gazingm42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2014
Posts: 45
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Post by gazingm42 on Aug 19, 2016 22:45:23 GMT -5
I have heard several terms and ideas which I need some info on.
I heard folks doing a rough cut with trim saws or tile saws then tumbling?
Are they going to rotary then on to the vib tumblers.
Any guidance would be helpful.
Thanks
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 19, 2016 23:06:27 GMT -5
You could tumble a cut rock any way you'd like to. You could completely rotary tumble it, completely vibe tumble it, or do a combination of both. Cutting a rock first has nothing to do with the method you use to tumble it.
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Post by pauls on Aug 20, 2016 2:19:20 GMT -5
If you have largish rocks then you need to get them to a usable size, you can belt them with a hammer or cut them with a saw, either way works but the hammer can be pretty wasteful and fill your rock with cracks. JamesP has a way of cracking petrified coral which is essentially knapping, like making flint arrow heads, his way the crack leaves you with a nice shard which is ideal for tumbling, James has a video on a thread here recently. If your rock already has visible cracks try squeezing it in a bench vice, a bit of gentle pressure will split your rock on those existing cracks. As to the way you tumble them thats entirely your choice.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Aug 20, 2016 8:42:28 GMT -5
Some I tumble rough,because the design and (or) it's a perfect rock to tumble... Some I cut to get the design or as said,to make smaller..A wide choice of anything your willing to try.....That's why I like tumbling rocks..
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Aug 26, 2016 8:42:01 GMT -5
If I understand your question, it seems to be about cutting/grinding rocks before tumbling them. When you have a nice rock that has lots of flaws on the surface, or it is a shape that you KNOW is going to break in the tumbler, etc. it is not a bad idea to do a rough cut/grind on them first. With my larger stones, I try to imagine what they would come out of stage 1 looking like, if I left them in there for a month. Then I knock down the high points, cut it, or otherwise try to shape it so that I can get it there in 10-14 days instead of a month.
My arsenal is as follows (from most-delicate to full-on leave nothing but dust behind): -Dremel with diamond discs/burrs -6" rock saw/grinder -Angle grinder with a 4" diamond blade or 4" diamond cup -Hammers/chisels of every size/shape imagineable
I also put my rocks into five categories at the stage one clean-out. 1) Awww, ain't yew purty: You get to go into stage two, darlin' 2) Ohhhh, SO close: Quick touch up with dremel and then on to stage two 3) Not done baking yet: Just needs to go back into stage one for another week or so 4) Did I really put this into the tumbler?: Grind, cut, smash, chew, swear at it, and throw it back into stage one 5) Lordy, I need to stop drinking on barrel-loading days (yes, you can get rock beer goggles): Throw it back into the yard, maybe cover it up with some other rocks, and pretend I never saw it.
Does that help?
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 26, 2016 10:49:26 GMT -5
I also put my rocks into five categories at the stage one clean-out. 1) Awww, ain't yew purty: You get to go into stage two, darlin' 2) Ohhhh, SO close: Quick touch up with dremel and then on to stage two 3) Not done baking yet: Just needs to go back into stage one for another week or so 4) Did I really put this into the tumbler?: Grind, cut, smash, chew, swear at it, and throw it back into stage one 5) Lordy, I need to stop drinking on barrel-loading days (yes, you can get rock beer goggles): Throw it back into the yard, maybe cover it up with some other rocks, and pretend I never saw it.
Ha ha, funny! Thanks for the laugh this morning.
I know, I feel the same way. Unfortunately, I have hardly any darlin's (#1), the few I do have are cooling their heels waiting for their buddies to catch up. Will be needing a bit more before moving them on. But then, I am doing the "add 36 grit every three or four days," and have so far only done one real cleanout after five weeks time of rolling. They are working on second first grind. Yes, that's what I meant.
Have LOTS of #5, lol. But it goes back to long before barrel loading day. Looking the rocks over, I usually say to myself, "What the hell were you thinking bringing the darn thing home and putting it in the tumbler, let alone even picking it up to give it a second glance?
And then I do have a bit of #3, waiting for DH to rig me up a King Kong Grinder, a la jamesp, to knock them into shape a bit before even going in the tumbler. Nice glassy palm bog from Indian Pass, some with fossil shells, but exteriors need a bit of work first.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Aug 27, 2016 9:17:43 GMT -5
Watch yur fingers on King Kong, dust too.
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