AQuartzLow
starting to shine!
Member since November 2020
Posts: 44 
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Post by AQuartzLow on Jun 24, 2022 9:52:01 GMT -5
While I’ve not read your entire thread (but plan to- I love testing different methods/materials to tumble!), I was wondering, is there a reason you don’t use a vibratory tumbler? It would not be as violent as rotary tumbling for the softer stones and you’d definitely be able to get a very high, glossy shine on that orthoclase. (I realize this thread is specifically about rotary tumbling…I was just wondering. ☺️)
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Post by Bob on Jun 24, 2022 10:29:01 GMT -5
I'm asked that a lot. In 2014 when I started this hobby, a painful divorce was starting. I don't care for loud annoying sounds, and it bothered me even more then. Also, I'm not retired and travel a lot. Keeping it simple is important for me and when I read about the delicate dance that has to be done with vibes and water and checking every couple of hours and all that it starts to look more like a burden than fun. I like knowing that last night I recharged barrel #3, and that I can ignore it for 7 days.
When I travel, I can leave a list with my employee to turn off #1, #3, #5 barrels on which days, etc. and it's easy for her to do.
Some members have told me that I could get one solely for the polish stage. Eventually I probably will. Is that what you do or do you not have rotary at all?
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AQuartzLow
starting to shine!
Member since November 2020
Posts: 44
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Post by AQuartzLow on Jun 24, 2022 11:33:21 GMT -5
Ahh- I see. All good reasons!
Unfortunately, I’m much too impatient to wait months for rocks to polish. 😂 I usually only do the 1st stage in rotary, then the next 4* in vibratory. I also mainly tumble quartz (especially local blue quartz) and have quite a few feldspars/feldspar mixes. So, most of my stones are fairly fragile and have a lot of fractures/inclusions. The vibratory tumbler let’s me keep a closer eye on them and takes much less time. (Sometimes I’ll do a stage 2 in my rotaries if I have too much of a backlog for my vibes…but that’s rare.)
I also dabble in making cabochons and other (simple) rock carvings. However, I rarely polish on my cabbing machine, even though it ironically takes longer in the vibratory tumbler. I just can’t get the same shine on my machine as I get with my tumbler. Granted, this could also be due to my impatience…I may just need to spend more time perfecting my cabbing techniques. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I have a Lortone 3A (which is having trouble rolling right now- ARGH!), a Chicago Electric double rotary tumbler, and a Thumler’s AR6 (which just had a HUGE blowout yesterday!! ARGH!) I can understand the convenience of just letting the rotaries run since they’re (usually) pretty low maintenance. However, this is the 2nd AR6 lid hole blowout I’ve had and I’m pretty upset about it. 😡 What machines do you have that you can just let run with no issues?
(*I have a Lot-O twin vibratory tumbler. I do 120 SiO for ~2 days, then a “pre polish” in 600 SiO for ~2 days (mainly b/c I had some that came with a kit a while back), then a true pre-polish with 600 AO for ~2 days. Then polish for 12-24 hrs…I get incredible shine!)
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2022 12:37:09 GMT -5
BobSorry to hear that Bob. For the noise, I have a 3lb nat geo rotary and a lot o. To me the rotary is louder. The lot o is noisy but it’s a different noisy. I don’t think it is louder then the rotary.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2022 12:44:06 GMT -5
AQuartzLowHi! I’m originally from southern Virginia. I’m in Illinois now. I looked at your other thread of the blue Quartz that stuff is really pretty! Interested in selling some?
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Post by Bob on Jun 24, 2022 16:00:18 GMT -5
...What machines do you have that you can just let run with no issues? Currently, 1 x 40lb barrel, 2 x 20lb barrels, 3 x 12lb barrels, and 3 x 6lb barrels. Total of 4 tumbler bases. I have about 1 blowout per year in one of the 12lb barrels. If a rock I'm working on now continues, it will be my first rock so large that it will require a polish run in the 40lb barrel. In my job I'm usually looking *at least* 10 years into the future all the time and sometimes multiple decades. Leaving a tumbler alone for a week is nothing to me. It's easy for me to toss a rock back in if its got even the slightest imperfection. Last night I recharged a 20lb barrel. Maybe 10 rocks were put back in there in 80 grit solely because of each having a small pinhole a mm or less deep. |
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AQuartzLow
starting to shine!
Member since November 2020
Posts: 44
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Post by AQuartzLow on Jun 24, 2022 19:00:58 GMT -5
AQuartzLow Hi! I’m originally from southern Virginia. I’m in Illinois now. I looked at your other thread of the blue Quartz that stuff is really pretty! Interested in selling some? Sure! What are you looking for? Stones for tumbling? Rocks for cutting? Ready-cut slabs? I’ve got rough from marble sized to 40 pounders (though I’m not parting with those ones 😂😂) They polish beautifully…I’ll post pics in a new thread and tag you so as not to hijack this one. 😘 |
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AQuartzLow
starting to shine!
Member since November 2020
Posts: 44
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Post by AQuartzLow on Jun 24, 2022 19:06:18 GMT -5
Oh wow- you *really* tumble 😂 I’ve rockhounded all my rough- it was initially for me to make a backsplash in my kitchen with the blue quartz found (literally) under our house. Whilst I’m still working on that (slabbing/prepping the slabs takes time!), I’ve collected quite the rock-hoard (and not just the pretty blue quartz!) I told my husband that I need a larger tumbler (like a Thumler’s B) so that I could “get rid of my rocks.” He shrewdly said, “You don’t get rid of the rocks! You just change them!” 😂😂 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I'm a RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) and CFP (Certified Financial Planner) so patience comes with the territory. In my work I'm usually looking *at least* 10 years into the future all the time and sometimes multiple decades. Leaving a tumbler alone for a week is nothing to me. It's easy for me to toss a rock back in if its got even the slightest imperfection. Last night I recharged a 20lb barrel. Maybe 10 rocks were put back in there in 80 grit solely because of each having a small pinhole a mm or less deep. |
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Post by Bob on Jun 26, 2022 10:37:19 GMT -5
I just returned from Texas desert collecting more--not that I needed more but you know the addiction. Never had thought about it before in terms of how much, but what I purchase vs. collect is MUCH LESS than 1% of what I tumble.
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Post by Bob on Jun 27, 2022 0:31:54 GMT -5
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Post by Bob on Jun 27, 2022 6:24:54 GMT -5
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller 
Member since February 2022
Posts: 994
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Post by nursetumbler on Jun 27, 2022 8:51:45 GMT -5
   It's difficult to find much information about this material. I can't find its Mohs, but suspect it's way less than 5 given how fast it grinds. T was predicted. Unlike nephrite, where there were some slight surface differences, that didn't happen. Cer was slightly worse than others. I know you are trying to compair apples to apples (all done the same way) but now that your experiment is over with this material have you thought about maybe trying to dry tumble this in corn cob. I was able to persuade orchid calcite to give me more than a matte shine dry polishing. Kelly |
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Post by Bob on Jun 27, 2022 10:02:01 GMT -5
Kelly, it's amazing you mentioned that because only two weeks ago I bought some corn cob for the first time. Because I go to where jade occurs now and then (BC, China, WY), I will probably continue to have chances to tumble it. So my plan was to experiment with these alternate polishes a bit when I get the time.
I plan on keeping these 4 sets of rocks separate as I've thought of many further tests that could be done that I'm curious about, including:
- does burnishing improve the results after all 4 polishes?
- which cushioning in the polish run is best for the shine--plastic beads or very small rocks?
- what would happen with corncob, walnut shells, etc. for a polish run?
- let's say one is tumbling material X and T is the best polish for that. Would the following produce identical results? (1) first week in A, Cer, or Chr, then second week in T, or (2) both weeks in T
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Post by Bob on Jun 27, 2022 21:35:21 GMT -5
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 994
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Post by nursetumbler on Jun 27, 2022 23:53:04 GMT -5
Kelly, it's amazing you mentioned that because only two weeks ago I bought some corn cob for the first time. Because I go to where jade occurs now and then (BC, China, WY), I will probably continue to have chances to tumble it. So my plan was to experiment with these alternate polishes a bit when I get the time. I plan on keeping these 4 sets of rocks separate as I've thought of many further tests that could be done that I'm curious about, including: - does burnishing improve the results after all 4 polishes? - which cushioning in the polish run is best for the shine--plastic beads or very small rocks? - what would happen with corncob, walnut shells, etc. for a polish run? - let's say one is tumbling material X and T is the best polish for that. Would the following produce identical results? (1) first week in A, Cer, or Chr, then second week in T, or (2) both weeks in T @ petrifiedbob Crystal wisdom with Shannon Marie on YouTube explains dry polishing with corn cob. She said she got the information on how to do it, how much of each, polish/corn cob. Like I said I used it for orchid calcite and I got a pretty good shine. I posted photos in either this subject or tumbling photos. Search orchid calcite. They aren't the best but better than I expected. |
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Post by Bob on Jun 29, 2022 1:29:12 GMT -5
Thanks for that info nursetumbler.
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Post by Bob on Jun 29, 2022 1:33:31 GMT -5
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Post by Bob on Jun 29, 2022 23:26:23 GMT -5
   T is not a high shine, but it's by far the best shine I've ever got on this very difficult material, and no edge problems! Cer only tiny bit less shiny but some edge issues. Ditto with A but edge issues a little worse. Chr only satin but no edge problems. Though I tried to get all pieces alike starting, with this material there really is no such thing. Perhaps I should not have written not that great with T. This was in reference to not a perfect surface due to pits here and there. They all developed those in polish even though coming out of 1,000 SC were not there. |
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Post by Bob on Jun 30, 2022 22:59:20 GMT -5
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Post by Bob on Jul 1, 2022 19:52:18 GMT -5
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