skye
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2020
Posts: 13
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Post by skye on Oct 10, 2020 18:40:44 GMT -5
Hey yall! Im about to start tumbling my first batch of fluorite and i'm super excited! Do you have any tips for this newbie?! It would be greatly appreciated
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rockstock
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2019
Posts: 472
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Post by rockstock on Oct 10, 2020 19:23:10 GMT -5
Don't do Fluorite as a newbie I haven't tried any yet but hear it's a difficult task, good luck see what happens!
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 866
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 10, 2020 21:03:57 GMT -5
Fluorite is soft and has some quirks, it is not beginner friendly...even experienced members have difficulty getting a polish on it. If you plan on tumbling it regardless...my recommendations: -You may want to preshape it using a dremel tool (or an angle grinder-for a larger piece)-since it wears down fast: you don't want to lose too much mass in a tumbler to grind off a specific defect -Tumble it only with other fluorite from the same origin -Start at a fine grit of SiC (120/220) rather than a coarse one (60/90) -Check daily during coarse grind-pull individual pieces out if they are acceptable -Use plastic pellets if you start to see it chip or fracture during coarse-continue to use cushioning at all other stages: I recommend plastic pellets-backfilled to 3/4 barrel. (Preferably pellets that have already been through polish) -If using plastic pellets then keep the SiC exposed pellets separate from the AO ones to prevent SiC carrying over to later stages (for harder stones-not as concerned) -If your pieces start to show new chips/fractures then increase the amount of cushioning via raising the water level Note: During shaping I've had success adding polished quartz gravel (to replace shaped material removed from the barrel), I hand-select the quartz pieces in advance so there are no odd shapes which can create bruising. As for polish: I cannot comment on rotary polish. I have never rotary polished any of this material. Vibe tumbling is pretty easy on smaller pieces using a thick slurry. I have not vibe polished any large pieces yet. If your fluorite is embedded in quartz...then you have a different set of issues (e.g. Photo #6 Snakes and Stones). Good Luck!
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skye
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2020
Posts: 13
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Post by skye on Oct 11, 2020 22:42:33 GMT -5
Thank you so much!
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