van
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2020
Posts: 9
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Post by van on Jul 9, 2020 15:19:25 GMT -5
I have a lot of small rocks varying in size from a pea to a grape. When I load them in the barrel it seems very compacted. I’m wondering if there needs to be more gaps or space between them to polish well. In the past I have added a few smaller rocks to batches of larger ones. They turn out nice but I would like to do more than a few at a time. Any thoughts?
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Post by miket on Jul 9, 2020 15:46:41 GMT -5
I'm not an expert necessarily, but I think that you should be fine as long as you don't overload the barrel. About 2/3 full is the general rule- although I sometimes cram a little more in... Someone can correct me if I'm wrong. And welcome to the forum!
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van
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2020
Posts: 9
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Post by van on Jul 9, 2020 17:01:30 GMT -5
Thank you, that is encouraging!!
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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 Jul 9, 2020 17:19:49 GMT -5
welcome to the forum van! shouldn't be a Problem
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Post by knave on Jul 9, 2020 18:57:18 GMT -5
A more common error would be not enough smalls. Smalls help with cushioning and you get more contact surface between rocks. Keep us posted! Good luck!
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van
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2020
Posts: 9
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Post by van on Jul 10, 2020 6:05:18 GMT -5
Thank you. I will know for certain fin a few weeks.
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Post by pauls on Jul 10, 2020 16:48:21 GMT -5
Welcome from Australia Van. A load of smalls will not be a problem. I have polished Garnets from pea size down to rice grain size in one batch, they worked well.
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gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
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Post by gatorflash1 on Jul 12, 2020 6:41:02 GMT -5
Do you have any mixed size media you can toss in with them to balance the load?
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 12, 2020 9:10:39 GMT -5
No worries, start rolling them....
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van
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2020
Posts: 9
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Post by van on Aug 10, 2020 12:57:50 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone for the comments and encouragement. I let the rocks tumble in stage 1 for 2 weeks. It might have been a bit too long for some but the majority of them looked great. Stage 2 tumble was 10 days. They were extremely smooth with no edges. I plan to leave them in the stage 3 prepolish for 10-14 days. So far so good. I added 1 fairly larger piece of Unikite when I started the small rock experiment, it looks amazing!! Thanks again!!!
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