jlcochran42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2020
Posts: 29
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Post by jlcochran42 on Jul 19, 2020 9:18:22 GMT -5
Hello all, this is my first post in this forum and I'm looking forward to learning a lot. So, the photo above is a few gemstones that I pulled from my first batch. I'm satisfied with the results, with exception to the shininess. My tumbling went like this: Stage 1 I used 60 Grit Silicone Carbide and tumbled for around two weeks. Stage 2 I used 180/220 Grit Silicone Carbide and tumbled for two weeks. Stage 3 I used 500 Grit Silicone Carbide and tumbled for two weeks. Stage 4 I used 1200 fine Aluminum Oxide and tumbled for two weeks. For Stage 5 I grinded up some ivory soap and let it run for around 12 hours with pellets. Is there anything I'm missing?
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 19, 2020 9:35:58 GMT -5
You need to also mention . . . What tumbler are you using ? How full is the barrel ? Anything else added besides the Rocks, Water and Grit ?
The Obvious problem I see is that 1200 is a Prepolish, you should run the rock one more time with 14000 AO polish.
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jlcochran42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2020
Posts: 29
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Post by jlcochran42 on Jul 19, 2020 9:50:08 GMT -5
You need to also mention . . . What tumbler are you using ? How full is the barrel ? Anything else added besides the Rocks, Water and Grit ? The Obvious problem I see is that 1200 is a Prepolish, you should run the rock one more time with 14000 AO polish. I've got two tumblers, but for this one I used a Lortone Rotary Tumbler. It was roughly 2/3 full. I did use plastic pellets for the last step.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 19, 2020 10:16:31 GMT -5
You need to also mention . . . What tumbler are you using ? How full is the barrel ? Anything else added besides the Rocks, Water and Grit ? The Obvious problem I see is that 1200 is a Prepolish, you should run the rock one more time with 14000 AO polish. I've got two tumblers, but for this one I used a Lortone Rotary Tumbler. It was roughly 2/3 full. I did use plastic pellets for the last step. What size Tumbler ? The results look like it was a 3 pounder ?
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jlcochran42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2020
Posts: 29
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Post by jlcochran42 on Jul 19, 2020 10:24:05 GMT -5
Yes it was a 3lb tumbler
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 19, 2020 14:33:17 GMT -5
I have the Lortone 3A and the 66QT. It took a few tries with the 3A but I did eventually get a very good shine out of it. It's not the easiest tumbler but you can do it. First - The rock on the far right-hand side in your picture may be causing some problems, It may not achieve a shine and will hinder the rest. Second - you need to have a good polish with such a small tumbler. After running 1200 AO for a week. Do your last polish run with 14000 AO polish. you can get it at Rock Shed cheap. At the bottom of this page labeled as AO polish but does not show the 14000 designation . . . www.therockshed.com/grit.htmlThird - for your polish run, add at least 1/3 plastic pellets and overfill it compared to all the other stages, maybe 8/10 or 9/10 full, make sure there is some air in there. It only takes a week for me but longer is better. You can just restart your rocks in their current condition in the polish.
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jlcochran42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2020
Posts: 29
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Post by jlcochran42 on Jul 19, 2020 16:25:31 GMT -5
I have the Lortone 3A and the 66QT. It took a few tries with the 3A but I did eventually get a very good shine out of it. It's not the easiest tumbler but you can do it. First - The rock on the far right-hand side in your picture may be causing some problems, It may not achieve a shine and will hinder the rest. Second - you need to have a good polish with such a small tumbler. After running 1200 AO for a week. Do your last polish run with 14000 AO polish. you can get it at Rock Shed cheap. At the bottom of this page labeled as AO polish but does not show the 14000 designation . . . www.therockshed.com/grit.htmlThird - for your polish run, add at least 1/3 plastic pellets and overfill it compared to all the other stages, maybe 8/10 or 9/10 full, make sure there is some air in there. It only takes a week for me but longer is better. You can just restart your rocks in their current condition in the polish. Thank you very much. I just purchased some. I was thinking about some of the rocks I had put in the mixture, and there are a several that have that rough texture like the one you pointed out. I may run the polish again until my order comes in.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 20, 2020 8:14:01 GMT -5
You can run your 1200 Prepolish for a few weeks, AO will Breakdown into smaller particles over a long period of time and will eventually become a polish in the process. However this does not happen quickly or effectively in a 3 pound tumbler.
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Post by greig on Jul 20, 2020 10:11:11 GMT -5
Here is my two cents. I am surprised your shine wasn't better, even with the 1200 AO. Is it possible that the barrel or rocks had some grit or small rock chips from prior stages? One way to make things "spic and span clean" is to clean the stones, media and barrel really well and then run for 20 minutes with clear water, prior to cleaning everything one more time and then doing a stage 4 polish. Any contamination will put tiny surface scratches on your rocks and ruin a polish.
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boisnake
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1
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Post by boisnake on Jul 20, 2020 12:21:16 GMT -5
Hi I’m not exactly new to rock tumbling. I have been using a toothbrush to clean the crevasses in the tumbling barrel. And then give the brush a really good washing. But in my recent batch, the problem appeared on the fine grit. I don’t use cushioning. I just finished the pre-polish stage. Thinking it would help my problem. When the stone is wet, it looks clear. When the stone is dry, it is hazy. I cannot wipe it off. And use a hose on a “jet” option to clean of the stones and remove any remaining grit. When wet: When dry: Is this normal? Or do I need to be doing something that I am not doing? And also is there a way to fix this problem? Can I go back to remove the small scratches?
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jlcochran42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2020
Posts: 29
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Post by jlcochran42 on Jul 26, 2020 12:40:19 GMT -5
Here is my two cents. I am surprised your shine wasn't better, even with the 1200 AO. Is it possible that the barrel or rocks had some grit or small rock chips from prior stages? One way to make things "spic and span clean" is to clean the stones, media and barrel really well and then run for 20 minutes with clear water, prior to cleaning everything one more time and then doing a stage 4 polish. Any contamination will put tiny surface scratches on your rocks and ruin a polish. I received my 14000 AO polish yesterday so I checked up on my latest run with the 1200 AO. Even removing the rough stones from the batch last week seemed to be an improvement by just first glance. I carefully inspected each of the stones prior to running it that last time and that may have done the trick by removing the ones that had imperfections and that naturally rough stones. Now I'm running the 14000 AO polish and will update next week on the final product. Thanks for everyone's input.
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,426
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Post by Wooferhound on Jul 26, 2020 17:38:05 GMT -5
Double Extra Good
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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 Aug 4, 2020 9:23:30 GMT -5
I'm willing to bet that the 14,000 AO will give you that wet look. Just give it time to work and maybe a half hour of burnishing when finished. rocktumbler.com/tips/burnishing/ ,in%20a%20thin%20soap%2C%20cover%20to%20prevent%20evaporation.
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Post by Mel on Aug 21, 2020 14:47:27 GMT -5
There's no right way to do things so see what works for you. So many great suggestions on this board!
Whenever I get hazy stones like that, I just run them at 600F for another week (220 for a week, then another week at 600 if they're really hazy). Then tumble in a load with polish (titanium dixide), cushioning media & a smidge of handmade soap (I should've been a hippy...), After that, a final cleaning tumble for 4-5 hours, with everything except the polish.
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Post by Bob on Sept 2, 2020 22:48:20 GMT -5
In your first photo, I see what looks like amethyst, rose quartz, milky quartz, some reddish carnelian maybe, a weird rock on right, and a lot of greenish rocks. What are those greenish rocks?
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