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Post by Original Admin on Oct 25, 2005 2:32:11 GMT -5
Ok - for those who like this stuff. I have this small batch on the go - its lost so much now after 48 hours in 80 that Im going to put it in 220 today and stick with the shapes I have.  Is where its at at the mo - the slurry is bright green - looks irradiated  One thing Ive noticed - is that as the rocks have ground down a bit - the outer swirls and patterens have been lost on some pieces which is a bit dissapointing. The main thing is the polish though - approaching this as a bit of a challenge. Will post more as they progress. Cheers Mark |
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Oct 25, 2005 3:00:29 GMT -5
Wow, Mark, you are tackling a toughy!!
Those look very well shaped coming out of their short visit to 80 grit. I presume the other stages will be equally shortened as well???
I think there are a lot of swirl patterns still there. They are just hidden by a bit of a rough surface after being scoured by 80 grit. They should re-emerge as you approach polish.
I've never tried to tumble anything anywhere near as soft as malachite. If you can pull this off, you will be a tumbling legend ;D
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Oct 25, 2005 3:12:24 GMT -5
Hi Mark. I quite agree I had a go afew years ago and But I didnt look in soon enough !!  Jack Yorkshire UK. |
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Post by Alice on Oct 25, 2005 6:56:23 GMT -5
they look great so far Mark.
Any thoughts as to what kind of polish you'll be using for this load?
Who knows... you may not even need to polish them. Maybe all you'll need is Tripoli.
Where did you get the tumbling rough?
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Post by Original Admin on Oct 25, 2005 8:34:09 GMT -5
Rollingstone - yes - I suspect the 220 and 600 phases will only need a day each. Its the softest rock Ive tumbled too - except for some amber I did which I left too long and the barrel was empty when I checked - ooops. Jack - yeah - there are 4 small chunks which have completely dissappeared already. Im keepin an eye in this. Alice - I have Cerium and Tin oxide to try. After that - I may ask the advice of the seller - hes a cool bloke. Its bought at manchester minerals - a shop over here in the UK. I get most stuff from there. Im hoping to get a good Malachite fridge magnet or two at least out of this. If it comes out well - I may spend £100 or so and do a big batch for a glass vase display type thingy |
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Post by rockds on Oct 25, 2005 8:37:12 GMT -5
Mark, results are pretty good and fast. If you were to do-over, would you do the 80 grit or would you skip the 80 grit and start with the 2nd stage grit? I plan to give it a tumble after i get some more exp. under my belt nad money in my pocket.
thanks,
robert
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Post by Original Admin on Oct 25, 2005 8:44:45 GMT -5
Robert - I'd skip the 80 as im stopping with these shapes for now (this batch being a tester and all) - so I'd probably be cautious and take it back to 220 if I need to - probably.
I think the main thing at the polish stage is a tonne of plastic pellets and a VERY VERY CLEAN barrell - IE a brand new one.
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Post by Cher on Oct 25, 2005 9:48:47 GMT -5
This is very exciting! I've been wondering about doing some myself but wasn't sure it was possible. Be sure to take pics after each stage, we'll be anxious to follow you through this. I have to agreen with RS, I think there's probably more swirls that you just can't see clearly right now.
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Post by docone31 on Oct 25, 2005 9:54:31 GMT -5
Malachite tumbles and looks reall great when it is done. I have never done any, but I imagine it is like turquoise. Real soft to work with.
I bet, unless the malachite is really ragged, 60/90 is not a good starting point.
I would love to see the finish result, and learn from the experience.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Oct 25, 2005 11:24:29 GMT -5
i think rollingstone is right about the swirls and patterns coming out more as you proceed to polish. so glad you are sharing this with us mark. can't wait to see more.
kim
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Rose
Cave Dweller 
Member since November 2004
Posts: 875
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Post by Rose on Oct 25, 2005 11:45:13 GMT -5
Hi Mark Good luck, I tried this once because I love the stuff - but its sooooo expensive and disappears so quickly !! I found the same things as you that the swirls disappear on the pieces, mine came out with a matt finish, sort of, they were very strage becasue a couple of pieces had like a band around the edges of them where they had taken a great shine but the rest of the stone didn't. But I didn't do them as a pure load which probably has something to do with it. If you get a shine on a pure load I may be tempted to try again ! They still looked nice with the matt finish though. |
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Oct 25, 2005 12:48:00 GMT -5
thanks for sharing mark- those are gonna be winners! can't wait to see em- in a couple of days!
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Debs
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2005
Posts: 1,252
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Post by Debs on Oct 25, 2005 13:24:04 GMT -5
Wow...love the color and shapes!
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Oct 25, 2005 13:32:22 GMT -5
Mark,
Ditto what the rest of the group said. I'll bet they're going to look great when you're finished with them. I agree with the swirls will probably come out in the polish. You can make them out if you look closely, and the polishing brings out the details. They'll look fantastic/ We all bow down to thy braveness!
Steve
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textiger
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2005
Posts: 946
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Post by textiger on Oct 25, 2005 13:45:35 GMT -5
Mark,
If things work out on these, I can imagine a run on malachite everywhere. Just think: rock tumbling completed in a week!
Good luck and keep those pix a-coming.
matt
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Post by Original Admin on Oct 25, 2005 17:56:33 GMT -5
Arrrrgghhh - such pressure dudes - I'll try my best!!! |
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Post by rockds on Oct 26, 2005 1:31:30 GMT -5
hey mark, do you know what type of polish you will be using?
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fragglerock
having dreams about rocks
Mmmmm Rocks.....
Member since October 2005
Posts: 73
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Post by fragglerock on Oct 26, 2005 6:26:47 GMT -5
I love this rock, I see a lot of it all the time but only real small chunks - I guess I'll have to buy some now!
I cant way to see how they come out.
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Post by rockds on Oct 27, 2005 0:28:10 GMT -5
Mark, 1 more ? - were did you get it and how much did it cost - I'm not finding it easy to find (in the rough).
thanks
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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 2, 2005 15:18:36 GMT -5
mark i was wondering how you are coming on this project?
kim
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