Pdwight
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 619
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Post by Pdwight on Nov 10, 2003 13:40:23 GMT -5
This may seem overly simple...but what is the process you use for tumbling your rocks ?? Here is mine
Stage 1 40-70 grit Rocks barley covered with water
Stage 2 120-220 grit Rocks barley covered with water
Stage 3 500 grit Rocks barley covered with water
overnight with Boraz to clean and then onto stage 4
Stage 4 Cerium Oxide rocks barley covered with water
I go 7 days on each phase..just thoght I would post this..its so obvious that some folks might have some input or a better way of doing things.........and some people who are actually greener at this that I might just like to know.
Dwight P
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Post by docone31 on Nov 10, 2003 18:05:30 GMT -5
That sounds pretty close to what I do, the only difference is I go two weeks on final polish. You wrote a great tutorial on the works.
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Post by docone31 on Nov 10, 2003 18:10:51 GMT -5
That sounds pretty close to what I do, the only difference is I go two weeks on final polish. You wrote a great tutorial on the works.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Nov 13, 2003 11:26:02 GMT -5
I'm doing the same 4 step process, but I don't run a cleaning step, I just double wash and really examine the rocks before they go into polish, allowing nothing with deep pits or cracks through. I use less water, an inch or two beneath the top layer of rock, to achieve the proper slurry quicker.
I also spend longer in the rough grind; hard stuff like brazilian agate can take 3 weeks in rough grind. And I don't stick to a rigorous schedule; if something stays in one grit for a few extra days it only means the next grit will go quicker. I plan to experiment with letting the second grind go for a couple of weeks; supposedly the grit breaks down to a fine grind and you can skip the third stage. Anything which simplifies the process makes sense to me.
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