mudd1973
starting to shine!
new member of Culver City Rock and Mineral Club
Member since May 2003
Posts: 33
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Post by mudd1973 on Oct 9, 2003 11:46:25 GMT -5
Okay, I finally worked up my courage and started my first ever batch of tumbling - a load beach jasper/agate, some small rounded pieces straight from the beach and some preformed. I added 10 T 220 grit like the Loretone instructions said for a 6 lb barrel, 2 T baking soda (since I read somewhere that even clean jasper can produce gas) and some ivory soap shavings. I had my mighty 17-year-old son help push down the lid and screw it on tightly. I started it about 4:30 PM yesterday. This morning, on my way to work, I took a minute to run to the garage to check the tumbler. The lid had loosened and most of the charge had leaked out. Luckily I had the tumbler in a cardboard box lid, so the mess didn't ruin anything on the work bench Also luckily, I work for my husband and could take the time to clean up everthing before it dried. So - any other ideas of what I should do differently? It is a brand new barrel. The old one I was given was slighlty warped with age and the lid didn't seem to fit snuggly. Also, most people registered are still listed as "new member" but there are some "junior members". Is there a special password or something to move up in the ranks?
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Oct 9, 2003 12:10:03 GMT -5
Aww, sorry to hear of your troubles mudd. I don't know? I don't use soap in the early stages, it may have just foamed too much? Just a guess, or could your son have over tightened the lid (got to blame someone) As far as the junior members and new members, I wondered the same thing, but I happened to notice that mine changed at around 50 posts. I'm sure that is the key, so keep posting and good luck with the mess! Hang in there mudd, Don
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Oct 9, 2003 13:29:22 GMT -5
I had the same thing happen to me once too. Except it was after the final polish where soap is added to finish the stones. I woke the following moring to find a big mess and a disappointing batch of rock... Moral of the story: KEEP IT SIMPLE! People try to make the best combination of ingredients in hope of a miracle. You don't need all that stuff! A little bit of soap goes a long way. Add only a slither of saop. I prefere Dove over Ivory. It doesn't sud as much and won't overload the tank with suds. Perhaps the baking soda played a role in this problem too. Remember back in science class when the teacher had you add vineger to baking soda? Iterupted into a valcano! Baking soda is some unpredictable stuff. I wouldn't recommend using it in combination with other ingredient unless you test them before hand to ensure there will be no chemical reaction. My best advise would be simply to go back to basics. I do however, encourage experiementation. Just keep it simple... To answer you second question; the more post one makes, the higher his status gets. Most of us are still junior members simply because of our lack of post.
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Post by docone31 on Oct 9, 2003 17:20:47 GMT -5
I had a bbl go boom once. I had a problem with the final polish and read adding cornmeal. Bad idea. Jaspers give off gas during tumbling, add sodium bicarbonate and extra pressure. For a cleaning additive I use borax. I have had good results without pressure. I use the 20 Mule Team Borax in the grocery store for laundry. I also use this as flux for silver and gold soldering. I also mix it with boric acid and alcohol for total fluxing for repair work. It is good to experiment but not with organics. We use cornmeal down here to kill ants. They eat it and it makes them explode. Same with tumblers.
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WilliamC
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2003
Posts: 416
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Post by WilliamC on Oct 9, 2003 21:21:38 GMT -5
Greetings All, Exploding barrels How cool is that!? Not very I guess if I would be the one having to clean it up Reminds me of a time back in high school chemistry when I dropped a penny into a beaker of nitric acid. It had just started to bubble and froth quite nicely when the teacher came back into the room. Being young and stupid I did the first thing that came to mind, placed the palm of my hand over the beaker to keep the fumes in My hand turned an interesting shade of orange as the skin peeled off over the next couple of weeks. Fortunately it didn't hurt or cause any lasting damage or anything. Ah, how wonderful it is now to be older and slightly less stupid But enough about me, and back to the rocks. I will send payment for the QT12 tomorrow, and my first load I plan to run with it will be....the leopardskin jasper. The plan is to start it at 60/90 grit, and I'll make darn sure to check the barrel after 8-12 hours, then again after 24 and 48 hours to keep the pressure from building up. So maybe, just maybe I can learn a lesson from those brave souls who have tumbled the dreaded jasper before me, and avoid the mess of an exploded barrel. But don't worry, if I DO make a mistake, I'll be sure to share it here so everyone can laugh with me ;D An exploding stone gathers no moss... WilliamC
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Post by docone31 on Oct 9, 2003 21:32:24 GMT -5
Cliff, you haven't lived untill you have put a 1/4lb of pure sodium into five gals of water. The resulting hydrogen release blew the ventilator from the wall and put several classmates in the hospital. It all had to do with a substitute teacher and wanting to impress Becky the airhead in high school. I was the school geek and ended up voted most likely to.... Memories.
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Sekhmet
off to a rocking start
Rocktumbling fool, It's rocktumbletastic.
Member since September 2003
Posts: 11
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Post by Sekhmet on Oct 10, 2003 8:43:01 GMT -5
I use baking soda or tums, seems to work pretty good for me, I have never had an explosion yet (knock petrified wood). You might try not putting the knurled nut on so tight...leave several threads on the inside of the nut showing; I read somewhere that overtightening could cause problems with leaking. Of course, I also read somewhere that tums worked well for heartburn...however, I prefer rolaids (but not in the tumbler, they made a horrific mess) ;D Keep trying, keep checking your tumble, you *will* find what works best for you eventually. (But trust me on the rolaids). Be well Sekhmet
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Post by Noosh9057 on Dec 2, 2003 15:45:52 GMT -5
Well this is all very interesting. This must mean that you should not use know soap with baking soda.
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