wilsoz3
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2018
Posts: 5
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Post by wilsoz3 on Jun 2, 2018 0:32:16 GMT -5
Hello all,
Doing my first batch of tumbling and am trying to read up on it as much as I can. Just a few questions — I put my first tumble back into stage one after one week because I didn’t like the shape/ smoothness they came out as. On top of that a few had cracks for grit to get stuck into. After, I hope to do stage 2 and 3 for a week (a total by then of 4 weeks on the rocks). What I’m asking is, how long do I need to do the final stage for them to have a nice thick polish and have them be smooth and what not? I’ve read just a week, but also 3 weeks? What do you guys advise is best?
Thanks,
Zack
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Post by gmitch067 on Jun 2, 2018 1:47:47 GMT -5
Hello all, Doing my first batch of tumbling and am trying to read up on it as much as I can. Just a few questions — I put my first tumble back into stage one after one week because I didn’t like the shape/ smoothness they came out as. On top of that a few had cracks for grit to get stuck into. After, I hope to do stage 2 and 3 for a week (a total by then of 4 weeks on the rocks). What I’m asking is, how long do I need to do the final stage for them to have a nice thick polish and have them be smooth and what not? I’ve read just a week, but also 3 weeks? What do you guys advise is best? Thanks, Zack What type of rotary tumbler are you using Zack? It is very common to run the first stage (coarse grit) for over a week to get the shape you desire. I many times run my Agates and Jaspers for 1-2 months to get a good shape. Note... that is NOT a continuous run though. I let my first stage run with either 60-90 grit or 80 grit for a week each time... doing a clean-out and adding new grit until I am satisfied with the shape. If, during clean-out I notice a lot of grit on the bottom of my rinse bucket, I might extend each run out to 10 days or so. Each week I separate stones that are ready to go to the next stage from the stones that still need tumbling. The good ones go into a bag, and the rest go back into the tumbler. To bring the the rock level back to the 75% area of the tumbler drum, I use new rocks or old discards. During that first stage (however long it takes) I do not use any fillers like ceramics or pea gravel... just rocks and grit (although I do use clay kitty litter to help create a slurry - lite muddy mess - which traps the heavy grit and helps move it between the rocks to increase the grind. The clay/kitty litter is NOT necessary after the first stage... for the rest of the polishing stages, the grit is not as heavy and more easily transported by the water). After the bag of keepers contains enough shaped stones to use in it's own load... replace the partially tumbled stones in the tumbler with the keepers, and run the 220 grit stage-2. This will usually take 1-2 weeks for the 220 grit to remove the scratches from the 80 grit. You will be able to see the 80 grit scratches with a hand-held 10-20X magnifier... If you still can see 80 grit scratches after a week, refresh with new 220 grit abrasives and go for another week. After that, each stage only takes me a week (220 grit, 500/600 grit, and for soft stones... 1000 grit) For rotary tumblers, the Polish-stage (for example: Aluminum Oxide 14,000 grit) can take 1-3 weeks. Polish can be reused, so do not throw it out like you do with a common grit stages... just stop the tumbler and wash off and dry a few sample stones to check the level of polish. If not satisfied, just return the stones to the tumbler drum and go for another week to check again. I hope this helps you. Glenn
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wilsoz3
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2018
Posts: 5
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Post by wilsoz3 on Jun 2, 2018 2:24:57 GMT -5
Hello all, Doing my first batch of tumbling and am trying to read up on it as much as I can. Just a few questions — I put my first tumble back into stage one after one week because I didn’t like the shape/ smoothness they came out as. On top of that a few had cracks for grit to get stuck into. After, I hope to do stage 2 and 3 for a week (a total by then of 4 weeks on the rocks). What I’m asking is, how long do I need to do the final stage for them to have a nice thick polish and have them be smooth and what not? I’ve read just a week, but also 3 weeks? What do you guys advise is best? Thanks, Zack What type of rotary tumbler are you using Zack? It is very common to run the first stage (coarse grit) for over a week to get the shape you desire. I many times run my Agates and Jaspers for 1-2 months to get a good shape. Note... that is NOT a continuous run though. I let my first stage run with either 60-90 grit or 80 grit for a week each time... doing a clean-out and adding new grit until I am satisfied with the shape. If, during clean-out I notice a lot of grit on the bottom of my rinse bucket, I might extend each run out to 10 days or so. Each week I separate stones that are ready to go to the next stage from the stones that still need tumbling. The good ones go into a bag, and the rest go back into the tumbler. To bring the the rock level back to the 75% area of the tumbler drum, I use new rocks or old discards. During that first stage (however long it takes) I do not use any fillers like ceramics or pea gravel... just rocks and grit (although I do use clay kitty litter to help create a slurry - lite muddy mess - which traps the heavy grit and helps move it between the rocks to increase the grind. The clay/kitty litter is NOT necessary after the first stage... for the rest of the polishing stages, the grit is not as heavy and more easily transported by the water). After the bag of keepers contains enough shaped stones to use in it's own load... replace the partially tumbled stones in the tumbler with the keepers, and run the 220 grit stage-2. This will usually take 1-2 weeks for the 220 grit to remove the scratches from the 80 grit. You will be able to see the 80 grit scratches with a hand-held 10-20X magnifier... If you still can see 80 grit scratches after a week, refresh with new 220 grit abrasives and go for another week. After that, each stage only takes me a week (220 grit, 500/600 grit, and for soft stones... 1000 grit) For rotary tumblers, the Polish-stage (for example: Aluminum Oxide 14,000 grit) can take 1-3 weeks. Polish can be reused, so do not throw it out like you do with a common grit stages... just stop the tumbler and wash off and dry a few sample stones to check the level of polish. If not satisfied, just return the stones to the tumbler drum and go for another week to check again. I hope this helps you. Glenn look for stones that Thanks Glen, much appreciated. I have the National Geographic polisher. Nothing crazy. Just something to get the rubber on the road. All the best Zack
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jun 2, 2018 6:06:01 GMT -5
Hello all, Doing my first batch of tumbling and am trying to read up on it as much as I can. Just a few questions — I put my first tumble back into stage one after one week because I didn’t like the shape/ smoothness they came out as. On top of that a few had cracks for grit to get stuck into. After, I hope to do stage 2 and 3 for a week (a total by then of 4 weeks on the rocks). What I’m asking is, how long do I need to do the final stage for them to have a nice thick polish and have them be smooth and what not? I’ve read just a week, but also 3 weeks? What do you guys advise is best? Thanks, Zack Hi Zach. Welcome to the forum. I think you might have the wrong idea about polish. The polish stage should not leave ant sort of coating on the rock. Polish is just a finer grit that soothes the rocks more than the previous grits. Polish cannot be “thick”. I’ve seen other people have the same misunderstanding.
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Post by gmitch067 on Jun 2, 2018 8:53:38 GMT -5
Hi Zach. Welcome to the forum. I think you might have the wrong idea about polish. The polish stage should not leave ant sort of coating on the rock. Polish is just a finer grit that soothes the rocks more than the previous grits. Polish cannot be “thick”. I’ve seen other people have the same misunderstanding. I also started with that misconception... likening rock tumbling to finishing a wood project like a table top... sand the wood with finer and finer sandpaper and finish it off with a thick coating of varnish. That idea didn't last long though. Now I tell the kids that there is no "coating" put on the rocks to cause the polish... I just sand it with finer and finer grits until the surface of the rock is so smooth that it can't help but shine in all it's rock-glory! Glenn
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wilsoz3
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2018
Posts: 5
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Post by wilsoz3 on Jun 2, 2018 23:32:54 GMT -5
Thank you everybody Learning something everyday!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Jun 3, 2018 1:04:04 GMT -5
Hello all, Doing my first batch of tumbling and am trying to read up on it as much as I can. Just a few questions — I put my first tumble back into stage one after one week because I didn’t like the shape/ smoothness they came out as. On top of that a few had cracks for grit to get stuck into. After, I hope to do stage 2 and 3 for a week (a total by then of 4 weeks on the rocks). What I’m asking is, how long do I need to do the final stage for them to have a nice thick polish and have them be smooth and what not? I’ve read just a week, but also 3 weeks? What do you guys advise is best? Thanks, Zack Hi Zach. Welcome to the forum. I think you might have the wrong idea about polish. The polish stage should not leave ant sort of coating on the rock. Polish is just a finer grit that soothes the rocks more than the previous grits. Polish cannot be “thick”. I’ve seen other people have the same misunderstanding. Welcome, Zack! Just to expand a little bit upon the above wisdom, although the polish grit itself is not "thick," a polish slurry can be. Polish slurries are often thickened in different ways, depending on the tumbler, the material being polished, and personal preferences. It helps protect the stones from smashing into each other and chipping. Anyway, that may be where some of the confusion about a "thick polish" comes in. I use psyllium fiber as a thickener. Other people use things like corn-syrup. I have a friend who reuses his polish slurry over and over, adding a bit more tripoli for each new batch. His polish slurry is as thick as pea soup, and has the benefit of not having organic material added, which can create gas in the barrel unless you also add a touch of bleach or something to stop biological action. In addition, some people add a cushioning medium, like plastic pellets -- which I don't care for myself, but the point is there are lots of options to protect the stones during the polish stage. Read around on this forum and you'll pick up lots of great tips. Best wishes and happy tumbling! Inga
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