rockrose
starting to shine!
Member since May 2016
Posts: 37
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Post by rockrose on Jun 5, 2016 21:22:06 GMT -5
I'm not overjoyed with it, but we decided for the first run, to do it according to the instructions on the grit. It looks like I need to run several through another week of polish. And there is a lot of the white polish residue in the fractures. How do you get it all out? For this first course, we used a sampling from nearly all the rocks we collect, and they weren't very large, so they probably didn't get enough of the course grit time--I was afraid of wearing them down too much. Is it better that I keep one type in each tumble? Any suggestions would be very helpful!!!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jun 5, 2016 21:34:39 GMT -5
Congratulations on your first finished batch!
The best way to keep polish out of the fractures is to remove the fractures. The problem is that it takes a long time. Some rocks are fractured enough that it is impossible to remove them all. I still try to make sure that the fractures are at least smooth on the outside. The other thing to do is burnish when you're done with polish. Don't tlet them dry out no put them back in your tumbler with borax or soap and run them for an hour or so. You can rinse and repeat to do a more thorough job.
Although it's better to do rocks of all the same type, mixed batches can be fine if the rocks are all about the same hardness.
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rockrose
starting to shine!
Member since May 2016
Posts: 37
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Post by rockrose on Jun 5, 2016 22:45:23 GMT -5
Congratulations on your first finished batch! The best way to keep polish out of the fractures is to remove the fractures. The problem is that it takes a long time. Some rocks are fractured enough that it is impossible to remove them all. I still try to make sure that the fractures are at least smooth on the outside. The other thing to do is burnish when you're done with polish. Don't tlet them dry out no put them back in your tumbler with borax or soap and run them for an hour or so. You can rinse and repeat to do a more thorough job. Although it's better to do rocks of all the same type, mixed batches can be fine if the rocks are all about the same hardness. Thanks! That makes sense. They were already so small, I didn't tumble them long enough in the coarse grit to get past the fractures. Time to get more selective!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jun 6, 2016 6:54:57 GMT -5
First batch jitters out of the way now. Sounds like you already learned a good bit. Was this a rotary tumble or vibe?
FYI- If you have polish left in any cracks or crevices never let it dry out. Keep the whole batch wet and run it through a burnish cycle with something like borax. If the polish dries in the cracks it hardens like cement.
Chuck
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,547
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Post by tkvancil on Jun 6, 2016 8:45:16 GMT -5
Congrats on finishing your first batch. Looks like you did alright.
Most of us run the coarse grind for several weeks, sometimes months depending on the particular rock. Once everything is well rounded they tend to lose a little less mass.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 6, 2016 9:25:42 GMT -5
Congrads......I also run my course cycle for a couple of weeks,depending on the stone... It gets better as you tumble more,more ideas,better looking stones...
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jun 6, 2016 11:07:25 GMT -5
You don't have to run all of your stones for the same length of time in the first stage. Each week take out the ones that are done, add more stones to make up for volume lost. Some rocks could be done in a couple of weeks, while others could take several months. There's no reason to keep tumbling the rocks that are done early.
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Post by Peruano on Jun 6, 2016 12:29:27 GMT -5
I have a friend who says "Never fall in love with your rock (s)" by which he means don't be afraid to work on it, let it run until its perfect, and don't worry about what you will lose if you grind on it too long or too much. Basically he is correct in advocating that you do what you know needs to done and it will be worthwhile. There will be other rocks if you happen to make it turn out not like you expected or wanted, but you will learn something and more likely you will produce a wonderful thing by staying the course and finishing it. All of which is to say, you probably should have left them a bit longer in the initial stages and perhaps all stages. Patience is a virtue. Keep on keepin on, and by all means let us know if you run out of rocks. Tom
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rockrose
starting to shine!
Member since May 2016
Posts: 37
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Post by rockrose on Jun 6, 2016 16:46:50 GMT -5
I have a friend who says "Never fall in love with your rock (s)" by which he means don't be afraid to work on it... Tom Excellent advice! That's exactly what happens to me--I don't want to lose too much of the rock that I hand picked and thought was going to be an earth-shaking beauty. LOL! And thanks, all of you for all the good advice. Perhaps even some grinding on the flat lap before tumbling, to get past the fractures and pits? Or am I still being too impatient?!
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rockrose
starting to shine!
Member since May 2016
Posts: 37
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Post by rockrose on Jun 6, 2016 17:00:19 GMT -5
First batch jitters out of the way now. Sounds like you already learned a good bit. Was this a rotary tumble or vibe? FYI- If you have polish left in any cracks or crevices never let it dry out. Keep the whole batch wet and run it through a burnish cycle with something like borax. If the polish dries in the cracks it hardens like cement. Chuck Ugh, too late! However, I think I just discovered that my high-powered Arrow spray gun will shoot that cement out of there! LOL! However, talk about time-consuming! Better to get it right the first time.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jun 6, 2016 21:19:30 GMT -5
Yes, rockrose, grinding those out beforehand is a great time saver. Nice batch you finished there. I'm sure you learned a lot along the way, now go knock it out of the park on your second go at it.
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rastageezer
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 169
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Post by rastageezer on Jun 7, 2016 1:53:44 GMT -5
Rose you got the ROYALS to reply to you. Those guys know how to roll rocks!
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rockrose
starting to shine!
Member since May 2016
Posts: 37
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Post by rockrose on Jun 7, 2016 16:01:00 GMT -5
Rose you got the ROYALS to reply to you. Those guys know how to roll rocks! I've been looking at everyone's work--I think everyone here is a ROYAL compared to me! :-)
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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 Jun 8, 2016 0:37:57 GMT -5
rockrose, you have to think about the fact that everyone here on the forum started out at zero with tumbling knowledge. Paying attention to your results, patience, and perseverance will get you to the "ROYAL class" too. You did well.
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