nettle
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by nettle on May 12, 2021 9:50:36 GMT -5
Welp. Rock tumbling is an exercise in patience even before getting started on the first tumble.
Started with a FB ad for some lovely emerald rough (honestly its probably just beryl but it's pretty). Then I was thinking, oh this is lovely, I wonder what it will look like polished?
So I buy an inexpensive Raytech Tumble-Vibe 5 and some random grit and ceramic media.
Think that even with as inexpensive as this vibe is, that it is a bit too much to justify for just a handful of emerald rough. Buy some lapis and some honey opal.
Wait.
Wait some more.
Vibe arrives! Excitement! (lets not talk about the awful "instructions")
Rest of the stones, grit and ceramic media however is lost in the USPS system somewhere between CT and ME.
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Post by Pat on May 12, 2021 11:08:50 GMT -5
Good luck! We were advised to start tumbling rocks. Bought a little vibrating tumbler and grits. Went home, added the first grit, rocks, plugged it in, turned it on.... and waited... and waited. Hummed along nicely. And waited. Checked progress. Ha! When it wasn’t done by dinner, I pulled the plug.
Good little tumbler. I use it to polish/clean silver, copper, and red brass for jewelry projects.
I’m not a tumbler, but I’m glad some people are.
Welcome from California. Patience!!
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Post by paulshiroma on May 12, 2021 16:28:17 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! Glad to meet you.
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Post by rockjunquie on May 12, 2021 16:31:25 GMT -5
Welcome form Virginia!
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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 May 12, 2021 16:44:43 GMT -5
Welcome from Wisconsin. Yes an "exercise in patience". The forum for tumbling has help for processes.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 12, 2021 19:29:08 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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Post by jasoninsd on May 12, 2021 23:32:06 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from South Dakota! ...and the journey begins! (Well, it's "starting" to begin...once the grit gets there, then it will have begun! )
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nettle
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by nettle on May 18, 2021 15:27:12 GMT -5
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stonemon
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2017
Posts: 1,024
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Post by stonemon on May 18, 2021 15:42:19 GMT -5
Welcome from western Oregon!
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Post by opalpyrexia on May 18, 2021 15:45:07 GMT -5
Welcome from Washington.
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nettle
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by nettle on May 27, 2021 12:16:48 GMT -5
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Post by rockpickerforever on May 27, 2021 13:31:19 GMT -5
Looks to me that your rocks have varying degrees of hardness in them, i.e, softer matrix, harder crystals.
Do not be surprised if you get a lot of undercutting. They will come out lumpy, not smooth.
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nettle
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2021
Posts: 4
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Post by nettle on May 27, 2021 14:56:04 GMT -5
Looks to me that your rocks have varying degrees of hardness in them, i.e, softer matrix, harder crystals. Do not be surprised if you get a lot of undercutting. They will come out lumpy, not smooth. Yeah, that is definitely the case, and I knew that going into it. I'm starting with a stage 1 in rotary to try to reveal as many of the crystals as I can, and because of the vast difference in hardness (also intense curiosity) I'm checking them daily.
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Post by rockpickerforever on May 27, 2021 19:32:49 GMT -5
nettleThat's great that you're giving it a go. Just didn't want you to be let down.
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