firecop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2005
Posts: 103
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Post by firecop on Nov 30, 2005 20:18:49 GMT -5
 This is My first attempt at rock tumbling. They came out mostly smooth but not at all shiney. we tumbled them in in the following order; rough- 7 days Course- 7days prepolish- 7 days Polish with borax and sugar 7 days Just Borax 1 day Cher and some others asked to see the pics. they are embarrising (sp) but here they are  and... 
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Post by rockyraccoon on Nov 30, 2005 20:58:23 GMT -5
what did you use for polish? i have never had mine shape that good in 7 days but yours are shaped good. i wouldn't have moved that red one on. it could have carried grit forward and contaminated the polish. try repolishing them in a different polish.
kim
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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 Nov 30, 2005 21:07:44 GMT -5
Were these rocks already rounded when you started, ie, like rounded river rocks? If not, then the only way they could get such round shapes so quickly is to be very soft material, in which case that would be your problem, as soft stones are very difficult to get a shine on.
Also, I presume when you say "rough - 7 days", you mean coarse grind? And "coarse - 7 days" is fine grind? Or did you really go from coarse grind to pre-polish?... if so, then that would likely be your problem, as you can't skip the fine grind stage.
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JKowalski33
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 451
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Post by JKowalski33 on Nov 30, 2005 21:49:21 GMT -5
is that your entire batch? it seems very small. was it one of those lortone 1.5lb barrels? lack of size variation could also be another problem. just a though.
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Post by Alice on Nov 30, 2005 22:02:36 GMT -5
I would have added a finer grit as well (like 120/200 and 500 or 600), instead of jumping from coarse to prepolish.
I have to agree with rocky about the red one, and I also have to agree with JKowalski about size variation.
The shine looks just fine to me, considering that this is your first batch (you learn as you go along)
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Post by tmorris6654 on Nov 30, 2005 22:24:07 GMT -5
i love that blue/black one. when it gets a good layer of polish on it, it will be like having a black diamond.
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Post by Cher on Nov 30, 2005 22:34:08 GMT -5
Aww, I'm sorry your first tumbling experience wasn't what you were expecting but hang in there, we'll help you get it sorted out and up to a nice wet looking shine.
Alice he has 7 days in rough, I'm assuming that's his first stage, probably 60/90. At a minimum, you want to do the 4 steps, lots of us add an additional middle step. Rough is what you call the rocks themselves before anything has been done to them.
First stage is generally referred to as coarse or 60/90.
Second is medium, generally 120/200 grit.
Third is using 500 or 600 fine grit. <--- This is the additional step if you care to use it.
Pre-polish is 1000 grit, some use tripoli for this step.
Polish
I have to agree, 7 days is seldom if ever enough for the coarse stage. Most everyone lets the load run a week then checks out the rocks to see if any are completely smooth, no pits or blemishes. Those can be set aside and more rough added to keep the barrel at an optimum level. Add more grit and run it for another week. Continue this until you have enough to fill a barrel for the second stage or medium 120/200 grit.
You didn't have anything for a size reference. Most of the time you can toss a quarter or nickel in among the rocks so the size can be judged. How big are those? It does seem to me that you have too many large rocks and not enough medium to small sizes to balance the load out. Those are excellent pics though, good job on that.
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firecop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2005
Posts: 103
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Post by firecop on Nov 30, 2005 22:42:09 GMT -5
LOL, OK, I wiil attempt to answer the questions. For those who didnt read my earlier posts, my son and I just have a "science" tumbler. Very small, and came with the "Grit Kit", so I dont know what "type" of grit it was. I think Thumblers grit kit #303. The rocks were not pre shaped. I was mistaken with the names.... Course grind then fine grind, then pre-polish, then polish. The rocks came with the kit so I didnt have a good choice as far as the size goes. Tomorrow I am going to the Reno Harbor Freight and getting the Dual 3 lb CE tumbler for us  I am not one to quit so I will try to purchase a little better equipment. If they have them I am also going to buy 2 extra barrels so i dont have a cross-contamination issue. I dont want to buy BIG barrels of grit. Where can I get some decent amounts of grit? Thank you all for your input! You guys are really great with this stuff. Truly a nice group of Peeps! |
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JC
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 107
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Post by JC on Nov 30, 2005 22:44:02 GMT -5
I can't add much than what was said already. DEFINITELY leave in course until completely smooth. This may take MONTHS not 1 week or two.
Don't give up! My first batch looked just like yours. The second batch I did, after doing much reading and looking on this site, came out great. I'm sure your second attempt will turn out great as well. Good luck and remember, continue with the course until completely smooth. Successive grits won't smooth any imperfections, only course will do this.
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Post by parfive on Nov 30, 2005 22:46:04 GMT -5
Hey Firecop - not all bad on the first go round.
Cher told you:
"Most of the time you can toss a quarter or nickel in among the rocks so the size can be judged."
Don't toss the quarter in the barrel with the rocks. It'll get smaller too and then we'll think it's a dime in the pictures. (Couldn't resist that)
It only gets better from here. Good luck.
Rich
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Post by Cher on Nov 30, 2005 22:52:59 GMT -5
LOL @ Rich ... pffffftttt <--- raspberry
He's right but I'm sure you realized I meant the pictures.
JC is also right in mentioning it can take months.
I had totally forgotten that you had the science tumbler. My daughter had one similar, a national geographic one with a clear plastic barrel. The grit embedded itself into the barrel, totally contaminating the whole thing. She tried, she washed, scrubbed, everything but it still ruined the load. You will see a big difference using the CE. And the rubber barrels are way quieter too. Good luck!!
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Post by parfive on Nov 30, 2005 22:55:34 GMT -5
Firecop - Don't know if money is an issue or not but you don't have to get those extra barrels right away. It's easy to wash them out between stages, so contamination is not an issue. The easiest, quickest and best place to get more grit is therockshed.com/You'll get it in a couple of days. Rich |
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firecop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2005
Posts: 103
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Post by firecop on Nov 30, 2005 23:03:06 GMT -5
Firecop - Don't know if money is an issue or not but you don't have to get those extra barrels right away. It's easy to wash them out between stages, so contamination is not an issue. The easiest, quickest and best place to get more grit is therockshed.com/You'll get it in a couple of days. Rich Being right before x-mas is kind of sucky, and I would like to have gotten him a lortone 33B, but I figured if I got the CE and two extra barrels I would at about the same $. I also need more grit so I have to consider that too. My son is really pleased and doesnt know the difference and that is what matters. I have a problem with spending over a month and not getting good results so I shall throw some $ at it and try harder..LOL Cher, the grit IS imbeded in the barrel  I washed the snot out of it too)...... I also found some more cool looking rocks. I will post a pic of the next batch of rough right before it goes in and we shall see how we do next time  |
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Post by Cher on Nov 30, 2005 23:16:41 GMT -5
You know, seriously, you can get a 33b for about $86.00 (with shipping). If you're going to spend close to that for the CE with extra barrels ... don't do it, get a Lortone. Like Rich said, you can be careful enough with the barrels to get by with two for now. Use one barrel for 60/90 and 120/200 grits, then the second barrel for your pre-polish and polish. You'll be so much happier with a Lortone not to mention it retains it's resale value. I'm not sure but I think the CE barrels fit on the Lortone so compare the prices on those barrels and grab just one extra.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Dec 1, 2005 0:29:57 GMT -5
don't get discouraged or feel embarrassed. if it wasn't for this board i probably would have given up on tumbling on the 1st batch. my 2nd batch made it to completion before my 1st batch because i had to carry the 1st batch backwards again and again. of course now i've gotten so picky i seem to never get a batch to completion lol.
kim
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Post by rockds on Dec 1, 2005 1:12:16 GMT -5
Patience my man and it will come. I would recommend a journal to keep track of wjat you have tried and how each stage has worked for you. As time goes by you will get abetter feel for it and learn what works and doesn't.
robert
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Dec 1, 2005 9:46:58 GMT -5
OK that was a thumlers rock kit- THe brownish ones- I ran em 2 times before I got anything even close to a shine- the others- well some of them are laying on the basement floor somewhere- not sure where I tossed em- Patience is the key to this hobby- but those look exactly like my first run- Ok - I think I would use these as do overs and move to a better quality rock-
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firecop
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2005
Posts: 103
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Post by firecop on Dec 1, 2005 10:10:13 GMT -5
Alright, I want to buy some grit from the rock shed. If I buy the kit with all the grits I need in it to get started, how do I know what grit #s they are? I want to get the individual grits but I dont know what I would need. There are several different types of polishes and grits in the same numbers but made of different materials. I figure the starter kit will work at first but I barely know what kind of rocks I have so how will I know what type of grit and polish's to use?  |
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Dec 1, 2005 10:26:13 GMT -5
Go with the starter kit- it has (if I remember correctly) 60/90; 120/220; 500F; and Aluminium Oxide Polish- It works very well- I toss in a Tripoli prepolish but that is me- the other thing to do is call em and ask if you can speak to Shawn- he will get you set up- You can also ask him about rock types- the guy is great! Stick with it and just follow the 4 or 5 step program- Clean very well between stages and don't rush things- Most of my tumbles take at least 2 months- sometimes a lot longer!
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Post by creativeminded on Dec 1, 2005 10:48:57 GMT -5
It's a start, just keep trying.
Tami
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This is My first attempt at rock tumbling. They came out mostly smooth but not at all shiney. we tumbled them in in the following order;
I am not one to quit so I will try to purchase a little better equipment. If they have them I am also going to buy 2 extra barrels so i dont have a cross-contamination issue. I dont want to buy BIG barrels of grit. Where can I get some decent amounts of grit?
I washed the snot out of it too)...... I also found some more cool looking rocks. I will post a pic of the next batch of rough right before it goes in and we shall see how we do next time 
