jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 8:54:26 GMT -5
Amazed. All grind marks gone. Running it with fresh SiC 30 added to existing SiC 30 for another 24 hours.(really not necessary) The big media and this big stone is making slurry very fast and breaking down the grit quickly. Run at 55 RPM/6 inch PVC barrel/clay thickened slurry. Hoping for a good polish in the vibe. Rhyolite softer at ~Mohs 6. Will vibe by itself with pea agate media. Wet, pencil is one of those fat ones used in first grade.(perfect for me)
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
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Post by richardh on Sept 23, 2016 9:10:28 GMT -5
Looks really nice and similar to some rocks I picked up in Ft Davis, TX.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 9:16:40 GMT -5
Looks really nice and similar to some rocks I picked up in Ft Davis, TX. Very possible it was rhyolite Richard. Hope you give them a tumble.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
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Post by Fossilman on Sept 23, 2016 9:48:14 GMT -5
BEAUTIFUL work James!!!
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Post by captbob on Sept 23, 2016 10:26:48 GMT -5
You doing all these latest bigger pieces in those short barrels you had a thread about making?
Good looking rhyolite! Wonderstone? Know here it was from?
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Post by orrum on Sept 23, 2016 10:34:55 GMT -5
X2x2x2
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 10:52:08 GMT -5
Liking that cheap grinder Michael. Man these big stones finish fast.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 10:52:43 GMT -5
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Post by Garage Rocker on Sept 23, 2016 11:00:28 GMT -5
You're making it look too easy, James. We want everyone to think this is hard, tedious work.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 11:15:46 GMT -5
You doing all these latest bigger pieces in those short barrels you had a thread about making? Good looking rhyolite! Wonderstone? Know here it was from? No, in a 16 pounder. Got to finish bulletproofising the end cap on the small barrels. Andy(bsky) sent me some very fine Montana rhyolite. This was the last chunk and had the least designs of the whole lot, tumbled the rest. Using this for a Mohs 6 test rock. Curious to see if I can get a polish in the vibe w/Mohs 6. But I have a scheme. If I can vibe SOFT big rocks by them self with pea sized media to a fine polish then turn around could be as short as 5 days start to finish per big rock. And big rocks are much safer and easier to pre-grind as long as you stay away from the dust. As a matter of fact I could use a 1/2 or 3/4 HP motor on my grinder. This rock made the 1/4 HP motor slow down. Not a hard rock, but it is like a hard plastic. Perhaps tough is a good description. Keep in mind these big rocks do fine with 2 inch 'media'. 2 inch media that keep getting re tumbled making nice tumbles. Better actually. Very fast slurry build up. No smalls. Fast wear. Only difference is the big rock is a bonus because it is so short term. A big snowflake is in the vibe running by itself with pea media now. Starting 3rd day in AO 80. Still getting shinier. It is a particularly crappy porous obsidian. If it will take a polish then I figure anything can. If I had 5 little 6 pound barrels running I would be busy doing these big rocks. Garage Rocker- The plan is drawn out in this post. Or the 'scheme'. That crazy lace has hell polish. 10 days. I know hard agates can be done in 10.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 11:45:38 GMT -5
Keep in mind.
When putting soft rock(or hard rock) in vibe with AO 80, use hard media. The hard media breaks down the AO 80 to 220 to 500 to 1000 to 5000 etc. quickly. Or better, ceramic media since most of it is Mohs 9 and breaks down grit even quicker.
And after running the AO 80 down for 2-4 days, finish with AO 14,000 for final wet shine.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 14:57:57 GMT -5
Pea gravel = crushed granite?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 18:05:21 GMT -5
Pea gravel = crushed granite? Pea gravel is coral, various agates, aquarium quartz. Mostly hard agate and coral. Granite on the soft side for breaking the coarse aluminum oxide down. Makes too much mud.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 18:39:37 GMT -5
Pea gravel = crushed granite? Pea gravel is coral, various agates, aquarium quartz. Mostly hard agate and coral. Granite on the soft side for breaking the coarse aluminum oxide down. Makes too much mud. They dont frost the softer rhyolite?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Sept 23, 2016 19:02:40 GMT -5
Pea gravel is coral, various agates, aquarium quartz. Mostly hard agate and coral. Granite on the soft side for breaking the coarse aluminum oxide down. Makes too much mud. They dont frost the softer rhyolite? Will find out. Keep in mind the Lot-O guys use Mohs 9 ceramic media to do obsidian. But they do a high percentage ceramic media. Most frosting comes from two or more heavy rocks hitting each other. I am only using pea size media and one big rock in the vibe. Got a 3 pound obsidian by itself in the vibe now with aforementioned pea gravel. Slowly getting a shine. NO FRIGGIN FROST. Obsidian slooowwwlllyyy getting a polish. That hard crazy lace was shinier in 12 hours than the obsidian in 3 days. May have to do 500-1000-14,000 in vibe with obsidian. Soft rocks PIA.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2016 19:27:39 GMT -5
Badass!
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dottyt
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2016
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Post by dottyt on Sept 24, 2016 12:28:19 GMT -5
This is really interesting! I love to read about all the different things people here do, even though I am just doing small scale tumbling with inexpensive (but not hand-collected) rough at this point in time.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Sept 25, 2016 0:35:04 GMT -5
This is really interesting! I love to read about all the different things people here do, even though I am just doing small scale tumbling with inexpensive (but not hand-collected) rough at this point in time. It is addictive Dotty.
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