MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
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Post by MommaGem on Feb 12, 2020 15:33:47 GMT -5
I second jamesp about the non-clumping kitty litter - it solved my foaming problem immediately Does the type of clay used matter lol i mean aside from cat litter? like do some clays perform better than others? Honestly, I don't know. I just heard that it should be non-clumping so I got what was available. But specifically, I have "Fresh Step" unscented and non-clumping.
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ethos
starting to shine!
Member since February 2020
Posts: 28
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Post by ethos on Feb 12, 2020 16:58:27 GMT -5
If you add clay or clay based kitty litter to thicken the slurry it will often stop the watery slurry from splashing about internally and causing bubbles. Any detergent is asking for foam. Dyed rocks can foam. Is blue tigereye dyed ? Another common reason for foam is mixing alkaline rocks with acidic water(most common) or vice versa and causing a common ph reaction. For instance I tumbled concrete. My tap water is acid ph 6. As the concrete grinds the slurry went from alkaline ph 7.5 to ph 12. In 4 hours the cap was ready to blow off. Added a lot of baking soda to the water BEFORE adding the water to the concrete chunks and all went well because I was mixing alkaline water with alkaline (rocks) concrete. And there is probably 592 different chemical reactions that could be blamed for foam too lol. I also tumble lots of highly alkaline petrified coral. I have to add baking soda to the ph 6 slurry water BEFORE adding it with the coral to avoid similar reaction. I got to where I just add a bit of water with no abrasive and tumbled the soft lime alkaline skin off the silicified neutral ph coral under the skin. This is the results of removing the lime coating after a day rolling what type of clay do you recommend? would prefer to not used cat litter as i have cats and they like to rip open litter bags and make giant messes lol. like if i can use any old clay an offhand example being just regular clay found in the ground (can dig not even a foot down and find clay in my backyard)
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 12, 2020 17:16:05 GMT -5
Most clay is basically nature's rock slurry. Just not ground down so fine as tumbling slurry. Kaolin/Fullers/Bentonite are excellent. Most any clay will work. Especially if you live near granite(kaolin).
It should only be used in step 1, and step 2 (220) is ok. Because most clay has quartz sand particles in it that may scratch your stuff in step 3/step 4.
If you live near limestone and have alkaline water limestone base clays are OK, many similar to Milk of Magnesia:
Magnesium hydroxide is an alkaline suspension, which means that it is able to neutralize acids. (and Sodium hypochlorite) When a patient swallows this medicine, the hydroxide ions in it react with the hydrogen ions in stomach acid, transforming both into water. This makes milk of magnesia effective in fighting excess stomach acid, which can cause indigestion, heartburn, and stomach ulcers.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 12, 2020 17:20:59 GMT -5
jamespGlad you weighed in. I agree foam is not good. By the way how are you? I haven’t communicated with you in a while. Did you see my big sapphire? I’m really proud of it. Been a long while Brent. All's well. thanks for asking. Just irritated that I can't go star garnet collecting like some one I know. Did you find this big sapphire in Idaho ? Is it a star ? How can I see it ?
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ethos
starting to shine!
Member since February 2020
Posts: 28
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Post by ethos on Feb 12, 2020 17:29:14 GMT -5
Most clay is basically nature's rock slurry. Just not ground down so fine as tumbling slurry. Kaolin/Fullers/Bentonite are excellent. Most any clay will work. Especially if you live near granite(kaolin). It should only be used in step 1, and step 2 (220) is ok. Because most clay has quartz sand particles in it that may scratch your stuff in step 3/step 4. If you live near limestone and have alkaline water limestone base clays are OK, many similar to Milk of Magnesia: Magnesium hydroxide is an alkaline suspension, which means that it is able to neutralize acids. (and Sodium hypochlorite) When a patient swallows this medicine, the hydroxide ions in it react with the hydrogen ions in stomach acid, transforming both into water. This makes milk of magnesia effective in fighting excess stomach acid, which can cause indigestion, heartburn, and stomach ulcers. according to the governments website mostly Glacial lake clay is found in my city also had this quoted "In Saskatchewan, clays include such types as bentonite, brick and ceramic clays and kaolinite. Bentonites are soft waxy clays whose colours range from white through cream, reddish brownand blue, turning yellow upon exposure to air"
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 12, 2020 21:07:28 GMT -5
They all sound like prime slurry clay.
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Post by Starguy on Feb 13, 2020 16:28:04 GMT -5
jamesp . It’s not from Idaho. Idaho does have star corundum of which I have a few examples. It’s from Madagascar by way of eBay. Check out the video. It has a strong star and decent polish. It weighs approximately 3.5 lbs. it’s a beast of a crystal. The video may take a couple seconds to load. Are you focusing on glass entirely now? That is some difficult material to tumble. The only time I have had the tops blow off tumblers was with glass or obsidian. My theory is that there are bubbles of pressurized gas in the material. Tumbling slowly releases the pressure. Obviously not a problem with vibes. Only rotaries. I have it on good authority that the garnet screening will be good this summer. I have a friend who works as a geologist at the Forest Service site. He says they are good quality and lots of them. I will definitely be going. Might be time to plan a road trip to north Idaho.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 14, 2020 8:55:52 GMT -5
Just doing glass of recent Starguy. Tuned the process to where it is an easy quick tumble after many batches. May have to burp a lot. Yes the bubbles in glass hold pressure. When shaping glass on a lapper the bubbles often make a loud snapping sound when a bubble is breached. Lots of stored pressure undoubtedly. The other issue is soda lime glass slurry is caustic. It will react with acidic tap water and make gas that way too.(baking soda + vinegar). I see that sapphire is a huge crystal. The video did not run but I see you mentioned it being star material. Anxious to see how you dissect it. You oughta be used to tumbling hard garnets, sapphire falls into the same category for sure. Anxious to see the garnet plunders this year. I suppose heavy run off dictates the amount of new garnets exposed ? Afraid to go there - fear of never returning ha. I read there are only 2 places in the world where star garnets occur. Idaho and perhaps Indonesia. Happy sifting Brent.
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braat
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 350
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Post by braat on Feb 14, 2020 12:00:17 GMT -5
are there any canadian members who could advise some websites in canada to order grit from? i would normally order the grit from the rock shed but 106 USD shipping for 5 pound order of grit is just to much. I read somewhere you live in Saskatchewan? Where abouts? I'm in Medicine Hat,AB and have been getting my grit from Avalon Hobbies here in Medicine Hat ($45 for 5 lbs of coarse). They have ridiculously priced Thumler 4 oz grit packets in stock but I never considered buying that way so have to wait a week or two for my 5 lb order to arrive from the Thumler distributor in BC. I think they would take telephone orders if that works for you. Don't know if they would ship so you might have to come get it? Might work depending where you live. Having said all that I'm close to ordering 50 lbs of coarse from Kingsley North down south...even after shipping, exchange rates etc. I estimate it will cost just over half (per pound) of what I've been paying.... Fedex'ed to my door and 50 lbs should last me a while. Here's a link to Avalon Hobbies if you want to contact them... www.avalonhobbies.com/
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ethos
starting to shine!
Member since February 2020
Posts: 28
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Post by ethos on Feb 14, 2020 21:43:42 GMT -5
are there any canadian members who could advise some websites in canada to order grit from? i would normally order the grit from the rock shed but 106 USD shipping for 5 pound order of grit is just to much. I read somewhere you live in Saskatchewan? Where abouts? I'm in Medicine Hat,AB and have been getting my grit from Avalon Hobbies here in Medicine Hat ($45 for 5 lbs of coarse). They have ridiculously priced Thumler 4 oz grit packets in stock but I never considered buying that way so have to wait a week or two for my 5 lb order to arrive from the Thumler distributor in BC. I think they would take telephone orders if that works for you. Don't know if they would ship so you might have to come get it? Might work depending where you live. Having said all that I'm close to ordering 50 lbs of coarse from Kingsley North down south...even after shipping, exchange rates etc. I estimate it will cost just over half (per pound) of what I've been paying.... Fedex'ed to my door and 50 lbs should last me a while. Here's a link to Avalon Hobbies if you want to contact them... www.avalonhobbies.com/45$ for 5 pounds of course grit is pretty pricey as well causer 45x4=180 without shipping (that is also assuming they dont charge more for their polish). I talked the rock shed into shipping using fedex got their large grit kit 5 pounds of 46/70, 120/220, 500 AO and polishing AO 65 USD comes out to like 80 something CAD, also ordered 2 pounds of labradorite (13 CAD), 2 pounds of Large ceramic media and a sifting screen for the top of a 5 gallon pail to make cleaning easier (like 19 CAD) my order came out to like 220-230 with shipping but i'll find out the extra shipping fees once its here i have to pay for Customs/duty which im hoping isn't much cause nothing i ordered is taxed under the new tariffs. Ah also i am from the Capital of Sask u know the place that rhymes with fun hahahah ( Fugget about it joke if you've never watched it i must recommend you do) Also found this place its not much cheaper but it is the lortone brand grit comes in 5 pound pails. lakesidegems.com/collections/rock-tumblers-and-supplies/products/large-4-step-tumbling-compound
Also my next task is to find a place in canada to source my stones and rocks. there is a rock hound club in my town but they refuse to share any kind of info unless you're joining their club.
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braat
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 350
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Post by braat on Feb 15, 2020 0:42:31 GMT -5
45$ for 5 pounds of course grit is pretty pricey as well causer 45x4=180 without shipping (that is also assuming they dont charge more for their polish). I talked the rock shed into shipping using fedex got their large grit kit 5 pounds of 46/70, 120/220, 500 AO and polishing AO 65 USD comes out to like 80 something CAD, also ordered 2 pounds of labradorite (13 CAD), 2 pounds of Large ceramic media and a sifting screen for the top of a 5 gallon pail to make cleaning easier (like 19 CAD) my order came out to like 220-230 with shipping but i'll find out the extra shipping fees once its here i have to pay for Customs/duty which im hoping isn't much cause nothing i ordered is taxed under the new tariffs. Ah also i am from the Capital of Sask u know the place that rhymes with fun hahahah ( Fugget about it joke if you've never watched it i must recommend you do) Also found this place its not much cheaper but it is the lortone brand grit comes in 5 pound pails. lakesidegems.com/collections/rock-tumblers-and-supplies/products/large-4-step-tumbling-compound
Also my next task is to find a place in canada to source my stones and rocks. there is a rock hound club in my town but they refuse to share any kind of info unless you're joining their club.
Avalon charges 45$ for 2.5 lbs of polish - double their coarse price...so the Lakeside gems 4 x 5 lbs is way cheaper than here. I got it bookmarked for future so tks for the link. I've been to your city and don't recall having fun you talk about but then I might have missed it... probably something to do with my state of mind after the Roughrider game I've ordered rocks from Silver Cove here in AB. Quality and price were OK I guess but I really don't know as I haven't ordered much in the 4 years I've been tumbling...mostly I tumble local finds and recently started tumbling glass as well. Silver Cove link here: www.silvercove.net/Also Stonebridge Imports looks to be interesting . I've never ordered from there but there's an RTH member from Ontario that orders from there (forget his name). Stonebridge link here: www.stonebridgeimports.com/
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ethos
starting to shine!
Member since February 2020
Posts: 28
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Post by ethos on Feb 15, 2020 15:47:40 GMT -5
45$ for 5 pounds of course grit is pretty pricey as well causer 45x4=180 without shipping (that is also assuming they dont charge more for their polish). I talked the rock shed into shipping using fedex got their large grit kit 5 pounds of 46/70, 120/220, 500 AO and polishing AO 65 USD comes out to like 80 something CAD, also ordered 2 pounds of labradorite (13 CAD), 2 pounds of Large ceramic media and a sifting screen for the top of a 5 gallon pail to make cleaning easier (like 19 CAD) my order came out to like 220-230 with shipping but i'll find out the extra shipping fees once its here i have to pay for Customs/duty which im hoping isn't much cause nothing i ordered is taxed under the new tariffs. Ah also i am from the Capital of Sask u know the place that rhymes with fun hahahah ( Fugget about it joke if you've never watched it i must recommend you do) Also found this place its not much cheaper but it is the lortone brand grit comes in 5 pound pails. lakesidegems.com/collections/rock-tumblers-and-supplies/products/large-4-step-tumbling-compound
Also my next task is to find a place in canada to source my stones and rocks. there is a rock hound club in my town but they refuse to share any kind of info unless you're joining their club.
Avalon charges 45$ for 2.5 lbs of polish - double their coarse price...so the Lakeside gems 4 x 5 lbs is way cheaper than here. I got it bookmarked for future so tks for the link. I've been to your city and don't recall having fun you talk about but then I might have missed it... probably something to do with my state of mind after the Roughrider game I've ordered rocks from Silver Cove here in AB. Quality and price were OK I guess but I really don't know as I haven't ordered much in the 4 years I've been tumbling...mostly I tumble local finds and recently started tumbling glass as well. Silver Cove link here: www.silvercove.net/Also Stonebridge Imports looks to be interesting . I've never ordered from there but there's an RTH member from Ontario that orders from there (forget his name). Stonebridge link here: www.stonebridgeimports.com/oof just checked out stone bridge damn they charge a pretty penny lol The rock sheds prices are much better even after conversion. they want 40 CAD for 2lbs of amazonite i bought 2 pounds from TRS for 10$ USD. BUT i will give them this they have a large selection of stones.
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Post by knave on Feb 17, 2020 20:44:34 GMT -5
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Post by knave on Feb 17, 2020 20:45:02 GMT -5
Hum. The above is an old thread.
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 18, 2020 9:34:21 GMT -5
Ya'll that use borax in your tumbling grit, how do you dispose of the slurry? I understand it will kill your plants/yard. I usually just dump my spent grit slurry out in the backyard, but I am curious as to how to properly dispose of it.
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whyofquartz
spending too much on rocks
So, Africa is smaller than I expected...
Member since December 2019
Posts: 316
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Post by whyofquartz on Feb 18, 2020 10:00:16 GMT -5
Ya'll that use borax in your tumbling grit, how do you dispose of the slurry? I understand it will kill your plants/yard. I usually just dump my spent grit slurry out in the backyard, but I am curious as to how to properly dispose of it. well as you know you are not supposed to dump it down your drain, that is why I dump it down my in-laws when we visit on Tuesdays. but i suppose you could just dump it either where you don't want anything to grow, or where nothing will grow or just make sure to dilute it after you dump it
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Post by knave on Feb 18, 2020 10:10:42 GMT -5
When you put borax in the laundry it goes down the drain. Let the rock dust settle a couple days then pour off the clear water. Let it dry to powder and pour it in the trash.
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ethos
starting to shine!
Member since February 2020
Posts: 28
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Post by ethos on Feb 18, 2020 19:58:26 GMT -5
i have just been pouring it on my back patio or the gravel part of my drive way lol
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