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Post by Psycho on Mar 14, 2017 0:06:25 GMT -5
I love that material, think I will make a trip to Nethers Farm real soon.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Mar 14, 2017 5:39:27 GMT -5
I love that material, think I will make a trip to Nethers Farm real soon. Here are some of my top pieces from the farm. I brought home about 100 pounds but only a small percentage was jewelry quality. Worth the trip though. Chuck
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Post by Psycho on Mar 14, 2017 8:14:46 GMT -5
Beautiful pieces. I was there last year and brought home about the same amount as you. Didn't really have to dig as there was so much quality material that had been left lying about lol. Planning on getting dirtier this time.
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RockDog
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2015
Posts: 23
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Post by RockDog on Mar 14, 2017 17:07:17 GMT -5
Haven't tried tumbling Rhodonite. Like the way it came out. May try that with my 6th graders.
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Post by aDave on Mar 16, 2017 13:17:08 GMT -5
Very nice. Tough to pick a favorite as they all look great. I do like the Rio Grande #17. Thanks for sharing.
Dave
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 17, 2017 2:49:15 GMT -5
Great batch, Chuck. It's got a little bit of everything. Surprised to see the Norena come out so shiny also. I keep meaning to get more carnelian, now I know why.
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Post by txrockhunter on Mar 17, 2017 16:19:06 GMT -5
Great Batch Chuck! One heck of a variety! Really like the Dendritick Opal, Ohio Flint, and can never go wrong with a good Rio! Like a few others, I was amazed at the shine on that Norena! I have tumbled some and run through the vibe, but never able to get a good shine. Thanks for posting!
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Post by captbob on Mar 17, 2017 16:26:08 GMT -5
Wow - how did I miss this thread? Glad it got bumped. Some outstanding tumbles there Chuck!
ETA: always impressed by such a variety. I always tumble one rock type at a time. Maybe two at most. Need to just throw a little of everything in sometime and see how that goes.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 17, 2017 18:42:03 GMT -5
always impressed by such a variety. I always tumble one rock type at a time. Maybe two at most. Need to just throw a little of everything in sometime and see how that goes. The Lot O makes it really easy to combine materials. Very little I won't throw in a mixed batch with the vibe. Might be worth pulling your UV off the shelf and putting together a colorful, mixed batch like Chuck's. It's a lot of fun to go through a finished batch like that, I'm always surprised by a few.
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Post by captbob on Mar 17, 2017 18:55:09 GMT -5
WAY too busy to be messing with no vibe! Probably about as bad as having a newborn in the house! feed me / change me / spritz me with water ... egads! good thing I never had any kids!Might dust it off for doing corals, but then it goes right back on the shelf.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 17, 2017 19:14:58 GMT -5
WAY too busy to be messing with no vibe! Probably about as bad as having a newborn in the house! feed me / change me / spritz me with water ... egads! good thing I never had any kids!Might dust it off for doing corals, but then it goes right back on the shelf. I thought you ordered some of that miracle AO? Wouldn't call it babysitting the vibe at that point. Change out after 3-4 days to polish and wait one more day. Plan on a spritz of water each day. If you miss a day, it likely won't matter. If you can post on here daily, you should be able to give one spray a day.
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Post by aDave on Mar 17, 2017 20:09:26 GMT -5
And herein lies my quandry. captbob makes a great point for not wanting to babysit a vibe (as he mentioned in another thread). I don't want to be stuck doing that. Garage Rocker makes a point of it not really being too big of a deal and gives a great analogy. OP, I'm not looking to hijack your thread...just trying to educate myself. Vibe polished rocks look outstanding, and I'm trying to figure out what direction to go. Geez, why can't this be an easy decision? Dave
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 17, 2017 20:30:57 GMT -5
Sorry Chuck, but one more thing. aDave, I look at it as a VERY small price to pay to have rocks done in a matter of days, rather than weeks. I may spend 2 minutes a day on the Lot O when I have it running. 1 minute and 30 seconds of that is spent just staring in amazement. It is also very hard to mess up the vibe approach.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Mar 17, 2017 21:11:13 GMT -5
I agree. I don't have to babysit my Lot-O. I check it in the morning and when I get home from work. If it needs a spray of water I do that. Just like Randy, I spend more time just watching the rocks roll! I'm not sure where the "you have to babysit a vibe" thing started from, but it's just not true for me.
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Post by aDave on Mar 17, 2017 22:01:27 GMT -5
Garage Rocker and ChicagoDave, if you don't mind, I may end up sending you a PM down the road. I don't want to derail the thread further. Thanks and regards. Dave
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Post by captbob on Mar 17, 2017 22:20:21 GMT -5
aDave , by page 3 a thread is expected to have been derailed. I am being more facetious than not when I talk about babysitting a vibe. As the guys said, it's really not that big of a deal. A couple quick checks a day and you are good. I don't care to go the vibe route mainly because I don't really want tumbled rocks coming out my ears. I don't know what to do with all the ones I have now, and that's with loads finishing up every month or two. With 5 or 6 15 lb barrels running and taking the loads to finish in my vibe, I would have a few batches, or more, done every month. I like tumbled rocks, but no thanks... don't need that many! Also, I prefer to tumble pretty large rocks. My rotary works well for rocks weighting pounds not ounces. Works on smalls too of course, but I don't like smalls. If you want more finished rocks than you are producing now, get a vibe. Great for quickly finishing rocks, not much trouble to learn and use and you will soon have rocks enough to give away to all your friends and family. And neighbors, and the mail man, and ...
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Post by pghram on Mar 17, 2017 22:21:17 GMT -5
Fantastic shine and a great variety.
Peace, Rich
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Post by aDave on Mar 17, 2017 22:33:12 GMT -5
aDave , by page 3 a thread is expected to have been derailed. I am being more facetious than not when I talk about babysitting a vibe. As the guys said, it's really not that big of a deal. A couple quick checks a day and you are good. I don't care to go the vibe route mainly because I don't really want tumbled rocks coming out my ears. I don't know what to do with all the ones I have now, and that's with loads finishing up every month or two. With 5 or 6 15 lb barrels running and taking the loads to finish in my vibe, I would have a few batches, or more, done every month. I like tumbled rocks, but no thanks... don't need that many! Also, I prefer to tumble pretty large rocks. My rotary works well for rocks weighting pounds not ounces. Works on smalls too of course, but I don't like smalls. If you want more finished rocks than you are producing now, get a vibe. Great for quickly finishing rocks, not much trouble to learn and use and you will soon have rocks enough to give away to all your friends and family. And neighbors, and the mail man, and ... captbob, you give great advice and have caused me to evaluate the "babysitting" factor. It certainly is a potential concern. At the end of the day, I really don't know what I'm going to do. But, with an exchange with multiple folks, maybe I'll be able to figure it out. I will grant you, there is a very satisfying feeling in opening up the rotary at the end of all stages and seeing good results. Like you said, more of an art than a science. I'm still torn in finding a balance between time and results at the end the process. Perhaps, at the end of the day, the rotary will serve just fine considering what I may be putting in on the front end. I really don't know. Just trying to glean as much as I can to make a decision down the road. Best regards. Dave
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Post by Jugglerguy on Mar 18, 2017 8:26:33 GMT -5
I agree with getting a Lot-O. It's really only the first stage that requires much baby sitting. As Dave said, I just check mine in the morning, after work, and before bed. Takes a minute. The only time it's a problem is if I'm going to be out of town. I run my rotaries while I'm away for a few days, but not the vibe. The vibe saves, time, grit, and electricity.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Mar 27, 2017 22:16:41 GMT -5
Superb batch! I think the carnelians are my faves, thanks to their shiny warm glow. The Montanas aren't far behind though. And wow, I've never seen Fordite tumbled before! In that first pic, those rocks look so slippery I keep expecting them to slump down into a layer one-rock deep. -Don
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