rjbud1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2015
Posts: 100
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Post by rjbud1 on Feb 9, 2018 20:09:53 GMT -5
The rocks I have tumbled recently are : gold horn coral, agate, pet wood, rough chalcedony (has lots of pits), quahog and oyster shell (purple clam shell)(hardness of 3), I think rhyolite, lapis with gold (real gold) specks, and glass.
I believe Gold Horn coral is agatized and has a hardness of 7, like Red horn coral. Agate has a hardness of 7. Petrified wood has a hardness of 7. The chalcedony is from Chuckwalla springs and has a hardness of 6 or 7. Quahog shell has a hardness of 3. Oyster shell has a hardness of 3. Rhyolite's hardness is unknown to me. Lapis has a hardness of 5. Glass is very soft (I think a hardness of 3). For agate, petrified wood, chalcedony and lapis I do 12ish - sometimes 20ish days of coarse. A week in 2nd stage, a week in prepolish, and a week in polish. I want to rry burnishing. I put clam, oyster shell and glass in one and in coarse stage grit for up to 4 days, 2nd stage for a day or two, skip prepolish and polish for a week. Rhyolite kinda goes in whatever barrel.
I use a standard thumlers tumbler 3lb.
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Post by aDave on Feb 9, 2018 23:47:26 GMT -5
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rjbud1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2015
Posts: 100
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Post by rjbud1 on Feb 10, 2018 16:12:12 GMT -5
Okay. Thanks for the links.My tumbler is going really fast now, all I had to do was clean everything and put oil on the belt. Working like a charm now. No idea how to measure rpm. I get okay shine on everything, I just want to know how some people make thier rocks so shiny you can read off of them (reflections). Shiny agate stone imgur.com/gallery/LGBTl
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Post by aDave on Feb 10, 2018 18:29:45 GMT -5
Okay. Thanks for the links.My tumbler is going really fast now, all I had to do was clean everything and put oil on the belt. Working like a charm now. No idea how to measure rpm. I get okay shine on everything, I just want to know how some people make thier rocks so shiny you can read off of them (reflections). Shiny agate stone imgur.com/gallery/LGBTl Oil on the belt? Does Thumlers recommend that? Usually the belt should be clean and oil free to avoid slipping. At least on the Lortones, oil only goes on the bearings. Sounds like you're getting there though. To measure the revolutions per minute on your barrel, first mark your lid (or bottom) with a small piece of tape. All you will have to do is count how many times in one minute - use a timer - the tape passes your selected "starting" point. As far as some of the beautiful glossy rocks here, most are using vibratory tumblers to get that finish. Those getting shiny finishes with a rotary are most likely using extended polish times. I, myself, am up to 3 weeks in polish, and I'm using 500 grit before that stage for 2 weeks. Some may also use a pre-polish with 1000 grit before the polish stage. I also burnish with Borax soap powder before and after my polish stage. I see a shine on your rock, so I think you're getting there. You just may have to tweak some of your finer stages to see different results.
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dakotabirder
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since July 2017
Posts: 77
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Post by dakotabirder on Feb 11, 2018 7:10:27 GMT -5
I only have tumblers (Lortone), no vibe, so my finishing is of course done in a tumbler. I can get a great shine, but yeah, it takes time. Similar to aDave...I do a 2-week prepolish in 500 grit, then a 2 week polish, followed by a burnish for a day or two (Ivory soap).
Also helps if you really cushion the stones in the last few stages. I use a very heavy percentage of plastic beads in the last 2 stages, really helps them from getting beat up and helps you get that shine.
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rjbud1
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2015
Posts: 100
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Post by rjbud1 on Feb 11, 2018 13:48:59 GMT -5
I only have tumblers (Lortone), no vibe, so my finishing is of course done in a tumbler. I can get a great shine, but yeah, it takes time. Similar to aDave...I do a 2-week prepolish in 500 grit, then a 2 week polish, followed by a burnish for a day or two (Ivory soap). Also helps if you really cushion the stones in the last few stages. I use a very heavy percentage of plastic beads in the last 2 stages, really helps them from getting beat up and helps you get that shine. Wpuld plastic or copper pellets work?
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