av8rmarc
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2020
Posts: 5
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Post by av8rmarc on Apr 25, 2020 20:30:42 GMT -5
Hi all, total newbs embarking on our first tumble here! We’ve got some beautiful samples from Greece that are already perfectly smooth from the ocean. Just trying to get that wet look and bring up the color like they had when we found them. Do we need all the steps or is it possible to pick up where the ocean left off and go straight to polish? Thanks!
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Post by knave on Apr 25, 2020 20:42:21 GMT -5
I would recommend at least a week in each grit.
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Post by Starguy on Apr 25, 2020 20:47:57 GMT -5
av8rmarcDitto. Stones usually take weeks to months in coarse grit. In your case, the ocean already did the coarse tumbling for you.
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Post by manofglass on Apr 25, 2020 22:11:38 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from Michigan
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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 Apr 25, 2020 22:31:09 GMT -5
Yes you can. However you may not like the outcome. Worth a try though! Experimentation will lead you to victory!
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Post by RocksInNJ on Apr 25, 2020 23:17:28 GMT -5
You can, but keep in mind that how they look now is pretty much how they will look in the end but with a shine.
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av8rmarc
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2020
Posts: 5
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Post by av8rmarc on Apr 26, 2020 8:00:41 GMT -5
Thanks very much everybody! We ended up starting it last night with the coarse grit since the cylinder was loaded so maybe we will run a short trip through all the grits and then emphasize the polish stage and see what we get.
Many of the before/after photos I see with the significant loss of material then are after many months of coarse grit then?
By way of introduction we are a family in Baltimore, Maryland with two rock collecting girls ages 12 and 9.
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rockstock
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 472
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Post by rockstock on Apr 26, 2020 8:42:47 GMT -5
I don't have much experience, but I will share this. I had a stone that was naturally smoothed and thought may be I could skip some lower grit wheels and it ended up being dullish after drying compared to starting at the most coarse which finished with the sparkly shine that did not go away.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 26, 2020 9:02:36 GMT -5
Thanks very much everybody! We ended up starting it last night with the coarse grit since the cylinder was loaded so maybe we will run a short trip through all the grits and then emphasize the polish stage and see what we get. Many of the before/after photos I see with the significant loss of material then are after many months of coarse grit then? By way of introduction we are a family in Baltimore, Maryland with two rock collecting girls ages 12 and 9. Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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Post by manofglass on Apr 26, 2020 11:04:36 GMT -5
Beach stones only need a couple weeks in the coarse grind but I finish them in the tv5 vibe California beach stone is what my load is
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av8rmarc
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2020
Posts: 5
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Post by av8rmarc on May 9, 2020 13:58:44 GMT -5
Wow losing a lot more material than we expected - some of the 1/2” stones are down to fingernail size fragments. Guessing these Mediterranean beach rocks are not as hard as expected. We shortened the subsequent grinds and are on polish now, we‘ll post the end results after another week or two.
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
Posts: 1,360
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Post by lookatthat on May 9, 2020 16:09:32 GMT -5
It sounds like they are pretty soft... are they in with harder material? Usually recommended to have all stone in a tumbler a similar hardness to eachother.
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av8rmarc
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2020
Posts: 5
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Post by av8rmarc on May 9, 2020 19:24:53 GMT -5
Hi lookatthat, they are all from the same beach, but of varying sizes - maybe with softer stones we need to go less time on the little guys and keep them separated.
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Post by RocksInNJ on May 10, 2020 22:44:35 GMT -5
Hi lookatthat, they are all from the same beach, but of varying sizes - maybe with softer stones we need to go less time on the little guys and keep them separated. Just because they are all from the same place doesn’t mean that they are all of the same hardness or the same type of rocks.
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av8rmarc
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2020
Posts: 5
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Post by av8rmarc on May 14, 2020 19:19:46 GMT -5
Good point, RocksinNJ. It was a volcanic beach so all kinds of stuff was likely spat up.
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Post by tims on May 17, 2020 22:01:54 GMT -5
I've had decent results skipping the first stage (80 SiC or whatever) when using naturally smoothed material, and generally I skip that first stage with tumbled cabs also. The result is that sharp edges get rounded a bit and minor abrasions and saw marks get smoothed out, but you don't lose nearly as much material and things keep their shape better than when they roll through stage 1.
Some RTHers are seriously good at tumbling and can tackle softer materials with great results, but for a beginner I'd really recommend using the hardest rocks you can get. Hard material like agate, jasper, chert, quartz etc. is usually much more forgiving so you can just follow a known recipe and get a good shine. Patience can be the hardest part.
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cactusfire
starting to shine!
Member since September 2016
Posts: 31
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Post by cactusfire on May 23, 2020 21:59:21 GMT -5
I just got done with a batch of sweetwater agates that I skipped the first two steps and went straight to polish. I am pleased with the results.
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