johnnymac1969
starting to spend too much on rocks
I Like A Rolling Stone
Member since January 2016
Posts: 139
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Post by johnnymac1969 on Apr 6, 2016 1:35:58 GMT -5
"spiceman" needs help.
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indiana
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2015
Posts: 285
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Post by indiana on Apr 6, 2016 8:32:47 GMT -5
When I started, I had the idea that I would start with a barrel of rocks, complete stage 1, move them all to stage 2 and so on. One problem with that is stage 1 reduces the volume of the rocks, sometimes dramatically. Therefore, a barrel that was ~3/4 full can reduce down to 1/2 or even less. Barrels that empty can cause problems in the latter stages as the rocks can fall too far and crack, chip and scratch each other. You can use filler, such as ceramic pieces to make up the volume, but then you are using up grit, ceramics and electricity that are not contributing to polished rocks. Most of us, I think, have something like a perpetual stage one where on a weekly basis, we pull out stones ready for stage 2 and replace them with new stones. This becomes easy when you become "hooked", and you have a private collection of tumbling equipment that rivals a professional operation.
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wades
starting to spend too much on rocks
Gottfried Reiche (1667-1734)
Member since February 2006
Posts: 202
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Post by wades on Apr 7, 2016 15:25:03 GMT -5
I have a few rivers near me so that's where i figured i would go, i don't know what we have here (in iowa) but i'm assuming there's probably at least some cool rocks i could find. Probably you can find some nice river pebbles in IA. Have a screwdriver or pocket knife of good-quality steel with you when you go looking... if you can scratch a rock with it, you don't want it. If you can't, it probably will take a nice shine. If it's also free of pits and has a smooth solid texture. Note that the coarse-ground rocks in this reply probably took 2-3 months to look like that, starting from the hammered rough. I find it takes something like 1-1.5# of coarse grit to smooth out hammered rough. Which is why you see posts like this with enthusiastic replies.
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Post by Starguy on Apr 8, 2016 19:08:10 GMT -5
batemmamanWelcome to the forum. I run two tumblers. A 12 lb Lortone and a 2 pound Lortone. It takes 3-4 weeks for my 2 pound tumbler to finish a batch from fine through pre-polish through polish. In that 3-4 weeks, my 12 pounder has usually rough tumbled enough rock to fill the 2 pounder up again. You should also get a pound or two of plastic pellets for the finer grits. They kind of cushion the rocks resulting in a better polish. good luck. Can't wait to see some photos.
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batemmaman
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2016
Posts: 6
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Post by batemmaman on Apr 12, 2016 4:38:20 GMT -5
So as i'll be checking and cleaning everything later today i was wondering if someone could please give me the steps on how to clean out my tumbler? Or a former thread on it?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 12, 2016 5:35:54 GMT -5
Get a five gallon bucket. If it has a lid, that's better. I cut a hole in my lid to fit my colander so I dont have to hold it. Dump your rocks into the colander. Fill the barrel with water and dump it over the rocks several times. I use a toothbrush (get it at a dollar store) to clean the rim. It helps to swish the rocks around with one hand while pouring water with the other. When they're clean, inspect each rock and set aside any that are ready for the next stage. For me, that means no cracks or holes. Any imperfections you see now will still be there at the end. Holes may also hold grit that will contaminate later stages. Since this is your first week, I wouldn't expect any rocks to be done yet. Many of my rocks take several weeks to months in the first stage. All unfinished rocks go back in the barrel. Add more rough rock to bring the level back up to about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Add grit and water and do it all again next week.
First stage never really ends. Eventually you can set the unfinished rocks aside and do your other stages, but only after you've accumulated enough rocks that are done with stage one.
Don't dump any slurry down your drain. It will turn to cement and ruin it. I have a hole in the woods behind my house where I dump it. If you use borax at any stage, be aware that it kills plants, so be careful where you dump it.
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wades
starting to spend too much on rocks
Gottfried Reiche (1667-1734)
Member since February 2006
Posts: 202
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Post by wades on Apr 12, 2016 8:47:30 GMT -5
I would add to that, consider trying to recover some of your mud before adding water to it. If you can have *two* buckets, dump the tumbler into the colander over one of them, and then switch to the other before rinsing the rocks, you'll get most of the liquid from the barrel without thinning it out too much. This might help the efficiency of your subsequent coarse tumbling, and also reduces the amount of mud that you have to dispose of somehow. You would stop reusing the coarse mud when you switch to medium grit.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 12, 2016 9:03:51 GMT -5
Also never use a metal colander,it will streak your rocks!!!! Always use plastic or (as) same of.....
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 12, 2016 13:08:02 GMT -5
I would add to that, consider trying to recover some of your mud before adding water to it. If you can have *two* buckets, dump the tumbler into the colander over one of them, and then switch to the other before rinsing the rocks, you'll get most of the liquid from the barrel without thinning it out too much. This might help the efficiency of your subsequent coarse tumbling, and also reduces the amount of mud that you have to dispose of somehow. You would stop reusing the coarse mud when you switch to medium grit. I know some people do this, but I don't. tkvancil did a very thorough experiment on this and found that it's very slightly better to not reuse the old slurry. I don't think it really hurts anything, but I don't consider it helpful. It takes more effort, so I don't do it.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 12, 2016 14:56:28 GMT -5
I reuse my 1st stage grit,but add a bit more grit to the slurry.......
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Apr 12, 2016 16:33:29 GMT -5
I do not try to reuse any grit and I have never worried about adding any kind of slurry in stage one. Lots of differing opinions on this particular portion of rock tumbling. I suggest you try both ways and stick with what works for you. I have a 1/8" mesh classifier that is made to fit a 5 gallon bucket and I use that for my stage one clean outs. For the rest of the stages I have glossy plastic colander's that I place on the classifier and rinse the rocks that way. I have found the glossy plastic does not allow the grits to stick to them. Classifiers look like this and come in about 10 different mesh sizes. Chuck
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Post by Starguy on Apr 12, 2016 20:13:59 GMT -5
I like to use an old window screen over a 5 gallon bucket. If you use the fiberglass type of screen it won't leave metallic marks on your rocks. I also use a handheld spray bottle to clean the rocks. It minimizes water use and has enough pressure to clean out the pits and cracks. Whatever you do, don't dump the bucket down any of your plumbing. It will eventually plug up your drain. Rock tumblers are a plumbers dream.
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wades
starting to spend too much on rocks
Gottfried Reiche (1667-1734)
Member since February 2006
Posts: 202
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Post by wades on Apr 12, 2016 20:16:18 GMT -5
{ snip stuff about recovering mud }I know some people do this, but I don't. tkvancil did a very thorough experiment on this and found that it's very slightly better to not reuse the old slurry. I don't think it really hurts anything, but I don't consider it helpful. It takes more effort, so I don't do it. Would that experiment be this thread? That's very interesting. I think he was trying to look at too many things there, but he does seem to have gotten consistent results with the number I would have focused on, namely the weight of rock removed/amount of grit. I would have expected the reused mud to have cut better but apparently not.
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Post by Starguy on Apr 12, 2016 20:23:17 GMT -5
My opinion is that you don't want to start with a thick slurry. You want to end up with a thick slurry. The slurry is formed from ground down rock and broken down grit. Just an opinion but I've been tumbling rock since the early '80s.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 12, 2016 22:06:41 GMT -5
{ snip stuff about recovering mud }I know some people do this, but I don't. tkvancil did a very thorough experiment on this and found that it's very slightly better to not reuse the old slurry. I don't think it really hurts anything, but I don't consider it helpful. It takes more effort, so I don't do it. Would that experiment be this thread? That's very interesting. I think he was trying to look at too many things there, but he does seem to have gotten consistent results with the number I would have focused on, namely the weight of rock removed/amount of grit. I would have expected the reused mud to have cut better but apparently not. Yep, that's the one. A lot of work went into that little study.
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batemmaman
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2016
Posts: 6
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Post by batemmaman on Apr 19, 2016 14:32:45 GMT -5
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 19, 2016 14:41:05 GMT -5
I have similiar rocks like that and they are granite and marble mix.............You can run the next stag over a week,or just wait till you get back and than start it going again.......... Nice looking tumbles.........
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Shelbeeray
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2006
Posts: 688
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Post by Shelbeeray on Apr 19, 2016 18:11:51 GMT -5
You I'll know you are done with the coarse stage when your rocks are in the shape you want them to be at the end of all stages. The shape is made in this stage. Your sharp edges should be gone. If there are any bugs or cracks, remove the rocks from your tumble. Usually the mixes that come with tumblers vary, so they aren't the best thing to stop art with. I suggest agates or chalcedony because they generally give you the best results. Were you able to download my tutorial? Know that no matter what rocks you tumble, the entire won't be done at exactly the same time. Sometimes you pull rocks out and save them for another tumble (if the rest of the batch is in the shape you want it.)
After rough, the other stages are basically for refinement, smoothing the edges a wee bit more and getting the surface smoother, until the polish stage.
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