victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,975
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 15, 2019 17:47:55 GMT -5
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Post by MsAli on Feb 15, 2019 18:20:46 GMT -5
Those look really good-I love that last one
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 15, 2019 22:02:09 GMT -5
Nice job on those tumbles. Love the palmwood!
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ivan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 165
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Post by ivan on Feb 15, 2019 22:29:35 GMT -5
Very nicely done. Do you have your 10 final finishing/polish procedure that you would like to share. Thank you very much!
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,975
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 16, 2019 15:54:13 GMT -5
Ivan, there is no secret to what I do. I start by preforming either a flat or dome top on a 60 grit flat lap and do a large number of cabs until the lap is basically worn out. I then check the girdle to make sure it is even, the domes are good and all shapes are good. The dop stick is removed and I remove all saw marks and the bevel the top and bottom edge to prevent chipping and give a nice smooth edge when finished. Remember that a vibe shapes and is not aggressive like a rotary unless the material is soft. Because I shape on a very aggressive disc most hard material will take a minimum of two cycles (each cycle is 2 days) to remove the deep scratches and some will require three times in the 120/220 SiC grit. One time in 500 AlO, one time in 1000 AlO and at least 3 days in polish. I add borax (2tbl) for a UV-18 vibe and half media by volume. Once I finish 2 days in the 1000 I add tripoli in a half amount for one more day. I also try not to mix the real hard material with less hard because the extra grind is not needed on softer material to remove the deep scratches. You should wash well between all stages unless you are repeating the rough grind. I follow the Thumbler instructions for quantity of grit/polish. I buy all materials from The Rock Shed and don't know if supplies from other companies will give the same results.
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hh5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2012
Posts: 136
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Post by hh5 on Feb 16, 2019 16:52:27 GMT -5
Very nice work victor1941, and thanks for the recipe. Do you know what material that last cab is?
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,975
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 16, 2019 18:06:30 GMT -5
hh5- the last piece believe or not is from the Yellowstone River and was a piece that I initially tumbled as larger filler/give away in the UV-18 vibe. There is a 7 year old boy next door that likes the clear/white pieces that I don't want and I include some of that for him. I saw the interesting formation in the polished slab and then cabbed it. I also noticed in the picture that it has several scratches and should be processed again.
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