jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 23, 2022 12:13:24 GMT -5
This is a form of cull SiC. Not graded. Used as an additive in steel. It is for the most part a cull product claiming 90% purity of SiC made by Washington Mills. The rounder abrasive grade particles have been removed by precision screening. It was purchased in 50 pound bags and the particle size was from 0 to 3/8".(with a large min. order) I manually screened it again with 3/16" mesh. Particle size varies from 3/16" and smaller. Most of the large particles are more flat than roundish. Not sure if the flat and obtuse particle shapes make any difference. Something to consider. It is aggressive and works fast on shaping rocks and damaging some tumbler barrels. Out of various size mixtures this mix resulted in the fastest shaping of Mohs 7 rocks so far. Tumbling speed was fast at 60 rpm in a 6 inch barrel. guessing at the distribution: 10% less than SiC 500 20% 500 to 220 20% 220 to 50 40% 50 to 20 - many flat and oblong 10% larger than SiC 20 - many flat and oblong Photos taken in different light for clear illustration:    I hope to remove this batch of quartzite and pet wood collected in a few creeks in SE Alabama at day 10 tomorrow. quartzite:  pet wood:  |
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 3,539 
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Post by RWA3006 on Apr 23, 2022 12:23:35 GMT -5
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 23, 2022 13:18:58 GMT -5
Gotta love that fellow Randy. We need more just like him. |
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stefan
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Member since January 2005
Posts: 13,889
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Post by stefan on Apr 23, 2022 14:46:23 GMT -5
What was the price on 50 lbs?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 23, 2022 15:40:43 GMT -5
What was the price on 50 lbs? $43 about 10 years ago Stefan. They insisted that 60 bag pallet quantity is the minimum. Fortunately they had a partial pallet of 14 bags. Was at right place/right time. |
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Wooferhound
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Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,396
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Post by Wooferhound on Apr 23, 2022 19:33:03 GMT -5
I remember getting a box of that to try.
Screened it to less than 1/4 inch and used it that way in a 6 pound barrel.
Greatest grinding and lasted forever.
I used the stuff that was bigger than 1/4 inch as Smalls.
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Cackling Chick
starting to spend too much on rocks
I LOVE ROCKS! 🙋🏼♀️🪨⛏️🔍😁
Member since March 2022
Posts: 101
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Post by Cackling Chick on Apr 23, 2022 20:44:29 GMT -5
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Cackling Chick
starting to spend too much on rocks
I LOVE ROCKS! 🙋🏼♀️🪨⛏️🔍😁
Member since March 2022
Posts: 101
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Post by Cackling Chick on Apr 23, 2022 20:45:34 GMT -5
jamesp Those are some beauties. Jealous!! Post a pic when done. I'm really curious about the pet wood.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 23, 2022 22:00:03 GMT -5
Oooh you're tumbling some of that beauteous wood you found. I'll be watching!  |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 24, 2022 5:23:37 GMT -5
I remember getting a box of that to try. Screened it to less than 1/4 inch and used it that way in a 6 pound barrel. Greatest grinding and lasted forever. I used the stuff that was bigger than 1/4 inch as Smalls. Tell it Tim. Due to the variation in shapes it is unusable for most abrasive applications since most applications require a fixed grit size to avoid deep scratches from oversized particles. The goal in rough shaping when tumbling is just raw material removal and the resulting scratches are easily removed in the 220 or 500 step. |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 24, 2022 5:38:22 GMT -5
Oooh you're tumbling some of that beauteous wood you found. I'll be watching! I went back to south Alabama and sampled for wood in the small creeks flowing into the Chewlaca Creek from the north and found they were void of pet wood. Looks like the creeks flowing in from the south must be the source. Makes sense since the southern tributaries drain the fossil bearing coastal plain. This is a good thing, many of the southern tributaries are in the Tuskegee State forest where there is no need to deal with the issues of privately owned lands. This will make life much easier. Surprisingly Alabama still practices commercial gravel removal from creek and river systems which means they will never outlaw some rock collector filling his buckets ! |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 24, 2022 5:45:03 GMT -5
jamesp Those are some beauties. Jealous!! Post a pic when done. I'm really curious about the pet wood. Thanks Cackling Chick and will do. It was a pleasant surprise to find well silicified pet wood with decent color in the SE US. Not a common occurrence here. The translucent quartzite with color variations is not so easy to find either. Very common in this area. The quartzite is on that fine line, it is softer than agates so it shapes fast yet it will take a high polish. A tumbler's dream. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 24, 2022 11:02:42 GMT -5
Oooh you're tumbling some of that beauteous wood you found. I'll be watching! I went back to south Alabama and sampled for wood in the small creeks flowing into the Chewlaca Creek from the north and found they were void of pet wood. Looks like the creeks flowing in from the south must be the source. Makes sense since the southern tributaries drain the fossil bearing coastal plain. This is a good thing, many of the southern tributaries are in the Tuskegee State forest where there is no need to deal with the issues of privately owned lands. This will make life much easier. Surprisingly Alabama still practices commercial gravel removal from creek and river systems which means they will never outlaw some rock collector filling his buckets ! You have a memory like an elephant girl. I was watching a video about fossil development zones on a color coded map of the US and Chewlaca Creek flows right down the center of one of the zones. The zone was about 15 miles wide and 300 miles long, the centerline of one of the major ancient shorelines splitting Alabama diagonally in half. It was the only river or creek that flowed along that shore line. |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 24, 2022 13:21:54 GMT -5
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 25, 2022 8:36:06 GMT -5
Tossed some glass in with this load, about 5% glass by weight. Let's see if the glass polishes well when mixed heavily with harder rock. I was always a fan of tumbling with mixed hardnesses within reason(Mohs 5 to Mohs 7). After a day in vibe in SiC 500. No bruises or dings, straight up satin. Looking good. I skip the 220 step, SiC 500 in the vibe bridges step 1 fine with my equipment even when using super coarse SiC. Dry:  |
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doublebluff
starting to shine!
Member since September 2021
Posts: 41
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Post by doublebluff on Apr 25, 2022 9:12:35 GMT -5
That is a beautiful piece.
Explain this stuff to a third grader: How do you use the material shown in the first slide? As is or do you sort out the grit sizes somehow? How long will/has 16 50 pound bags lasted...?
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 35,976
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Post by jamesp on Apr 25, 2022 9:53:50 GMT -5
That is a beautiful piece. Explain this stuff to a third grader: How do you use the material shown in the first slide? As is or do you sort out the grit sizes somehow? How long will/has 16 50 pound bags lasted...? Thanks doublebluff. Welcome to the forum. No problem, it is very simple situation. It is used as is. This abrasive mix varies in size and some particles are simply larger and probably more aggressively shaped to cut rock faster. A variety of sized particles probably speeds grinding/cutting too since the smaller particles are cutting at thinner contact points and the larger particles are cutting where wider gaps occur between the rocks. 16 bags will last a long time. My lifetime anyway lol. Even when adding liberal doses. Granted the initial purchase was hefty. Plus I picked it up and saved on a bunch of shipping costs. At a rotary speed of 60 rpm a measuring cup is used up in 24 hours in an 8 pound barrel with the exception of a couple of teaspoons of BB sized particles. Faster rotation simply equals faster grind. Shaping rocks is crude, no need for precision. You are just grinding bulk material away. |
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Cackling Chick
starting to spend too much on rocks
I LOVE ROCKS! 🙋🏼♀️🪨⛏️🔍😁
Member since March 2022
Posts: 101
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Post by Cackling Chick on Apr 25, 2022 21:12:05 GMT -5
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 25, 2022 21:50:21 GMT -5
Look up some of jamesp's art glass tumbling threads. They're astounding!  |
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Cackling Chick
starting to spend too much on rocks
I LOVE ROCKS! 🙋🏼♀️🪨⛏️🔍😁
Member since March 2022
Posts: 101
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Post by Cackling Chick on Apr 25, 2022 22:20:51 GMT -5
@hummibgbirdstone jamesp I want to know how the glass has all those colors?!? 🤩 |
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