mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 16, 2020 1:30:19 GMT -5
The title is a bit of a lie, because I did do one batch a long time ago. But I've now forgotten everything about it, so consider this a fresh start I've started tumbling some finds of rose quartz from my recent trip to Hogg Mine in LaGrange, GA. Here's some in the field: I'm following the process from this site: rocktumbler.com/rough/rock-crystal.shtmlI chose a sample of some "decent" pieces because I want to save the good stuff for after I make sure the process works. I started with 1lb of quartz: To this I added a mix of sizes of ceramic media, and 3 tablespoons of coarse grit. With the water, it's right at the tumbler's 3lb limit. See you all next week!
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Post by As I in does tries! on Feb 16, 2020 4:02:31 GMT -5
Greetings mrhomescientist from Scotland, I think you really need to re-read that article as I read is as 80% (2.5lb) rock and 20% (10oz) media, also remember the rotary works on volume not weight!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 16, 2020 11:31:02 GMT -5
The weight rating on a barrel is more of a size for comparison to other barrels. It is not a limit on the capacity of the tumbler. You should fill the barrel properly and do not be concerned about the actual weight.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Feb 16, 2020 11:38:50 GMT -5
If that barrel is your first stage, it shouldn't have any ceramics in it. You'll just wear out your ceramics really fast and they're not helping much. They're also taking up room that you could be using for other rough rocks. In the first stage, just fill the barrel to about 3/4 then add your grit and water. As Wooferhound said, don't worry about the weight. Each week, pull out the rocks that are ready for the next stage and add more rough rocks. Move on to the next stage when you have enough rocks set aside from your weekly clean outs. You can use your ceramics in the stages after the first.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 16, 2020 12:02:56 GMT -5
Huh, interesting. So my tumbler is a 3lb unit. The manual for it says "DO NOT exceed the 3lb limit". It's actually a ball mill, meant for grinding chemicals into a fine powder - unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=87&products_id=976So maybe that's the difference. The article says: "Fill the barrel 2/3 full with a mix of 20% media and 80% rock crystal." I took that to mean 2/3 of the volume, so I put in enough rock to get just shy of that, then filled with media to get it the rest of the way. "Add two level tablespoons of coarse grit per pound of material and cover the rocks completely with water." I took "material" to mean contents of the barrel, so rocks and media combined. That's why I added 3 tbsp, because the total weight was about 1.5lb. So that's not correct, then? Should I abandon this run and start over? It's been tumbling for about a day and a half now.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Feb 16, 2020 12:52:22 GMT -5
I don’t know anything about ball mills, so I could be wrong about how much to fill it. I was talking about rock tumblers. I actually contacted Lortone with the question about how much to fill a barrel once because the question comes up here fairly often. They said not to worry about the weight. Of course, if you filled the barrel with lead or something really dense, that might cause a problem. I don’t want to mislead you with bad info about your particular machine.
I fill to 3/4 by volume and then add water down a bit from the top of the rocks. I go pretty light on water and usually only use a half cup in a three pound barrel. Most people say to go to the bottom of the top layer of rocks. I use 3-4 tablespoons of grit in a three pound barrel.
Here’s a video of exactly what I do. I use a 12 lb. barrel in this video and finish in a vibratory tumbler, so there are some differences. It should show basically what I do in the first stage though.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Feb 16, 2020 12:52:40 GMT -5
Hmmm , I used a Ball Mill 30 years ago while working at a fireworks company. We ran the mill outside, away from the building in case it exploded or caught fire. Steel balls are used in them and they weigh a lot, we never worried about the weight at all.
That ball mill looks a lot like a Lortone 3A which is a 3 pound tumbler that I have. Never once weighed the contents.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 21, 2020 19:09:52 GMT -5
Jugglerguy Oh cool, I didn't realize you were Michigan Rocks! I've seen several of your videos and really enjoyed them. Your tumbling cabinet is super cool, did you make it or buy it? Week 1 is up, so here they are fresh out of the barrel. Wet: Dry: It sounds like rocks are ready for the next stage when there are no rough spots at all, right? So looks like most if not all of these should go back in. What about the tiny fragments? Throw 'em back in? And you recommend getting rid of the media at this point and just fill it to 3/4 with more rough rock?
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Post by aDave on Feb 21, 2020 20:01:55 GMT -5
It sounds like rocks are ready for the next stage when there are no rough spots at all, right? So looks like most if not all of these should go back in. What about the tiny fragments? Throw 'em back in? And you recommend getting rid of the media at this point and just fill it to 3/4 with more rough rock? "Yes" to all of your of your questions, especially if you are trying to get as close to smooth and flawless rocks as possible. Now, I'm just speaking to dealing with surface flaws such as cracks, pits, and crevasses. I'm not speaking to fractures that run through the rocks, as you'd never get those out. I mention this as quartz can be prone to fracture during the tumbling process.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 21, 2020 20:07:59 GMT -5
Yeah several of them definitely have deep fractures that aren't going away. I'll still keep them in, they might turn out interesting. Fill out the space, at least. This is just the test run anyway; I'm saving my good stuff until I see how these turn out.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Feb 21, 2020 20:28:43 GMT -5
Jugglerguy Oh cool, I didn't realize you were Michigan Rocks! I've seen several of your videos and really enjoyed them. Your tumbling cabinet is super cool, did you make it or buy it? Week 1 is up, so here they are fresh out of the barrel. Wet: Dry: It sounds like rocks are ready for the next stage when there are no rough spots at all, right? So looks like most if not all of these should go back in. What about the tiny fragments? Throw 'em back in? And you recommend getting rid of the media at this point and just fill it to 3/4 with more rough rock? I built it. Drummond Island Rocks built one like it and inspired me to make one of my own. It's been working great.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 24, 2020 9:14:13 GMT -5
I started Week 2 on Sunday, following your recommendations. Returned the stones to the barrel, filled it to 3/4 with rough quartz, 3 tbsp of coarse grit, water the just below the rocks (150 mL, a bit over half a cup), no media. See you next Sunday!
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 24, 2020 9:56:06 GMT -5
How was the Hogg Mine? I've been wanting to go! Post a trip report if you have any pictures, and have the time!
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 24, 2020 15:51:40 GMT -5
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sheriam
starting to shine!
Member since December 2019
Posts: 34
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Post by sheriam on Feb 28, 2020 16:17:59 GMT -5
I don’t know anything about ball mills, so I could be wrong about how much to fill it. I was talking about rock tumblers. I actually contacted Lortone with the question about how much to fill a barrel once because the question comes up here fairly often. They said not to worry about the weight. Of course, if you filled the barrel with lead or something really dense, that might cause a problem. I don’t want to mislead you with bad info about your particular machine. I fill to 3/4 by volume and then add water down a bit from the top of the rocks. I go pretty light on water and usually only use a half cup in a three pound barrel. Most people say to go to the bottom of the top layer of rocks. I use 3-4 tablespoons of grit in a three pound barrel. Here’s a video of exactly what I do. I use a 12 lb. barrel in this video and finish in a vibratory tumbler, so there are some differences. It should show basically what I do in the first stage though. Thanks for the video! These are some beautiful stones there
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Mar 1, 2020 13:23:44 GMT -5
Started week 3 today. The ones on the left are what I consider ready for the next stage. I'll keep those out until I have enough to progress. The ones on the right are wet so they look better, but they were still rough so they're going back in with a few new rough rocks. A few of them have surface cracks that have collected some grit/mud way down in there that I can't get out. I threw this one back in the tumbler, but how would you handle something like this?
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Mar 2, 2020 13:45:06 GMT -5
Have you let your rocks dry out with slurry on them, that will make it really stick into cracks. I've had good luck cleaning the rocks using a rotary tumbler. Place rocks in there and fill To The Top with water and add a small amount of Detergent, Borax is used a lot around here, I have had good results with Dawn Dishwashing Soap. Tumble for an hour or more, don't let them dry out until polished.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Mar 2, 2020 15:25:05 GMT -5
Not fully dry, but they were left out of the water while I sorted them for probably 20 minutes or so. Enough for one side to be dry to the touch, but the other still wet. The ones with mud in the cracks were put back into the tumbler for another round with coarse grit, so we'll see how they turn out. I'll have to try that cleaning operation if that doesn't work out, thanks.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Mar 4, 2020 10:46:24 GMT -5
I do that cleaning step between each Stage of tumbling to insure that the rocks are clean and grit-free before starting the next stage.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Mar 5, 2020 17:30:22 GMT -5
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