tarylina
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2004
Posts: 84
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Post by tarylina on Jun 19, 2004 19:56:58 GMT -5
Hello, all! Do any of you pre-clean your rocks before tumbling? If so, how clean do you try to get them?
Also, I noticed in the "Top Tips" section it mentions dipping your rocks in superglue before you tumble them (haven't quite figured out how - could end up looking like the Rock Monster in "A Never Ending Story." )
Have any of you tried this?
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Banjocreek
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2003
Posts: 1,115
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Post by Banjocreek on Jun 19, 2004 20:06:02 GMT -5
I never preclean my rocks, unless there is something that interests me or they are just covered in mud. Most the rocks I've done lately have been in fairly clean shape. I have taken a few handsful and thrown them in the tumbler for about half an hour with water a little Borax and no grit to get the dirt out of some agates once, but I don't sit with a toothbrush or anything. I figure the 60/90 grit is gonna do a whole lot better than any wire brush I might find. ???Superglue???
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 19, 2004 20:11:02 GMT -5
I pre cleaned in pre poplish once by acciedent Stacked my boxes of grit up wrong. Couldn't figure out why I was getting these strange results Actually, this go round I used water and Borax for a couple hours, don't know if it made a differance. cookie
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jun 19, 2004 20:58:31 GMT -5
if they are really dirty i clean them like the ones i dug out of the rockbed but most of mine i have to order and they come clean. i haven't read that about the superglue nor do i have any remote idea what that would do for the rocks? that might run me away from the whole hobby if i had to dip every rock in superglue ;D.
kim
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tarylina
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2004
Posts: 84
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Post by tarylina on Jun 19, 2004 21:11:22 GMT -5
It's in the very beginning of this website, where the introduction is and "Complete Phase 4 Cycle..;" "Pitfalls to watch out for..." ect. Click on Top Tips. It says superglue will help fill in the cracks and help keep grit from lodging in between cycles. I'm going to try it on my second batch.
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Post by creativeminded on Jun 21, 2004 10:03:49 GMT -5
When I got my toy tumbler it also metioned using superglue to fill in the pits and cracks, I haven't used it, but it probably would have worked well with my sweethingyer agate. (Just thought I would put that in for those of you that are having thingy withdraws...LOL...LOL...)
Tami
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Post by creativeminded on Jun 21, 2004 10:05:30 GMT -5
Sorry I for got to answer the part about cleaning, I usually rinse my rocks off real well and if they are particularly dirty I will use a toothbrush and toothpaste, the kind that has a little bit of grit in it.
Tami
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 21, 2004 18:43:30 GMT -5
What I pull out of the river I like to scrub when I get home. Most are keepers cause I see them wet initially, but I just want to get any green stuff that's not actualy part of the rock off
cookie
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Jun 22, 2004 10:58:31 GMT -5
If they are really dirty, like the pet wood from our rockhounding trip, I will put them in a barrel with a bit of soap and water and clean them. If they aren't dirty, I don't preclean. That superglue trick might work from some folks, but I'm afraid it would be a real disaster for me. With my luck, I would end up with a big rock superglued to my thumb and/or index finger.
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Trouthunter
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2004
Posts: 63
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Post by Trouthunter on Jun 22, 2004 17:12:00 GMT -5
I'm with llana on this one. I'd forever be soaking my fingers in lemon juice to get the stupid rocks off of them. I can see trying to fill the pits and then letting everything grind smooth, but dipping the rocks in superglue is just asking for trouble.
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Trouthunter
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2004
Posts: 63
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Post by Trouthunter on Jun 22, 2004 17:15:02 GMT -5
I'm with llana on this one. I'd forever be soaking my fingers in lemon juice to get the stupid rocks off of them. I can see trying to fill the pits and then letting everything grind smooth, but dipping the rocks in superglue is just asking for trouble.
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tarylina
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2004
Posts: 84
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Post by tarylina on Jun 22, 2004 17:59:49 GMT -5
That's exactly what I was thinking. I mean, how would you explain that to your work? "I can't come in today, I was trying to superglue the cracks in my rocks, and now they are stuck to my hands..." Oh, yeah. IF you could even figure out how to dial the phone... Taryl
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Jun 22, 2004 18:23:28 GMT -5
This is the first I've heard about super glueing cracks in rocks. I might try that on the cracks at some point, but I too would stay away from DIPPING rocks in super glue! Even if you used something besides your fingers to dip them, like tongs maybe, you would still end up with rocks glued to your tongs! That couldn't be good! As for pre-cleaning......I usually run my rocks in a little grated Ivory for a couple of hours and rinse them b-4 starting coarse. Don't know if it does any good or not. It's just starting to be a habit. BE
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 22, 2004 18:38:52 GMT -5
BE, As I understand it, you just LOVE to play with your rocks. Any excuse to pull out the toothbrush and scrub. I've got 3 brushes, a vegatable brush, a nail brush and a tooth brush. I start out real enthusiastic and toward the end I'm kinda waving the brush over them. At least till I get too pre polish. Then EVERYBODY gets the scrub of thier life ;D
cookie
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Post by krazydiamond on Jun 22, 2004 18:57:32 GMT -5
i am definetly learning that cleanliness is next to (rock)godliness.....i was not happy with my 7 day first grind so totally recharged my barrel and am going for another 7 day stint. but, even tho i am repeating the step, i cleaned EVERYTHING.....ok, so maybe i didn't toothbrush the rocks, but i am starting to much more fastidious. which led to cleaning the entire workbench.....and then i think i got grit in my left eye...ouchie! i've put drops in it several times and i think i'll live, lol, anybody have grit in the old eyeball before?
KD
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 22, 2004 19:07:06 GMT -5
Grit in the eye? That's gotta hurt. Never got grit in my eye, but speaking of super glue.... Yep. I had a party dress in the 80's that had the whole back to the waist out, but from the front you couldn't tell. I had to wear a special bra that had to be glued on with spirit gum. (not exactly super glue, but close.) I also had a bottle of eye drops fo my contaccts that was exactly the same size and shape. I had them both in my purse (I had changed for a party at work), my eyes got a little dry and...you got it. With my contact in, mind you. The doctor at the emergency room said it couldn't cause much damage, just hurt like gasoline. As for grit, that could scrape your eye and infection could set in, so don't play around with it, K? Really rinse your eye out good, like your rocks. cookie
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Post by sandsman1 on Jun 22, 2004 19:22:25 GMT -5
hahaha yea KD i did it and for like a week my eye gooked it was nasty hahahahaha when i woke up my eye was glued shut every day haha i think it finaly just came out thats the first time in my life i bought a bottle of the eye drops it helped
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