bcbunny
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 112
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Post by bcbunny on Sept 14, 2004 6:26:45 GMT -5
Well my first batch of rocks are now ready for polish...I think! Some of them look not to darn bad if you ask me, maybe cause it is my first batch, hahaha  I think they always look better too in real. Bunny |
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Post by Cher on Sept 14, 2004 7:06:26 GMT -5
Hi Bunny, It looks almost like the load in my tumbler ;D lots of different stuff and nothing in particular. I think I started mine before you and your way ahead of me. I've only made it to the 2nd stage so far 120/200 grit. I'm excited for ya, can't wait to see the final result myself. [glow=red,2,300] ~ Cher ~[/glow] ![]() pages.prodigy.net/bestsmileys1/signs/RockOn.gif [/img] |
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bcbunny
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 112
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Post by bcbunny on Sept 14, 2004 10:11:16 GMT -5
Rosebud, maybe you are doing better job then me tho, hahaha
I am not very patient, haha, but am hoping they turnout ok, so far I think they look good, but over time and 1000 tumbles later I may decide that all my rocks need more time in different stages, haha
Bunny
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Post by rockyraccoon on Sept 14, 2004 10:47:57 GMT -5
bunny that 1st batch is the hardest to get through. after you've filled a few bowls, jars, etc. you get a little more patience but not alot  . be sure to post your final results! kim |
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shorty
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2003
Posts: 392
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Post by shorty on Sept 14, 2004 11:46:13 GMT -5
hi bc where do you live i have alot thas same stuf here in up michigan to alot of it i find in the road nice rocks shorty
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Post by krazydiamond on Sept 14, 2004 11:58:09 GMT -5
nice lookin' batch, Bunny, some real pretty pieces!
good luck with the next stage!
KD
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bcbunny
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 112
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Post by bcbunny on Sept 14, 2004 13:37:06 GMT -5
Shorty,
I live in bc canada, and the rocks in the picture I got at our swimming hole in the river.
I started a new batch the other day, and I go the rocks in the sand pit that is by my house. The other day me and my son rode the dirt bikes up to the city water dam...not really a dam, but the city has there pond up there that they get the water for town.
Few years ago there was a major flooding and wiped out the dam so they rebuilt it in a different spot. We found som real nice rock, or I think we did, hahaha.
A few pics I am going to take pics of and post here to find out what they are.
Bunny
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Post by cookie3rocks on Sept 14, 2004 20:49:34 GMT -5
Gotta love the local stuff. So colorful and mysterious! Don't jump the gun now, let them run in polish till they are ready. A frequent newbie mistake  Let us know! cookie |
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 14, 2004 21:38:36 GMT -5
BCbunny, nice mix of river-rocks you have there, but I think you are moving them along too fast. I scanned back through your old posts, and you just started these in coarse grind in a rotary tumbler on August 30, if I read things correctly. Getting them into polish 15 days later is too fast. Finish them up and see what you think, but don't forget to repeat the mantra -- patience, patience.
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bcbunny
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 112
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Post by bcbunny on Sept 15, 2004 0:27:27 GMT -5
Rollingstone,
Good point and I honestly no sure when/if they are/were ready. How does one tell when they are ready for the next step?
I find myself being a bit more patient as time goes by, haha
Bunny
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Post by puppie96 on Sept 15, 2004 1:35:51 GMT -5
Bunny, this looks incredibly like a batch I'm just finishing now.
For the second time.
I also rush things, and since I have a vibe as well as barrels, it is always tempting to fast track stuff with the vibe. However, you sacrifice shape and surface quality if they don't do barrel time, if you start with very rough rough rock.
I have redone many, many batches by now, because while they polished and impressed casual lookers, and also impressed me, at first, now they seem substandard.
The lesson: As stated above, patience, patience, patience. Leave them in rough grind until you really like the shape and the quality of the surfaces.
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Sept 15, 2004 8:39:11 GMT -5
If I had a dollar for every load I rushed along, wasn't happy with after polish and sent back to rough grind, I could buy a few pounds of rough! LOL! And the more experienced I get, the pickier I get.  Bunny, it definitely pays to not rush and keep them in 60/90. There have been times I really thought mine were ready to move along, but when they came out of polish, I was really disappointed. When they are polished, you can see all the flaws that you didn't see before. It's hard to have the patience to leave them in rough several weeks, but it's worse to get them out of polish and be disappointed. That's a nice batch of rocks and will be really pretty when finished but I can see in the photo that they really need more 60/90 time. They need a bit more shaping and smoothing before being moved to 220. If they were mine, I run them at least another week in 60/90. How can you tell when they are ready? I used to just go by looking at them, now I "let me fingers do the walking". I just run my fingers over and around them and if I can feel anything less than smooth, they go back in 60/90. You really don't want any cracks or pits in them. llana |
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 15, 2004 10:45:56 GMT -5
Hi, I think others have already answered your question, I just thought I'd add a couple things....
When you are trying to decide whether to move the stones along, it's best to examine them dry. When they are wet they always look great, and the water hides the surface flaws. You want to spot those surface pits, chips, etc., and keep the stones in coarse until the blemishes are gone.
Okay, first batch you are pretty eager to get them through, and that's completely understandable, but I'd still leave them for a week in each stage. Most of the rocks in your photo look to be quartz-type minerals, which are fairly hard and need a week in each stage to take out the scratches of the previous grit. After you've done a few tumbles you might want to try adding in another grit stage before polish (usually 1000 grit), and doing the multiple-week thing in coarse grit to shape things better. In your case, the river has already done quite a bit of the rounding for you, which is nice, but unless they are blemish-free they still need that full-week in coarse to smooth out the rough spots. I don't think there is much point in tumbling stones for longer than a week in any stage except coarse grind, but you do need a week in each stage to take out the scratches from the previous coarser-sized grit, otherwise the polish won't be able to polish up the bottom of the scratches, which will really reduce your shine in the end.
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bcbunny
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 112
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Post by bcbunny on Sept 15, 2004 22:31:17 GMT -5
Rollingstone,
Maybe I am doing 1000 grit, i have course, fine, prepolish and polish. I am on the prepolish grit right now, maybe that is 1000?
I checked them tonight, they look pretty good, will leave them in the pre polish for a few more days and depending on how they look I will put them back into the fine grit for a week.
Bunny
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RiverOtter
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2004
Posts: 339
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Post by RiverOtter on Sept 15, 2004 23:17:19 GMT -5
I'm going to interject here bunny. Chances are you have 600 grit prepolish not 1000. If you bought a grit kit or are using the grit that came with your tumbler the prepolish is normally 600 grit. For just starting out that's fine. But like rollingstone said, later down the road you may want to add that extra step (becoming a 5-step process instead of a 4-step). That extra step of 1000 aids in obtaining that wet look shine we all are looking for.
Good Luck!
Otter
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 16, 2004 2:06:20 GMT -5
Hi, if you are just starting pre-polish now, then maybe you aren't rushing things for your first time around...that would fit with a full week in each stage.
But the title of this thread is that your rocks are "ready for the polish", so I assumed that you were already taking them out of pre-polish, just two weeks after starting them in coarse grind....that would be too fast.
So now you've got me a bit confused as to what stage you are at. If you are going a full week in each stage, then I think that is fine for first time around...it will give you a reasonable result that you can use as a benchmark to improve upon in the future. If you are cutting corners and going less than a week in each stage, then you run the risk of being disappointed with your first batch.
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. be sure to post your final results!
