snafu
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2018
Posts: 3
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Post by snafu on Jul 18, 2018 12:41:16 GMT -5
Any suggestions on which grit to start off using when tumbling smooth beach stones? We live in an area where our hobby of rockhounding is limited so we are trying to keep the kids interest by tumbling beach stones we find (endless supply of interesting ones) and using them in crafts. I don't want to waste time and money going through steps we don't have to.
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Post by grumpybill on Jul 18, 2018 13:44:07 GMT -5
I've never found beach stones that were smooth enough to allow me to skip the 1st/course stage.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jul 18, 2018 14:32:51 GMT -5
Any suggestions on which grit to start off using when tumbling smooth beach stones? We live in an area where our hobby of rockhounding is limited so we are trying to keep the kids interest by tumbling beach stones we find (endless supply of interesting ones) and using them in crafts. I don't want to waste time and money going through steps we don't have to. I've never found beach stones that were smooth enough to allow me to skip the 1st/course stage.
I have found some on the beach that were smooth enough and well shaped enough to by-pass the coarse grit (36). But for the most part, a tumble in 80 or 220 would probably be helpful. I get it, you don't want to waste time or money.
It just depends on how smooth and well shaped the stones you are about to tumble are. And, what your eventual requirements for the craft projects are.
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snafu
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2018
Posts: 3
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Post by snafu on Jul 18, 2018 14:41:38 GMT -5
We want to build a coffee table and use rock of multiple colors to form a design of some sort and cover with epoxy. So a perfect finish right now is not necessary but we do want them looking good.
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Post by Peruano on Jul 18, 2018 15:07:12 GMT -5
If time is important and you are willing to be selective about the stones you process, you can accomplish everything through the vibratory tumbler which is much faster for each stage than a rotary. This is presuming you are processing stones that have an acceptable shape. I have done batches of beach cobble as fast as 1 week, with two days spent at the coarsest grit.
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Jul 18, 2018 15:31:09 GMT -5
I have a whole big thing I'm slowly writing up on the subject, since everything I work with is beach rocks. It really depends on what you're starting out with, and just how perfect you want the final rocks to be.
It depends on the project, too: if you're going to be doing a full immersion in clear resin epoxy -- not just sitting the rocks in there for a pebble surface, but fully encasing the rocks -- you don't need perfect, since the clear resin should bring out the color for you as though the stones were wet. If you're doing a layer of thin epoxy, then setting the rocks into it so they'll be above the 'water line' of the resin (and want them to be as shiny as the resin), you need rocks that are pretty dang perfectly polished.
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snafu
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2018
Posts: 3
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Post by snafu on Jul 18, 2018 16:33:03 GMT -5
They will be completely submerged so I'll have a smooth table. The stones we have collected so far are mostly variations of quartz. We are choosing them for smoothness and shape. We can afford to be picky. Coming from the beach the surface is very cloudy. We want them to clean up a bit so we and identify clearly the fractures and various different shades in the rocks. We are counting on that wet look to do a lot for us but need to get the rocks to a good transparency.
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Jul 18, 2018 17:09:01 GMT -5
You've probably already tried this, but checking how a few look in a small sample resin encasing may give you a better idea of how they'll look -- and I'd suggest doing a quick sample at each stage as you go, in that case.
Thus far, quartz with fairly minor cracks has been doing pretty well with 2 weeks in the rotary tumbler using 45/70 SiC grit, with one full change/cleanout/new grit after the first week. By then it's usually able to progress to the vibe, and one to three runs in 120/220 seems to get it covered if the cracks or crevices are being fussy. Then on to normal processes from there.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
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Post by quartz on Jul 18, 2018 22:17:52 GMT -5
We have been tumbling beach rocks for about 20 years, always start with a couple weeks in 80 grit.
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