firespot
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2020
Posts: 1
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Post by firespot on Oct 20, 2020 21:40:00 GMT -5
Ok...so I am new to tumbling. Bought a National Geographic tumbler off Amazon. Came with a bag of stones and four step grit. Followed the instructions, tumbled for the amount of time suggested. Stones came out smooth, but dull, not the shiny gems I expected. Anybody wanna help the new guy out? Did I miss something? Thanks.
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Post by stephan on Oct 20, 2020 21:45:16 GMT -5
Pictures might help the pros give you specific guidance.
Welcome to the forum from NorCal.
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stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
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Post by stewdogg on Oct 20, 2020 22:21:56 GMT -5
That National Geographic tumbler sets people up to fail. They only include grit through the pre polish stage and don't provide any actual polish. You need to pick up some AO polish... go to the website www.therockshed.com Look up Aluminum Oxide Polish. Oh yeah, Welcome to the forum and pictures are everything around here.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 20, 2020 23:31:10 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from South Dakota. I highly recommend The Rock Shed. Great people with which to deal, great material - both grit and rough!
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Oct 21, 2020 6:58:50 GMT -5
Ok...so I am new to tumbling. Bought a National Geographic tumbler off Amazon. Came with a bag of stones and four step grit. Followed the instructions, tumbled for the amount of time suggested. Stones came out smooth, but dull, not the shiny gems I expected. Anybody wanna help the new guy out? Did I miss something? Thanks. I got the same tumbler, same results. You need a proper polish for the final step, as the #4 grit that comes with the Nat Geo tumbler is not really a polish, it's more of a pre-polish. Get some AO polish (I use TXP) and you'll see results you are happy with.
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 21, 2020 7:55:31 GMT -5
Welcome from Virginia.
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rocket
spending too much on rocks
Quality slabs for quality cabs in 2022
Member since September 2020
Posts: 292
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Post by rocket on Oct 21, 2020 7:58:46 GMT -5
After my first tumble turned out like that I added a step 5...borax and shaved ivory soap...several hours later my rocks looked better
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Oct 21, 2020 8:05:54 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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thecrystalisle
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 142
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Post by thecrystalisle on Oct 21, 2020 9:18:30 GMT -5
Welcome! I have the same hobby tumbler and got the same results. I second joshuamcduffie and stewdogg. Patience in giving it plenty of time to roll is important, and the additional step and polish is what gets it to be glassy. That hobby tumbler is an introductory kit that won't give professional results so maybe your expectations were a little bit too high, but go a couple more rounds with polish and your disappointment should be amended. Good luck!
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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 Oct 21, 2020 10:42:41 GMT -5
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Post by Pat on Oct 21, 2020 10:52:21 GMT -5
Welcome from California. I'm not a tumbler, but follow the advice on this forum, not the directions that came with your tumbler. There are expert tumblers here. Good luck!
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Prov
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2020
Posts: 116
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Post by Prov on Oct 25, 2020 18:33:25 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from Texas. These guys are good, listen to their advice, it's what's gotten me this far!
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
Posts: 1,360
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Post by lookatthat on Oct 26, 2020 15:19:50 GMT -5
Hi there! Generally i find that the instruction to these things don't include enough time in the earlier stages. Try with the real polish, and if you don't get the results you want, you may have to back up a few steps and run things through longer.
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irlcjrohr
starting to spend too much on rocks
If it does not melt, polish it.
Member since April 2020
Posts: 123
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Post by irlcjrohr on Oct 26, 2020 21:13:27 GMT -5
Ok...so I am new to tumbling. Bought a National Geographic tumbler off Amazon. Came with a bag of stones and four step grit. Followed the instructions, tumbled for the amount of time suggested. Stones came out smooth, but dull, not the shiny gems I expected. Anybody wanna help the new guy out? Did I miss something? Thanks. Welcome, I started with the same setup 2 years ago. I still like the tumbler and use it for my first stage tumbles. Watched a lot of You Tube and bought this book, Gemstone Tumbling, Cutting, Drilling & Cabochon Making: A Simple Guide to Finishing Rough Stones Paperback. I then found this site and have been reading for the past few months. There are good recipes for tumbling on the forum. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/board/22/rock-tumbling
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stewdogg
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 388
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Post by stewdogg on Oct 27, 2020 23:17:19 GMT -5
Hello fellow Wisconsinite! What part of the state are you from?
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Post by Mel on Oct 28, 2020 9:47:15 GMT -5
That National Geographic tumbler sets people up to fail. They only include grit through the pre polish stage and don't provide any actual polish. You need to pick up some AO polish... go to the website www.therockshed.com Look up Aluminum Oxide Polish. Oh yeah, Welcome to the forum and pictures are everything around here. Came here to say exactly this. Every complaint I've ever heard about poor results is from Nat Geo grit. It's (apparently, as I have never used it) not great. Without seeing a photo, I would also suggest running your rocks a little more in the medium/fine grit stages, and burnishing between final grit & polish stages. Burnishing (soap + water + rocks) also cleans your barrel out nicely Welcome to the forums! You're about to get into a crazy fun hobby with some awesome people to advise you.
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jlcochran42
starting to shine!
Member since July 2020
Posts: 29
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Post by jlcochran42 on Oct 30, 2020 22:45:17 GMT -5
Ok...so I am new to tumbling. Bought a National Geographic tumbler off Amazon. Came with a bag of stones and four step grit. Followed the instructions, tumbled for the amount of time suggested. Stones came out smooth, but dull, not the shiny gems I expected. Anybody wanna help the new guy out? Did I miss something? Thanks. Sorry about your luck with the NG tumbler...I had one to start off as well and it ended up getting cracked because of the tumbling. I think it's a good economical way to get started without having to put a whole lot of money into the hobby at first, but if you find yourself enjoying it, get a better tumbler and like people have suggested, a more fine polish (14000 AO).
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Nov 4, 2020 13:25:46 GMT -5
Welcome from the Desert Southwest! Without reading all of this, I don't think that there is a problem with your tumbler or the grit that you fed to the rocks. The problem is often with the cheaper grits, and instructions that many kits give you. They just are not complete enough to bring the best results. They are however sufficient to make huge profits though! Just take a quick look around the RTH and not only will you find all of your answers, but encouragement to run those same rocks to completion. Also, pictures are greatly appreciated and will help diagnose issues a lot easier! Here is what my first batch looked like after following the kit instructions to the letter: Just know that nothing is lost! Most all of your rocks can be still be rounded, polished, and more pleasing in the end!
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Nov 5, 2020 15:29:26 GMT -5
I am also new to tumbling and got the Dr.Cool ""Pro"" tumbler, which I think is the exact same as the National Geographic tumbler. I put double quotes around "Pro" because that's what they call it but I knew very well that it's not a pro machine. However, it's a step up from the plastic toys and it seems to be a good introduction for me. What I found after reading more about tumbling and watching many Youtube videos is that I also think that NG and Dr. Cool do not provide enough grit in the sample packets. When I watch videos and see people putting something like 5 full tablespoons of grit in a 3-lb tumbler, that's a lot more than what's in the little sample packets. So, it is probably not enough to get a good grind or polish. I also bought my first set of grit (on Amazon) and the 1200 grit polish is a lot finer than the "polish" grind of the Dr. Cool samples.
I am hoping my second batch comes out well... I am at the last burnish step in Borax, and I am unveiling tonight :-)
Now I need to convince my spouse that I should invest in a better, double-tumbler :-)
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