vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 31, 2017 19:57:22 GMT -5
My daughter brought home this from her school playground today. It is different from anything else she has brought home. In my living room light, it appears to be blue-ish/green in color and was wondering what it might be, and whether or not it might be good for tumbling? 20170131_194507 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr 20170131_194521 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 31, 2017 10:10:27 GMT -5
No, a grey powder.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 31, 2017 7:35:57 GMT -5
For stage one rough grind stage adding grit and reusing slurry is good. No contamination possible. Oh....duh. I hate asking dumb questions on message boards, but thank you!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 31, 2017 7:14:11 GMT -5
Tomorrow will be the day to clean out the tumbler after one week of stage 1. I intend to inspect the rocks, keep the ones that appear to have promise, and then run another week of stage 1. I have read on here the importance of ensuring the rocks, tumbler and lid are meticulously cleaned prior to the next stage. Yet, I have also read that some folks keep the slurry from the previous week's stage and put it back into the tumbler, adding additional grit and moving forward.
I don't understand the apparent dichotomy between putting dirty slurry back into a squeaky clean tumbler. Can someone help me understand, please?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 30, 2017 19:37:55 GMT -5
So, I just received my latest shipment of grit and plastic pellets. However, they also included a bag of "grit saver". What the heck is this stuff and how should I use it?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 30, 2017 14:36:09 GMT -5
With about a $100 budget I would go with a the Lortone 33B. I would use the 33B to run your coarse stage and then use your 1 lb tumbler to run all the rest. Having 2 3lb barrels running coarse grit ought to keep enough rocks coming to keep feeding your 1lb barrel if you are picking out rocks that are ready after each clean out. By the time you run a batch through 120/220, 500, and then polish in the 1 lb barrel, you would have enough ready to start back at 120/220 again. That way you would constantly be progressing a batch almost weekly. Jake THIS...is exactly the approach I want. I am not sure whether my 8 year old daughter or her 48 year old father has less patience when it comes to rock tumbling! Thank you ALL for your suggestions. I like the idea of the dual tumbler, and found a good deal on a Lortone 33B on eBay.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 30, 2017 14:33:36 GMT -5
Get some lake superior agate rough, some small Rio Grande agates or some Montana agates (ebay). Mix 'em in with the self collected stuff. It will take a while but your daughter will not be disappointed. This sounds interesting. So, will the agates help my local stuff, or will my local stuff help the imported agates?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 20:18:10 GMT -5
Thanks, guys/girls. But what are the differences between a rotary tumbler and a vibrating tumbler?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 19:35:54 GMT -5
how many rocks will you have on a regular basis? A lot. Not to mention the large backlog she has already. how much money do you want to spend? Around $100 will keep the wife happy... how much grit can you afford per week? Grit, is easier....not an issue. how much time do you have to spend on weekly clean outs? I only have time. rotary tumblers or vibe tumblers? I do not understand the difference between the two, so I do not know. Read more: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/77420/additional-tumbler-question?page=1#ixzz4XCV27mGg
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 19:33:12 GMT -5
Odd....I can't get to that website.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 19:23:36 GMT -5
Just FYI....therockshed.com site appears to be down.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 18:39:05 GMT -5
Yeah, I had to look up proselytize too..LOL. I thank you ALL for your opinions. I just liked Walt's response simply because I was looking for some reassurance that it is "OK" to tumble the rocks my daughter and I found. "OK" is a general and vague term, but I am also trying to shield my 8 year old from disappointment (especially after having to wait weeks per stage), so I may be in a unique situation.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 17:48:14 GMT -5
OK.....I know I am new to this, but I am hooked and waiting weeks for to see the results of one batch is not working for me. I am considering investing in a 2nd tumbler, but have no idea which way to look. My current tumbler (sorry, my daughter's tumbler) is a 1lb rotary tumbler sold by National Geographic. I have learned there are many different varieties of style and size out there, and was wondering what you might recommend for me (I mean, my daughter)....
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 29, 2017 10:00:59 GMT -5
Hey Walt, That first link really made my day. Thank you. Feeling somewhat deflated last night, I decided that I had probably jumped into this hobby with both feet without really understanding ANYTHING about geology or rocks. I went to the Virginia DMME website to try and determine what type of rocks/minerals are available in Virginia and found that there was a lot of focus on gems and gemstones, but not necessarily rocks. I need to find a good book that will help me identify the rocks that my daughter and I find, plus what we should be looking for. Can anyone recommend such a book? Perhaps one that is more regionalized for my state? Thank you all in advance, and thank you Walt for the link. I am certain my daughter would be overjoyed if we could polish up some of our picked up rocks and make them look like the ones in the link you provided!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 28, 2017 20:36:04 GMT -5
=(
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 28, 2017 20:08:01 GMT -5
So, we took our daughter on a hike today at a local Virginia state park. Of course, we picked up rocks along the way. Is there any way to tell what rocks might be good candidates for tumbling, if any? 20170128_195813 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 26, 2017 7:17:19 GMT -5
So, here's another question. Since I plan to run this new batch for 2 weeks or longer, do I need to stop, clean out and add new grit after week one, or do I just let it runs as is for two full weeks?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 25, 2017 21:12:26 GMT -5
Well, it is CAPITALIZED in the forums, so I assumed it meant something? Absolutely. You are not confused. It's just that no one else has been using my proper title. LOL. Just throwing this out there.......while the rocks my daughter finds in Virginia may not be the best tumbling rocks, to me it means something to have actually found the rocks that we tumble. How many of you import rocks from other places? What is the norm?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 25, 2017 20:56:44 GMT -5
Thank you, ROCK GOD. Unfortunately, with my tiny 1 lb tumbler, it doesn't yet make sense to buy fifty pounds of grit. Does your supplier sell in smaller quantities? Yep, it just costs more per pound. I really like how you refer to me as ROCK GOD. It's about time I get some respect around here. Maybe it will catch on. Well, it is CAPITALIZED in the forums, so I assumed it meant something?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 25, 2017 20:38:52 GMT -5
Thank you, ROCK GOD. Unfortunately, with my tiny 1 lb tumbler, it doesn't yet make sense to buy fifty pounds of grit. Does your supplier sell in smaller quantities?
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