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Post by TheRock on Aug 2, 2018 21:36:36 GMT -5
I thought I would try some different rocks so I ordered these from TRS. I have these that are between 5 and 6 on the Mohs scale Black Obsidian (5-6) ~ Salmon Feldspar (5.5) Moonstone (5.5) ~ Septarian Nodule (5.5) ~ Sodalite (5.5-6) Has anyone tumbled any of these together or have any tips about tumbling these. Thanks ~Duke
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Post by MsAli on Aug 2, 2018 21:49:40 GMT -5
No tips but cant wait to see them!
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Post by fantastic5 on Aug 3, 2018 6:47:20 GMT -5
I've done the obsidian and sodalite together with great results.
In fact I have some finishing in the Lot-O right now. Actually I'm using it as filler for my Worldwide Tumbling Contest material that I am waited till the last minute to start. I couldn't find my polished quartz pea gravel that I usually use as filler (my husband often takes it to his school for the kids), so I grabbed a handfull of polished tears, rose quartz, sodalite and small colored glass to use as filler. They were previously polished together successfully, so it will be interesting to see if they keep the polish after being run through the Lot-O with agate.
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Post by TheRock on Aug 3, 2018 16:18:15 GMT -5
I've done the obsidian and sodalite together with great results. In fact I have some finishing in the Lot-O right now. Actually I'm using it as filler for my Worldwide Tumbling Contest material that I am waited till the last minute to start. I couldn't find my polished quartz pea gravel that I usually use as filler (my husband often takes it to his school for the kids), so I grabbed a handfull of polished tears, rose quartz, sodalite and small colored glass to use as filler. They were previously polished together successfully, so it will be interesting to see if they keep the polish after being run through the Lot-O with agate. fantastic5 you wouldn't happen to have any pics handy of those you tumbled do you? Thanks
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 4, 2018 11:57:51 GMT -5
TheRock I have rolled all of these except the septarian. All the others I've had in the tumbler at the same time with no unexpected issues. The Salmon feldspar will have issues with fractures. It's basically due to the layers and their orientation. Bonds are weaker between layers. Sodalite may have a little of this also but is generally a "clean" tumble. Moonstone can fracture too and may have some pitting. Obsidian does well as long as the volume doesn't get too low inside the tumbler. It chips easily if the action gets too rough. Some FYI's according to my experience ... All these stones will be shaped by 220 grit as the first course. It is slower than coarser grits but seems to lessen undercutting. The salmon and sodalite will hold up in coarse grind if mixed with harder stones like agate. All will generally mix well in a vibe with harder stones. Doing this may benefit by helping to break down grit. I try not to "over tumble" feldspars and mixed hardness stones as getting the perfect one is near impossible. Have literally tumbled some to near nothing without getting rid of flaws. Nature of the beast as they say. So if it's got one or two small flaws but the rest looks great I call it good.
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Post by TheRock on Aug 5, 2018 15:35:11 GMT -5
TheRock I have rolled all of these except the septarian. All the others I've had in the tumbler at the same time with no unexpected issues. The Salmon feldspar will have issues with fractures. It's basically due to the layers and their orientation. Bonds are weaker between layers. Sodalite may have a little of this also but is generally a "clean" tumble. Moonstone can fracture too and may have some pitting. Obsidian does well as long as the volume doesn't get too low inside the tumbler. It chips easily if the action gets too rough. Some FYI's according to my experience ... All these stones will be shaped by 220 grit as the first course. It is slower than coarser grits but seems to lessen undercutting. The salmon and sodalite will hold up in coarse grind if mixed with harder stones like agate. All will generally mix well in a vibe with harder stones. Doing this may benefit by helping to break down grit. I try not to "over tumble" feldspars and mixed hardness stones as getting the perfect one is near impossible. Have literally tumbled some to near nothing without getting rid of flaws. Nature of the beast as they say. So if it's got one or two small flaws but the rest looks great I call it good. Thanks Ken what would you say your best guess would be for them to be in the 220 grit stage before going to the 500 grit stage? Thanks
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 6, 2018 9:14:49 GMT -5
TheRock I saw your Lakers post and those rocks were well rounded, guessing they started that way for the most part? I noticed you did your rough grind on a schedule of 4 weeks 30 then 2 weeks 80 grit. Very nice batch by the way. I don't run a whole batch for any given length of time but rather pull out what I find good from week to week adding more rough rock along the way. My best guess would be that starting with 220 doubles the time the rocks spend in the first course. You can start with something coarser than 220 if you like and see how it goes. I put it out there as an option.
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