|
Post by parfive on Mar 2, 2020 1:49:40 GMT -5
I’m not sure what I’m looking at. What is this contraption? It’s an inexpensive tile saw. You can grind (clean up) your tumbling rough on the side of the blade and cut the real uglies in half right through the vug. The real uglies . . . those rocks you couldn’t get decent in umpteen courses of coarse.
|
|
shardy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 110
|
Post by shardy on Mar 2, 2020 2:12:37 GMT -5
Nose I’m not sure what I’m looking at. What is this contraption? It’s an inexpensive tile saw. You can grind (clean up) your tumbling rough on the side of the blade and cut the real uglies in half right through the vug. The real uglies . . . those rocks you couldn’t get decent in umpteen courses of coarse.
|
|
Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
|
Post by Benathema on Mar 2, 2020 2:27:01 GMT -5
those rocks you couldn’t get decent in umpteen courses of coarse. I resemble that remark...
|
|
whyofquartz
spending too much on rocks
So, Africa is smaller than I expected...
Member since December 2019
Posts: 316
|
Post by whyofquartz on Mar 2, 2020 9:03:52 GMT -5
Well i hope all you Senior tumblers are proud of yourselves. Thanks to you i don't have nearly as many rocks ready for pre-polish as i thought. I am no longer satisfied with the post-coarse finish on my rocks even though i had already put them through 220. A bunch of rocks will be going back to coarse for an extended rolling tumble untill the really craggy and really hard ones are either smooth or gone. You can thank the tumbler manufacturers for the bogus instructions. Them wanting you to think the first and subsequent grits can be complete in a week don't make it so. Totally unrealistic directions. But if everyone knew it takes considerably longer to get well rounded and finely polished rocks, fewer tumblers would be sold, right?
Carry on, you will become more patient over time. it ended up being about 50/50 and i think had a lot to do with hardness. also i had a dual problem of over filling my barrel and using too similarly sized stones. i think i was getting closer to 4/5 than 3/4. the changes i have planned are to get 60/90 instead of 80 and use the Dremel I have on the way to smooth out or enlarge any holes or creases that are trapping grit and not getting polished now
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Mar 2, 2020 9:45:40 GMT -5
You can thank the tumbler manufacturers for the bogus instructions. Them wanting you to think the first and subsequent grits can be complete in a week don't make it so. Totally unrealistic directions. But if everyone knew it takes considerably longer to get well rounded and finely polished rocks, fewer tumblers would be sold, right?
Carry on, you will become more patient over time. it ended up being about 50/50 and i think had a lot to do with hardness. also i had a dual problem of over filling my barrel and using too similarly sized stones. i think i was getting closer to 4/5 than 3/4. the changes i have planned are to get 60/90 instead of 80 and use the Dremel I have on the way to smooth out or enlarge any holes or creases that are trapping grit and not getting polished now Continue to ask questions, but knowledge will come with experience. Remember, it is not, rocket science. There are many different ways to accomplish the same thing. And lastly, do the rocks to your satisfaction. They are ready to move on when they make you happy.
|
|
whyofquartz
spending too much on rocks
So, Africa is smaller than I expected...
Member since December 2019
Posts: 316
|
Post by whyofquartz on Mar 2, 2020 11:12:30 GMT -5
it ended up being about 50/50 and i think had a lot to do with hardness. also i had a dual problem of over filling my barrel and using too similarly sized stones. i think i was getting closer to 4/5 than 3/4. the changes i have planned are to get 60/90 instead of 80 and use the Dremel I have on the way to smooth out or enlarge any holes or creases that are trapping grit and not getting polished now Continue to ask questions, but knowledge will come with experience. Remember, it is not, rocket science. There are many different ways to accomplish the same thing. And lastly, do the rocks to your satisfaction. They are ready to move on when they make you happy. I appreciate that, what I am feigning vexation over is that seeing the oiled-glass sheen some have achieved has made me rethink what "done in stage 1" means
|
|
|
Post by knave on Mar 2, 2020 11:48:18 GMT -5
Some run gooey slurry and high rpms. Some use 1/4 barrel water, no slurry, and low rpms, find your style and rock it.
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Mar 2, 2020 12:28:42 GMT -5
NIST Fact Checker finds a-week-apiece claim reasonable for last three stages and rates manufacturers’ instructions 75% satisfactory.
Said Wilbur, “Might be a doozy, but only one pant on fire.”
|
|
|
Post by joshuamcduffie on Mar 2, 2020 13:12:24 GMT -5
NIST Fact Checker finds a-week-apiece claim reasonable for last three stages and rates manufacturers’ instructions 75% satisfactory. Said Wilbur, “Might be a doozy, but only one pant on fire.” I'm only able to check in on my rocks once per week, and I've been getting 75% satisfactory results that way. Occasionally I need an additional week or two.
|
|
|
Post by knave on Mar 2, 2020 13:43:22 GMT -5
Is it pre rounded river rock or lumpy old Montana moss? Makes a huge difference. Personally my ideal is stage 1 until you can’t feel any rough spots on the rocks.
|
|
|
Post by broseph82 on Mar 2, 2020 21:15:26 GMT -5
Put your hand into the barrel and dig around a little. If your rocks have rough grit on them and aren’t just snotty keep it going. If it’s all smoothed snot then I think you’re good to proceed with clean out
|
|
|
Post by joshuamcduffie on Mar 2, 2020 21:25:17 GMT -5
What to look for? It's whatever you want in terms of finished pieces. The coarse stage, as mentioned above, will dictate how your rocks will look at the end of all of your stages. I don't mean to seem harsh, but it shouldn't matter how any one of us evaluates rocks to move on to the next stage - it's really all on you and what you want. If you're not concerned about "perfection," then a couple of weeks in coarse may be sufficient. If you want flawless rocks, then you may be rolling stuff for months. At the end of the day, it's on you to make that decision. What I like, or what others like, should have no bearing on your own work. YOU have to make your own decision. It's really as simple as that. If you keep in mind that the coarse stage pretty much dictates how your roks will appear at the end of all stages, then there should be no surprises at the end of your runs. As somebody who hasn’t done this before, I just didn’t know what to expect. I’m always nervous about grinding away too much of the rock or small patterns, but I do want them to still look nice. I guess if they look nice enough to me while wet that’s what matters? I like my rocks lumpy. Also, the patterns shouldn’t grind off. They should go clean through
|
|
reynedrop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 204
|
Post by reynedrop on Mar 2, 2020 21:31:28 GMT -5
those rocks you couldn’t get decent in umpteen courses of coarse. I resemble that remark... Your graph is initially deceptive.
|
|
reynedrop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 204
|
Post by reynedrop on Mar 2, 2020 21:37:08 GMT -5
I’m not sure what I’m looking at. What is this contraption? It’s an inexpensive tile saw. You can grind (clean up) your tumbling rough on the side of the blade and cut the real uglies in half right through the vug. The real uglies . . . those rocks you couldn’t get decent in umpteen courses of coarse. (Yes I know I had a typo in the title- turns out typing on the mobile version of the website isn't super easy) That looks like something very useful but also something completely not practical for apartment living.
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Mar 3, 2020 1:25:18 GMT -5
Yes I know I had a typo in the title . . . Well, in that case . . . It’s easy enough to fix. All it takes is a little willpower and a tap of the edit button. : )
|
|
MommaGem
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 312
|
Post by MommaGem on Mar 3, 2020 10:00:34 GMT -5
Just a quick note that the stones you are tumbling right now - Fluorite, Moonstone, Labradorite, Opal - are pretty tricky to tumble even for more experienced tumblers. You may want to try some batches of Jaspers, Agates, or even Quartz to get a good "feel" for the rock tumbling process and your personal preferences, then come back to some of the more difficult stones?
And then specifically to your original question... I have had Mohs 7 stones spend up to 6 weeks in course... and as little as one week. Part of the learning process is to determine how you "feel" a finished rock should look. Some people prefer a really natural looking stone with some of it cracks and pointier shapes, while some people want really round stones with absolutely no blemishes whatsoever - you should find your own "happy place". All the other stages are only going to smooth the microscratches on the surface to prepaer it to take a polish, so all cracks, pits, and shaping you want needs to be completed in course.
Best wishes on your Rock Tumbling adventure!
|
|
reynedrop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 204
|
Post by reynedrop on Mar 3, 2020 20:40:17 GMT -5
Just a quick note that the stones you are tumbling right now - Fluorite, Moonstone, Labradorite, Opal - are pretty tricky to tumble even for more experienced tumblers. You may want to try some batches of Jaspers, Agates, or even Quartz to get a good "feel" for the rock tumbling process and your personal preferences, then come back to some of the more difficult stones?
And then specifically to your original question... I have had Mohs 7 stones spend up to 6 weeks in course... and as little as one week. Part of the learning process is to determine how you "feel" a finished rock should look. Some people prefer a really natural looking stone with some of it cracks and pointier shapes, while some people want really round stones with absolutely no blemishes whatsoever - you should find your own "happy place". All the other stages are only going to smooth the microscratches on the surface to prepaer it to take a polish, so all cracks, pits, and shaping you want needs to be completed in course.
Best wishes on your Rock Tumbling adventure!
No fluorite in this batch They are looking pretty great right now (I looked at them and put them back in on Sunday I think). My plan right now is to clean them up on Thursday and transition to medium grit (this is when knowing the size of the grits I have would be useful, but oh well). When I eventually do fluorite (and calcite! that's on my want-list!), I do have some corn cob to use... and will NOT make the mistake of tumbling with hard rocks again I read that pink opal is much easier to tumble than "clear" opals (and especially easier than precious opal) The pink opal I have is fairly uniform and thus far I have not had an issue of some parts wearing faster than others. Maybe I've been just been very lucky! I intend to add in plastic pellets for cushioning too, but I'm not sure if I should start that in medium grit or pre-polish. I'm also not sure if I want to do medium grit --> fine grit --> pre-polish --> polish or just medium grit --> pre-polish --> polish. It would be really helpful if the initial grits I had came with sizes... but I do have grits from Rock Shed now to use (apparently the "polish" that came with my initial grits is a 1000 Aluminum Oxide, which I read is NOT polish size). I have some jaspers (I can't remember if I put in quartz... but I think some different colored jaspers and mookaite) in my 3# tumbler right now. Why did I do these after the more difficult rocks? Honestly, because I had the 1# tumbler first and wanted to use the 3# tumbler for the stuff I wanted to tumble more of. I'm not somebody who typically does things in a recommended order. I don't think I would feel any more or less prepared having tumbled jaspers or "easy stones" successfully. Compared to something like math, where what you learn is "built upon" as you get into more advanced courses, tumbling rocks seems more like you have to gain experience in that particular rock, either personally or by social learning. I could be totally wrong here; tumbling jasper could be a great boon to how my pink opal comes out, but I guess I just don't see the connection yet. Anyway, tomorrow marks 1 week of coarse with the jaspers. I'm debating whether or not I want to clean out + look at them or if I want to keep tumbling, as I expect it'll go for another week, too. Probably won't hurt to clean out, examine, and refresh the grit; I'm just lazy and looking at how cold it'll be outside tomorrow. What I've taken away from everybody's advice thus far is if I'm not happy with how my stones look wet, they need more time in coarse. That is my benchmark now. ETA: I was thinking a bit more, and I think I misunderstood initially your point re: tumbling easier stones, just as a feel for the hobby (I guess liken it to squatting low weight to get form down before maxing?). I get that point. I also know myself well enough to know it probably won't matter for me. How I bake a 2 layer 8" yellow cake is very different from how I bake a 4 tier 6" ombre (white) cake (minus similarities in ingredients, technique is very different). In general I find my preferences (even for very similar appearing things) change based off of what I'm doing (eg, the cake) and thus I do think I'll end up with different preferences for different types of rocks. That's just me though. The biggest thing is that I'm okay if I ruin this batch of rock
|
|
reynedrop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 204
|
Post by reynedrop on Mar 3, 2020 20:46:16 GMT -5
Yes I know I had a typo in the title . . . Well, in that case . . . It’s easy enough to fix. All it takes is a little willpower and a tap of the edit button. : ) Bold of you to assume I have any willpower... There was a time (10 years ago) when any and all grammatical, syntax, or spelling errors online would irritate me. Now I honestly don't care that much (find it a bit pedantic honestly). My philosophy now is if you can get your idea across to the "average" human (eg, through context clues), you're fine.
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Mar 4, 2020 12:56:40 GMT -5
I resemble that remark... Your graph is initially deceptive. Since Ben didn't ask, I will. Why?
|
|
reynedrop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 204
|
Post by reynedrop on Mar 4, 2020 14:19:52 GMT -5
Your graph is initially deceptive. Since Ben didn't ask, I will. Why? The axis is shifted up. It’s a valid way to present this data, but when you just glance at it (eg, on mobile when the image is too small to clearly see labels), it seems like a more significant loss in the coarse grit.
|
|