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Post by grumpybill on Jun 21, 2018 7:41:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the info on Lepidolite! Saved me some research. The wife bought a polished pear shaped chunk that she wants me to glue a bell cap onto for a pendant. Probably done at a production facility. Not a "deep" watery looking shine...more like what a hard stone looks like after an extended run in AO 500.
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Post by grumpybill on Jun 21, 2018 7:46:17 GMT -5
Regarding blowouts: I've been doing a lot of glass slag that is chock full of small bubbles. 3 lb. barrels. I only open them every 2 or 3 days and haven't had a blowout. Lots of foam and bubbles, but no noticeable expansion of the barrel.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 21, 2018 8:54:50 GMT -5
Thanks for the info on Lepidolite! Saved me some research. The wife bought a polished pear shaped chunk that she wants me to glue a bell cap onto for a pendant. Probably done at a production facility. Not a "deep" watery looking shine...more like what a hard stone looks like after an extended run in AO 500. I have this solid lepidolite rolling as of last night. Rest assured I will be reporting on polishing(or not) it in about a week. I have seen the polish you are getting on sea shells - hat's off Bill. I have calcite, fluorite, serpentine and some other softies I am going to chunk in with the glass now. They are about ready shaped, old failed attempts from years gone by. It appears soft tumble shaped rocks can be tossed in with a Lot-O full of polished pea quartz and give you a good chance. The few glass scarps that were in the pea gravel had not attained a polish, the lepidolite polished way sooner. Glass is a pain in the butt, most stubborn beast. Never fails to fail for some of the most mysterious reasons.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jun 21, 2018 10:41:51 GMT -5
Regarding blowouts: I've been doing a lot of glass slag that is chock full of small bubbles. 3 lb. barrels. I only open them every 2 or 3 days and haven't had a blowout. Lots of foam and bubbles, but no noticeable expansion of the barrel. I should clarify, as I misspoke. What I just suffered yesterday was not a blowout, in the sense of built up gases in the tumbler barrel blowing off the lid. (As in jamesp tumbling glass.) In the tumbler is a mix of Lavic, quartz, desert corals, and various jaspers and agates. Nothing that would cause gas buildup. I used the word blowout because I didn't just have a leak, I had slurry and stones exit the barrel, a new experience for me. The mess was caused solely by my own error. I just did not do a good job of closing the barrel up. Despite the occurrence not being the end of the world, or even ruining my day, you can be sure it will be a while before I get lax and allow that to happen again! Will finish cleaning it up and get it rolling again today. Jean
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Post by grumpybill on Jun 21, 2018 13:46:22 GMT -5
You were clear about the reason for the "blowout", rockpickerforever. I was commenting on James' blowouts with glass and the fact that the glass I've been working with seems much different...or maybe I've just been lucky.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jun 21, 2018 15:02:27 GMT -5
You were clear about the reason for the "blowout", rockpickerforever . I was commenting on James' blowouts with glass and the fact that the glass I've been working with seems much different...or maybe I've just been lucky. Gotcha. I wasn't sure, just trying to be clear. BTW, just got the tumbler mess cleaned up and the barrel spinning again. Yee haw! Just another month or so there, rocks in the vibe just need a couple days or less.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,561
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Post by jamesp on Jun 21, 2018 17:26:51 GMT -5
You were clear about the reason for the "blowout", rockpickerforever. I was commenting on James' blowouts with glass and the fact that the glass I've been working with seems much different...or maybe I've just been lucky. You're lucky, the rotaries keep me hopping. Gas in morning, gas in evening. This super soft bead glass is real gassy. Funny relationship, they call hard glass Pryex with it much higher melt point and much lower shrinkage. The other end of the spectrum is soft glass, it has low melt point and high expansion. But they live up to their name in the tumbler. Soft glass wears much faster than Pyrex. Glass blowing glass is a soda lime soft glass and fuses together at 1450, bead glass(also soda lime) way lower at 1200. This new bead glass is the one giving fits. tumble at 30 RPM with SiC 60 and gas is slow, 85 RPM with SiC and gas build is fast. Fast wear = fast gas build, slow wear the opposite. Bead/lamp making glass 1200F fuse point
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balddawg
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2018
Posts: 10
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Post by balddawg on Jun 22, 2018 16:19:12 GMT -5
The response has been awesome, the first batch of grit I got it said to use 2 tbs per pound of rock, I have an 18# vibe tumbler, trust me I have made some bad choices, ( buying too big a tumbler) to start with but that’s why I have googled for this type of forum. I’m sure I have used more than (polish) I should have, my best batch out of 3 attempts came out somewhat polished but not the way I wanted or hoped to have them. So I am taking the correct form of action and educating myself with people that know. I thank any and all info I can get. By by the way, I am not running 18 pounds of rocks usually 6-8 pounds. I should have started with a smaller vibe tumbler.
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balddawg
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2018
Posts: 10
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Post by balddawg on Jun 22, 2018 16:34:54 GMT -5
How can I buy polish grit in bulk. Is there anything else that can be used that does the same job but more cost effective and easier to get? Thanks in advance for any help! You can buy just about any size grit by bulk. What do you consider a bulk amount, and what size tumblers are you looking to use it in? If you're using rotary tumblers, you can probably cut way back on the polish amount than what is usually stated in the instructions. Many here use the Rock Shed for buying grit, and it can be found in a multitude of package sizes. FWIW, the only time I don't use the Rock Shed is when I'm buying 50 lbs of coarse grit. All other sizes come from them. And, most often than not, the prices can't be beat.
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balddawg
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2018
Posts: 10
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Post by balddawg on Jun 22, 2018 16:35:41 GMT -5
I’m using a 18# vibe tumbler
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Post by johnjsgems on Jun 22, 2018 16:58:35 GMT -5
Way too much polish. My 40 lb. uses a "heaping tablespoon and a half". Buy Rapid Polish 61 from Val. It will work better and faster in a vibe although it costs more. The TXP can't be beat for rotary tumblers. Also, a dedicated polish bowl would pay for itself. Just leave polish and filler in and add water as needed. Polish only gets better.
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