NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Nov 24, 2020 14:17:30 GMT -5
You know. What I just wrote is not sitting well with me. There is no way that I am going to use the new ceramics I just bought on the Stage 1 tumblers today! I had my cup of coffee, and went out and grabbed up a bucket full of low quality Jasper and Agate from piles in the yard and am going to head out and smash them all up with a sledge! I just need to get some initiative. Somehow caffeine has that effect on me! Time to get to work!
[edit] Hope I don't smash my fingers ...
[edit . 3 hours later]
OK, I didn't smash my fingers. And thanks to gemfeller I found half a container of smalls already on a shelf somewhere that I didn't know about! Whoop! Whoop!
A few hours later, these are the fruits of my efforts.
I am happier using the small Jasper and Agate chunks because they are really beautiful sometimes when they are done. I have containers (I like old large neck whiskey decanters) full of smalls throught the house.
Now I don't have to use the ceramics!
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,759
Member is Online
|
Post by gemfeller on Nov 24, 2020 14:57:05 GMT -5
I don't tumble a lot but I save my leftover trim saw bits and pieces from cabbing for use as smalls when I do. I put them into the rough grind to smooth them out, then use them over and over along with ceramics to get into all the nooks and crannies of whatever I'm tumbling. I only tumble very small batches so this idea might not be very useful for those who do "industrial"-size work.
|
|
|
Post by amygdule on Nov 24, 2020 15:03:30 GMT -5
I'm lucky. I just go down the hill to pick 1/2" minus agate & jasper along the bay shore.
|
|
NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Nov 24, 2020 18:58:28 GMT -5
a) I think a lot of us have smashed up big rocks. You can introduce a lot of cracks to your rocks by this method. I also have a chip of agate stuck in my ring finger. It flew through the glove and stuck near the bone. The doctor said to leave it if it isn’t bothering me. b) Buying smalls is a great way. If you buy in bulk, (25 lbs or more) you can usually get a significant discount over the per pound price. By smalls, I usually look for 50+ pieces per pound. I just ordered 25 pounds of small Lake Superior agates from Kingsley North. This will be my second box. I have found them to be good quality with very few quartzies. I think this is a solid point, Brent. I remember when I needed to get some Thulite / Zoesite out of some big boulders, that I would just smash with the sledge hoping to crack off pieces which I could cut later. Well, later I found after cutting that I created little fault lines all over the material. And all of it was gathered that way. I almost have no Thulite that can be used for cabs because of that.
|
|
NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Nov 24, 2020 19:00:24 GMT -5
I don't tumble a lot but I save my leftover trim saw bits and pieces from cabbing for use as smalls when I do. I put them into the rough grind to smooth them out, then use them over and over along with ceramics to get into all the nooks and crannies of whatever I'm tumbling. I only tumble very small batches so this idea might not be very useful for those who do "industrial"-size work. This made me look around to see if I had done the same. And it turns out that I had about 1/2 a coffee can full of left over scraps from the saw. Thank you very much for mentioning this! You just saved me a bunch of time and effort.
|
|
NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Nov 24, 2020 19:02:22 GMT -5
I'm lucky. I just go down the hill to pick 1/2" minus agate & jasper along the bay shore. Boy ARE you lucky! I didn't know there was such a place where smalls like this could be found just all lying there! I am jelly. Those are going to look great in a glass vase or something!
|
|
|
Post by amygdule on Nov 25, 2020 21:33:01 GMT -5
NevadaBill Picking like a chicken on the Oregon Coast. Watch out for the sneaker waves...!!!
|
|
|
Post by amygdule on Nov 25, 2020 21:54:31 GMT -5
How to make smalls ?
You probably don't want to use dynamite.
Exploding Whale 50th Anniversary, Remastered!
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Nov 25, 2020 22:11:26 GMT -5
I just use ceramic media or leftover smaller rocks from past batches. Or saw trimmings. Also toss in the same pitted rocks in over and over in an effort to make them submit.
Saw/slab scraps are nice because they often polish up into nice pieces for pendants or mosaic work.
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Nov 27, 2020 12:18:55 GMT -5
The eBay seller I've been buying from for 3-4 years now is baiqing. This seller doesn't always have the ones I want, but usually within a month will. Seems like I get 45-50lb for $40-45 or something like that, shipping included. They last a long time, maybe 1/2 year or more. I favor that white quartz which is about .5", but I have also at times got larger ones and also the black and brown ones too. You can also end up with some nice keepers too if you sort them out and let them dry to inspect after one or two weeks in rough grind. There is always some crappy rock in there too, but not much. As I see those while rinsing batches I toss them out. Soft porous crud just wastes time as it will grind itself to nothing while leaving the other rocks less ground.
You can also go to landscape businesses. Go out and look at their gravel piles. There will often be a pile of small quartz gravel called "river gravel-small" or something like that. Don't insult them by asking them to sell you a bucket full--it will just annoy them. But for years I have used the following method. Carry in a 5 gal bucket, lay a $5 bill on the counter and say "Can I fill up this bucket with that small gravel?" The answer has never been no. Then drive to the pile, put the bucket in clear sight where they can watch you shovel it in from the office "watching" window. A heaping 5 gal bucket can weigh as much as 78lbs believe it or not with small quartz! So this is the best deal but in my area this gravel is more like 1" not .5". I'm in OK, but in more expensive parts of the USA such as big cities a $10 bill might be more appropriate and still it's an incredible deal. It's the cold hard cash and efficient approach that does the trick. Don't ask me to speculate on whether that money makes it into the cash register or not. Don't ask for a receipt, but just turn around and head out the door. It helps to be wearing boots, so they don't look at you and worry that you will get out in their yard and get hurt by sliding rock. In other words, look like you shovel rock for a living and don't wear nice clothes and nice shoes. When I'm wanting to inspect piles for possible rocks to collect--I have collected a lot of Alibates chert this way--go a step further. Dress in the kind of clothes you might expect to see a field geologist in, outdoorsy pants, shirt with pockets, etc., boots--AND--a hard hat. Yes. And say you are studying geology and would they might if you check out their piles for certain types of specimens. I have even carried a clipboard at times to look really official. Sometimes I will say I will share info about what I find afterward if I find anything interesting. They see the hardhat, the durable clothing, the boots, the clipboard, they don't worry about you being out there as much and getting hurt, and my record in gravel yards in several states--I'm talking about big mining operations--is 50% success using this method. I have found all kind of things, even Lake Superior agates and corals and many other keepers. I always report to the office and say about how many lbs I got in case they want to charge me. Now, for the real clincher. I always give a nicely polished rock, of a type that occurs in this pile, to the manager or other guy that let me in. I often give out a piece of petrified wood which amazes them and believe me it opens the door for your next visit, especially if you drive the same vehicle and dress in the same outfit. If he was gone when I was done, I would actually mail him the rock with a note of appreciation.
I have been employing these methods for years and now have quite a lot of doors open to me, especially in OK, TX, KS, MN, and IA. You keep track of the guy's name that let you in.
Last year for Christmas, I sent a package to the manager of one, with an chert series in it: rough found, and then one after 50, 80, 220, 600, 1,000, and polish, which each labelled. This guy was so amazed and thankful that basically I probably have lifetime access to this place as long as he lives!
Using my methods you will occasionally be asked if you sell what you find. The correct answer is no as they are really pissed off at people who collect fossils and such and then sell them on eBay for big bucks. My no is honest because I have never sold a rock--yet--in my life.
I suppose you may think I approach this topic rather seriously. I do! I study on Google earth the gravel operations in states in which I'm targeting when I travel if I suspect the material might be obtainable from that particular river drainage. Sometimes I even research the company with the locked gate and visit with clerical employees first (always with a polished rock gift) as to who to approach and what typical results might be. It's fun and these polished rock (never crap, but pretty ones) gifts open a lot of doors. Let me tell you, rock tumbler heaven is getting access to a huge pile of gravel containing a whole lot of _____ and you are the only one getting in there to do it. I have at times been so excited by what I find that I hardly take the time to eat or drink and almost blackout. My message is not all on target to this topic, but I just got going and let it run...
|
|
NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Nov 27, 2020 14:23:30 GMT -5
Thank you Bob ( Bob). I located your seller. He appears to tumble a great deal for the fish tank community. Interesting. Thank you. I'll stop bye once in a while to see what he might have in raw rough. I've been to the landscaping rock sellers. One of the original posts in this thread shows material that they allowed me to take. They didn't have agates or anything, but they did have chert in larger sizes than I would have liked. The smallest was 3/4 inch roughly, which is a bit larger than I would like for smalls, as I have nicer stones in that size which I would tumble instead of them. And yes, they wanted me to buy 1/2 a ton of it as well. I like your idea though. Maybe I will go to more of them and see what selections they have. Also great advice on how to dress in order to assure that landscaping rock seller that you won't be hurting yourself out there. That's a pretty good idea to bring them some tumbled stones to show them appreciation for allowing you to walk the property. I didn't think about going to private mines. You know what, you have just given me a great idea. I should have thought of something like this earlier. But I am sure that I have been to a couple of mines which had hard tailings in piles outside. Maybe not attractive rock, but harder none the less. I need to put my thinking cap on. In the meantime as mentioned in a couple of posts above, I spent the time crushing rocks the other day and now have about 30 pounds of material to work with. Some of it is nice banded Jasper or clear Agates too. So the smalls could be appealing eventually. None more than 1/2 inch diameter, and most smaller than that. I like your idea of approaching mine operations with a small amount of tumbled rocks as a token of generousity though. You might have just given me something else fun to do in my spare time! Thank you!
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Nov 27, 2020 15:37:15 GMT -5
I actually have a lot of fun doing this. A few years ago I did this in what looked like a pretty boring gravel operation. The guy took one look at me and said "well, you look like you know what you are doing because you dressed right for it and I'm glad we don't have to loan you a hard hat because we have no extras". A huge loader operator stopped by me when I was digging through a large pile, asked me what I was looking for and showed him some examples. He said he sees those from time to time and throws them in a pile in case a geologist ever comes by. OMG, what was in the small pile was some of the best material I have ever collected, including a piece of chert almost as large as a football and mammoth molars and black petrified wood unlike anything I've ever seen!
Oddly, or maybe not oddly, almost every employee at these operations collect something, this or that type of rock, for fun. Ask what they collect and try to give them some and they are super appreciative.
I also study rivers in Google mapping for gravel bars in rivers and sometimes hike in considerable distances to such places to collect material to tumble. This is one of the most exciting things to me and I probably enjoy finding rocks more than I do tumbling them.
I have never been to a mine like you are speaking of per se. When I said mine, I should have said gravel mining operations along major rivers that use that big, deafening sorting/washing machine. Counties needs a cheap source of road gravel, so, distance is the primary thing. So if there is a river source, some company "mines" it nearby and the counties buy it. So all over the US this is going on. The railroads, however, often transport very cheap granite and other stuff long distances for their rights of way and examining the rights of way doesn't often reveal what kind of source material might be nearby. But examining roads often reveals the type of material that must be nearby, then if interesting I start searching via Google mapping for where that source might be.
For anyone reading this thread and like me likes big rocks to tumble, the words to use are "can I look at your over-size pile?" which means generally rocks that come out first from the first sorting grate up high and are usually, oh, larger than 3". They are mostly sold to ranchers who need to make cattle crossings in streams. But those piles often have incredible high quality rocks in them if in geographic areas where good tumbling material occurs. They are often covered in mud and require digging through with good gloves on. A company will not let you near this pile if the sorter is running as it is too dangerous.
|
|
|
Post by Mel on Nov 27, 2020 17:53:55 GMT -5
Bob - everything about your post sums up exactly the example I hope am when interacting with others (and them with me). Friendly, respectful, curious, approachable, and appreciative. Love it! Going to try it out next summer when I can go to our local pits.
|
|
|
Post by Bob on Nov 27, 2020 18:00:01 GMT -5
Mel, I have never done much in that province, other than pass E-W through it, but if you don't find much head over to BC and fiddle around on the Fraser River. It will take me years to get through what I collected there.
What part of Sask are you in? Are there good tumbling rocks in rivers around you? All I remember seeing where I was were wheat fields.
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Dec 1, 2020 13:02:21 GMT -5
NevadaBill 25 lbs LFRB of Lake Superior agates. They’re not super small but none of them are going to get any bigger. $4.20 / lb from Kingsley North. I’ve never used ceramic media for coarse shaping. These things work great and a lot of them turn out pretty attractive. Very few quartzies in this batch.
|
|