Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Oct 3, 2004 16:30:59 GMT -5
Hello all! Banjo sent me a sample of polished green quartz when I bought from him awhile ago. It's gorgeous..and I'm trying to match the quality of his work. Banjo's stones shine like glass and are shaped beautifully! I'm using Tin Oxide and one more day + burnish and I should have a very comparable shine. However, I haven't gotten a good shape on the stone in this batch. This particular load is pretty much a mix of clear/milky quartz, green quartz, petrified wood, amethyst, turtellia (sp) and green adventurine. (the adventurine looks chipped...even though I used alot of plastic pellets) I've set aside the entire load to get some advice. Do most of you shape your stone somewhat before you tumbled them? Or were they pretty tidy (not alot of jagged edges with smoother surfaces) before you started? Did you use a rotator or vib for them? I'm struggling with getting a good shape. It seems like the stones don't shape as well as I would like, instead they just keep getting smaller...both vib and rotator. Also, some surfaces haven't smoothed very well. (like one end of a long piece of the green quartz and a piece of the petrified in particular.) I've tried roughing in the tumbler...and then moved the stones to the vib with no real difference...except that the stones shrunk! Would any of you have a suggestion or two? (Counting down the days till my combination saw gets here...I think I'm going to be preshaping just about everything at this point!) Also, when I checked the load in the vib tumbler, (it was in polish for 2 days)...I am noticing hairline cracks and/or layered imperfections in the stone. Is this from not leaving it in the coarser grits long enough? Not enough plastic pellets? Too big a load? Too much water? Am I being too picky? Appreciate the help!
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Post by krazydiamond on Oct 3, 2004 17:09:44 GMT -5
the amethyst, rose quartz, and adventurine, also citrine, that i have done tends to have a lot of internal flaws, fractures.....nature of the stone, i think. this is true of a lot of the prairie agate i have done as well.
i have started to preform (with a saw) a lot of my stuff as the stones that i don't preform set in 60/90 for weeks until i am satisfied or convinced they will never be any good. i have learned a lot and set my expectations higher since i have come to thei site.
i still only yield a fraction of the batch that make its to the pendant stage for drilling.
i am picky, too.
KD
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JKowalski33
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 451
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Post by JKowalski33 on Oct 3, 2004 17:36:31 GMT -5
do any of you guys preform with a dremel? i think i could save a lot of time in the coarse if i pre shape some, then that would save me money in wasted 60/90 grit, and eventually the dremel would pay for itself i hope. I am thinking of getting one for that purpose, which model do you recommend?
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Post by Cher on Oct 3, 2004 19:32:04 GMT -5
I run mine in coarse first for a week then check them out to see if any need "faster shaping". If I find any that maybe have a thick spot or bump or something then I take the dremel to it. Just seems easier to me if I let them run in the coarse fist to take of the jagged edges before shaping with the dremel. [glow=red,2,300] ~ Cher ~[/glow] pages.prodigy.net/bestsmileys1/signs/RockOn.gif [/img]
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Post by cookie3rocks on Oct 3, 2004 19:51:32 GMT -5
I haven't been pre shaping too much, but I think I'm going to use the dremel alot more in the future. Like KD said, for all the pendant quality stones I turn out there are 10 stones that, though pretty, are too large or misshappen to do anything with. Kinda depends on what you want the end results to be, I suppose.
cookie
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MoonStone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 202
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Post by MoonStone on Oct 3, 2004 23:46:55 GMT -5
Hello Emerald ;D I do not pre-shape my rocks before tumbling (not yet), and have similar problems like you. My batch included some common mixed rocks (quartz, granite, agates, and others that I don't know what they are) some with jagged edges from the hills and some with smoother surfaces that I got from the beach. Half of the rocks from that batch are already in the pre-polished stage and half of them are still on step 1 (the ones with the jagged edges & chips). One of my problems was that I added a lot of pellets to the first stage (coarse) in order to protect them from chipping. That was a bad idea, they got protected too much. What I did was to remove all of the pellets from the coarse barrel and changed my 60/90 grit for a coarser one 46/70. I have seen some fast improvement in just a couple of days and today I was able to remove 4 of my rocks from the 1st stage! Well, they will have to sit and wait for my next batch of stage 2. I almost forgot, the tumbler I use is a rotary one.
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Tellfamily
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2004
Posts: 476
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Post by Tellfamily on Oct 4, 2004 0:08:06 GMT -5
I have been wondering about rock shaping also. AND I DO HAVE A DREMEL, but never thought about using it to shape rocks. I will give it a try tomorrow night and let you know. I have been considering getting some kind of small wet grinding system going. I completely forgot about the Dremel.
Lets hope it does the job well!
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Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Oct 4, 2004 7:36:42 GMT -5
Thank you all for your comments!
I think I'll throw some of this batch back in 60/90 again and give that a shot. (Though a coarser grit sounds interesting....may get some sometime soon)
Wish I had a dremel, but will wait with the rest and see if I can use the saw and grinder thingee to trim away the odd shapes and imperfections.
Personally, I'd like the stones to have a more rounded bouldery shape. When I broke some of the stone, it took a left turn and I have some really odd shapes. Some of the petrified broke unevenly too.... I think shaping will give me a more pleasant final appearance and would be better for making jewelry.
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phoenix1647
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2013
Posts: 186
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Post by phoenix1647 on Oct 4, 2004 9:21:08 GMT -5
You may want to check out E-bay for a Dremel. Might fing a good deal there....
Pho
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Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Oct 4, 2004 10:44:36 GMT -5
Hmmm I HAVE to read the site more carefully...
7. To prevent the stones from slipping during phase 2 and 3, stick small pieces of tough rubber to the inside of the barrel, this helps to trip them as they turn and prevents flats from forming.
Found this tip on the main Rock Tumbling Hobby section. This might solve the "flats" I have on the adventurine!
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on Oct 4, 2004 13:33:37 GMT -5
Based on some of the other members, if I don't get the shape I want, I do one of these: - put it back in the 60/90 for another week (most successful method. Consider that Sandman and James run theirs in coarse for over 4 weeks sometimes.
- take my hammer to the rock and bust off a side
Fractures can really only be removed by breaking the rock along the fracture line. And there are indeed too many in some types (quartz) to do this effectively. I was also counselled to run quartz/amethyst by itself...with other rocks present I could not get a good shine. Just my personal opinion - I don't like the idea of preforming because I like the natural shape of the rock. However, I'm not trying to do anything exotic with the rock after tumbling either.
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JKowalski33
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 451
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Post by JKowalski33 on Oct 4, 2004 15:15:50 GMT -5
for the dremel, what speed in rpm is needed for enough power to grind on rocks? (also diamond drill bits are needed correct?)
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Post by krazydiamond on Oct 4, 2004 15:23:04 GMT -5
Emerald, i too like the bouldery shape to rocks, i have tumbled large rocks (1-2") and THEN sawed them, and tumbled again, interesting yet natural effect....
KD
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Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Oct 4, 2004 15:28:48 GMT -5
;D I'm sure I started out with too small of stones. If I put them back in 60/90 for a few more weeks, I won't have anything left worth anything! *snickers* (peas would probably be bigger!)
I might be able to salvage this batch if I do some tweaking. *hopes*
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Post by Cher on Oct 4, 2004 17:22:52 GMT -5
With the heart I made, I ran my dremel mostly on 2. I've gotten braver now and have run it faster on occasion, depends what I'm doing. Yes, diamond bits are essential. I got a set of 30 - #40 grit bits on ebay.
Cher
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Post by cookie3rocks on Oct 4, 2004 18:06:33 GMT -5
I'm using cheap diamond bits from ebay, 80 grit (they don't last too long, but theyre cheap so it's ok), and run it at 4 or 5. It goes to 6 then OMG SHE"S GONNA BLOW! speed. That one scares me. cookie
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Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Oct 4, 2004 18:09:24 GMT -5
I'm actually afraid to use a dremel anyway. I can see me just letting it slip and I end up lopping off a limb or something!
I ordered a vice for the saw. That will help me till I get comfortable with it!
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JKowalski33
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 451
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Post by JKowalski33 on Oct 4, 2004 18:15:30 GMT -5
thanks for the info, but i dont have a dremel, so telling me speed 2 or 5 doesnt really give me any idea. i guess what i should ask is, what is the max rpm your dremel goes?
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Post by krazydiamond on Oct 4, 2004 18:16:19 GMT -5
the vise helps us little scaredy puss until we get ok with it (the saw), Em, you will be getting your fingers real close before ya know it!!
KD
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Emerald
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2004
Posts: 417
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Post by Emerald on Oct 4, 2004 18:20:42 GMT -5
Well...I have used a monster tile saw before to cut porcelain tile. And, I did get pretty close without using a vise. Instead of being scared, however, I remember being FROZEN! I couldn't cut for long cause we used it outside and the water was soooo cold! (I think we used it in the early spring when the weather was still chilly) Also, the BIG saw splashed water everywhere! I was soaked half the time!
I am fixing an area in my office to use....it should be MUCH warmer this winter! (The room is heated)
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