goldfinder
Cave Dweller
Member since December 2020
Posts: 272
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Post by goldfinder on Aug 17, 2021 23:48:43 GMT -5
Howdy all!! I've recently been branching out into other minerals. We came across a variety of "beach agates". Many look quite nice as-is but there are quite a few that definitely need some help to bring out their true beauty. Some fellow agate folks who helped show us the ropes refered to the white stuff as "milk". For example the ones below all transmit light very nicely but have a thick white "milk" coating we'd like to remove. I've been researching and looks like a vibrating tumbler might be a good option as we like the natural shape of the agates. I'd already been thinking about getting a flat lap to polish other slabs I'd been cutting on the saws, would a flat lap work to remove the outer opaque material? I also have an older Lortone lx6 I was thinking of trying to use the sanding wheel. Any suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!! P.S. any clue what this last one might be? It's got very obvious banding and the same looking opaque white exterior but doesn't seem to transmit light. Next time I have my saw fired up I plan on slicing it. Maybe banded chert? Or some kind of dark agate?
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 10:32:21 GMT -5
goldfinder, I would get a rotary because I believe the "milk" is a layer that needs a very coarse grinding and vibes aren't meant for the coarse grind. Rotary's are also more cost effective. Also, the bottom one looks like "salt and pepper" granite to me.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 18, 2021 11:41:40 GMT -5
I'll take the contrarion opinion. The vibe will remove a lot of that rind and what it leaves might add character or can be removed with a lap or wheel. The rumor is that vibes can't handle coarse grits and that's true if you are tumbling broken sharp edged rocks and trying for smooth. But its not the coarse grit they can't take, its the rough rock tumbled with coarse grit for long periods. But I almost always run a day or two 60/90 grit in my raytech vibe 5 and have used a couple of my bowls for several years. You are running beach stones and would be fine with a raytech. BTW one of the most economical and readily available vibes. But if you have an arbor and can do a bit of pre-grinding a few minutes followed by use of the vibe will replace weeks of rotary action. Tumbling beach material is a great sport. Tumble on.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 13:19:57 GMT -5
I'll take the contrarion opinion. The vibe will remove a lot of that rind and what it leaves might add character or can be removed with a lap or wheel. The rumor is that vibes can't handle coarse grits and that's true if you are tumbling broken sharp edged rocks and trying for smooth. But its not the coarse grit they can't take, its the rough rock tumbled with coarse grit for long periods. But I almost always run a day or two 60/90 grit in my raytech vibe 5 and have used a couple of my bowls for several years. You are running beach stones and would be fine with a raytech. BTW one of the most economical and readily available vibes. But if you have an arbor and can do a bit of pre-grinding a few minutes followed by use of the vibe will replace weeks of rotary action. Tumbling beach material is a great sport. Tumble on. I totally agree with this but like the fact you can run rough in a rotary. I think rotary is better for a beginner too. I don't have the raytech but I just got my sonic Saturday and like it a lot because it won't spray grit everywhere and doesn't need daily cleanouts.
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Uriah
starting to shine!
Member since August 2021
Posts: 38
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Post by Uriah on Aug 18, 2021 20:54:46 GMT -5
I have a bunch of "beach agates" I've collected over the years. Can't wait to see how these turn out. After i'm done with my first tumble of Nat Geo randoms, I want to polish up my beach agates. Keep us posted!
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 21:39:19 GMT -5
I have a bunch of "beach agates" I've collected over the years. Can't wait to see how these turn out. After i'm done with my first tumble of Nat Geo randoms, I want to polish up my beach agates. Keep us posted! Yeah! One word of warning, I have heard the Nat Geo polish was not great. I've also heard that the rockshed's grit and polish is great. If you have trouble with bad polish results, it is not your fault. Just buy a different brand grit and you will be turning out shiny rocks!
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Uriah
starting to shine!
Member since August 2021
Posts: 38
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Post by Uriah on Aug 19, 2021 9:10:46 GMT -5
I have a bunch of "beach agates" I've collected over the years. Can't wait to see how these turn out. After i'm done with my first tumble of Nat Geo randoms, I want to polish up my beach agates. Keep us posted! Yeah! One word of warning, I have heard the Nat Geo polish was not great. I've also heard that the rockshed's grit and polish is great. If you have trouble with bad polish results, it is not your fault. Just buy a different brand grit and you will be turning out shiny rocks! After joining this forum it became pretty clear to me that i needed to upgrade the grit, so I bought some grit from Polly Plastics. Assume that stuff will be better.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 19, 2021 11:18:47 GMT -5
Yeah! One word of warning, I have heard the Nat Geo polish was not great. I've also heard that the rockshed's grit and polish is great. If you have trouble with bad polish results, it is not your fault. Just buy a different brand grit and you will be turning out shiny rocks! After joining this forum it became pretty clear to me that i needed to upgrade the grit, so I bought some grit from Polly Plastics. Assume that stuff will be better. I have tried the polly plastics and it worked well for me. I do believe the final polish is considered a pre polish though but I had no problems with it.
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