Perigrine
starting to shine!
Member since November 2019
Posts: 33
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Post by Perigrine on Dec 3, 2019 13:50:41 GMT -5
Hi All!
I'm still using my NatGeo tumbler for now, mostly to smooth out a load of quartz I'm running through. Does anybody have any recommendations on when to switch from coarse grit to finer?
Thanks!
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gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
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Post by gatorflash1 on Dec 3, 2019 14:21:01 GMT -5
Switch when you are satisfied with the shape and smoothness of your coarse grit stage 1 batch of rocks. Don't rush it though.
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Post by greig on Dec 4, 2019 11:54:45 GMT -5
Usually two weeks with quartz for stage 1. Take a look after week 1 to see how it is going.
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Post by aDave on Dec 5, 2019 13:50:57 GMT -5
Hi All!
I'm still using my NatGeo tumbler for now, mostly to smooth out a load of quartz I'm running through. Does anybody have any recommendations on when to switch from coarse grit to finer?
Thanks! gatorflash1 pretty much nailed it. It's really up to you and to what you want to end up with. However your rocks come out of the coarse stage is pretty much the way they will look shape-wise in the very end. Very little material will be removed in all stages after coarse. If you're going longer than one week, do you do a cleanout and add fresh grit? If not, you should be. Just thought I'd ask since you're new at this.
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Perigrine
starting to shine!
Member since November 2019
Posts: 33
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Post by Perigrine on Dec 6, 2019 12:00:00 GMT -5
Thanks folks! That's a great help, especially having an idea of how little shaping will be done with the finer grit.
I was planning on cleaning/refreshing the grit this weekend if I was gonna continue. Today is the end of week one, so we'll see how things are going!
I rinse the tumbler completely several times. I also have a little scrub brush I use as well, trying to get all the nooks and crannies. The tumbler is rubber. Is there anything I can do besides feel around to tell if I've gotten all the old grit out?
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Post by aDave on Dec 6, 2019 14:27:57 GMT -5
Thanks folks! That's a great help, especially having an idea of how little shaping will be done with the finer grit. I was planning on cleaning/refreshing the grit this weekend if I was gonna continue. Today is the end of week one, so we'll see how things are going! I rinse the tumbler completely several times. I also have a little scrub brush I use as well, trying to get all the nooks and crannies. The tumbler is rubber. Is there anything I can do besides feel around to tell if I've gotten all the old grit out? If you are going to continue the material in the same stage, in this case coarse, it's not so important that the material is well cleaned. The time to worry about contamination is when you are moving to a finer stage. Then, you may want to spend the extra time to ensure nothing is carried into that next stage by inspecting and/or scrubbing each rock.. Just remember, the longer you run in coarse and smooth the rocks, you will benefit by not having as many flaws (cracks, crevasses, etc.) that may hold trapped grit. Your cleaning procedure looks pretty good. Simply scrubbing the barrel with a brush and rinsing should be sufficient.
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