michaelr
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by michaelr on May 19, 2015 19:10:55 GMT -5
question: someone here posted that when they use new ceramic pellets, they wash them first... is this a necessary step? i know to wash them btw grits, but this comment was that they should be washed when new, before use. too late, i already added them in new, w/o washing for this time.... but... i am curious if this is an important step. is there something needs to be washed off them first for some reason?? thanks
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Post by Peruano on May 19, 2015 19:33:07 GMT -5
Sounds reasonable. They are probably harder than just about anything they might have on them --except the various grits that are sold in the same places they are and hence if contaminated might not be desirable to introduce into the later stages especially. A point made to me by a friend recently was that ceramics are ok to use as filler with hard stuff (agates, pet wood, quartz like things, etc. but hard enough to scratch and or reduce the shine on softer stones that might be tempting to tumble with ceramics. The bottom line in his eyes, and I believe this to be true, is that the softest thing in the tumbler will not shine and hence if the tumbled stones are softer than the filler, its the tumbled stones that will haze up and disappoint. I know there are some that use ceramics for every run, but I'm going to try more diligently to match hardnesses in the future. Just suggesting. Tom
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on May 19, 2015 19:40:29 GMT -5
I run all of my new ceramic for 48 hours in the loto in 120 grit all by themselves before they ever go into my rock loads. The ceramics are fairly sharp and a bit abrasive when new so I would not want to risk added them to my rocks in the 500 stage until they have been broken in. I just ordered 6 more pounds of them today. They do wear out (get small) and need replaced after time.
Chuck
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michaelr
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by michaelr on May 19, 2015 23:14:20 GMT -5
appreciate the replies... sounds like i won't need to wash them first, when they're new... since i'm only using them at first with 60.90... may then take them to 220 after washing... but thinking no further grit stage for now... thanks!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on May 20, 2015 5:33:25 GMT -5
appreciate the replies... sounds like i won't need to wash them first, when they're new... since i'm only using them at first with 60.90... may then take them to 220 after washing... but thinking no further grit stage for now... thanks! I have never used ceramics in 60/90. That will eat up the ceramic pretty quick and they can get expensive that way. Are you using them because you do not have enough rock to fill the barrel properly? Chuck
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Post by orrum on May 20, 2015 6:30:48 GMT -5
Hey Chuck I tumble rose quartz in a lil 1.5 lb rotary with had cera mics in 60-90. It's the only way I have found to get a beautiful well rounded stone. The ceramics last pretty good but they get flat to oval in shape.
If I don't have a barrel full I put anything in there, driveway gravel, broken glass, or in a rotary wine corks.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on May 20, 2015 6:49:34 GMT -5
Hey Chuck I tumble rose quartz in a lil 1.5 lb rotary with had cera mics in 60-90. It's the only way I have found to get a beautiful well rounded stone. The ceramics last pretty good but they get flat to oval in shape. If I don't have a barrel full I put anything in there, driveway gravel, broken glass, or in a rotary wine corks. I do not use any sacrificial filler in stage one. seems like a waste of precious grit to me. why use up grit grinding down ceramics when I could have some smaller rocks filling that space. I pretty much tumble everything in 12 pound barrels and even my delicate apache tears do not get any filler in stage one. Ceramics and filler will certainly not hurt anything in stage one but with the amount of grit I go through each month I would rather tumble more rock. Chuck
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on May 20, 2015 6:50:30 GMT -5
Hey Chuck I tumble rose quartz in a lil 1.5 lb rotary with had cera mics in 60-90. It's the only way I have found to get a beautiful well rounded stone. The ceramics last pretty good but they get flat to oval in shape. If I don't have a barrel full I put anything in there, driveway gravel, broken glass, or in a rotary wine corks. I do not use any sacrificial filler in stage one. seems like a waste of precious grit to me. why use up grit grinding down ceramics when I could have some smaller rocks filling that space. I pretty much tumble everything in 12 pound barrels and even my delicate apache tears do not get any filler in stage one. Ceramics and filler will certainly not hurt anything in stage one but with the amount of grit I go through each month I would rather tumble more rock. Chuck
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Post by orrum on May 20, 2015 7:44:28 GMT -5
I am gonna try a batch then Chuck cause if Apache Tears dont bruise then rose quartz shouldn't either. Thanks.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on May 20, 2015 8:00:39 GMT -5
I am gonna try a batch then Chuck cause if Apache Tears dont bruise then rose quartz shouldn't either. Thanks. I try to control bruising with the amount of rocks and water I add. The tears go in at about 80 percent full to limit how much crashing they can do. If what your doing is working stick with it. I have never used a 1.5 barrel and rarely use 3 pounders so all of my methods are based on roughing in 6 and 12 pounders. maybe what your doing is better suited for the smaller barrels? Chuck
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Post by johnjsgems on May 20, 2015 10:58:33 GMT -5
Small size fillers (whether ceramics, gravel, small rocks) help speed up first stage by providing more contact places between grit and rock. If you have enough small rocks in the mix ceramics would not be necessary. Filler is needed to keep load level up as rocks reduce. Many beginners don't have a supply of rocks to keep adding so filler is needed.
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michaelr
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2015
Posts: 16
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Post by michaelr on May 22, 2015 18:16:53 GMT -5
yep... i wanted to try the ceramics out of curiosity more than anything else... but yes, why waste grit grinding down ceramic when i still have plenty of smalls. thanks for the reminders... i'm using smalls now instead.. until i don't have any more... at least in 1st stage... we'll see about ceramics later stages maybe. thanks for the input again
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