Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2022 17:27:43 GMT -5
I know this might be a silly question for you guys but being new to this I have to ask. Will tumbling a stone with Druse ruin it? If there is a small part of druse on a rock will the tumbling process mess it up? Will grit get trapped in it?
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quartz
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Post by quartz on Jun 8, 2022 22:34:03 GMT -5
Probably both. The idea of tumbling rocks is to smooth out rough places by grinding them down. Anything on the surface that represents "roughness", druse would be one form of roughness, will get ground down toward smooth by the grit in the barrel. Any remaining crevices, assuming the piece hasn't been ground to total smoothness, will likely collect some grit, this generally cleanable.
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Post by Starguy on Jun 9, 2022 10:52:49 GMT -5
ashleyI would have to say, “it depends”. If the drusy area is on the outside of the stone, it will get ground down. If it is in a pit or vug inside the rock, it may survive the tumbling process. The vug will get filled with tumbler slurry which may be hard to clean out. I use a household hand sprayer to clean out low spots in rocks. It works pretty well and it minimizes water use during clean outs. Keep the vug wet during clean out. Once the slurry dries in the vug, it will be much harder to remove. You must have some rocks you are thinking about. Shoot us a photo.
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LazerFlash
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Post by LazerFlash on Jun 9, 2022 16:18:01 GMT -5
ashley If it is in a pit or vug inside the rock, it may survive the tumbling process. The vug will get filled with tumbler slurry which may be hard to clean out. I use a household hand sprayer to clean out low spots in rocks. It works pretty well and it minimizes water use during clean outs. Keep the vug wet during clean out. Once the slurry dries in the vug, it will be much harder to remove. Also, using an ultrasonic cleaner might help get anything stuck in the vug. Haven't tried it specifically on a vug that I wanted to keep, but noticed it worked well on some stones that I hadn't preshaped and weren't quite finished.
I know that there are some threads on here that discuss methods of retaining wanted vugs by filling them up with a filler prior to tumbling. I, personally, have not tried this.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2022 16:43:25 GMT -5
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Post by Starguy on Jun 9, 2022 19:34:28 GMT -5
That looks like it would get rounder and smoother. Your vibratory might take it down a little slower.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2022 22:36:57 GMT -5
StarguyYour right, now to debate on weather it would be worth it having to clean out every little nook and cranny between grits! Maybe I’ll give a few a go and see if I like them and if it’s worth it.
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Post by rmf on Jun 10, 2022 5:17:00 GMT -5
ashley You could experiment with filling the holes you want to preserve with epoxy. Then when done tumbling put in acetone or MEK in a sealed jar to dissolve the epoxy. This method works well.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2022 7:00:51 GMT -5
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stefan
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Post by stefan on Jun 10, 2022 7:01:28 GMT -5
I have tumbled druze rocks. Mixed results. I will say that they are grit trappers so you need to take extra care with cleanup Years ago someone on here suggested filling the pockets with candle wax. I never tried it but it is a possibility
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markb
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Post by markb on Jun 10, 2022 9:01:40 GMT -5
ashley, I have experimented with this lately. Had a rock that had a drusy layer exposed on one of its sides, because part of the rock had broken off. The host rock had a ragged shape and was not real attractive. So I threw it in Stage 1 to see what would happen, suspecting it may just wear away the drusy. And that's exactly what happened. So next time I see such a thing where the host rock isn't a good shape to begin with and the drusy is fully exposed, I'll just toss it out in the yard as a "Nope", and not waste my time messing with it. Got a few of those building up out there as we speak.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2022 9:30:40 GMT -5
stefan markbThanks! I might give a few a shot in the vibe and see how they turn out and toss if I don’t like them. I’ve been running some more rounded beach rocks solely in it, doing 120/220 SC, then 500 AC, finishing with AO polish. That’s not too aggressive of a run so they might hold up going that route.
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Post by Starguy on Jun 11, 2022 13:43:13 GMT -5
ashleyI like the way you think. Give it a try and see the results. If you don’t like the results try something different. I’m strictly rotary and rotaries are all about smooth and rounded. I should have an outstanding 3 lb batch of LSAs and bots done in the next couple weeks. I’ll definitely post photos.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2022 14:26:58 GMT -5
StarguyYou have much patience lol! Looking forward to seeing your batches!
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Post by vegasjames on Jun 11, 2022 14:34:28 GMT -5
Druzy simply means tiny crystals, so there can be different make ups with different hardnesses. I would simply slice the druzy areas off to use for something else like jewelry, then you can tumble the rest of the stone.
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