krissykitty
starting to shine!
Member since May 2021
Posts: 25
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Post by krissykitty on May 8, 2021 20:46:03 GMT -5
Hey there, everyone I hope you're doing well today. This is my first time posting here, so I hope I'm doing everything correctly. I just recently bought a rock tumbler, a Lortone 33B. So excited to use it! I had watched a lot of videos online, particularly Michigan Rocks' videos on Youtube. I had heard him suggest that Tiger's Eye is a good material to tumble for starters, and I was interested in it so I decided to give it a shot.
I filled the tumbler approximately 2/3 full and used 1 cup of water and 3 tbsp of 60/90 silicon carbide grit. I did step 1 for a week and checked them. I do think a lot of them are turning out well, but I noticed some small, hairline cracks in a few. Some of the cracks are deep enough to feel even while the stone is wet, but the majority are very thin and fine, and I don't even know if I could feel them if the stone was dry.
I'm unsure if this just happens sometimes with the Tiger's Eye? I've been doing another batch of self collected rocks, and none of those have had any cracks like these. Are these cracks something that would stay throughout the entire process and be present on the final product? Is there any way to avoid it or fix it? I didn't have as many smaller rocks in this batch, or any cushioning, so I'm wondering if that could have caused it. I did see a video that suggested plastic tile spacers as filler, and I have those on hand so I plan to include them (and maybe a few small quartz pebbles) when I put the Tiger's Eye back in for a second week of Step 1. Any other tips for tumbling Tiger's Eye or just tumbling in general would be super appreciated as well! Here are some pictures of the cracks I'm talking about, hopefully they're okay.
Thanks so much for reading through. Hope you have a wonderful day!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 9, 2021 10:08:49 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
I don't tumble so I can't help you out with the tumbling, but to my eye it looks like those cracks were already there.
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treadledad
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2021
Posts: 48
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Post by treadledad on May 9, 2021 10:11:32 GMT -5
Unfortunately, that's a symptom of using crushed rock to tumble. The quality of the rough stone can be that way. In an ideal situation, I'd get larger pieces of rough and break them up with a hammer and chisel.
I have had better luck with the golden tiger's eye. In my experience, the red can be tough to get a decent polish on.
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stefan
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Member since January 2005
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Post by stefan on May 9, 2021 11:21:20 GMT -5
Looks like some Hematite in there too (the shiny metallic looking stuff).That will tend to undercut but overall the shape is looking good. Fractures are part of the game. You can smack them with a hammer (better to break them now before the break in a later stage and possibly ruin the batch). Welcome to the insanity!
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on May 9, 2021 17:10:40 GMT -5
Those look like some normal fractures in the rock. Like others mentioned above - you can proceed, or break them now with a hammer / chisel (opt) to break them along the fracture.
They actually don't look that bad to me for red tiger eye. I'd finish tumbling them and practice on your polish and shine methods, then next time you can be more picky about shape / fractures. Learn the process first and you will know what to do next time!
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Post by rockjunquie on May 9, 2021 17:15:58 GMT -5
Welcome from Virginia! I don't tumble, either. Sorry.
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Post by aDave on May 9, 2021 18:34:08 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum.
I've not tumbled red, but a lot of those look like heat cracks to me. And, since most red Tiger's Eye is heat treated, that would seem to make sense that they would appear. It's hard to say how deep those go, but just run the stuff for nothing more than the practice.
Keep plastic out of your first stage. You're looking to shape things, and the plastic only impedes the process. You're better off with plenty of filler material to take up space at this stage of your tumble.
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Post by jasoninsd on May 9, 2021 19:25:12 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from South Dakota! I haven't tumbled any Red Tigers Eye, but I was cutting some slabs and then some preforms for cabs the other day. I noticed it seemed like this material would have a propensity for small hairline cracks/fractures...for what that's worth.
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krissykitty
starting to shine!
Member since May 2021
Posts: 25
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Post by krissykitty on May 9, 2021 19:51:17 GMT -5
Wow, I knew this forum seemed great but I'm quite surprised at the activity and amount of responses I got! Thank you so very much, everyone And thank you all for welcoming me <3 I'm excited to stick around.
Overall, as a general reply to everyone: I'm excited to know that the cracks aren't from the way I was tumbling haha. I do think what aDave said about most of the hairline cracks being from the heat treatment makes sense. I think only one rock had anything more than hairline cracks (picture 2 and 3), and even then I think those cracks were quite shallow. I think I was mostly thrown off because typically when reading about tumbling Red Tiger's Eye, I was hearing of it being prone to bruising. However, I never heard any mention of cracks like these, and I'm surprised I hadn't at least seen them in photos previously.
This morning I threw them back into the tumbler for another week or so of 60/90 grit, I'm excited to see how they look next week!
Unfortunately, that's a symptom of using crushed rock to tumble. The quality of the rough stone can be that way. In an ideal situation, I'd get larger pieces of rough and break them up with a hammer and chisel. I have had better luck with the golden tiger's eye. In my experience, the red can be tough to get a decent polish on. treadledad, that's definitely useful information for me to consider! Down the road if there's anything I'm particularly specific about, I'll be sure to think about that when purchasing. What exactly would be the difference of breaking them up myself? I assume that crushed rock may have a chance to be naturally fractured or fractured from being crushed, whereas bigger pieces I could at least use those fractures to break the rock into pieces that are still of decent size? Would using a chisel possibly cause any fractures as well?
I actually got a few pieces of golden tiger's eye as well (not as many as the red), so I'm excited to see how those compare once I'm able to tumble them! Looks like some Hematite in there too (the shiny metallic looking stuff).That will tend to undercut but overall the shape is looking good. Fractures are part of the game. You can smack them with a hammer (better to break them now before the break in a later stage and possibly ruin the batch). Welcome to the insanity! stefan, definitely some Hematite in a few pieces, from what I know, yes! I remember Rob (Michigan Rocks) mentioning in one of his videos that they'd have some Hematite on them, and that he prefers to tumble it off. I think I may have the same preference, though I may not mind it so much, especially because I don't want to expect too much for my first batch. We'll see! Haha thank you, I'm excited to be a part of the insanity Those look like some normal fractures in the rock. Like others mentioned above - you can proceed, or break them now with a hammer / chisel (opt) to break them along the fracture. They actually don't look that bad to me for red tiger eye. I'd finish tumbling them and practice on your polish and shine methods, then next time you can be more picky about shape / fractures. Learn the process first and you will know what to do next time! saxplayer, thanks so much for your reply as well I definitely agree, this is definitely a practice run! I didn't expect them to turn out perfect for my first attempt. Low expectations, high hopes! I'm hopeful that tiger's eye would be a perfect candidate to practice polish and shine, as well. But no matter what, the process and experience has been fun Welcome to the forum. I've not tumbled red, but a lot of those look like heat cracks to me. And, since most red Tiger's Eye is heat treated, that would seem to make sense that they would appear. It's hard to say how deep those go, but just run the stuff for nothing more than the practice. Keep plastic out of your first stage. You're looking to shape things, and the plastic only impedes the process. You're better off with plenty of filler material to take up space at this stage of your tumble.
aDave, thank you so much Actually, what you've said makes perfect sense to me. I knew that they were heat treated, but I didn't put those two things together. I'm totally fine with the cracks being there, especially since they're hairline and almost seem as though they're under the surface, in a way. If they're on the final product, I think it will be very hard to feel them, if possible at all. I'm glad it seems that I didn't do something to cause them, haha!
I totally threw them back in this morning before checking back here, and added a small layer of the plastic filler. Next week though I'll probably remove it again, especially since it seems as though everyone's consensus is that the cracks were not due to the way I was tumbling. I did also add some small self-collected quartz pebbles this time around, and I think I'll go out and gather some more for next time, as well.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
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Post by waterboysh on May 10, 2021 8:04:24 GMT -5
I'm interested in seeing how these turn out. I've got 4 lbs of Tiger's Eye (3 of which are red) that I'll be starting after the current batch is over. Probably in about a month, maybe a little less. This will be part of my second batch, along with a couple of other type stones. Keep us updated on how they turn out!
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treadledad
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Member since February 2021
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Post by treadledad on May 10, 2021 8:48:27 GMT -5
treadledad, that's definitely useful information for me to consider! Down the road if there's anything I'm particularly specific about, I'll be sure to think about that when purchasing. What exactly would be the difference of breaking them up myself? I assume that crushed rock may have a chance to be naturally fractured or fractured from being crushed, whereas bigger pieces I could at least use those fractures to break the rock into pieces that are still of decent size? Would using a chisel possibly cause any fractures as well?
I actually got a few pieces of golden tiger's eye as well (not as many as the red), so I'm excited to see how those compare once I'm able to tumble them!
The industrial machinery used to crush rock is pretty violent and imprecise. Taking a hammer and chisel to larger rocks is more precise and you control where the rocks break. You can take advantage of existing cracks and minimize creating new fractures. Sort of like the difference between splitting firewood with an ax and just running the wood through a chipper.
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krissykitty
starting to shine!
Member since May 2021
Posts: 25
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Post by krissykitty on May 10, 2021 21:43:55 GMT -5
I'm interested in seeing how these turn out. I've got 4 lbs of Tiger's Eye (3 of which are red) that I'll be starting after the current batch is over. Probably in about a month, maybe a little less. This will be part of my second batch, along with a couple of other type stones. Keep us updated on how they turn out! Oh hey, I actually happened to see your post and that you had some red/gold Tiger's Eye that you plan on tumbling. I'm interested to see your process! I definitely can try to throw some updates into this thread as well treadledad, that's definitely useful information for me to consider! Down the road if there's anything I'm particularly specific about, I'll be sure to think about that when purchasing. What exactly would be the difference of breaking them up myself? I assume that crushed rock may have a chance to be naturally fractured or fractured from being crushed, whereas bigger pieces I could at least use those fractures to break the rock into pieces that are still of decent size? Would using a chisel possibly cause any fractures as well?
I actually got a few pieces of golden tiger's eye as well (not as many as the red), so I'm excited to see how those compare once I'm able to tumble them! The industrial machinery used to crush rock is pretty violent and imprecise. Taking a hammer and chisel to larger rocks is more precise and you control where the rocks break. You can take advantage of existing cracks and minimize creating new fractures. Sort of like the difference between splitting firewood with an ax and just running the wood through a chipper.
That makes sense! Thanks so much for your response and for explaining it to me. Definitely great info to keep in mind!
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tumblee
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2021
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Post by tumblee on May 11, 2021 1:00:24 GMT -5
Those cracks look superficial to me, like they may polish out. If that pattern matches on both sides I would use them as filler. The gold I'm tumbling has some porous streaks that wont polish, and if traverses them, I will have more filler also. Threw some lace agates in with the rough tiger to inspect next weekend. Pics soon. Looking forward to yours also.
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krissykitty
starting to shine!
Member since May 2021
Posts: 25
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Post by krissykitty on May 11, 2021 13:33:56 GMT -5
Those cracks look superficial to me, like they may polish out. If that pattern matches on both sides I would use them as filler. The gold I'm tumbling has some porous streaks that wont polish, and if traverses them, I will have more filler also. Threw some lace agates in with the rough tiger to inspect next weekend. Pics soon. Looking forward to yours also.
I'm hoping that's the case and that they will polish out! Interesting observation about the cracks matching on both sides. I do think the one in my first picture had similar cracks on the back as well (and it's a thinner piece). I will have to see if they match up once I take it out again around Sunday, if they're still there. Mexican Crazy Lace Agate may be up there in the list as another stone I may want to polish, it's so pretty. Very excited to see your pictures, I will definitely try to post mine as well to keep this thread updated on how these cracks go! Overall I think I may keep the red Tiger Eye mostly by itself. I definitely plan on adding a few chunks of gold Tiger Eye, and using self-found Quartz pebbles as extra filler. I might add some Snakeskin Jasper at some point down the road, but we will see.
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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 May 11, 2021 16:30:52 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Delaware I've not tumbled red, but a lot of those look like heat cracks to me. And, since most red Tiger's Eye is heat treated, that would seem to make sense that they would appear. It's hard to say how deep those go, but just run the stuff for nothing more than the practice. Keep plastic out of your first stage. You're looking to shape things, and the plastic only impedes the process. You're better off with plenty of filler material to take up space at this stage of your tumble. Red Tiger Eye doesn't exist in nature. It is made by heating golden Tigers Eye and if not done carefully the heating process can cause those cracks.
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krissykitty
starting to shine!
Member since May 2021
Posts: 25
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Post by krissykitty on May 12, 2021 11:28:59 GMT -5
Red Tiger Eye doesn't exist in nature. It is made by heating golden Tigers Eye and if not done carefully the heating process can cause those cracks.
Thank you for linking some videos! Both of those are very helpful.. and that first one is quite satisfying haha! Very cool.
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