mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 8, 2022 16:16:36 GMT -5
Hey all, I'm working on tumbling some rough labradorite, and after finishing the last step I'm left with lots of shallow surface cracks filled with polish: This was done in a Lortone 3lb rotary tumbler. Here are the steps I followed. Unless noted, water was always used and the barrel was emptied and grit replaced each week. 2 weeks, no grit (just water) 3 weeks, 2 tsp #220 SiC 1 week, 3 tsp #500 AO 6.5 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings 1 week, 3 tbsp #1000 AO 7 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings 8 days, 3 tbsp AO polish 7 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings Any suggestions on how to improve? Besides the white cracks, the rest of the stone is perfectly smooth and shiny. Seems like no matter how much I run them there are always more cracks.
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
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Post by LazerFlash on Feb 8, 2022 16:50:48 GMT -5
Do the cracks only appear after the last step?
I will be interested in the response(s) to this post, as I've had issues every time I try to tumble labradorite. I never like the end result.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 9, 2022 11:12:11 GMT -5
Not sure about when they appear actually, since I kept everything wet through all the previous steps. I would have thought all those weeks in course grit should have gotten rid of cracks, especially since this is a softer stone.
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Post by fernwood on Feb 9, 2022 13:06:20 GMT -5
That is one of the challenges with this material. The cracks appear during the last stage. They were probably there all along. I have tumbled 3 batches of Labradorite. On the latch batch I used stage specific plastic pellets for all stages. A mix of 50% rocks and 50% pellets. About 75% of the rocks made it through with no cracks and all took a nice polish. I ran a borax clean between all stages and after final polish. Also used a soft toothbrush for any pesky grit/polish.
I did 60/90 SIC for 5 days. 120/220 SIC for 5 days. 500 SIC for 5 days. 1000 AO for 7 days. 10,000 AO (or whatever the final polish from The Rockshed is) for 5 days. The Borax runs were for about 24 hours each.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 9, 2022 14:45:06 GMT -5
Shoot yeah I forgot to mention I use stage-specific plastic pellets too. I've done mine at around 75% rocks and 25% pellets, but it's hard to measure that.
Your steps are much shorter than mine, that's interesting. I spent a long time with no grit and #220 because I'd run it for a week, take out one or two that seemed done, add in a few more rough pieces, and repeat until I had enough to run the next stage.
How much borax did you use, and what size was your barrel? I've been using Ivory soap instead of borax; is there a benefit of one vs the other?
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 548
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Post by LazerFlash on Feb 9, 2022 15:56:47 GMT -5
Not sure about when they appear actually, since I kept everything wet through all the previous steps. I would have thought all those weeks in course grit should have gotten rid of cracks, especially since this is a softer stone. Interesting... I thought I was the only one who kept their stones wet between stages. I have lots of 15oz leftover salsa and queso jars with water and stones in them.
What I also do between stages is to allow them to dry just enough to inspect for cracks and possible grit retention. I will say that I have noticed that the cracks in my tumbles seem to appear during my stage 4, (1000 AO). I have experimented with putting the lots back into stage 3, (500 grit), which seems to deal with the cracks, which frustratingly return after the second 1000 AO.
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 548
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Post by LazerFlash on Feb 9, 2022 16:06:10 GMT -5
2 weeks, no grit (just water) 3 weeks, 2 tsp #220 SiC 1 week, 3 tsp #500 AO 6.5 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings 1 week, 3 tbsp #1000 AO 7 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings 8 days, 3 tbsp AO polish 7 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings Wow... Your times seem kinda long. I know mine are on the short side by some standards, (about 7-10 days each stage). And, I noticed that you completely skip a coarse grit stage. I may try that on my next labradorite run.
Oh, and out of curiosity, why do you tumble for 2 weeks at the outset with nothing but water? I generally only give my rocks a rinse in a colander with a bit of Dawn and hot water before starting stage 1 (60/90 SiC grit).
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Post by fernwood on Feb 10, 2022 2:18:31 GMT -5
I used 1-2 TBS in a 3 lb barrel. The 2 was for the first two stages. It was a mix of Labradorite and Indigo Gabbro. Borax because I am allergic to Ivory Soap. This was pretty rough when I started. Didn't was to make them super smooth, hence the shorter tumble times. Planning on putting them in the Lot O this Summer. Before After
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Post by rmf on Feb 10, 2022 4:19:13 GMT -5
mrhomescientist The dings on image #2 look like classic peening due to a soft stone and not enough cushioning. Some of the other cracks in the other 3 stones in image 1 do not look too bad maybe a tad more grinding. But if you have access to an ultrasonic you may also want to try cleaning for 30 sec or a min to see if there is trapped polish.
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Post by fernwood on Feb 10, 2022 8:05:58 GMT -5
mrhomescientist The dings on image #2 look like classic peening due to a soft stone and not enough cushioning. Some of the other cracks in the other 3 stones in image 1 do not look too bad maybe a tad more grinding. But if you have access to an ultrasonic you may also want to try cleaning for 30 sec or a min to see if there is trapped polish. Yes, the addition of an ultrasonic helps a lot. I did the above batch before I had one.
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Post by broseph82 on Feb 10, 2022 9:04:17 GMT -5
Hey all, I'm working on tumbling some rough labradorite, and after finishing the last step I'm left with lots of shallow surface cracks filled with polish: This was done in a Lortone 3lb rotary tumbler. Here are the steps I followed. Unless noted, water was always used and the barrel was emptied and grit replaced each week. 2 weeks, no grit (just water) 3 weeks, 2 tsp #220 SiC 1 week, 3 tsp #500 AO 6.5 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings 1 week, 3 tbsp #1000 AO 7 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings 8 days, 3 tbsp AO polish 7 hours, 2 tbsp ivory soap shavings Any suggestions on how to improve? Besides the white cracks, the rest of the stone is perfectly smooth and shiny. Seems like no matter how much I run them there are always more cracks. I too have gotten both the cracks AND some beautiful results. Less rock more cushion. It will almost always happen at 500g or polish. For whatever reason. I can even run my stones in 40g with agates and they won’t crack or bruise. It’s always the later stages. Run it with a recipe for obsidian and it will do you better.
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Post by greig on Feb 10, 2022 11:03:51 GMT -5
Labradorite is a plagioclase feldspar (albite) and contains calcium. It is 6-6.5 MOHS. Any feldspar is difficult to tumble and tends to chip easily. I suspect the calcium adds to the complexity. It is beautiful when successful.
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LazerFlash
Cave Dweller
The more they over-think the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the toilet.
Member since September 2021
Posts: 548
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Post by LazerFlash on Feb 10, 2022 20:29:14 GMT -5
mrhomescientist The dings on image #2 look like classic peening due to a soft stone and not enough cushioning. Some of the other cracks in the other 3 stones in image 1 do not look too bad maybe a tad more grinding. But if you have access to an ultrasonic you may also want to try cleaning for 30 sec or a min to see if there is trapped polish. Yes, the addition of an ultrasonic helps a lot. I did the above batch before I had one. I'm wondering if a standard ultrasonic jewelry cleaner is what you all use?
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Post by fernwood on Feb 11, 2022 4:55:41 GMT -5
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 12, 2022 10:58:38 GMT -5
Fernwood, Wow only $30 for a cleaner? Sold! It wouldn't remove the cracks of course, but if it shakes loose the grit in there I'm sure that would help a lot. I'm surprised at how short your stages are. Looks like you got great results. For me, it takes many weeks to get them reasonably smooth and accumulate enough pieces worthy to move on to the next stage. Sounds like you use less grit and more cushioning. I'll give that a try next time.
Lazerflash, I do the first stage with just rocks and water because I read that suggestion somewhere around here. The stones are soft enough that they smooth each other out pretty well without grit. Although it does seem to go much faster with the 220.
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catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
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Post by catskillrocks on Feb 12, 2022 21:08:36 GMT -5
Fernwood, Wow only $30 for a cleaner? Sold! It wouldn't remove the cracks of course, but if it shakes loose the grit in there I'm sure that would help a lot. I'm surprised at how short your stages are. Looks like you got great results. For me, it takes many weeks to get them reasonably smooth and accumulate enough pieces worthy to move on to the next stage. Sounds like you use less grit and more cushioning. I'll give that a try next time. Lazerflash, I do the first stage with just rocks and water because I read that suggestion somewhere around here. The stones are soft enough that they smooth each other out pretty well without grit. Although it does seem to go much faster with the 220. mrhomescientist , if you add the @ symbol before a person's name it will turn orange, letting you know that the person you are tagging will be able see it. Just like I did to your nametag. Sometimes though, their tag is actually something different, so if you hover your mouse pointer over their name you will see how to actually tag them.
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mrhomescientist
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2019
Posts: 51
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Post by mrhomescientist on Feb 13, 2022 11:31:07 GMT -5
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momof2bs
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2021
Posts: 14
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Post by momof2bs on Apr 21, 2022 5:56:20 GMT -5
Not sure about when they appear actually, since I kept everything wet through all the previous steps. I would have thought all those weeks in course grit should have gotten rid of cracks, especially since this is a softer stone. Interesting... I thought I was the only one who kept their stones wet between stages. I have lots of 15oz leftover salsa and queso jars with water and stones in them.
What I also do between stages is to allow them to dry just enough to inspect for cracks and possible grit retention. I will say that I have noticed that the cracks in my tumbles seem to appear during my stage 4, (1000 AO). I have experimented with putting the lots back into stage 3, (500 grit), which seems to deal with the cracks, which frustratingly return after the second 1000 AO.
I just finished my first soft rock batch. Labradorite, Obsidian, Rhodonite, Lapis Lazuli, Rainbow Moonstone and Green Opal. Everything except the Lsbrsdorite turned out quite well. The Labradorite looks just like your photos. I’m intrigued by you saying that you have been noticing the cracks appearing in the last step. I feel that has been happening to me lately quite a bit. I’m very anal with how long I run step 1 until the rocks are essentially perfect to move on. Then, around. Step 3/4 I look at them and think, that wouldn’t have made it past step 1 inspection! I see someone said less rocks, more filler. That just might be my problem. I have so many rocks to tumble that I do tend to overfill. But ya I mean with this Labradorite, not one turned out well. They all have that god awful white scratched coating. I’m really bummed.
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 928
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Post by nursetumbler on Apr 21, 2022 8:28:38 GMT -5
ingawh said to use 1 tsp of sugarfree Metamucil and 1 tsp bleach (to stop the gas) to create a gel. I have put my rocks in filled the water to the level I will need it took just the rocks out added the grit Metamucil and bleach and tumbled it for a bit to get the gel going then put the rocks in. The gel hasn't allowed the grit get under the layers or cracks. Has worked so far so good. Used the Metamucil in pre polish and polish fine polish so it doesn't slip in and stay in.
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phixer
having dreams about rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 69
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Post by phixer on Apr 21, 2022 14:25:10 GMT -5
Some interesting ideas here. I have been getting the same issue in my Labradorite and will give some of these tricks a try.
Thanks all!
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