jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Mar 22, 2015 0:03:57 GMT -5
orrum sent me a box of small obsidian flakes. Rough tumbled them and used them to make a wide range of sizes. In AO 500 with double dose of Borax(6 tablespoons/14 pounds):
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Mar 22, 2015 6:03:53 GMT -5
This is the obsidian before spending 4.5 weeks in the rotary with SiC 30/60 grit. Aquarium gravel for filler. Batch removed twice during rotary clean outs to hand grind divots and fractures, sharp edges too. Borax superior to sugar on obsidian in vibe at AO 500 point in protecting from bruises. Hopefully Borax will carry them thru to a high polish. Finishing recipe in vibe 1 day AO 500 --Edit, longer than a day in 500--My vibe slower than Lot-O at this stage. Comparing to Krystee's tutorial. 1 day AO 1000 1 day or as needed AO 14,000 All with 6 tablespoons/14 pounds rock and filler. Glass filler at 25%, and 25% rough tumbled obsidian chips from orrum that were smaller than the subject obsidian.
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 22, 2015 8:28:26 GMT -5
Borax superior to sugar on obsidian in vibe at AO 500 point in protecting from bruises. Interesting, jamesp.
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Post by orrum on Mar 22, 2015 18:25:59 GMT -5
Good thread James!
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jbrian
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2014
Posts: 11
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Post by jbrian on Mar 23, 2015 1:00:11 GMT -5
good stuff. james on a different thread you said you wanted the rocks to roll round slowly with the thickener. is this the right speed you're looking for in the video?
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Mar 23, 2015 7:45:59 GMT -5
jbrian-Different brands have their own roll speed. As you add the thickener the action may slow down. As the thickener runs, say 8-12-24 hours the action slows as the thickener gets a bit dryer. And water should be added to keep it from getting too thick. Tested and tried recipes will help take the guess work out of 'too thin' and 'too thick'. I think common practice is to start out with freshly wet but drained rocks and a dry barrel. Turn on vibe or bump it with the switch and add the thickener slowly to cover as many rocks as possible. Once all the thickener is in mixed with the rocks, run them while watching till the thickener has completely wetted. Add water if necessary to get the 'right' consistency. 'right' being a judgement call. Or depend on a recipe for exact amount of water to be added. So the speed of the action is something you have to learn from your brand of vibe. In the video above I am running delicate obsidian and have adjusted my vibe to a much slower speed. Some vibes are adjustable. That is just me being conservative, and slowing the process down to avoid bruises. So your question is very open to opinion. I think it is key to using a vibe though. I have learned the hard way to check it every 12 hours. And that was because I let the thickener dry out and the rocks sat in one place with no action and vibrated divots into the rocks. They had to be rerun from the start. Hope this helps.
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 23, 2015 13:22:47 GMT -5
I have learned the hard way to check it every 12 hours. And that was because I let the thickener dry out and the rocks sat in one place with no action and vibrated divots into the rocks. They had to be rerun from the start. Hope this helps. Bummer that you had to start the process over when the thickener dried out, jamesp.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Mar 23, 2015 14:03:14 GMT -5
I have learned the hard way to check it every 12 hours. And that was because I let the thickener dry out and the rocks sat in one place with no action and vibrated divots into the rocks. They had to be rerun from the start. Hope this helps. Bummer that you had to start the process over when the thickener dried out, jamesp. Darn motor sits under the hopper and heats up the hopper Jan. The Borax wants to dry out over night in particular.
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