bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 16, 2016 11:19:18 GMT -5
I'm very new to the tumbling thing. Limited in knowledge, and not all of my questions have been viewable online by videos or forums, so not sure if I did an oops or not.
I have a Thumler MP-1 tumbler, and filled roughly 3/4 with some pretty Flourite I obtained as a test run, added the one-use packet of grit it came with, and filled up to the top of the stone with water. Ran it for 7 days.
Now, in most videos I've seen of people showing off the tumbling process, it seems as though all the water evaporates inside and all that's left is the grey covering of the stones you wash off? Well, I ended up getting a barrel full of grey water, same amount I put in.
After (finally) cleaning it all out and collecting/washing the rocks, they turned out well smoothed, however each piece of flourite has cracks, chips, and sections of white to them like a piece of thick glass that's been cracked but not shattered. I'm assuming from this that I probably should have used some kind of cushioning. Any suggestions for what to use? rocktumblerdotcom mentions plastic bead pellets?
Also, the biggest question I have is... Does anyone have suggestions or a process you do for cleaning after a load? What do you do with the slurry water? Any excess grit? Mind you I'm in an apartment, so can't simply drain it all into a bucket and hose it out in front.
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stonedape
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by stonedape on Sept 16, 2016 15:02:25 GMT -5
Pics would be helpful as far as being ablt to see what is going on with the stones.
I am new but I will tell you what I know. DO NOT put slurry down drains...it will coat the pipes and turn basically into cement and be very expensive to fix. I keep the excess slurry/grit in large Folgers coffee cans (plastic ones). Label them and next time you do stage one use that water and add more grit to it.
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Post by captbob on Sept 16, 2016 15:23:21 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum.
First off, you would have been hard pressed to find a tougher rock type to tumble. Jumped right in the deep end! Filled to the top with water was probably way too much water.
phone call, gotta go others will be by soon
welcome
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 16, 2016 15:34:29 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum, Bunny. You chose one of the worst rocks to start out with. Some the best tumblers on this site have not been able to tumble fluorite. I have never tried it. I think the problems you're experiencing are problems with the type of rock you're tumbling rather than anything you might be doing wrong. I'd suggest setting that aside for a few years and trying something rocks most recommended are agates and jasper for beginners. Of those two, I'd chose jasper because it usually grinds a little quicker in my experience.
Your water should never evaporate. If it does, you have a leak in your barrel. The water will mix with worn out grit and rock dust produced from the grinding taking place in your barrel. It should turn out thicker than plain water if enough rock was ground away. A lot of people here add thickeners to their slurry, but I don't. My slurry is fairly watery at the end of a week.
I clean out each week by dumping everything into a colander sitting on top of a five gallon bucket, I rinse by filling the barrel and dumping it over the rocks while swishing the rocks around with my other hand. Moving them around cuts down on the amount of water necessary. Then I inspect each rock and take out any that are free of cracks and holes. I replace any lost volume with fresh rock and run it again. I only move on to the next stage after I have enough accumulated from my weekly clean outs. This can take weeks or months, the next stages are quicker.
I'm not sure what the best disposal method is for someone in an apartment. I have a hole in my backyard that I dump my slurry into. Most people have some sort of evaporation built into their disposal routine. I pour off as much plain water as I can into my hole, then pour the rest of the water into a second bucket. I let the slurry dry out in the first bucket and then dump it in the garbage. I try not to dump too much rock dust in my hole, because it clogs up the sand in the hole so that it doesn't drain any more. As stone date pointed out, it would be very bad on your plumbing,
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 16, 2016 19:05:01 GMT -5
Oh right, pictures would indeed help yes. So, oops on my part for picking the flourite. Luckily it only cost me about $12 for this lot, so I'm not out too much. One or two of them managed to survive without any damage. and I have no clue what the zebra thing is in the center. I'll hold off on using these for future phases until I have some cushioning to go with them. Didn't expect it to be as fragile as glass. I wonder what other funs I'll run into then. Other types I have collected are Amethist, Garnet, Ruby, Emerald, Topaz, Lapus Lazuli, Apatite, and Labradorite Anyway, my filtering system is a plastic colander and a fine metal strainer sitting underneath it to catch any of the smaller stones that chipped off. So the slurry will dry up after a while? Might make it easier to dump then. In this particular batch, I also had a bunch of extra grit as well. used a punch bowl to collect the slurry before pouring it in the trash. had to wipe things off with a bunch of paper towels to get the grit gone.
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 16, 2016 19:24:53 GMT -5
Oh, and should I be worried that the inner part of the lid and some corners of the barrel have gained a sort of whiteish tint? washed them, but there's nothing on it, goes away when wet, but returns when it dries again
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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 Sept 16, 2016 23:20:47 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. The fluorite I have polished on a Genie is, in my opinion, even softer than glass. Whitish tint on the barrel and lid are no more than wear on the material. We have two Thumler's tumblers, same thing. Keep on with it and be patient, you will get there.
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 16, 2016 23:37:35 GMT -5
Okay, just doublechecking. it's been hammered in hard that I have to make sure they're very VERY clean. Starting gitters, I guess.
Do you think a Vibratory tumbler would work better with it? Hoping to invest in one eventually, at least to shorten stages 2-4.
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 17, 2016 3:24:01 GMT -5
Don't put any slurry down the drain, it will totally ruin the plumbing. Turns into something like cement. Even tho I now have a bigger place than I used to, I still just pour the slurry into a disposable container, wait for it to evaporate and throw it in the trash. This happens pretty fast here. Do you have your own parking space? You could put it in the corner of that while you wait for it to dry. Or is there a "public area" people are not too picky about, maybe by the trash and recycling bins? At my old place there were a few neighbors who didn't like stuff outside the bins. But then things started going downhill and people left old chairs, broken glass and everything there, so no one could complain. Label it "nontoxic, but don't touch" or something if someone is likely to totally freak out.
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 17, 2016 12:26:09 GMT -5
nope, pretty much limited to inside the apartment. However the A/C is always running, and they do work as a dehumidifier, so maybe leaving it out with that running will work, albeit slower. I'll find out when I do next batch
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Post by captbob on Sept 17, 2016 12:39:56 GMT -5
Once your used slurry settles for a day or two, you should be able to pour the separated water off the top down the toilet or use it to water your plants - as long as you haven't added any Borax to it, which is harmful to plants. Dumping clean water will lessen the time it takes for your old slurry to dry out.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Sept 17, 2016 14:39:32 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum first! Most recycle drop off areas will take old slurry too,if you haven't a way to dispose of the stuff...
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 18, 2016 1:32:45 GMT -5
Once your used slurry settles for a day or two, you should be able to pour the separated water off the top down the toilet or use it to water your plants - as long as you haven't added any Borax to it, which is harmful to plants. Dumping clean water will lessen the time it takes for your old slurry to dry out. Frankly, I wouldn't personally try the mostly clean water in the toilet thing. Of course, I have an ultra low flow toilet that is meant to save water. I doubt that it does as you have to flush it 3 or 4 times to get solid waste flushed... but I digress. I know a lady who ruined her washing machine just from washing her kid's slightly sandy beach clothes once a week. And sand isn't as bad as grit or slurry (even diluted slurry). I know you rent, but I wouldn't be surprised if the landlord could take some kind of action beyond withholding a deposit if there were plumbing problems. Not trying to scare you, just a heads up! I am also very curious as to how you wash your rocks with no outdoor area, if you are willing to tell. I used to have a very small outdoor area, but at least it was outdoors.
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 18, 2016 8:10:09 GMT -5
as said, the rocks themselves I used a colander and strainer overtop a tall bowl to separate the stones and slurry, and carefully rinsed the stones under a sink with everything going into the bowl. Everything simple and fine there. just didn't know what to do with the bowl's contents. If I go with a larger bucket next time with intention of evaporating the stuff away, rinse in the bathtub easily enough. I think I have an idea for evaporating it easily enough, but will have to test it first. And see whether or not the evaporated slurry causes any damage or discolouration to the walls.
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colliel82
has rocks in the head
Member since November 2007
Posts: 664
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Post by colliel82 on Sept 18, 2016 11:37:40 GMT -5
The Rock Shed has a tutorial on tumbling flourite. I have been thinking about trying it. I believe the final polish is done dry in a corn cob media. The info is on their website.
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
Posts: 305
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Post by dottyt on Sept 18, 2016 11:45:34 GMT -5
as said, the rocks themselves I used a colander and strainer overtop a tall bowl to separate the stones and slurry, and carefully rinsed the stones under a sink with everything going into the bowl. Everything simple and fine there. just didn't know what to do with the bowl's contents. If I go with a larger bucket next time with intention of evaporating the stuff away, rinse in the bathtub easily enough. I think I have an idea for evaporating it easily enough, but will have to test it first. And see whether or not the evaporated slurry causes any damage or discolouration to the walls. If it is mostly water with a little slurry, I'd dump it in the complex's landscaping or down a storm drain. That will (obviously) take a while to evaporate. I sometimes carry water from the bathtub (used for my kids' baths not rocks) out to the lawn. Just like a gym workout. Even trace amounts of slurry in the bathtub will clog the pipes long-term and scratch the tub short-term. I am not trying to be "mean" or discourage you, just letting you know....
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 18, 2016 13:10:38 GMT -5
The Rock Shed has a tutorial on tumbling flourite. I have been thinking about trying it. I believe the final polish is done dry in a corn cob media. The info is on their website. Good find. I have no idea how you found that as I could only find it via a google search ("the rock shed flourite"). No visible links to instructions on the main page. Seems I ran it too long. I went with the standard suggestion of a full week, This says to run it only a little less than 2 days, or 12 hours in a vibratory. ...polishing is done with corn??? Quite odd how what is usually the shortest step is now the longest. Hah, wouldn't it be ironic if the corn used was 'Glass Gem Corn'? shop.nativeseeds.org/collections/corn-popcorn/products/ts363
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bunnybunnybun
starting to shine!
Discovering my cooking is like tumbling. Both result in inedible rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 42
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Post by bunnybunnybun on Sept 18, 2016 13:20:14 GMT -5
I am not trying to be "mean" or discourage you, just letting you know.... I sense no meanness, fear not. I asked for advice from people about something I know little about, and that's what you're doing. I appreciate everything said. Right now I have 3 ideas that doesn't involve me having to find somewhere to dump it (complex has no grass apart from a 5 foot backyard with a fence blocking beyond) 1) Set the container in a closed closet with a small heater for a few days. 2) Maybe use a pot (specifically for this, not for cooking) and cook the water out. Though unsure how any leftover grit would react to heat. 3) Just pour it as liquid in a trashbag. It's only an MP-1, so won't be gallons of stuff. Though this route runs the risk of damage to the bag having bad repercussions.
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colliel82
has rocks in the head
Member since November 2007
Posts: 664
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Post by colliel82 on Sept 18, 2016 20:30:00 GMT -5
The Rock Shed has a tutorial on tumbling flourite. I have been thinking about trying it. I believe the final polish is done dry in a corn cob media. The info is on their website. Good find. I have no idea how you found that as I could only find it via a google search ("the rock shed flourite"). No visible links to instructions on the main page. Seems I ran it too long. I went with the standard suggestion of a full week, This says to run it only a little less than 2 days, or 12 hours in a vibratory. ...polishing is done with corn??? Quite odd how what is usually the shortest step is now the longest. Hah, wouldn't it be ironic if the corn used was 'Glass Gem Corn'? shop.nativeseeds.org/collections/corn-popcorn/products/ts363Love the Glass Gem Corn. Was looking to buy flourite from the Rock Shed and the link to the instructions was on the page of flourite rough.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Sept 20, 2016 10:31:32 GMT -5
I actually hand-finished a piece of fluorite with automotive sandpaper, and it came out pretty nice. You can probably finish those off wet sanding, but make sure you wear a mask. Fluorite dust...BAAAAAD.
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