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Post by 1dave on Jan 3, 2019 16:26:23 GMT -5
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Post by pauls on Jan 3, 2019 16:37:42 GMT -5
If you come across a collapsed cave or quarry with smashed stalactites or flowstone grab some, It's much too soft to tumble but can be quite nice for carving and even cabochons, you never know where your new hobby will take you.
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Post by 1dave on Jan 3, 2019 17:19:57 GMT -5
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Post by 1dave on Jan 3, 2019 17:57:03 GMT -5
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Jan 3, 2019 20:00:39 GMT -5
Thanks for all the advice! I'll certainly have a look.
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Jan 4, 2019 0:41:52 GMT -5
One question: is ceramic media used as a rough grit or more in a way of a pellet fill?
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,774
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Post by adrian65 on Jan 4, 2019 0:43:41 GMT -5
Welcome, Kai, from Bucharest - Romania! Closer to you than most of the members here, geographically speaking. But, in other terms, people here are close and helpful, as you already noticed probably. Talking about distances, there's another member here, even closer to you: Zoran (zotika) from Serbia (Belgrad). You said you cannot tell which rock is good for tumbling and which is not. Here's a simple test: try to scratch the rocks you like with a key or a steel object (tip of a nail, etc); if the rock is scratched, you can throw it back. If the scratch is in fact a mark (as you would have been using a pencil) then it's tough enough for tumbling.
All the best,
Adrian
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Jan 4, 2019 7:02:55 GMT -5
Hello, my almost-neighbor! Yes, people here are very helpful. I haven't even been a member for a week and I already learned so much! Okay then, I shall attack the stones with steel! This is a good advice for a total newbie like me. But just out of curiosity: is there also a way to polish softer stones?
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Post by 1dave on Jan 4, 2019 8:05:15 GMT -5
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Post by 1dave on Jan 4, 2019 8:19:30 GMT -5
You have family, friends and neighbors who like pretty rocks.
If you ask them and their friends to join us you may end up with a Rock Club of your own.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 4, 2019 9:44:30 GMT -5
Somebody knows geology ! Welcome to the RTH Kai. "Julian Alps are built of Mesozoic marine deposits, mostly 200 mill. years old Triassic and slightly younger (180 million years) Jurassic limestone and dolomite with pointed peaks and sharp ridges. Strong alpid orogenesis 30 mill. years ago caused the younger stone layers to pile upon the older. The main massifs of the Julian Alps are built mainly from Wengen and Dachstein limestone, very rich with fossils, mostly coral and megalodonte shells. On the northern periphery there are older rocks such as reddish or greenish slates or darker limestone layers. On one side of the Soča valley, the younger layers of limestones from early cretaceous period then pass into the karst terrain, famous for its picturesque caves. The limestone layers end with flysch rocks: marls, sandstone and conglomerates from the eocene. The ice age glacier activity made a mess, grinding down all the layers and mixing them up when Soča river brings them down to the flatlands. In holocene and alluvium, external weather influences also caused chemical changes in the rocks." Read more: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/85929/new-european-girl?page=3#ixzz5beMDFFPu
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Jan 4, 2019 11:26:50 GMT -5
You have family, friends and neighbors who like pretty rocks. Wow, do I? I didn't know that!!
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Post by 1dave on Jan 4, 2019 12:25:06 GMT -5
You have family, friends and neighbors who like pretty rocks. Wow, do I? I didn't know that!! Ask. You will be surprised - especially if you share pictures of wire wrapped stones from this site.
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Jan 4, 2019 12:36:19 GMT -5
Ask. You will be surprised - especially if you share pictures of wire wrapped stones from this site. Sorry, I was being a bit sarcastic. The problem is - I don't really have much family (one member) and friends (two) to begin with, ya know?
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Post by 1dave on Jan 4, 2019 13:18:01 GMT -5
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 4, 2019 14:44:05 GMT -5
One question: is ceramic media used as a rough grit or more in a way of a pellet fill? In case you haven't posted the question elsewhere yet, the ceramic media is a filler that helps the grit do it's thing but is not a replacement for grit. We use low grade garnets for filler. For your other question about soft rocks, generally shaping, sanding, and polishing by hand is the preferred method. A cabbing machine that costs a bit of money and uses up space is the ideal choice, but a flat lap will do, or even a flex shaft carving type setup. If you want to start a thread with specific tool questions be sure to tag me and jamesp so we can respond. There are a lot of other good tool people on the board as well.
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Post by rmf on Jan 4, 2019 15:26:51 GMT -5
@kia I never use fillers unless I am forced to. (Soft stones Typically) I would rather do two batches in coarse than fill my tumbler up with fillers. But there are times you have no option. My Thoughts on fillers like Ceramic pellets. #1 you have to pay $$ for them. #2 if you put them in you have to pick them out when done. #3 Fillers (store bought) are typically softer than the rocks you are tumbling so if you are tumbling them they are grinding away too and you could have had rocks in the batch. Had you done two coarse batches to start with, you would not need the ceramic. jamesp on this forum does a lot of glass and ceramic fillers is standard from what I have read of his recipe. Tumbling is not like making a cake. Yes there is a basic recipe but if your rocks are hard then you tweek the recipe one way if the rocks are softer you have to do something different. I found that to polish Tennessee puddingstone in a tumbler and get a good polish I had to add plastic pellets to the polish and small pieces of indoor outdoor carpet. The pudding stone had Chert (hardness of 7) and it is cemented by Limonite/hematite (hardness of 5-ish). The chert would polish but scratch the cement. The carpet buffed the cement and kept it polished. Start cheap and see what works with your hardware and rough rock. If possible start with quartz family (agates, jaspers, quartzites and quartz) Get a couple of loads under your belt and keep good notes as to what you did at each step. That will help you diagnose problems. Soft stones are harder to polish than Agates/Jaspers. Tumbling is like Psychology there are no wrong answers just a few crazy nuts.
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Jan 4, 2019 15:37:21 GMT -5
Thanks Rockoonz and rmf ! This is good advice, thanks for sharing your knowledge with me.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,651
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Post by Tommy on Jan 4, 2019 15:41:08 GMT -5
Belated welcome from northern California Kai! It's awesome having you here.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Jan 4, 2019 15:47:56 GMT -5
Hello Kai, from (now) sunny Atlanta Georgia. It sounds like you are in the thick of things mineral and fossil. This crowd will tell you everything about working with minerals and if you wish to find a group for fossils try the www.thefossilforum.com/. I belong to both and they keep me very busy. Best.
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