april
off to a rocking start
Member since November 2018
Posts: 9
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Post by april on Dec 13, 2020 15:40:54 GMT -5
I have some rocks that I really like, but they have deep cracks after 3 weeks of stage 1, and I'm thinking if I should keep tumbling or just quit on them. 2 of the 3 that I show here also have nice calcite veins that I wanted to keep, but afraid to loose since they seem to grind faster than the rocks themselves. It's only my second batch, so wanted to ask for advice what to do with such rocks.. Thank you for advice!
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 866
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Post by lordsorril on Dec 13, 2020 16:23:55 GMT -5
Your choices are: Live with the pits or split/cut them. The stones appear small-if I was dedicated to keeping them I would divide them in the following fashion and re-tumble.
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Post by Pat on Dec 13, 2020 16:26:55 GMT -5
...and then you would have twice as many
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Post by pauls on Dec 13, 2020 17:24:05 GMT -5
I agree with lordsorril. It's either that or grind the pits out and turn all that stone to mud, either way will give you better stones.
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Post by Mel on Dec 13, 2020 19:38:32 GMT -5
I'd cut off the rough areas if you can, or just use them as filler in stage one until cracks (and possibly most of the rock) is gone.
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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 Dec 14, 2020 9:25:38 GMT -5
Your choices are: Live with the pits or split/cut them. The stones appear small-if I was dedicated to keeping them I would divide them in the following fashion and re-tumble. I'd carefully break them up along the cracks and use them for smalls in my next tumbling batch. It really is not worth the effort trying to improve the appearance of these type of rocks. You can find better. rocktumbler.com/book.shtml
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Post by greig on Dec 14, 2020 11:27:39 GMT -5
They look like rocks that I collected last year on a beach in the Yukon. Some tumbled well and others were softer than I originally thought. Looks like you have mix of hardness too. The above advice to remove the cracks is good.
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kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Dec 15, 2020 6:27:42 GMT -5
One other thing you could try on several of the rocks is to dremel down the chipped areas so they are a smoother curved surface. It would take a while, but it would preserve the rock for you. The pale rock in the first picture on the right is most likely going to crack in half though no matter what you do.
There are a few ways you could try to minimize the fractures in your later batches. You can use plastic pellets or even fill in the spaces between the rocks with small gravel pebbles. I find that helps with quartz rocks which like to chip and crack.
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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 Dec 27, 2020 0:44:45 GMT -5
Since the topic of crack removal came up - How do you guys usually go about that?
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 866
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Post by lordsorril on Dec 27, 2020 12:44:17 GMT -5
Since the topic of crack removal came up - How do you guys usually go about that? I use a 3lb. sledge with a rock chisel--a few taps on the crack or the rock itself is usually enough to split them along the fracture plane. I don't bother with a vice because I don't need to apply a lot of force. Eye and hand protection are definitely required. I would probably use a saw if I had one, but, this works fine for my purposes. Note: Video has sound.
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