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Post by socalagatehound on Nov 11, 2016 16:16:51 GMT -5
Looks like you had a great time!!! There is gold in them thar hills!!!
Thanks for sharing your adventure!
Craig
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Post by victor1941 on Nov 11, 2016 17:55:33 GMT -5
Thanks for taking us along on the trip.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Nov 11, 2016 19:09:43 GMT -5
You are welcome, Craig socalagatehound and Victor victor1941 , glad you enjoyed it. The more the merrier! Thinking I'll try a batch of those pretty purple rocks next. Medium hardness, maybe a 5 1/2 - 6. Will just have to come up with enough of the same. Those harder agates take too long, getting me impatient! Don't worry. I just boxed up about 6-7 pounds of agate and coral that is finished in rough grind (for the impatient tumbler). Coming soon with a Lortone 12 pound barrel. Those purple jaspers took a fine polish mixed with coral and mosses. Should have no problem with them. Thank you, James. I be ready for it!
Picked this up at the swap meet a while back, good working order, no barrels. (Think it was worth the $3 I paid for it?)
Thank you, James, for making me complete!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,607
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Post by jamesp on Nov 12, 2016 10:10:23 GMT -5
HO HO. I get to complete a functioning tumbler.
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 12, 2016 11:05:07 GMT -5
Another great report, Jean! Thank you for posting it. I shared with DH. We had a nice little discussion about getting a trailer and truck. One day......
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Post by rockpickerforever on Dec 6, 2016 18:31:58 GMT -5
Thanks Tela. Glad you enjoyed it!
Cleaned up the tumbler frame - it was spotless! THEN, put together a batch of some softer material from the Mojave, using 80 grit and jamesp 's clay, started that Lortone QT12 rolling, and - had a spill. Oops, lid leaked. BUT, I had put the entire shooting match in an HD mortar mixing tub, so cleanup was easy. Not to mention I caught it early. Cleaned it up, added more water, fired it up, and it started leaking again within a couple hours. No, I did not take any pictures of it, lol.
Well, third time is a charm, they say. (Who is they?) Cleaned the sealing surface of the barrel, and the lid, clean enough you could eat off it. (I had lunch on it, jk.) Then I had to take off the snap rings (was making grinding noise when it was first fired up) and pull the tumbler shafts and clean the grit out of the bushings. Cleaned out, wiped out, and oiled. This time, I took those soft rocks out (they were too porous, were never going to take a polish), put in some harder material, and let loose with the big guns - 30 grit! And more of James' clay, this time from the first stuff he sent me a while back, full of treats. Was inside of a plastic jug with a screw on lid all this time, it was still damp and soft. Wondering if/how it is different from what you just sent me, James? Besides not having pine needles, weeds and roots in it, lol.
Due to the nature of that darn Lortone lid design, and a chance of leaking every time it is opened, I had decided I am not going to add grit every few days. It will just have to go as is for a week or two (or three?). It may be just a little overfull of rocks right now, they'll grind down in a few days, and I won't have to open it again to - you guessed it - add more.
The 15 lber Scott/Murray tumbler (from mohs) is also rolling, still grinding on those Lavic contest rocks. Wonder if, by the time, they are finished, there will be anything left of them? Might get one or two that are presentable... maybe. May need to get more 30 grit to finish them.
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Post by greig on Dec 7, 2016 16:00:36 GMT -5
Great field trip report. Fantastic that you found some gold and pretty rocks.
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