MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
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Post by MommaGem on Sept 23, 2019 11:39:51 GMT -5
Hi all!
I ran across an article at therockshed.com about dry polishing for softer stones. I decided to try it out with Calcite and Angelite (and cureently with Fluroite) and it worked really well. Since it was a new process for me, and I hadn't seen much information about the process beyond the single article - I filmed my process and the results for others. I hope you find it useful!
This CAN be done in a vibratory tumbler, but I only use rotary, so this only shows the rotary method.
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Post by miket on Sept 23, 2019 11:54:35 GMT -5
Hi all!
I ran across an article at therockshed.com about dry polishing for softer stones. I decided to try it out with Calcite and Angelite (and cureently with Fluroite) and it worked really well. Since it was a new process for me, and I hadn't seen much information about the process beyond the single article - I filmed my process and the results for others. I hope you find it useful!
This CAN be done in a vibratory tumbler, but I only use rotary, so this only shows the rotary method.
Nice video, great results, thanks for sharing! Watch around 11:54, there's a little runaway in the video to the left of the tumbler!  |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2019 11:56:50 GMT -5
Excellent post. Thanks!
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MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
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Post by MommaGem on Sept 23, 2019 14:33:28 GMT -5
Nice video, great results, thanks for sharing! Watch around 11:54, there's a little runaway in the video to the left of the tumbler! Ha ha!! You saw my little spider friend!  |
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Post by Jugglerguy on Sept 23, 2019 15:02:07 GMT -5
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MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
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Post by MommaGem on Sept 23, 2019 15:58:59 GMT -5
That's fantastic! I love seeing the same process done in the vibe. |
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Post by TheRock on Sept 23, 2019 16:31:45 GMT -5
Well by golly here I am!  I read you reply to my post and hit yer name and displayed your recent posts and that's how I got here. Great Video by the way you go Girl!  |
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MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
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Post by MommaGem on Sept 23, 2019 19:34:04 GMT -5
Well by golly here I am! I read you reply to my post and hit yer name and displayed your recent posts and that's how I got here. Great Video by the way you go Girl! Great minds think alike! I'm so happy with this dry method! |
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Mar 10, 2020 9:25:43 GMT -5
Hey guys
So, I am wondering, would it be possible to do the 1200 AO step as a dry polish, as well?
I tumbled a few fluorites, jade and apatite, as I didn't know that soft stones aren't as easy to tumble.
They would be ready to move to AO1200 now. Unfortunately they already suffered a little (or lot) from my inexperience and have tons of cracks now. I guess there was not enough cushioning. Hence the question
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Post by RocksInNJ on Mar 10, 2020 21:06:25 GMT -5
Hey guys So, I am wondering, would it be possible to do the 1200 AO step as a dry polish, as well? I tumbled a few fluorites, jade and apatite, as I didn't know that soft stones aren't as easy to tumble. They would be ready to move to AO1200 now. Unfortunately they already suffered a little (or lot) from my inexperience and have tons of cracks now. I guess there was not enough cushioning. Hence the question I’ve often wondered if you could dry run 120/220 SIC, AO 500 and Polish. Though I’m thinking the earlier stage grits may be to heavy and just sin to the bottom. Has anyone ever tried a dry run in all the stages above or at least in AO 500? |
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Mar 11, 2020 3:01:39 GMT -5
Since patience is not my strongest suit, as some of you might have noticed by now, I already started a trial AO 1200 dry (pre) polish tumble a few hours ago. Unfortunately I didn't do before pictures. But I will report back on whether there was any progress.
Oh, and btw, I tried to put in some corn cob as cushioning in my SC 500 soft rock tumble. Very bad idea! Nearly blew the lid of my tumbler, and the stank of it 🤢
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Post by RocksInNJ on Mar 12, 2020 23:22:16 GMT -5
Since patience is not my strongest suit, as some of you might have noticed by now, I already started a trial AO 1200 dry (pre) polish tumble a few hours ago. Unfortunately I didn't do before pictures. But I will report back on whether there was any progress. Oh, and btw, I tried to put in some corn cob as cushioning in my SC 500 soft rock tumble. Very bad idea! Nearly blew the lid of my tumbler, and the stank of it 🤢 Sounds like you were trying to make some grain alcohol with your tumbler lol. |
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indychris
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2008
Posts: 81
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Post by indychris on Jun 5, 2020 22:54:08 GMT -5
Haven't tumbled in a while, but have some stuff laying around that I thought I'd pick back up. Saw this and it reminded me of a post I made back in 2008. I went to turkey and came back with some zebra and Picasso marble pieces and then located some more back home that I decided to try to polish. I already had corn cob and walnut from brass tumbling so I threw it in with a little bit of polish and it worked out nicely. Here was the original thread: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/23343/polished-picasso?page=1&scrollTo=274635Pics appear to be missing, but this one gives the gist:  |
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 341 
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Post by electrocutus on Oct 12, 2022 14:48:58 GMT -5
How important is the media that I should use for dry polishing in a rotary tumbler? Is it mainly/only to cushion and get the polish to really mix and reach all of parts of the rocks, or does the media itself perform some polishing itself?
From the different posts I have read and videos I have watched, some people use corn cob or crushed walnut shells. Does it make much of a difference? Can other material be used?
I am in the middle of my first dry polishing attempt. I didn't have either crushed corn cob or walnut shells, but I had some corn meal in the cupboard so I thought why not? I know corn meal is very fine but if the goal is to cushion and spread the polish then I guess it could work. I'll see in a few weeks I guess :-) It might be difficult to clean out since some of my rocks have small cracks.
Could I instead use plastic pellets with some AO polish to do dry polishing, or does the cushioning media need to be coarse and rough feeling?
Thanks!
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dirtsifter
Cave Dweller 
Co to za kamyczek?
Member since September 2022
Posts: 402
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Post by dirtsifter on Feb 10, 2023 2:27:07 GMT -5
How important is the media that I should use for dry polishing in a rotary tumbler? Is it mainly/only to cushion and get the polish to really mix and reach all of parts of the rocks, or does the media itself perform some polishing itself? From the different posts I have read and videos I have watched, some people use corn cob or crushed walnut shells. Does it make much of a difference? Can other material be used? I am in the middle of my first dry polishing attempt. I didn't have either crushed corn cob or walnut shells, but I had some corn meal in the cupboard so I thought why not? I know corn meal is very fine but if the goal is to cushion and spread the polish then I guess it could work. I'll see in a few weeks I guess :-) It might be difficult to clean out since some of my rocks have small cracks. Could I instead use plastic pellets with some AO polish to do dry polishing, or does the cushioning media need to be coarse and rough feeling? Thanks! How did it turn out? |
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dirtsifter
Cave Dweller
Co to za kamyczek?
Member since September 2022
Posts: 402
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Post by dirtsifter on Feb 10, 2023 2:33:52 GMT -5
mommagem, thank you for the tutorial. I have a lead on some local blue calcite, but it will be a couple 2 or 3 months before I can hound for it. It's under feet of snow right now Lol. I'm wondering how fast the grit breaks down in the dry method if any . As I understand it, AO breaks down into less than 1 micron size during normal tumbling (wet)
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 341
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Post by electrocutus on Feb 13, 2023 10:34:37 GMT -5
How important is the media that I should use for dry polishing in a rotary tumbler? Is it mainly/only to cushion and get the polish to really mix and reach all of parts of the rocks, or does the media itself perform some polishing itself? From the different posts I have read and videos I have watched, some people use corn cob or crushed walnut shells. Does it make much of a difference? Can other material be used? I am in the middle of my first dry polishing attempt. I didn't have either crushed corn cob or walnut shells, but I had some corn meal in the cupboard so I thought why not? I know corn meal is very fine but if the goal is to cushion and spread the polish then I guess it could work. I'll see in a few weeks I guess :-) It might be difficult to clean out since some of my rocks have small cracks. Could I instead use plastic pellets with some AO polish to do dry polishing, or does the cushioning media need to be coarse and rough feeling? Thanks! How did it turn out? I would say it turned out OK with the corn meal, but since I never polished fluorite before I don't know how better/worse it could be with crushed corn cobs. I was hoping for a better shine. The stones have a shine, but still have a slight pitted/pebbly feel. I get the feeling the corn meal might be a bit too fine, but I'll need to try some other stones in the dry polish to get a better feel for it. |
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nickinmd
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2023
Posts: 15
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Post by nickinmd on Mar 1, 2023 3:39:01 GMT -5
Don't know where I saw it, but someone used compressed wood pellets. I have some for my grill.......wondering.
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rockpuppy
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2015
Posts: 1
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Post by rockpuppy on Dec 13, 2023 19:58:45 GMT -5
Rice hulls are another option.
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timjb
off to a rocking start
Rock Tumbling Rookie
Member since June 2024
Posts: 4
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Post by timjb on Oct 13, 2024 19:30:03 GMT -5
Hello, Mommagem,
I have no experience with soft rocks, and I was recently given a small number of chunks of fluorite. Not realizing that fluorite is soft, I exposed it to two days of rotary tumbling with ceramic pills and coarse grit. I haven't cleaned the grit off yet, so I don't know their condition. I want to use the corn cob method for dry tumbling that you demonstrated in your 2019 video. Your instructions were clear enough, but I was unsure about what you meant by doing a 1000 grit prepolish prior to dry tumbling. Could you explain that step for me, along with any other things you would do for fluorite that has been exposed to a harsh environment before dry tumbling?
Thanks.
Tim
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I read you reply to my post and hit yer name and displayed your recent posts and that's how I got here. Great Video by the way you go Girl! 
