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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2015 17:16:29 GMT -5
Tin Oxide has always worked well for me on "softer" rocks. I'd go with that unless there is a huge price difference. You are probably going to need something for cushioning in the latter stages as well. Can you find plastic beads or pellets over there? They are like BBs and often used in creating stuffed animals or dolls.
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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2015 17:20:15 GMT -5
Burnishing isn't a really as big a deal as some make it out to be, and most anything will work.
Do you have Ivory hand soap (bars) over there? Shave some slivers off and use that as your burnish soap and you are good to go.
I only burnish between my final grit (usually 1000 grit) and the polish stage and then after the polish. Can't say it makes a huge difference. YMMV
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Sept 17, 2015 17:21:19 GMT -5
Whoa Nellie!!!!!! Don't run off so quick! I don't know where you came up with the discouraging part. The only negative point was where Andrew said they were leaverites...maybe they are, maybe they aren't...you'll never know unless you try them. With rocks like those I would definitely be giving them a shot! I've only been here a week or two and folks have been only helpful to me...they'll be the same for you if you give them a chance. But ya gotta do what ya gotta do...your choice. ETA: Ok, I see things are back good again...I don't know where page 2 was earlier. Hang in there with it beckybee, you've got some very interesting rocks to work with!!!! By the way, does the "bee" part of your name have anything to do with honeybees?
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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2015 17:26:20 GMT -5
The only negative point was where Andrew said they were leaverites...maybe they are, maybe they aren't...you'll never know unless you try them. They are NOT leverites in my world! Maybe Andrew has unicorns walking around where he lives pooping out Botswana agates and gold nuggets, in which case, yeah leave anything else. I'd pay good money for such rocks!
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Sept 17, 2015 17:32:20 GMT -5
^^^ What he said! So how much for a pound of those?
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Sept 17, 2015 17:36:30 GMT -5
...or maybe Andrew was being a bit facetious with his statement.
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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2015 17:39:07 GMT -5
^^^ What he said! So how much for a pound of those? psst... them Brits Welsh think a pound is money. You're gonna have to go metric. ...or maybe Andrew was being a bit facetious with his statement. Don't think that is in his repertoire.
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boutoo
having dreams about rocks
Member since August 2015
Posts: 62
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Post by boutoo on Sept 17, 2015 17:56:40 GMT -5
He told me most of mine were Leaverites too....maybe it's his newbie initiation thing?? captbob we have £'s & lb's Becky you need handwashing soap, not machine powder (see my thread for failed experiment). I don't think boric acid is the same thing, not sure tho' as it's a very long time since I did chemistry (get ready to refamiliarise yourself with the periodic table)
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Sept 17, 2015 17:59:58 GMT -5
^^^ What he said! So how much for a pound of those? psst... them Brits Welsh think a pound is money. You're gonna have to go metric. Metric? Is that kinda like long division?...or maybe Andrew was being a bit facetious with his statement. Don't think that is in his repertoire. ...but stickies are!!!
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Sept 17, 2015 18:05:20 GMT -5
He told me most of mine were Leaverites too....maybe it's his newbie initiation thing?? captbob we have £'s & lb's Becky you need handwashing soap, not machine powder (see my thread for failed experiment). I don't think boric acid is the same thing, not sure tho' as it's a very long time since I did chemistry (get ready to refamiliarise yourself with the periodic table) Is the borax to help thicken the slurry? I've heard of using powdered dishwasher detergent...it supposedly is low-sudsing and doesn't create much gas. Also, shaving a tablespoon of soap off a bar of Ivory has been mentioned. Just thought I'd mention it...might not be for the same things, though?
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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2015 18:06:00 GMT -5
psst... them Brits Welsh think a pound is money. You're gonna have to go metric. Metric? Is that kinda like long division?No, it's more like French. But different.Don't think that is in his repertoire. ...but stickies are!!! *snort*
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boutoo
having dreams about rocks
Member since August 2015
Posts: 62
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Post by boutoo on Sept 17, 2015 18:11:12 GMT -5
He told me most of mine were Leaverites too....maybe it's his newbie initiation thing?? captbob we have £'s & lb's Becky you need handwashing soap, not machine powder (see my thread for failed experiment). I don't think boric acid is the same thing, not sure tho' as it's a very long time since I did chemistry (get ready to refamiliarise yourself with the periodic table) Is the borax to help thicken the slurry? I've heard of using powdered dishwasher detergent...it supposedly is low-sudsing and doesn't create much gas. Also, shaving a tablespoon of soap off a bar of Ivory has been mentioned. Just thought I'd mention it...might not be for the same things, though? Nuuuuuu borax is for cleaning up the stones & maaaaaaybe it helps to get rid of grit in holes etc too. Not sure about the grit part. It does clean stones up nicely tho' Kitty litter is for thickening up the slurry LOL!
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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2015 18:14:07 GMT -5
Some folks use Borax as a thickener, especially in a vibe. kitty litter... *sigh* jamesp !! This is all your fault. Come clean up this mess.
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beckybee
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2015
Posts: 11
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Post by beckybee on Sept 17, 2015 20:26:19 GMT -5
Oh wow thanks guys - some lovely comments there, ta - and some that made me smile! Yes I have read all your thread now boutoo so that answers my earlier question about the borax (you have a very clean floor in your house now?!!). It sounds like it doesn't matter exactly what it is. But it will be essential for cleaning the stones before the polish, by the sounds of it. It is good to know there is someone else in a similar situation to me here as well! I liked your video of collecting rocks by the Thames... I will update you in my progress once I have found the right polish... I have promised my mum a pair of red jasper earrings for xmas - so, fingers crossed....
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Sept 17, 2015 21:13:34 GMT -5
Hmmm ok well now I'm wondering if I should give up the whole thing completely. I didn't think you guys would be so discouraging. Ah well thanks for your time anyway! You cannot give up easily on those rocks. That would be a crime. I need to see them polished. One thing about tumbling rocks is that you never really ruin them. As long as they are decent hard rocks you can always finish them and if you don't like them start over with the same rocks and try something different. We will help you with the parts we can. The lack of lapidary supplies in the UK is unfortunate so you may have to step up and pay for shipping if you want to use the same grits and polishes that are used on most of the tumbles you see posted here. Chuck
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boutoo
having dreams about rocks
Member since August 2015
Posts: 62
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Post by boutoo on Sept 17, 2015 21:13:40 GMT -5
There's quite a few new members around atm, so you're far from alone There's lots of good info in Intheswamps thread as well We're all very lucky to have lots of wise people who've been doing this a very long time around for advise too The whole kitchen is quite clean ha ha ha Look out for Cerium Oxide as it seems to be the best...BUT different polishes work better on different stones so it's an idea to collect aluminium, tin & zinc oxides as well...I have no clue about pumice & don't have any so won't comment. You don't need very much polish so a little goes a long way, especially if you do the 4 or 5 step route (80, 200, 400, 500/100 & polish). I think iant & @asindustries know who offers the best value for money for supplies over here. I know they like Northern Minerals & Creetown For your Mum's earrings, see if you have 2 similar pieces of jasper that don't have any cracks or holes in & are about 2/3 times the size you want the finished stones to be.....cracks weaken the stone & grit collects in holes which is very bad bad bad. I'm not sure, but I think it might be possible to get grit out of holes with borax & a toothbrush...I'm ready to be corrected if not. It's also worth investing in different cushioning media as different stones respond to different things...the ones I've seen around the most (use wise) are jeans/old denim, leather, plastic pellets(UKGE), ceramic pieces, (UKGE), walnut shells, tile spacers & chopped up corn husks (corn on the cob after you've eaten the corn) Slurry thickeners are clay, cornflour, talc (maybe) & yes, kitty liter if you're out of everything else (but don't tell captbob, he'll sigh) - thicker slurry = even more cushioning Last but not least - keep spare belt drives, buy those before anything else...it's not good when they break & you don't have any
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Sept 17, 2015 21:13:27 GMT -5
Hi beckybee and welcome from the states. I do not know if it was just the time of day or maybe my eyes, (I am well past middle aged!) but I thought? I saw small pits in some of your rocks. Not all, but some? If these are rocks that you have already started the tumbling process on and have moved on to the polishing stages, then this could well be the cause of your issues with the polishing stage. The reason being, even the very smallest of pits (micro-holes if you wish) can and WILL hold grit from the rough stages.
It gets in the holes early on, and does not break down like the grit that makes up your slurry. The culprits hide in the pits until they can come out during a pre-polish or polish stage. Then they on their own, without lots of help, manage to gouge, scrape, scuff and mar, the rocks that you were hoping would turn to "liquid" as far as a polish goes.
What I have tried to say, don't let ANY rock with ANY pit, no matter how small, go on to the polish stage if you hope to have the glass-like finish on them. That means some rocks are not suitable for a great polish...they will ruin themselves and all the rest in the batch. Either keep them in a rough grind stage until the pits are eliminated if possible or put them aside as "all-mosts".
I hope all this babbling helps you just a little. Good luck!
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Post by pauls on Sept 18, 2015 1:16:12 GMT -5
Hi from Oz. I agree with Grizman, be ruthless and weed out anything with pits and cracks. keep them and run as a seperate batch that you expect possibly wont come to much, use them to cover the dirt in pot plants or as fish tankgravel but don't get dissapointed, we're working with a natural material. As for the jasper keep them seperate too. They just do better by themselves. Plastic beads to run in the polish stage can be sourced from plastics factories, they are the raw material for anything plastic. If you can't get Aluminium Oxide I suggest Tin Oxide.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Sept 18, 2015 5:54:06 GMT -5
Some folks use Borax as a thickener, especially in a vibe. kitty litter... *sigh* jamesp !! This is all your fault. Come clean up this mess. Looks like the ladies of Britain have you occupied and up to your ankles in kitty litter. Let me get you a shovel.
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beckybee
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2015
Posts: 11
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Post by beckybee on Sept 18, 2015 7:45:57 GMT -5
Brilliant - thanks for your advice people! And lovely encouragement Drummond Island Rocks (I am just admiring all your pendants in your Etsy shop! They are beautiful! ) grizman - yes I am wondering if I am not being ruthless enough. My next batch will have a very different approach. I will go through all the stages thoroughly and really examine those stones before they go in for the polish. It will take me longer to do all the stages because I have a 5 lb barrel. So that is actually quite a big barrel if I am just putting in one type of stone. Perhaps if I had known that before I purchased it, I would have got the one with two small double barrels (I have the Beach 5 lb tumbler with a rubber barrel). Although plastic pellets and ceramic chips are on my shopping list, so they will help. But yeah, I need to be really ultra-strict with what will go in the polish barrel. I am a bit concerned if a whole batch could be ruined by even the tiniest teeniest wee speck of grit. boutoo - I will not be drilling holes into the jasper for my mum's earrings until I have polished them. I have already spent a lot of time trawling through threads about this. And there are pros and cons to drilling the holes before or after. I'm not worrying about that yet. I've been drilling through sea glass so I've had a bit of practice. But I have no doubt there will be more problems and questions when I get to that stage!! I don't know if I am right by doing it this way. But I wouldn't want the holes to block up with grit. Hmmm.... Either today or tomorrow I shall be buying some polish... I will try the tin oxide I think, seeing as that is being recommended... But will purchase some of the cerium oxide too and see what that is like. From what I can work out, the zinc oxide is a lower grade polish...? So I won't bother with that. The tin oxide seems more expensive than the cerium oxide, and not as easy to come by (I can only find it at UKGE.com or manchesterminerals.co.uk). Also possibly from a glassworks suppliers www.kugler-colors.co.uk/polishing.html - will it be any good from there??? I'll also get some plastic pellets and a spare drive belt (good idea boutoo - no harm in planning ahead there!). Also - I saw chromium oxide for sale on Ebay from a UK seller... Apparently it will stain the stones green? Has any one used it? And would it be good for green jasper? I wouldn't want my stones to be dyed or fake-looking, but if their colour was enhanced without looking artificial, that would be nice, I think. Thanks for your help, guys, I am feeling a lot more encouraged again and I will keep at it!!
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