vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Apr 19, 2017 19:14:02 GMT -5
Finally. After nearly four months of trial and error, and multiple stages and grits and re-running multiple stages and grits, my daughter and I have some shiny rocks! Now, some of our rocks took a shine better than others, but I believe this to be due to the material as opposed to the technique and dedication. I would like to thank each and EVERY one of you on this board for our little success. Whether you have responded directly to my plethora of questions, or I have gleaned information from one of your posts, there is simply NO way we could have gotten these rocks to this condition without your help. For my daughter's sake, I thank you ALL. Now, I have a decent camera (Canon Power Shot), but i struggled to get any close ups of the rocks, so I will have to settle for the batch photo, but at least you can see some shine to them. Again, these are all rocks that my daughter (and I occasionally) picked up from around our home in Richmond, VA and at her school playground. I REALLY wanted this to work out as she considers them "her" rocks and that is a big deal to her. I cannot thank you all enough...... IMG_2641 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
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lancemountain
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2017
Posts: 214
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Post by lancemountain on Apr 19, 2017 19:49:27 GMT -5
those look great!
I just started with this hobby after 25 years of wanted too.......I'm having a tough time myself so this post is inspiring to me!
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Apr 19, 2017 20:16:11 GMT -5
Nice job! Hopefully the next batch will let you practice some of the tricks you learned along the way. It looks to me like other than the time element, you ended up with a nice group of shiney rocks for your daughter. Congrats, little one!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Apr 19, 2017 20:29:48 GMT -5
Shiny and self-collected. Win - Win!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Apr 19, 2017 20:41:59 GMT -5
Those look great! I'm glad you've got it figured out.
On your camera, you need to put it in macro mode for close ups. I have a Canon Powershot too. Look for the little flower icon on one of the buttons. Click it and choose the flower. Then you can put your camera very close to the rock and it will focus.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Apr 19, 2017 20:45:54 GMT -5
Nice job! Hopefully the next batch will let you practice some of the tricks you learned along the way. It looks to me like other than the time element, you ended up with a nice group of shiney rocks for your daughter. Congrats, little one! Yeah....we learned a FEW tips. Patience is key. 1 week per stage is NOT the rule. And I truly think adding Borax in between stages at least 3 and 4 definitely makes a difference.
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notjustone
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 426
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Post by notjustone on Apr 19, 2017 21:58:23 GMT -5
now you get to load the barrels and do it all over again.
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Post by spiceman on Apr 19, 2017 22:49:20 GMT -5
The fun has just started and never stop having fun. She picks out the rocks And you polish them. You did a great job. Now standup and pat yourself on the back. Nice job.
Dale
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Post by youp50 on Apr 20, 2017 5:15:52 GMT -5
Your daughter got to witness the success that can follow commitment and perseverance. A great life lesson. Good job, Dad!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on Apr 20, 2017 11:46:07 GMT -5
You are going to need a bigger bowl . . .
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Post by Garage Rocker on Apr 20, 2017 11:49:54 GMT -5
Way to hang in there. You did well!
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wizzykin
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2017
Posts: 22
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Post by wizzykin on May 4, 2017 12:20:28 GMT -5
Awesome - those looks about 50x better than anything we've gotten yet!
Care to share some of the tips you think were the best for fellow noobs? I'm still working on some rocks with my son, but the lid broke so we're currently in the market for a new tumbler... We're still in stage one, so I'm curious about any tips that you think gave you such good results, so I can try to incorporate some of them. We're going to be patient with stage one, that's one thing that people grilled through to me that we weren't doing before.
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Post by Jugglerguy on May 4, 2017 16:12:22 GMT -5
Awesome - those looks about 50x better than anything we've gotten yet! Care to share some of the tips you think were the best for fellow noobs? I'm still working on some rocks with my son, but the lid broke so we're currently in the market for a new tumbler... We're still in stage one, so I'm curious about any tips that you think gave you such good results, so I can try to incorporate some of them. We're going to be patient with stage one, that's one thing that people grilled through to me that we weren't doing before. The Rock Shed is a great place to buy a tumbler. You get a discount on rough rock and grit with the purchase of a tumbler, so stock up now. I'd suggest either a Lortone 33B or a Lortone QT66 as a first tumbler. You get two barrels with each of those machines, so you can either have twice as much rough tumbling, or have two different stages going at the same time. A two barrel machine doesn't cost twice as much as two separate machines because you're only buying one motor. Consider picking up an extra barrel for the polish stage while you're at it. As you said, the key is taking your time with the first stage. Don't be surprised if it takes a couple months for all of them to get done. Each week when you do a clean out, just remove the rocks that are done and add more rocks to the barrel. The rocks will not all be ready to move on at the same time.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,158
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Post by jamesp on May 6, 2017 3:04:34 GMT -5
Arrival !!
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rastageezer
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2013
Posts: 169
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Post by rastageezer on May 6, 2017 3:24:44 GMT -5
So cool! After many years of tumbling I still feel that they are "my rocks" too. Those look wonderful!
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Wooferhound
Cave Dweller
Lortone QT66 and 3A
Member since December 2016
Posts: 1,423
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Post by Wooferhound on May 6, 2017 6:04:40 GMT -5
Looks like some Quartz and glass in there, came out great. It is hard to photograph a Shine because the Cameras and Displays aren't as capable of showing the brightness difference of the reflected light as your eyes are.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on May 6, 2017 9:24:46 GMT -5
Nice tumbles,now your hooked....LOL
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Post by coloradocliff on May 7, 2017 10:47:54 GMT -5
Yep Hooked and ruint for life.. grin C
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
Posts: 1,360
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Post by lookatthat on May 14, 2017 22:03:28 GMT -5
Now lets see, you were the ones near Richmond, right? there are some collecting sites for fossils not too far from you.
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vera
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 259
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Post by vera on May 15, 2017 23:30:10 GMT -5
Congrats for sticking with it! There is nothing more wonderful than getting to be the best parent in the world in our kids eyes. She will have a lifetime to remember what her dad did for her since those rocks will outlive us all! ;-)
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