New Member from SW Washington in the beautiful PNW
Mar 28, 2024 0:56:58 GMT -5
via mobile
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Post by lilmommy1925 on Mar 28, 2024 0:56:58 GMT -5
Hello, My name is Emily.
I know I have visited this forum site before to read threads populated from Google searches, but never thought to create an account.
Well, today's Google search asking about the flat lap vs grinder wheel brought me to a thread where someone's reply to the OP suggested they check out the 'for sale' thread & something about homemade equipment with how to's. I guess you have to be a member to visit some threads...
So here I am,
new account made,
welcome thread posted,
and I am off to find either something to buy or something I can build myself.
More about me is below if you happen upon my post. Happy Tumbling!
I have always loved rocks. The last 9 months of unemployment have allowed me too much free time to collect. Now I am slowly cutting rocks into smaller workable chunks and I have hand shaped and hand polished a few that I loved instantly.
Currently have 3 tumblers/4 drums running at all times and have been attempting to pre-shape smaller rocks into beads. I love seeing what is inside all the incredible specimens and anxiously anticipate the end result as they transform in the tumblers; But, I need a way to speed up the wet sanding/polishing process/steps to give my hands and wrists a break but also to be able to create more than 1 rock, from rough to polished, every couple days if I am working on it constantly.
I think I will be happy visiting this site to learn from others and share my findings, love for the hobby and what minimal knowledge I do have with all of you; My people.
Other interests I have besides lapidary equipment would be:
1) where to find grit/polish, for my tumblers, that is good quality, reasonably priced and greater than 1500 grit.
I like my 3M wet dry sand paper over the different Dremel bits when working by hand but even still, the highest I have personally used is 3000 grit.
2) are there better options that I am unaware of that won't break the hand or my wrist when hand working pieces?
3) what do you (anyone who wants to reply), use between grits to burnish your rocks? How long to you process on this step?
4) And if you are like me, you love to tumble a mixed assortment of river rocks in every load. What tips or tricks are you willing to share for the types that are stubborn and don't shape and polish as fast or nicely as silica based specimens?
I look forward to getting to know some folks.
~ Emily
I know I have visited this forum site before to read threads populated from Google searches, but never thought to create an account.
Well, today's Google search asking about the flat lap vs grinder wheel brought me to a thread where someone's reply to the OP suggested they check out the 'for sale' thread & something about homemade equipment with how to's. I guess you have to be a member to visit some threads...
So here I am,
new account made,
welcome thread posted,
and I am off to find either something to buy or something I can build myself.
More about me is below if you happen upon my post. Happy Tumbling!
I have always loved rocks. The last 9 months of unemployment have allowed me too much free time to collect. Now I am slowly cutting rocks into smaller workable chunks and I have hand shaped and hand polished a few that I loved instantly.
Currently have 3 tumblers/4 drums running at all times and have been attempting to pre-shape smaller rocks into beads. I love seeing what is inside all the incredible specimens and anxiously anticipate the end result as they transform in the tumblers; But, I need a way to speed up the wet sanding/polishing process/steps to give my hands and wrists a break but also to be able to create more than 1 rock, from rough to polished, every couple days if I am working on it constantly.
I think I will be happy visiting this site to learn from others and share my findings, love for the hobby and what minimal knowledge I do have with all of you; My people.
Other interests I have besides lapidary equipment would be:
1) where to find grit/polish, for my tumblers, that is good quality, reasonably priced and greater than 1500 grit.
I like my 3M wet dry sand paper over the different Dremel bits when working by hand but even still, the highest I have personally used is 3000 grit.
2) are there better options that I am unaware of that won't break the hand or my wrist when hand working pieces?
3) what do you (anyone who wants to reply), use between grits to burnish your rocks? How long to you process on this step?
4) And if you are like me, you love to tumble a mixed assortment of river rocks in every load. What tips or tricks are you willing to share for the types that are stubborn and don't shape and polish as fast or nicely as silica based specimens?
I look forward to getting to know some folks.
~ Emily