juneprice76
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2018
Posts: 2
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Hello
May 4, 2018 11:56:29 GMT -5
via mobile
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Post by juneprice76 on May 4, 2018 11:56:29 GMT -5
HI my name is June I live in TN. A friend got me into mining and now I'm ready to tumble some stones. My husband is buying me a 5 Lb. Metal Vibratory Tumbler Bowl what is the best thing to buy as far as grit and polish for the best results?
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Hello
May 4, 2018 11:57:46 GMT -5
Post by MsAli on May 4, 2018 11:57:46 GMT -5
Hi June and welcome to the forum Sorry I Cant help with the thumbler as I have never used it
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Hello
May 4, 2018 12:02:52 GMT -5
Post by rockjunquie on May 4, 2018 12:02:52 GMT -5
Hi and welcome from Virginia! It would probably be best to post your tumbling questions in the tumbling section. You'll get more help that way.
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nchillbilly
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2018
Posts: 212
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Post by nchillbilly on May 4, 2018 12:08:48 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from North Carolina. I don't have any experience with a vibe polisher with a metal bowl. I use a vibe that has plastic bowls, but I can tell you that you'll probably want to get a rotary for the initial grinding and shaping. The coarse grit necessary for the first stage will eat up a plastic bowl quickly, and a vibe doesn't shape the rocks very well. It will, however do a great job polishing. I use rotaries for the first stage, and a vibe for all other stages. Depending on what type of rock you're working with will sort of dictate the grit you'll use. If you know the hardness, it'll help to determine what grit to use and how to use it. If you have questions, feel free to post on the forum, or use the search function. I'm sure you can get the answers you need. Welcome again, to another southerner. Happy tumbling.
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Hello
May 4, 2018 13:20:36 GMT -5
Post by gmitch067 on May 4, 2018 13:20:36 GMT -5
I second what nchillbilly said above June... Use a rotary tumbler to do the coarse grit runs... Coarse grit will chew away a vibratory bowl in no time flat. and... Welcome from Northern California June!!! After using a rotary tumbler, and coarse grit (80 or 60/90 grit Silicon Carbide) to shape your finds - could take a month or so to get their shape just the way you like... shift the load to the vibratory tumbler for the rest of the polishing process. The rest of the process and grits purpose is to eliminate the previous stage's scratch marks and get the surface of the stones smoother and smoother until the stones MUST shine in all their glory. I have found good success with the following... (other members have their own formula... this is just mine) After the coarse grind, go to the vibratory tumbler with: 220 grit Silicon Carbide for 2-days - until the 80 grit scratches are no longer noticeable when viewing their surface with a 10-20X power magnifier. 500 grit Aluminum Oxide (AO-500) for 2-days (magnifier will not work from here on out... too fine...) Here is where I make a decision as to what grit to use... If the stones are already showing a slight shine after 2-days in the AO-500 (probably a hard stone), I go straight to polish. If they are still dull (maybe a softer stone), I add a "pre-polish" stage with AO-1000 grit for 2-days. 14,000 grit Aluminum Oxide (AO-14000) polish for 1-2 days (check first before doing any clean-out... The polish is reusable for a good amount of time) I hope this helps you stock up. Make sure to purchase more coarse grit than the others because you will use it to get the shape and texture right before going to the finer grits. Tell us about your vibe unit. Glenn
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Hello
May 4, 2018 13:30:46 GMT -5
Post by fantastic5 on May 4, 2018 13:30:46 GMT -5
Welcome, also from Tennessee (Chattanooga)
What you can accomplish with a vibe tumbler really depends a lot on the hardness of the material you are starting with. You are not going to smooth and round agate or harder material. Quartz will slightly smooth in a vibe and softer can really work well. I've ran some soft staurolite from NC in the vibe, initially just to remove some matrix, but lost track of time and when I got back to it the next day over half were just gone.
In my vibe my sequence varies depending on material, but a down and dirty average will be 120-220 grit silicon carbide, 500 aluminium oxide, followed by a polish grade aluminium oxide.
I hope this helps!
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Hello
May 5, 2018 5:03:57 GMT -5
Post by vegasjames on May 5, 2018 5:03:57 GMT -5
Welcome from Southern Nevada.
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Hello
May 13, 2018 22:06:42 GMT -5
Post by TheRock on May 13, 2018 22:06:42 GMT -5
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