newintown
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2004
Posts: 3
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Post by newintown on Jul 30, 2004 18:44:35 GMT -5
Hi all... Am new at polishing stones and on the web board... Advice would be greatly appreciated!
Is it possible to get a high gloss on amethyst if after the pre-polish stage it's still dull? In the same pre-polish - which ran for 3 days - some agates came out with a nice shine.
Do I need to go back a step - ie: to a 200 ? I may have rushed my way through this step.
Thanks ;D
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Post by krazydiamond on Jul 30, 2004 18:49:55 GMT -5
welcome to the board, newintown, you will find some very helpful information in here as well as some humor, albeit a bit whacky at times.
i am assuming you have a rotary tumbler? if you have a vibe, i haven't got a clue what you need, bu there are a lot of people in here that can help.
never skimp on steps, after my prepolish, it never shines until at least 5-7 days in the polish cycle. and even then i have to burnish in soap/borax for a few more days.
check this site, read some posts, you will get some good tips,
KD
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newintown
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2004
Posts: 3
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Post by newintown on Jul 30, 2004 19:00:19 GMT -5
Thanks Krazydiamond... Your advice helps, cause I was stumped when I saw the shiny agates from the same tumble step. Different stones really do take different processes.
Would you recommend repeating the pre-polish or just going for the 5-7 day polish? This is quite an art AND science! Will be lots of fun. This web board will be an essential place to hang.
Thnks again
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Post by krazydiamond on Jul 30, 2004 19:26:41 GMT -5
if you only left the stones in prepolish for three days, i'd run'em again for another 4-5 days in pre-polish and then do the polish cycle for at least 5 to 7. check out the stuff in Members Photos, you'll be amazed at what patience and technique can acheive.
and, it's just rock, you can do as many "do overs" as you want until you are happy with the results (or is turned to dust).
go for it, newintown, let us know how you make out!
KD
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newintown
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2004
Posts: 3
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Post by newintown on Jul 30, 2004 20:03:37 GMT -5
Will do... Thanks again... NiT
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Jul 30, 2004 21:23:26 GMT -5
Hi, Newintown, welcome aboard. Feel free to ask any questions you want - somebody will have the right answer. Probably not me though! LOL! Lots of good folks and great info to be found here. And, as KD says, we do have some fun. Are you using a rotary or a vibe tumbler? If a rotary tumbler, I don't think 3 days in pre-polish is enough. I run mine for at least a week. If a vibe, three days should be enough in pre-polish. Course, I have never done any amythest, so what do I know! ;Dllana
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RiverOtter
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2004
Posts: 339
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Post by RiverOtter on Jul 31, 2004 0:37:19 GMT -5
Welcome to the board Newintown. I have run amethyst and run it and run it trying for a good shine. I even have a new batch running now. I can tell you this, if you are using a rotary tumbler and a 4 step process (course-60/90, medium-120/220, prepolish-600 and polish-aluminum oxide) it may not be enough. Many of us on this board have discovered that the prepolish stage is critical to a good shine. I have found this to be especially true for amethyst and rose quartz. I would suggest that you run your amethyst in prepolish for a minimum of 10 days (14 would be better). Then run your polish stage for at least 7. If you have the time and the money the best thing to do is invest in some 1000 grit. Run this for a minimum of 7 days between the prepolish you have now and the polish stage. You will get a shine from a fairly dull amethyst after prepolish but it lacks a good luster. Hope this helps.
Otter
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Post by Noosh9057 on Jul 31, 2004 8:42:07 GMT -5
Welcome to the site!!!!!
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