mickeyd
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2018
Posts: 1
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Post by mickeyd on Oct 22, 2018 18:36:27 GMT -5
Hey all!
I bought a Thumler MP-1 for my son and I to share a hobby. He quickly lost interest, but I've continued tumbling. However, I'm starting to lose interest due to my less than satisfactory results and would like some advice to help me keep going.
My last three rough purchases of Chrysoprase and Septarian have been money down the drain. I've roughly* followed all the instructions I've found for these rocks, but the results have been the same - smooth, but not shiny, rocks about 25% their original size. My last batch (Septarian) was in the final polish for 3 weeks and they still came out dull. Is this typical of a missed step somewhere along the line? I can have quartz in the same batch and it will come out fine. Should I not be mixing the rocks?
*My tumbler starts and stops all the time. It's not an electrical issue, but perhaps it's overheating (??). A lot of the time I'll approximately double the tumble times to account for the down time. Do rocks sitting in the tumbler have these types of problems i.e. they need to be moving all the time?
Probably some really simple questions here and I could use some guidance. Thanks in advance!
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Post by vegasjames on Oct 22, 2018 19:54:58 GMT -5
Not a tumbler but welcome to the forum.
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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 Oct 22, 2018 20:09:30 GMT -5
Welcome!
I'm not sure about the tumbler turning of and on- that may be a mechanical issue? They should be running consistently.
Septarian is very soft material. Maybe you can re start the hobby with an easier stone to tumble? I would recommend smokey quartz or something in the mohs 7 zone. They will reduce in size but not as much as you are experiencing. The harder the rock the easier to get it shiny!
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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 Oct 22, 2018 20:11:27 GMT -5
Also, what is your process? Post what grits you have been using and for how long for each step.
I am mostly new to all of this myself (24 loads) and when I post specifics here the "pros" will come out and give some really helpful advice
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Post by pauls on Oct 22, 2018 20:13:29 GMT -5
Welcome, you've come to the right place for help. You should be OK with Chrysoprase, Septarians not so much. Septarians are usually Calcite which is way too soft to tumble. I would put the septarians aside and get some Agate, Petrified wood or Jasper, these are all around the same hardness as your Quartz and should give excellent results.
Your tumbler problems will have to wait until a Thumler owner comes along, hang in there someone should be able to get you sorted out.
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Post by MsAli on Oct 22, 2018 20:52:38 GMT -5
Hi and welcome I dont have a thumper (gotta love auto-correct) Thumler so cant help you with that, but agree with above and try different material. I personally havent done any softer materials yet because I know what a pain they can be Dont give it up yet! There are so many people here that can and will help.
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Oct 22, 2018 23:19:30 GMT -5
Hi mickeyd. I started with a Thumbler, but got frustrated with leaking barrels and switched to a Lortone. Never had a problem with the stopping and starting. More specifics are needed to be helpful with that issue. I understand, "it's not an electrical issue..." to mean the power supply to the motor is not being interrupted by a short, thrown breaker, or switched outlet. When you say the tumbler starts and stops, do you mean the motor stops running or the barrel stops turning? Asking to differentiate between a motor problem (overloaded, bad bearings, overheated, internal short, etc.) vs. a set up problem (slipping belt, loose pulley, misalignment, sticking shaft, barrel hanging up, etc.). Glad you're sticking with it! FWIW, my parents gave me a tumbler when I was a kid. I got bored with the long tumbles & gave it up. 40 years later I had a pond dug on my farm and found all kinds of cool looking rocks popping up in the graded soil every time it rained. I remembered that tumbler and tracked one down on the internet (the Thumbler). Then I found the cool folks here at RTH & learned about the Lortone brand and a million other things. That was 4 or 5 years ago. So glad my parents encouraged curiosity and exposed me to many, many things so I could choose my own interests from among them. Sounds like your child is very lucky. Others here with more experience than I will give you friendly, good advice. Welcome to the group!
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Oct 22, 2018 23:53:03 GMT -5
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Post by johnw on Oct 23, 2018 1:38:47 GMT -5
Hello mickeyd, welcome. Thumler is a good machine, I owned one, a model B and it ran well. I agree with kskid in that you may need check all the operating parameters of the machine. It should not stop as you describe. As to the stones you are tumbling, you are mixing stones that have a different hardness and that is not a recommended practice. Chrysoprase has a hardness of 7 and is part of the quartz family of rocks. Septarian is usually a mixture of aragonite, calcite, and limestone is rated with a hardness of 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale. Kinda like putting oranges and apples in a blender and the apples do ok but the oranges turn out terrible due to the skin and pulp. I can only recommend what I am used to tumbling and that is Bahia and Mexican Crazy Lace agates, both are in the same MOH range, between 6.5 and 7. They do seem to mix well and give off some really spectacular finishes. Not trying to pitch a vendor here, but many of the folks on RTH buy their rock supplies from The Rock Shed in Keystone, South Dakota. Do yourself a favor and Google The Rock Shed when you have time. The owners son Shawn is very helpful and can answer most questions you may have. There are many folks on this site that have much more experience than I do in tumbling and hopefully they too will offer you some advice. Do not give up hope, these are early days and we are all here to help a fellow tumbler. Cheers, johnw Here is an image of Bahia agates just out of 60-90 tumble.
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Post by grumpybill on Oct 23, 2018 6:43:52 GMT -5
Hey all! I bought a Thumler MP-1 for my son and I to share a hobby. He quickly lost interest, but I've continued tumbling. Same thing happened to me about a year and a half ago...except it was with a grandson...who has since lost interest. Now I have 4 rotary tumblers and a vibe, a bigger saw, a Foredom, a flex shaft and router table for my Dremel, spools of wrapping wire, a couple trays full of jewelry findings, vases full of polished "pebbles", 2 drawers full of polished pendant shapes, and about 150 lbs of rough rock waiting to be busted up or sliced.
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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 Oct 23, 2018 18:38:30 GMT -5
Hey all! I bought a Thumler MP-1 for my son and I to share a hobby. He quickly lost interest, but I've continued tumbling. Same thing happened to me about a year and a half ago...except it was with a grandson...who has since lost interest. Now I have 4 rotary tumblers and a vibe, a bigger saw, a Foredom, a flex shaft and router table for my Dremel, spools of wrapping wire, a couple trays full of jewelry findings, vases full of polished "pebbles", 2 drawers full of polished pendant shapes, and about 150 lbs of rough rock waiting to be busted up or sliced. lol!
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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 Nov 10, 2018 18:52:01 GMT -5
Not a tumbler but welcome to the forum. I cannot comment on your Thumler issues, as my daughter and I started with a "National Geographic" tumbler, which we quickly outgrew and based on recommendations from folks here, I bought a Lortone 33B. Now, my daughter is 9....and her interest, or remembrance of the timing and steps is very inconsistent. I too, have lost interest simply due to her apparent lack of interest. What I learned though, was if "Daddy" showed interest and kept her in line with next steps, she was still excited about the hobby. I guess my point is, based on my experience, while I really wanted this to be her hobby, Daddy needs to lead the way and this allows us to enjoy it together. If you have the funds, I would highly recommend the Lortone 33B, as "starting and stopping" doesn't sound normal to me.
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