electricmonk
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 281
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Post by electricmonk on Jul 31, 2014 0:21:57 GMT -5
Noticed that a lot of the little pits, vugs and imperfections are gathering the cerium oxide and it doesn't wash clean easily. I tried a waterpick with limited success. Thoughts?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 6:12:38 GMT -5
Tumble with borax or other powdered soap Dave
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 31, 2014 7:54:16 GMT -5
I use an electric toothbrush and hydrogen peroxide with soap.....Mel
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on Jul 31, 2014 9:21:24 GMT -5
I have the El Cheapo HF sonicator (I think it was around $30?) that I use with a few drops of dish soap. Works great, but there are some stones that it doesn't play nice with (like opal).
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 10:06:45 GMT -5
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knifegirl
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2014
Posts: 24
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Post by knifegirl on Jul 31, 2014 10:17:17 GMT -5
We have been using a toothbrush and elbow grease. Thanks for the suggestions will have to give them a try.
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jerrys
spending too much on rocks
Member since February 2014
Posts: 263
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Post by jerrys on Jul 31, 2014 10:34:48 GMT -5
Keep the rock wet and don't allow the cerium to dry until you're ready to wash it.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Jul 31, 2014 11:07:48 GMT -5
I use the harbor freight ultrasonic with clean water and it works fast and consistently.
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electricmonk
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2011
Posts: 281
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Post by electricmonk on Jul 31, 2014 11:33:52 GMT -5
Hey, thanks for all of the excellent suggestions!
Erik
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2014 11:35:05 GMT -5
Let it soak in full strength Palmolive or Dawn dishwashing detergent for 30 minutes or so (don't let the detergent dry out) before going at it with a firm toothbrush. Some also prefer something with a bit of abrasive (e.g., Comet Liquid) instead. As blackout5783 said, the ultrasonics can ruin some stones, though they are fine for most quartzes, agates, jasper, jade and many others so long as they don't have any weak spots that the high vibration won't worsen. Aside from opal, other things that can be damaged in ultrasonic are pearls and mother of pearl, beryls (emerald, aquamarine, heliodor, etc.), azurite, malachite, turquoise, tourmaline, agates (especially those containing inclusions such as opal or marcasite), amber, lapis lazuli, coral and similar porous stones (can drive what you are trying to remove deeper, producing a stain that cannot be removed), doublets or triplets, fracture-filled and stabilized stones, heavily included diamonds, peridot, pyrite and marcasite (including materials containing these), tanzanite, anything with a coating, anything with fractures or weak spots, stones with oil treatments. The same warnings apply to steam cleaners. You can google "gemstones" and "ultrasonic" to get more info. Marcasite and pyrite are vulnerable to deterioration after soaking in water (in or out of ultrasonic), so keep contact with water for those to a minimum (a soak can start an irreversable chain reaction that may not start to show for months).
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Post by bobby1 on Jul 31, 2014 13:20:21 GMT -5
I have successfully been using an old Branson ultrasonic cleaner for 35 years and it works great. There are very few things that I won't put in it to clean. The recent Welo opal that I just posted went in it for a few seconds to get the polish out of the dop stick. No problems. I don't recall anything that I have put in it over the years that have been damaged by it, but I don't leave anything in the unit for more than a few seconds. I wash everything with soap and a tooth brush before placing it in the machine and I pull it out and scrub it before placing it back in for the final cleaning. The most important thing not to do is toss anything in the machine and walk away leaving it there for more than a few seconds. Bob
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