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Post by fernwood on Oct 30, 2018 13:13:38 GMT -5
Neighbor gave me these today. Found on an unknown beach in the UP. Needs them tumbled to high gloss shine in a month. Will be used for a stained glass type project by one of her relatives. I have a lot of concerns. She had told me they were perfectly smooth. When I saw them, noticed a lot of pockets. Neighbor told me there could only be less than 1/8” surface removed. She initially said they were 2” long. The largest is 3.5”. Can I run these in separate 3 lb. barrels for rotary with lots of scrap rocks as filler for a medium run? Should I grind off the pockets with Dremel first? Should I run them in rotary through pre-polish stages (I use 2), then put in vibe with other scrap rocks and medium? Thinking this is more than I can handle without a lot of advice. Thank you to anyone who responds. 2 2
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Post by MsAli on Oct 30, 2018 13:17:20 GMT -5
Looks like Basalt. Not sure how they will tumble
Maybe try one 1st stating at coarse and see what happens ?
Or you could just do it all by Dremel ?
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Oct 30, 2018 13:32:32 GMT -5
Looks like basalt to me too. Not the best tumbling material if it is basalt. I have tumbled a bunch of Michigan Gowganda tillite which is black basalt matrix with granite nodules in it. High gloss is not how I would describe the finished products.
The fact that it looks like the surface is already undercut from beach wear is not a good sign for rock tumbling.
Chuck
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Post by fernwood on Oct 30, 2018 14:32:26 GMT -5
I thought Basalt when I first saw it. No, not great tumbling material. Hoping someone had a secret on how to get the high gloss finish required. If not, no biggie. Will just give back to my neighbor. Another thought is removing the crevices with Dremel. Then a spray on finish.
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Post by toiv0 on Oct 30, 2018 14:42:09 GMT -5
I think basalt and what else chuck said. I use Renaissance wax by that's not long lasting and not the highest shine either.
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Post by stephan on Oct 30, 2018 15:48:09 GMT -5
Definitely basalt. The pits may not be so much undercutting as from little gas bubbles that will likely permeate the entire stone. I'm guessing you don't have a Genie (or equivalent) where you could do a little test patch and show it to your neighbor to see if what you get is acceptable.
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Post by fernwood on Oct 31, 2018 4:41:06 GMT -5
Think I am going to try to polish a small area with Dremel. Thanks everyone.
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