obta
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2017
Posts: 3
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Post by obta on Jan 13, 2017 21:36:08 GMT -5
I make jewelry out of wood and crushed stone and started trying out nephrite jade. I crush polished pieces and use the tiny fragments to do inlays. There's just one problem, the jade when broken, at best has one tiny side polished and I have to try to set that side facing out. I want to try polishing these tiny pieces in my small rotary tumbler. I have read the basics but has anyone polished really tiny pieces of nephrite jade in a tumbler? What's the smallest you have seen in a tumbler? I've read about the difficulties of polishing jade in a tumbler though too but it can't be any worse than what it is before tumbling so..... Any tips and advice are much appreciated!
Thank you!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,560
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Post by jamesp on Jan 14, 2017 6:22:43 GMT -5
I have no experience with jade. A good bit of experience with tumbling small rocks like BB sized garnets and glass. To assist abrasion be it coarse grit or polish I would add some already polished tumbles say 1 to 1.5 inches in size. (My) preferred mix would be 1/2 said tumbles and 1/2 tiny nephrite fragments. You could use creek worn quartz pebbles of similar size, polished tumbles better. The weight of the 1 inch rocks will assist the abrasion by adding needed pressure at the top of the rock pile in the rotary barrel. 100% tiny rocks have little grinding force. I ran 100% BB sized garnets (yes, much harder than Nephrite) for a couple of months and they had no abrasion. Used them as smalls with larger rocks and they quickly started rounding from abrasion. Yes, jade is a bit soft for tumbling to a liquid shine. But a matte polish should be do able. Good luck. welcome to forum obta. Please post results.
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Post by orrum on Jan 14, 2017 7:32:28 GMT -5
Jade tumbles and rounds good but will not shine and areas undercut and other areas shine. Jade hates me!!!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 14, 2017 10:02:07 GMT -5
I suggest the best approach may be to set the jade grains and then polish them whilst set in the ring.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Jan 14, 2017 13:45:58 GMT -5
Anybody try chrome oxide in a tumbler for Jade? It worked great on some rocks (not jade) I had tried everything else on, all softer moh's 5-6 material.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2017 15:33:54 GMT -5
Anybody try chrome oxide in a tumbler for Jade? It worked great on some rocks (not jade) I had tried everything else on, all softer moh's 5-6 material. Tin works for me
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jan 14, 2017 15:41:34 GMT -5
I was at a rock shop in Mariposa, CA one time than they had jade from the Merced River Gorge that was pretty nicely polished. That particular nephrite must be much more homogeneous than any I've tried because I've tried Wyoming and Porterville nephrite, both rough and slabettes and both undercut badly. Had no polishing success at all so I gave up. Only used the vibe for later stages so maybe a vibe starting with fine grind and moving on from there would be better but I'm thinking most jade would need very special treatment. Jade breaks very rough too so starting with tiny bits sawn on all sides might be the better way to go...Mel
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