sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Feb 13, 2020 3:47:54 GMT -5
Hi there
I'm Kris, and a total newbie at rock tumbling. I have wanted to own a tumbler for as long as I can think, and now I finally purchased a Lortone 3A—and I've got tons of questions, so I'll jump right in:
I ran the first patch over the past week, and I noticed a couple of things:
1. Smaller stones (smaller than 2 inches) were mostly gone, by the time I finished the first three stages (10 days each). So, do I adjust the duration of each stage according to the size of the stones? 2. My stones seem to acquire a lot of grooves during tumbling, and also some cracks. What am I doing wrong?
My other questions concern logistics: For some reason it is near impossible to purchase the aluminum oxide for the last step in Germany, and shiping from the US is costly.
The same goes for the ceramic fillers. Does anyone know, where I can get them for a reasonable prize?
And lastly, if there is anybody else from Germany, do you know of any great sites to go rock hunting in Southern Germany?
Puh, sorry for all the questions. Looking forward to a lively exchange
Kris
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Post by RocksInNJ on Feb 13, 2020 4:01:12 GMT -5
Welcome from New Jersey. You may want to start a new thread in the rock tumbling area and be as detailed as possible. There’s so many different variables. What kind of rocks, did you use ceramics or plastic beads and how many and what sizes! How much water and grit was used in each stage? Did you have mixed sizes of rocks and similar hardness rocks? The more info you can provide the easier it will be to get help.
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Post by MsAli on Feb 13, 2020 6:57:04 GMT -5
Hi Kris & welcome! I cant help ya with your questions, but I am sure someone around here knows.
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EricD
Cave Dweller
High in the Mountains
Member since November 2019
Posts: 1,142
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Post by EricD on Feb 13, 2020 8:35:43 GMT -5
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 13, 2020 8:42:18 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 13, 2020 8:48:04 GMT -5
Guten Tag! Welcome from South Carolina, USA. Where in Germany are you located?
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rads
spending too much on rocks
Making clay each day!
Member since April 2018
Posts: 318
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Post by rads on Feb 13, 2020 9:02:23 GMT -5
Welcome from Michigan
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MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
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Post by MommaGem on Feb 13, 2020 9:22:18 GMT -5
Here's a warm welcome from Houston, TX!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 13, 2020 11:17:05 GMT -5
Welcome from Oregon USA..... I Stationed (Army) in Darmstadt, Germany way back in the early 1970's... Beautiful country with lots of rock material and fossils..
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Post by opalpyrexia on Feb 13, 2020 13:49:29 GMT -5
Welcome from Washington State.
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Post by knave on Feb 13, 2020 13:50:28 GMT -5
Welcome from frigid Wisconsin!
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Feb 13, 2020 14:41:25 GMT -5
Guten Tag! Welcome from South Carolina, USA. Where in Germany are you located? Good evening I live in the South of Germany, near Stuttgart
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Feb 13, 2020 14:42:16 GMT -5
aw, thanks for the warm welcome you guys!
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 13, 2020 15:17:24 GMT -5
Welcome from Virginia! I don't tumble much, so I can't help you, but I know someone will. We have the world's best tumblers here. No kidding.
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Post by As I in does tries! on Feb 13, 2020 16:53:04 GMT -5
Greetings from Scotland! 1: If your stones are mostly go after ten day they are too soft an are most likely to not take a high gloss polish anyway. Take a nail or pen-knife and try to scratch the stone, if it leaves a scratch the stone is too soft for tumbling, however if it leaves a metalic streak the stone is at least 5.5 on the Moh's scale of hardness and is suitable for tumbling! 2: Grooves = stone too soft leading to under-cutting, cracks are most likely due to Quartz it is hard being 7.0 on the Moh's scale of hardness, but it is very brittle. 3: You should be able to get X3 (0.3 micron Aluminum Oxide polish) from Homberg and Brusius or basic AO at Mineral Craft North (UK).
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Feb 13, 2020 17:20:27 GMT -5
Greetings from Scotland! 1: If your stones are mostly go after ten day they are too soft an are most likely to not take a high gloss polish anyway. Take a nail or pen-knife and try to scratch the stone, if it leaves a scratch the stone is too soft for tumbling, however if it leaves a metalic streak the stone is at least 5.5 on the Moh's scale of hardness and is suitable for tumbling! 2: Grooves = stone too soft leading to under-cutting, cracks are most likely due to Quartz it is hard being 7.0 on the Moh's scale of hardness, but it is very brittle. 3: You should be able to get X3 (0.3 micron Aluminum Oxide polish) from Homberg and Brusius or basic AO at Mineral Craft North (UK). Greetings to Scotland Thanks a bunch, these are great tips. Will check out these sources for polish asap, as my first tumble is sitting around after step three, just waiting to get polished
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,212
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Post by RWA3006 on Feb 17, 2020 19:02:00 GMT -5
Welcome.
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Feb 19, 2020 15:41:40 GMT -5
Hello from another European - Slovenian here Not close enough for regular meetings, but maybe we can go hunting together if you ever come to this part of Europe.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,665
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Post by Tommy on Feb 19, 2020 16:01:11 GMT -5
Welcome sheriam! You're not too far from some legendary rock and gem areas - in 2014 my wife and I traveled through your town on our way to visit Idar-Oberstein and the mineral museums there. What a fantastic trip - we stopped in Waldhambach which is to the east of you and the origin of very famous agates. Not sure what can still be collected there though. I found some of my best pieces in the small town junk shops such as one I found in Landau, and the tourist trap shops of Idar-Oberstein. I had to sort through all the tourist junk and ask the proprietors to show me anything they had that was local material to Germany. This started a love of the agate jasper thundereggs found in the black forest region - Lierbachtal agate.
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Post by TheRock on Feb 23, 2020 17:47:45 GMT -5
from Duke in SW/Michigan ,
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