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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 3, 2005 19:58:10 GMT -5
Good news first. I finally got this pretty chunk of mook I got on Ebay. I gave the seller the Fedex addy instead of the post office box, but the post office is getting used to that so they just held it for me. It's a relly pretty, colorful piece, weighs 3 1/2 lb. And trust me, if it wasn't cheap, I wouldn't have it, though I don't remember what I paid for it.   OK, the bad news. Looks like the majority of my first Big Red/Lil' Ed batch is toast. It's badly cracked and fractuered. I still have it in polish but I pulled some out to see how it was doing, and  Some pieces looked better before I put them in. They shaped up well, but... appearently, when I got to 600, I should have used pellets. I waited till tripoli, but by then the damage had been done. Some pieces polished great in spots, but some places look like the rocks were drug across concrete. I feel sick. I will pull them all out tommorrow and see if anything is salvageable. Live and learn, I suppose, but I had high hopes. Some of the stuff I was really excited about is just plain ruined. I'll do better on the next batch. cookie |
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Post by Cher on Mar 3, 2005 20:06:00 GMT -5
Awww Cookie, I'm sorry. I start running pellets in 120/200 because of the fractures but now I'm seeing them again because of the QT66's bigger barrels. I think one of my problems is not having it full enough to prevent the rocks from crashing together. Were the agates in there?
Cher
PS .. that mook is great, really pretty stuff.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Mar 3, 2005 20:24:44 GMT -5
oh cookie so sorry about your batch - you wait so long to get to that final stage....i am hurting for you. what did you have in there? that mook does look good! kim |
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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 3, 2005 20:25:32 GMT -5
Yeah, The Lakers were in there. They took a beating, a little cracked, but salvagable. They're gonna be pretty when I do em right. Like you, I think I shoulda added more rock. And some was softer than I anticipated  cookie |
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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 3, 2005 21:38:39 GMT -5
Rocky, I had everything in there but the kitchen sink (which probably would have turned out better). I tried to keep it at 7-8 MOHS, so it had to be underloaded in 600.
My birthday is March 16th. I asked my husband for another TV5 vibe. I'll keep practicing with Lil' Ed for coarse, then polish in the vibe. When I got it down, get my new job making alot more money (which IS gonna happen) then I will be able to keep Big Red loaded to capacity and turn out AWESOME batches again ;D
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 Mar 4, 2005 3:14:19 GMT -5
What a major bummer. I hope that when you get things cleaned up and sorted, there is a lot more good stuff than your first impression.
That's a bad introduction to rotary, but don't give up on it -- I recall that it took you some time to figure out the vibe when you started with that, but you stuck with it and mastered it. You can do the same with rotary.
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Mar 4, 2005 8:05:32 GMT -5
Hey Cookie, I think you've just learned one of the problems with using a large tumbler. It's not unusual for the weight of a rock load to decrease by 30 percent. In a 15 pounder, that's 4.5 pounds. That's why I normally keep one Model B running rough grind all the time. That way I have a stock of roughed rock that allows me to keep my barrel full at the 220 stage. I try to keep a smaller float of 220 finished rocks as well so that I can supplement the prepolish stage as well, but the majority of loss occurs in the rough grind. It's not practical to replace 4.5 pounds of rock with plastic pellets, nor does it work well if you try.
Ron
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phoenix1647
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2013
Posts: 186
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Post by phoenix1647 on Mar 4, 2005 8:22:47 GMT -5
What a bummer cookie..but..I got a feeling things are gonna get better this week for ya...
Ya never know when something will fust fall in your lap and you will be so happy once again...keep the faith girl..good things are on the way..
Pho
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Post by krazydiamond on Mar 4, 2005 9:06:43 GMT -5
that's a great piece of mook, Cookie!
sorry to hear of Big Red's first batch turning out so poorly. i sometimes have a hard time keeping the 3 pounders full, i can't imagine trying to keep a big tumbler at the right volume.
birthday coming up, huh? cool!
KD
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Mar 4, 2005 9:25:57 GMT -5
Aw, cookie, that just bites! What a shame!
That Mook is WOW! That's gonna make some nice jewelry!
llana
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Post by creativeminded on Mar 4, 2005 9:53:47 GMT -5
That is a beautiful piece of mook you have there.
Sorry to hear about your load.
Tami
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Mar 4, 2005 10:05:38 GMT -5
Hi Cookie, I hate to hear about your load, hopefully it will ge salvageable. I am trying to get a 15# Thumbler's Tumbler, so that I can get more uniformity in my stones. My vibe doesn't do much for shaping ... but it does a great job of finishing. When I get the 15#'r ... I will definitely have to get back with you and see what would be the best process. I am only looking to use this machine for smoothing the rough in 60/90 or 120/220 ... the rest would be done in my vibe! Keep your head up  John |
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 4, 2005 10:48:55 GMT -5
Hey Cookie- Nice chunk of rock there! Sorry about the bashed batch  Ahh the lessons are never learned. I wanted a big thumblers but decided (thanks to all the horror stories here) that I would NEVER be able to fill it- But next time your gonna nail it! hope things can be salvaged! |
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Post by puppie96 on Mar 4, 2005 15:01:35 GMT -5
Rocky, I had everything in there but the kitchen sink (which probably would have turned out better). I tried to keep it at 7-8 MOHS, so it had to be underloaded in 600. My birthday is March 16th. I asked my husband for another TV5 vibe. I'll keep practicing with Lil' Ed for coarse, then polish in the vibe. When I got it down, get my new job making alot more money (which IS gonna happen) then I will be able to keep Big Red loaded to capacity and turn out AWESOME batches again ;D cookie Cookster, I'm not getting another TV-5 and after doing a bunch of research I think there are better choices for a new vibe. If you are interested I can email you more about this.... |
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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 4, 2005 17:25:26 GMT -5
Thaks for the well wishes, everyone. I have about 1/3 of the original load in borax now. There will be some good pieces. I just had a lot of amethyst and rose quartz in there that shaped up really well, but got scuffed up and broken cause I tried to run 600 (it was 10# of the original 15 by then) in Big red and it didn't work. But the pieces are big enough to run them through another coarse cycle. And the poor striped jasper and unikite Oh, the humanity. Oh well, good things are comin, I can feel it. I'll show you what was left when it's cleaned up. cookie |
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Post by stoner on Mar 4, 2005 21:53:11 GMT -5
Hey Cookie. Nice Mook. Bad tumbler! You should use one of the barrels on Lil Ed for the 120/220 and 600 and then use the second barrel for the pre and polish. Yea I know, where the hell was I with that info 3 weeks ago. How is Lil Ed doing?
Big Ed
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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 4, 2005 23:26:22 GMT -5
Lil Ed was rocking and rolling for tripoli/CO. I just should have been there for 600 and up. "Pretty Little Thing " is a blessing. I'm starting a new thread for Big Red's survivors, so look out. Photo bucket was giving me fits, so only a portion will be there.
cookie
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Mar 5, 2005 15:44:09 GMT -5
Hey Cookie, you need another "Big Red" to help feed the one you've got! This is my Lortone 45C surrounded by two Model Bs. Ron  ps. Funny how I shot this photo while the barrels were running and it froze them for a clear picture. When I'm photographing rocks, the slightest movement and blur. Maybe I need to roll my rocks down a hill and photograph them while they're moving! |
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Post by krazydiamond on Mar 5, 2005 15:47:12 GMT -5
whooo hooo, nice set up, Ron!  very cool. KD |
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Ahh the lessons are never learned. I wanted a big thumblers but decided (thanks to all the horror stories here) that I would NEVER be able to fill it- But next time your gonna nail it! hope things can be salvaged!
