiment to keep you entertained - or sumtin' like that. But, to me, you seem to be expecting a level of quality which takes time - without taking the time. Convinced I need 5000 to remove the 1000 pits. Don't you think the 1000 will break down given time? ETA: In that last picture, it looks to me as though you are still battling 220. The 220 may be worn down some, but it hasn't been beaten yet.
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