alwclimbs
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2018
Posts: 2
|
Post by alwclimbs on Mar 30, 2018 19:53:33 GMT -5
Can you go straight to pre-polish or polish with a rough stone (obviously it'd have to be a particular type) and what are the effects?
If the effects suck, can you back track and start traditionally again?
I'm sure it has been done and tried but I couldn't find a topic simply from searching.
Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by Jugglerguy on Mar 30, 2018 20:40:01 GMT -5
I can’t imagnie that working well, but to answer your second question, you could still go back and start again at the beginning.
|
|
Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,432
|
Post by Wooferhound on Mar 31, 2018 7:37:11 GMT -5
It is possible to do a 2 step process but the results may not be the greatest. Do the rough grind rounding using Aluminum Oxide 80 grit. Keep adding more and continue till you like the roundness of the stones. Then don't add anymore grit and let them roll for 2 weeks unattended. at this point they may already be shiny, but a good polishing will help. Here is a 3 step process that I was messing around with. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/78692/running-polish-barrels-using-normalIf you don't get the results you are looking for, you can restart the rocks at any earlier stage.
|
|
|
Post by johnjsgems on Mar 31, 2018 9:04:27 GMT -5
If you run the first stage long enough (60/90 or 80 silicon carbide) it will break down finer but still cut so yes, you can go to polish from there. I read an article recently in an old Rock and Gem written by a guy in Great Britain. Lots of scientific measuring but he found just about any combination of steps works. He found the quickest results running first stage longer at which point it measured finer than 220. Then he went to 600. He also found quicker rounding in first stage by refreshing grit every 4-5 days as the grit broke down by then and was finer than course. If you put rough rocks in polish you likely won't be happy with outcome. You will at best shine surfaces enough to see all the scratches and surface defects. Rotary tumbling is an exercise in patience.
|
|
SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
|
Post by SirRoxalot on Apr 14, 2018 18:49:37 GMT -5
In some cases you can. Depends on the rough. Vibe is what you want to experiment with.
I put a pile of agatized snail shells in a load with 500 AO, then polish, they came out glassy, but they were a long way from the usual jagged-edged rough we tumble.
Nice smooth beach rocks - agates, quartz, granite, feldspar, or unakite pebbles, thomsonite, etc., already have the coarse grind done, can start them in 220 or 500 maybe.
You can put a polish on a raw rock in a vibe, 220-500-polish, but it really looks like crap; the smoothing and rounding steps are kinda mandatory, that nice smooth feel is the whole point.
Many people claim to have shortcuts, but in my experience there are no quick solutions, this is hard stuff we're working with, not wood.
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,763
|
Post by Mark K on Apr 14, 2018 20:27:38 GMT -5
I did it with some AZ pet wood. Straight into the polish. Let it roll for a few weeks without touching it. When I remembered it, I checked it out and it was well polished, yet retained the original shape. I called it a spectacular success, but it was special chunks and special circumstances.
You will rarely get the same kind of success by doing this. You are better off doing it the conventional way.
|
|