HuntingHuron
starting to shine!
Member since October 2020
Posts: 39
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Post by HuntingHuron on Dec 13, 2020 18:32:37 GMT -5
HuntingHuron - Sent you a message about them. Minimum is 55 pounds. You are going to need FF or FFF. I'm waiting for confirmation from them what the particle size works out to. Ahhh, so my 155lb total must have made me qualify as a customer. That likely means I'll have to get 50lbs of 500 SiC and 5lbs of AO when I scrape up enough dough for next time .
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Post by Mel on Dec 13, 2020 19:00:57 GMT -5
Heh. If you DO buy some FF or FFF, can you let me know? I'm waiting to hear if they will sell me a sample size amount.
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Dec 14, 2020 10:58:26 GMT -5
I'll have to wait until I "graduate" from my little Dr. Cool single-barrel tumbler to something more serious before I can justify buying grit in 55lbs+ quantities :-)
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Dec 14, 2020 11:01:11 GMT -5
@huntinghuron how do you capture and reuse AO? I thought that the grits and polishes break down and become ineffective after a while. Or maybe that's just for the coarse grits? Thanks.
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Chris Sikk
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 73
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Post by Chris Sikk on Sept 18, 2021 16:06:59 GMT -5
Back to the pellets, I tried my first burnishing run with pellets that I got from sacrificing some stuffed animals. I see why people like ceramics and even smalls, it was a bit messy. After reading some other threads, I see people talking about the fact that they float and can easily be skimmed off. I will try that next, but it won't be as easy for me with my little 3# barrels, I assume.
I am going to check out surface prep as well. My local shop sells grit and polish, but they must buy it in large batches and separate it for sale. So, I am not sure of the quality. Shipping in Canada costs more than flying humans across the sea for some reason. So, I may have to find another solution if I want to experiment with other polishes.
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HuntingHuron
starting to shine!
Member since October 2020
Posts: 39
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Post by HuntingHuron on Sept 19, 2021 19:12:46 GMT -5
electrocutus - sorry I missed your post after all of these months. Yes, I use a strainer and pour the contents onto it, with a clean container underneath to capture the AO polish liquid. I rinse the barrel a couple of times to capture as much as possible. I let the container sit a day so that AO polish settles to the bottom, and slowly pour off the water (only) into a bucket. I do this a couple of days until the thick AO mud is left behind. I let it dry to a solid, break it up a bit and put it in a container for re-use. I do add a bit of "virgin AO polish" with each new polish-stage tumble though. I live near Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge. I have given up on purchasing grit anywhere in Canada. My last purchase came from the Rock Shed. I use the services of Cross Border Pick-ups to keep my costs down. If you sign up with them, you get a free US address. For my wife and I it is Niagara Falls, NY. It is much more reasonable to ship from Rock Shed to a US address. CBP takes care of the rest for a reasonable fee + the duty / taxes. Once notified, I pick it up at their depot in Mississauga when it arrives there. On my last purchase I had saved at least 2 bucks / pound on my grit and polish compared to Surface Prep - even when you figure in the USD/CAD exchange rate. Buying it anywhere else in Ontario would cost even waaay more than that. Regarding pellets, I've mad my last purchase on Amazon.ca. Paid $52 for 2lbs, and found a receipt in my package mistakenly left in their by the retailer. I saw that they paid $19 USD before reselling to me, so I complained about the price gouging. They gave me some story, and refunded me 10% - still gouging in my mind. I will buy that from Rock Shed in the future too unless I find a better supplier. Fortunately they last long, and although not convenient to use, I have a bit of a routine now that makes it less painful.
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electrocutus
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 331
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Post by electrocutus on Sept 20, 2021 8:01:34 GMT -5
Thanks for the info @huntinghuron .
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