jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2015 11:25:31 GMT -5
Was polishing up some rotary tumbles with a decent shine already. Started them with AO 1000 in sugar which wiped out the old shine. Ran that for 3 days till shine returned and grit broke down well. Then started AO 100,000 with Borax. 18 hours later a wicked polish is established. Will let run another 8 hours.
The AO 100,000 purchased on Ebay cheaper than about anywhere it was listed. No question about it's quality. Some suppliers put high prices on it.
Been running sugar in the vibe for all steps except the final polish. Sugar stays damp, only adding water every 24 hours. Good for lazy and safe. Zero stains. Final polish goes to the Borax. Hard to beat the Borax for final polish.
Comparing polishes is telling, and not easy to show on photos.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2015 14:39:25 GMT -5
Note- Borax runs hotter than sugar. Got to have to do with friction. A mystery that I can not figure out.
Just did the clean out, had mixed a half cup of sugar with the 3 tablespoons of Borax. Had a jet black ring around the top of the rock level, also strange. Added the sugar to slow the drying process down. It worked fine. The 100,000 added a super shine and worth the 24 hour run. Only 1/2 tablespoon for 14 pounds of rock.
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megalotis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2009
Posts: 226
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Post by megalotis on Apr 9, 2015 16:07:00 GMT -5
I've had great luck with AO .3 as well. I can't imagine a nicer polish on agate or flint, but...I haven't tried it with Borax yet, so...next time!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2015 16:53:08 GMT -5
I've had great luck with AO .3 as well. I can't imagine a nicer polish on agate or flint, but...I haven't tried it with Borax yet, so...next time! Somehow the Borax puts it on it. Instead of going from 500 to 14,000, I did 1000 to 100,000. I don't think the 14,000 step would have made much difference after beating the 1000 down for 3 days.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 9, 2015 17:47:11 GMT -5
You going to show the rocks?
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Apr 9, 2015 18:36:39 GMT -5
You going to show the rocks? Here's a couple
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 9, 2015 20:10:43 GMT -5
Look at those shine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
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Post by quartz on Apr 9, 2015 22:41:03 GMT -5
That's really a fine polish, much impressed.
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Post by snowmom on Apr 10, 2015 4:22:54 GMT -5
Note- Borax runs hotter than sugar. Got to have to do with friction. A mystery that I can not figure out. Just did the clean out, had mixed a half cup of sugar with the 3 tablespoons of Borax. Had a jet black ring around the top of the rock level, also strange. Added the sugar to slow the drying process down. It worked fine. The 100,000 added a super shine and worth the 24 hour run. Only 1/2 tablespoon for 14 pounds of rock. that black ring could be carbonized sugar, easy to carbonize sugar (how hot did it get with that borax in there?) or maybe carbon left over from cooking the coral as it polished off and migrated into the media. interesting thread, watching with much curiousity.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 10, 2015 6:26:12 GMT -5
Hard to say snowmom. With straight Borax the heat builds up when it gets in the 90's here. It gets to 160F in the tumbler in the afternoon when so hot. Added sugar to keep the slurry soft, the sugar gets thinner with increasing temps, like hot pancake syrup. I was not sure if adding the sugar with the Borax caused a reaction, or if the high temp made caramel like you mentioned. The slurry was fine, no black colors in it, just lily white. The hopper had 'ring around the tub' though. The rocks were clean. Left the hopper soaking in Palmolive.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Apr 10, 2015 6:42:42 GMT -5
That's really a fine polish, much impressed. Chuck sent me some of his tumbles, they are just as polished as these rocks are. He probably just left them in AO 500. My vibe will not do that, I have to run a final polish. I think the Lot-O is a superior polishing machine. Looking at ingawh, Rob, Chuck and a few other Lot-O tumbles I have seen using less steps. They have great polishes. And my machine starts to frost soft rocks in polish stages unless I use a super thick slurry, which causes other problems. Maybe the springs need replacing, not sure what is wrong. Does fine on Mohs 7 though. It did take AO1000 down to a 2-3 micron polish. The 100,000 took it to a >1 micron polish, no doubt.
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 10, 2015 9:35:08 GMT -5
I google everything-found this bit of information...Probably nothing,but worth sharing....
Risks Associated with Borax
Borax is natural, but that does not mean it is automatically safer for you or for 'the environment' than man-made chemicals. Although plants need boron, too much of it will kill them, so borax can be used as an herbicide. Borax may also be used as an insecticide to kill roaches, ants, and fleas. In fact, it is also toxic to people. Signs of chronic toxic exposure include red and peeling skin, seizures, and kidney failure. The estimated lethal dose (ingested) for adults is 15-20 grams; less than 5 grams can kill a child or pet. For this reason, borax should not be used around food. More commonly, borax is associated with skin, eye, or respiratory irritation. It is also important to point out that exposure to borax may impair fertility or cause damage to an unborn child.
Now, none of these risks mean that you shouldn't use borax. If you do a bit of research, you will find risks associated with all cleaning products, natural or man-made. However, you do need to be aware of product risks so that you can use those products properly. Don't use borax around food, keep it out of reach of children and pets, and make sure you rinse borax out of clothes and off of surfaces before use.
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megalotis
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2009
Posts: 226
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Post by megalotis on Apr 10, 2015 10:29:55 GMT -5
Very nice polish, James!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Apr 10, 2015 13:44:15 GMT -5
Thank you well received. Please post yours when possible.
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Post by captbob on Apr 10, 2015 15:01:37 GMT -5
I google everything-found this bit of information...Probably nothing,but worth sharing.... Risks Associated with Borax Borax is natural, but that does not mean it is automatically safer for you or for 'the environment' than man-made chemicals. Although plants need boron, too much of it will kill them, so borax can be used as an herbicide. Borax may also be used as an insecticide to kill roaches, ants, and fleas. In fact, it is also toxic to people. Signs of chronic toxic exposure include red and peeling skin, seizures, and kidney failure. The estimated lethal dose (ingested) for adults is 15-20 grams; less than 5 grams can kill a child or pet. For this reason, borax should not be used around food. More commonly, borax is associated with skin, eye, or respiratory irritation. It is also important to point out that exposure to borax may impair fertility or cause damage to an unborn child. Now, none of these risks mean that you shouldn't use borax. If you do a bit of research, you will find risks associated with all cleaning products, natural or man-made. However, you do need to be aware of product risks so that you can use those products properly. Don't use borax around food, keep it out of reach of children and pets, and make sure you rinse borax out of clothes and off of surfaces before use. Many here should probably read all that twice. Most of us do cleanouts somewhere in our yards. Other than killing plants, more importantly is whether your pets can get to the clean out area if you are dumping Borax. Hopefully, our critters are smart enough not to ingest anything in a borax contaminated area, but extra caution is called for.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2015 21:42:23 GMT -5
so shiny is caused the autofocus to capture the reflection and not the reflector??
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Apr 10, 2015 23:35:11 GMT -5
so shiny is caused the autofocus to capture the reflection and not the reflector?? Depends on where you place the thru lens sensor. It will take the reflection to a fault, more so in glare of full sun.
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