onewomanarmy
has rocks in the head
Carpe Silicis!
Member since January 2007
Posts: 645
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Post by onewomanarmy on Feb 16, 2007 11:57:02 GMT -5
Hi everyone -
I've got polish/pre-polish questions today.
I started with 60/90 and then used (what I assume is) 120/220 (whatever came with the lortone tumbler I use - it just says "Fine"). I am also using whatever came in this bundle as Pre-Polish. First of all, does anyone know what this actually is? I assume it's something like a 500 or 600 grit (though it is a white powder)...?
I need to buy more of all of the above and am trying to figure out what is the best to use as Pre-Polish. I thought I'd go with Tripoli but saw someone mention that there are (health) warnings regarding Tripoli use? It seems from my search that Tripoli is pretty popular so I'm leaning towards that.
Given the bad reputation of the kit polish, I'm not even going to open the polish that came came in the starter kit. I have a pound of Cerium Oxide that I'm planning on using as my polish though I'm not sure how good the stuff is that I have - it is more orange/brown than what I see at therockshed.com. I've been researching prices (I'm at the point where I've spent too much already!) and looks like Kingsley North has the best prices for everything I want so I guess I'm going to go with them.
So my tumble will eventually end up being:
a - 60/90 for as many weeks as needed b - 120/220 for two weeks c - possibly whatever came as a pre-polish for one week? (then changing to 600 when I run out of that stuff) d - tripoli for one week e - cerium oxide for one week(ish)
with various borax burnishings in between those last stages.
Does this seem reasonable? I've done a few searches and realize everyone does this slightly different and there are probably as many opinions on this as there are posts - but I'm just trying to start with a plan that should be successful and then fine tune it as I go. I also realize that this plan will need to be altered some depending on what I'm tumbling. I wouldn't mind not doing step c - but not sure if it's necessary or not - doesn't seem like many use a 4 step approach...
I'd also be interested in knowing how much polish those of you with 3lb barrels use in each tumble.
Thanks!
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RockyBlue
fully equipped rock polisher
Go U.K.
Member since June 2006
Posts: 1,719
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Post by RockyBlue on Feb 16, 2007 12:31:57 GMT -5
I have the Lortone 33b,with extra barrels so i can use the 4 step method.everybody expeirments with various grits and polishes until they find out what works best for them,i use 60/90,120/220, 500,and AO polish, that i got from THE Rock Shed, and everything has come out very good.I am going to try some Tripoli as a prepolish[between 500 and AO] and see if i can get a super shine on a batch of Botswana Agate that after 6 wks. i just put into 120/220.........Rocky
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Feb 16, 2007 14:29:07 GMT -5
HEHEHEHE My main recipe- after 3 years of playing around is this: 60/90 for as long as it takes (checked and recharged every other week) 120/220 3 to 4 weeks (depending on what is waiting to go into the 120/220 stage) NO RECHARGE 500 with pellets- 2 weeks Tripoli with pellets- 2 weeks Tin Oxide with pellets- 3 weeks (NO PEEKING) Burnish (borax and pellets) 24 hours I like tripoli- others don't I also use Aluminium Oxide but the Tin works so much better for me- I tried Cerium Oxide (High QUality Optical Grade) but was disappointed with the results- In a 3 lb barrel I use about 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of polish (I re-use polish- and add enough new stuff to bring me up to this level)
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snowdog
fully equipped rock polisher
RIP David Fildes, aka: snowdog
Member since January 2005
Posts: 1,527
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Post by snowdog on Feb 16, 2007 14:41:27 GMT -5
sent you a "pm" --
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onewomanarmy
has rocks in the head
Carpe Silicis!
Member since January 2007
Posts: 645
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Post by onewomanarmy on Feb 16, 2007 15:04:31 GMT -5
*gasp* stefan - that's like 4 years per load, start to finish! The CO I have is definitely not optical grade - so I'm a little worried that I'm starting out on the wrong foot polish-wise. But other than the stuff that comes in the kit - it's all I've got for now. Oh well - I can always polish again if I don't like the results I suppose. I'm going to try Tin Oxide at some point - but the cost is detering me right now. I thought once I get more adept at saving my polish I might try the expensive stuff. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Feb 16, 2007 15:37:15 GMT -5
LMAO--- Well I run a barrel in every stage- and I finish a batch every 3 weeks (next week I'll have another one) I actually need to add another machine because I can't polish fast enough- I'm gonna be down 2 loads this weekend- I used to only run the polish barrel for 1 week- then I started letting them run 2 weeks last summer- Then KD posted about letting them run 3 weeks- And I got hooked on the Finish from 3 weeks- OH one other thing that has not come up in awhile- Polish takes a little while to "break in" For Aluminium oxide and tin oxide I found that it takes about 2 weeks before the polish is good- Your first batch may be disappointing- if it is run them for another week in the same polish- then check them- They should look a lot better after the second week- If you save the old polish- you won't have to go thru the break-in period-
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Post by akansan on Feb 16, 2007 16:03:38 GMT -5
You can always use the AO polish from the kit as your pre-polish/4th stage. When I first started, my supplies included three different grit kits. After playing with them all, I think I finally worked out what each was and then planned accordingly when I made my own purchases.
I'll label these according to the 4 stage grit kit: I run 60/90 (Coarse), 120/220 (Fine), 500 (Pre-Polish), AO 1000** (pre-polish, I only run this one occasionally when I don't get the polish I like. I send the stones back to this step and then forward again), AO (polish). I also have a small batch of CO that I really didn't like the result I received using, so I occasionally throw some of that in with my used AO just to get it gone.
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snowdog
fully equipped rock polisher
RIP David Fildes, aka: snowdog
Member since January 2005
Posts: 1,527
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Post by snowdog on Feb 22, 2007 0:15:02 GMT -5
sounds like you pretty well have it figured out -- on the stages --- the only thing I would say or add is that on the "co" polish -- the darker ( tan ) or more orange it is the courser it seems to be --lighter cream color is finer-- you can still use it but just have to run it longer to let it break down to get that super shine --- it's no different than any of the other grits --- the tan may be around 800 grit , the lighter cream may be 1000 or 1200 and the pure white may be 2000 grit --- if the rocks rub it enough it will break down into the finer particles ------ if you look up the diamond paste some use , you can get it all the way up to 100,000 --- and alot of people only take it to 5-7 or 14,000 for a super shine ( like on jade )
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Post by puppie96 on Feb 22, 2007 1:13:49 GMT -5
Everybody's experience is different. I used Lortone's polish in the intro kit until it ran out and it worked fine. I've used different grinds but usually 4 step. My original Lortone kit came with 700 grit I believe for the 3rd. I usually get 500 or sometimes 600. I also have 1000 on hand but don't use it much. I've used a several of the aluminum oxides, cerium oxide, and titanium oxide in barrels and probably best were the higher grade aluminum oxides. I use tin oxide in the vibe but it only takes a half teaspoon.
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Post by Condor on Feb 22, 2007 7:16:37 GMT -5
Here's what I've been doing lately with excellent results.
60/90...five or more weeks with no recharge.
Skip 120-220 (because the 60/90 breaks down and in effect becomes 120/220), {Plus you save $$ by not having to buy this grit}
Go straight to 400F for one week.
Tripoli... five to seven days.
Polish... one week. I've used various polishes, but M5 has really been good for me.
Condor
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Terry664
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2005
Posts: 1,146
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Post by Terry664 on Feb 22, 2007 7:46:16 GMT -5
I use a 5 step method, and I use Tripoli as my pre-polish. Right now I am experimenting with different things. Terry
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Post by puppie96 on Feb 23, 2007 3:45:15 GMT -5
Back to the original post, the important thing to remember is that there's not much that you can do wrong that will mess up the tumble much, as long as you remember the basics and follow the directions -- the stuff about how full to keep the barrels loaded, mix of sizes of rocks, how much water to use and how much product, using something to cushion in the later stages if you are doing something that chips. Making sure that your polish barrel is super clean. The biggest beginner mistake and I still fall victim even though I'm not a beginner is to cut the rough grinding too short. The better shaped and flawless the rocks are, the better you will like the final outcome. Most of the work happens in 60/90. Hard to say ahead of time how long that will take. Most of us remove nicely shaped stones from the rough grind and fill in with other stuff until we have enough to move forward.
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