wr426f63
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2020
Posts: 8
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Post by wr426f63 on Jul 21, 2020 3:52:28 GMT -5
Hi all. I am new to rock tumbling as of about a week or so. Been waiting for my UV-10 (Vibratory) for almost 2 months. Been collecting and cutting rocks etc. for a while but new to tumbling. Look forward to an exchange of info when appropriate.
Did have a question. I've done a few tumbles in this first week or so. Just trying to learn as much as i can. I have noticed that the muck (as I call it) builds up quite a bit after a day or so. Becomes very difficult to keep the rocks moving. I've over watered and under watered already for sure. Assuming I'm in the sweet spot is this a problem that is normal or am I doing something wrong. It's gotten so bad that I have stopped the batch, rinsed out and started fresh again. I tumbled my first step 2 batch starting on Saturday night. On Sunday after about 30 hours it was so mucked up it was barely moving any more. I nursed it along adding little spritzes of water every few hours but it just didn't seem like the action was good enough to keep going so I stopped and rinsed out. The rocks seem pretty good actually and so I'm going to step 3 on all but a few I picked out to re-run. Mostly just wondering if this is normal or am I missing something.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 766
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Post by lordsorril on Jul 21, 2020 5:41:03 GMT -5
If you are seeing a thick watery mud on the bottom of the barrel then your rocks are still spinning. Thick slurry moves to the bottom edge of the barrel and is coating your rocks as it spins.
If you are seeing dry mud that has the rocks stuck to the lid and forming a solid mass that rolls: Then you have a rock or multiple rocks being dissolved in the barrel by the grit or being heavily chipped away at by the collisions. Tumbling rocks of dissimilar hardness or adding too much grit can create this problem.
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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 Jul 21, 2020 7:53:05 GMT -5
A vibratory tumbler is not good for Stage 1 tumbles which are better done with the rotary machines. Stage 1 removes the most material from the rock and this is what you are experiencing. The correct word for Muck is "Slurry".
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Post by knave on Jul 21, 2020 8:05:38 GMT -5
Sounds like you may have some soft material. You will be happiest starting out with mohs 7 rocks like agate, jasper, quartz etc
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jaime
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2020
Posts: 16
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Post by jaime on Jul 22, 2020 1:28:28 GMT -5
I threw some rocks I found at the river in a batch once and they completely dissolved with the agates I was tumbling—which made for a whole lot of muck.
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wr426f63
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2020
Posts: 8
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Post by wr426f63 on Jul 24, 2020 3:44:46 GMT -5
All great replies guys thanks. Unfortunately I am probably guilty of just about all things mentioned. First, grit wise, instructions suggested 6oz, or if you don't have a measuring cup 6 tablespoons. This is kind of dumb since a tablespoon is only half an oz. I have since backed it down to 4oz roughly. Also I had a bright idea, or so I thought, I have a play area in my yard to which I added mixed gravel when my daughter was young. Now as an empty nester I thought why not clean some of it and see if it works as media. Don't laugh, this actually worked quite well. I cleaned the rocks, then tumbled them with only about a dozen large agates and quartz rocks in step 1 120/220 grit for 2 days. Then I tumbled the whole thing in dawn for a couple hours and cleaned it all thoroughly. Then I took stones from 2 previous step 1 batches (again agates, quartz and some granite) and ran step 2 (500 AO) and added some of the gravel as media. Tumbled that for 2 days then ran polish for 2 1/2 days. 90% of the rocks came out quite nice and as a bonus many of the gravel stones to my surprise came out like the bubble gum bags of rocks you buy and the gift shop. There were bunches of little agate and quartz pieces in the mix and they look awesome. What didn't come out nice was the pieces of what look like sandstone as well as the granite rocks I put in. The granite I think just needs another run through all the steps but everything else looks pretty good. I did have a lot of slurry along the way, I'm sure because of the sandstone gravel, but also because of putting to much grit I think. Also it is worth mentioning this was my first week of having a rock tumbler (UV-10 vibe) and so there is not doubt I did other things wrong, I.E. to much water, to little water etc. I had soup at one point and then woke up to a frozen dried up batch another morning. I'm learning. All in all I got some pretty shiny agates and some awesome quartz pieces. Prepping for my next batch already with a little more knowledge in hand.
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Post by rmf on Jul 24, 2020 6:13:10 GMT -5
wr426f63 Your vib tumbler is not the best choice for coarse as previously stated by Wooferhound. That said, because a vib tumbler cuts faster this is exactly what you get...more mud. Vib tumblers are real good for things you want to stay close to the original shape. the sharp edges on your stones in coarse grit make then tumble less efficiently. Plus the coarse grit excessively grinds the barrel. However, if you do your coarse in a rotary and they get rounded you can do the med, fine and polish in the vib with no trouble. And in about half the time as a rotary. If you do casting or metal work the vib is the best tool for metal.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,676
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Post by Fossilman on Jul 26, 2020 9:12:04 GMT -5
You will get the recipe down pat soon enough.....Thumbs up
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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 2, 2020 7:09:04 GMT -5
Hi all. I am new to rock tumbling as of about a week or so. Been waiting for my UV-10 (Vibratory) for almost 2 months. Been collecting and cutting rocks etc. for a while but new to tumbling. Look forward to an exchange of info when appropriate. Did have a question. I've done a few tumbles in this first week or so. Just trying to learn as much as i can. I have noticed that the muck (as I call it) builds up quite a bit after a day or so. Becomes very difficult to keep the rocks moving. I've over watered and under watered already for sure. Assuming I'm in the sweet spot is this a problem that is normal or am I doing something wrong. It's gotten so bad that I have stopped the batch, rinsed out and started fresh again. I tumbled my first step 2 batch starting on Saturday night. On Sunday after about 30 hours it was so mucked up it was barely moving any more. I nursed it along adding little spritzes of water every few hours but it just didn't seem like the action was good enough to keep going so I stopped and rinsed out. The rocks seem pretty good actually and so I'm going to step 3 on all but a few I picked out to re-run. Mostly just wondering if this is normal or am I missing something. Thanks in advance for any advice. Here is a book I always recommend for a newbie. It has lots of great detail and makes the process of tumbling rocks more successful. It will for sure keep the frustration level down. rocktumbler.com/book.shtml
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