lparsons
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 276
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Post by lparsons on Oct 10, 2021 12:37:14 GMT -5
I’m certainly no tumbling veteran, I’ve only been at it for 18 months now. But this morning I was reloading my vibe, measuring grit, and water... making sure the bowl was full enough by adding ceramics. As I was doing all this I started thinking about what I had learned about tumbling.... THE HARD WAY!!!🤣🤣🤣 1. I don’t like following instructions so I probably used way too much grit (to speed things up🤣) 2. I’m impatient and curious so I checked my rotary’s load wayyy to often (like every couple days🤣) 3. And then.... this is where it gets bad🤣 I’m currently on my third vibe tumbler bowl😞 (head hung in shame) yep... my bowls ended up cracked and scratched to pieces because I wouldn’t follow instructions. I used too much and too coarse grit, rocks that weren’t properly rounded ( ok, ok ... they hadn’t been in the rotary at all!🤣 Also, to add insult to injury , I didn’t know the purpose or see the need to use ceramics. And finally... if I didn’t have a full bowl I would just run a small amount ... which of course just ground the bottom of the plastic bowl away. 🙄🙄🙄 Well, I’m not sure what brought this “confession”🤣 about..... maybe because it’s Sunday and I have a bad headache so I skipped church. You know the whole, “ confession does the body good.” But I was just curious whether or not anyone else had to learn the hard way as I have and wanted to make me feel a little better.🤣🤣🤣
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Post by Peruano on Oct 10, 2021 14:01:08 GMT -5
Hey, he who has not made some of these mistakes, has a new tumbler that they are afraid to use. Lets be honest, vibratory tumblers are made for smooth rocks. I have polished dozens of loads of stones in my vibe but always starting with preforms, or beach stones (already rounded somewhat), and specially selected stones (on basis of shape, lack of divets, and suitability for taking a polish). The one time I started with rough chalcedony pieces, I could tell they were going to lock together and not move right so I corrected the mix right away. I've destroyed a couple of bowls, one when a large rock became lodged in the bottom (between the wall of the bowl and the center pillor) and decided to eat its way out through the side, and once when I used so much water that all of the grit stayed near the bottom and wore a ring all the way around the barrel (solution not so much water and soap to disperse the grit in the soap foam). If you had to follow the instructions completely you would not have near as much fun or learn as much.
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allbetzoff
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since November 2020
Posts: 77
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Post by allbetzoff on Oct 10, 2021 14:19:35 GMT -5
Your honesty is appreciated!
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 10, 2021 18:59:55 GMT -5
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steelheader
having dreams about rocks
Member since September 2021
Posts: 50
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Post by steelheader on Oct 10, 2021 22:57:23 GMT -5
Experience is simply the name we give to our mistakes Perhaps you maybe save the life of a bowl or two for someone else. Great idea for a thread.
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lparsons
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 276
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Post by lparsons on Oct 11, 2021 12:15:00 GMT -5
🤣🤣🤣🤣yessss, I’m so guilty! But I’m trying to atone for my (tumbling) sins and am reformed!
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lparsons
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 276
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Post by lparsons on Oct 11, 2021 12:22:16 GMT -5
Experience is simply the name we give to our mistakes Perhaps you maybe save the life of a bowl or two for someone else. Great idea for a thread. I think you’re right... I could be the poster child for “Don’t be this tumbler” 😂 But, sadly when I think about I guess you could call this my learning style.🙄🤣🙄🤣
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lparsons
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 276
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Post by lparsons on Oct 11, 2021 12:31:08 GMT -5
Hey, he who has not made some of these mistakes, has a new tumbler that they are afraid to use. Lets be honest, vibratory tumblers are made for smooth rocks. I have polished dozens of loads of stones in my vibe but always starting with preforms, or beach stones (already rounded somewhat), and specially selected stones (on basis of shape, lack of divets, and suitability for taking a polish). The one time I started with rough chalcedony pieces, I could tell they were going to lock together and not move right so I corrected the mix right away. I've destroyed a couple of bowls, one when a large rock became lodged in the bottom (between the wall of the bowl and the center pillor) and decided to eat its way out through the side, and once when I used so much water that all of the grit stayed near the bottom and wore a ring all the way around the barrel (solution not so much water and soap to disperse the grit in the soap foam). If you had to follow the instructions completely you would not have near as much fun or learn as much. Well thank you for sharing your misadventures🤣 I think the root cause behind my mistakes is that I’m so excited to see the finished stones I try to rush everything... 🤣🙄🤣
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osuguy0301
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 203
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Post by osuguy0301 on Oct 11, 2021 13:10:54 GMT -5
I haven't ran my tumbler in a few years, got busy with a bunch of other stuff. I just started a batch yesterday and I had to go through some of my old posts to find the recipe I was using for my Lot-o. What I thought I did and what I actually did was way off. Glad I double checked or mistakes would have been made.
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lparsons
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 276
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Post by lparsons on Oct 11, 2021 14:53:22 GMT -5
I haven't ran my tumbler in a few years, got busy with a bunch of other stuff. I just started a batch yesterday and I had to go through some of my old posts to find the recipe I was using for my Lot-o. What I thought I did and what I actually did was way off. Glad I double checked or mistakes would have been made. 🤔It’s funny how I “remember” things vs. how it really happened!🤣 But I run into trouble most of the time because I try to improvise..... but as I’ve learned, sometimes it works but NOT in rock tumbling
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afterburnt
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2021
Posts: 152
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Post by afterburnt on Oct 11, 2021 17:33:56 GMT -5
I feel for the OP messing up rocks is one thing, you can usually redo and salvage but damaging/destroying equipment tragic. My little plastic bowls are incredibly expensive for little plastic bowls. I haven't been tumbling for very long but have yet to make any real mistakes, not because of luck or skill but because of lazy. I hate rock tumbling so I am extremely cautious so I don't have to do it anymore than absolutely necessary lol.
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Benathema
has rocks in the head
God chased me down and made sure I knew He was real June 20, 2022. I've been on a Divine Mission.
Member since November 2019
Posts: 703
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Post by Benathema on Oct 11, 2021 18:05:58 GMT -5
Following instructions doesn't necessarily tell you WHY you're doing what you're doing. Once you know the WHY, then you can do whatever because you understand the foundational principles.
Pretty sure it runs in my family's DNA. We all seem to have to learn things the hard way.
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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 Oct 11, 2021 18:19:23 GMT -5
I bought my grandchildren who wanted to learn how to tumble a book. They were young teens and it helped being a source explaining the process from start to finish. It was $25 well spent and saved a ton of time learning the hard way. rocktumbler.com/book.shtml
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Post by Rockindad on Oct 11, 2021 18:29:54 GMT -5
How do you become better tomorrow? By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid of standing still. Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you. So how do you become better tomorrow? By becoming better today.
Benjamin Franklin
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