harrym
having dreams about rocks
NH - The Granite State
Member since January 2019
Posts: 59
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Post by harrym on Feb 16, 2019 11:20:35 GMT -5
On my rotary tumbler I am currently running my first batch through stage 1 and will be moving those good enough tomorrow to stage 2. I have seen some different recipes about what comes next after stage 2. If you look at the RockTumbler.com website they say the following:
Stage 1: Course 60/90 Grit SiC Stage 2:Medium 150/220 SiC Stage 3: Fine 500 SiC Stage 4: AO Polish
However, I bought a Lortone Tumbler and they say:
Stage 1: Course 60/90 Grit SiC Stage 2: Medium 150/220 SiC Stage 3: AO Pre-Polish (which I presume is 1200 grit) Stage 4: AO Polish
Is there some consensus on which recipe to use? Does it really matter? I was just wondering what most of the users of this forum do.
By reading this forum I gather that the final polish is AO 14,000 grit, but please correct me if I am wrong about that or anything else.
Thanks very much! Harry
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jimaz
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2018
Posts: 461
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Post by jimaz on Feb 16, 2019 12:29:53 GMT -5
I use 500 AO for stage 3 in my 45C.
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 16, 2019 13:25:56 GMT -5
It is a pretty big jump from SiC-220 directly to AO-1000 (or 1200)... I think that the Lortone pre-polish is probably closer to AO-500. If you are using a 3 lb. barrel (Lortone 3A or 33B)... the first stage SiC-60/90 is good (as is graded 80 grit). Do not use anything coarser, like 46/70, because the dynamics of using a small drum with the heavier grit does not work well (as efficient... lots of left over grit at the end). The heavier grit(s) are OK to use in the larger barrels (like Lortone QT-66 or QT-12... not sure about the 45C barrel though jimaz ). When you are purchasing bulk grit, consider a larger order of the 60/90, because you will be running the first stage sometimes for up to 2 months (!) with clean-outs and new grit changes every week or so. After getting the stones shaped to your satisfaction, the remaining steps take less time (each step getting rid of the scratches caused by the previous step's grits). I found the owners manuals tend to call for using more grit than is necessary. Check out your clean-out bucket to see if there is allot of grit at the bottom and make adjustments for the next tumble's grit use. I have found that 3 tablespoons of 60/90 for the first step(s) in a 3 lb. barrel is adequate.
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Post by aDave on Feb 16, 2019 14:40:37 GMT -5
Hi harrym, welcome to the forum. Another vote for 500 AO for the third stage. I used to use 500 SiC way back when, but I like the AO much better. The tendency of the AO to smooth and not cut like SiC gave me more satisfactory results, IMHO. And, to further try to take advantage of AO breaking down and smoothing, I run my third stage for two weeks without adding new, or changing out, grit. I've done this instead of utilizing a "true" prepolish stage of 1000-1200. I'll also second the reduction of grit, especially for the polish stage. For my 4 lb Lortone, instructions called for 8 TBSP of polish which did nothing more than cause a thick mess. I cut back to 3 level TBSP which has been more than adequate. Oh, and you are correct that polish is about 13,000 - 14,000 on average, though other sizes can be obtained.
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Post by Starguy on Feb 16, 2019 18:03:10 GMT -5
harrym If your rocks are high quality and have some value it’s worth a five stage process. -60/90 -220 -500 -ao 1000/1200 -tin oxide polish or ao 14,000 I think the most important thing to getting a good polish is to have a good mix of rock sizes. 50% small-medium, 25% medium-large 25% large, tops. Small rocks are critical. They work their way into hollows and crevices.. They are a pain to sort and clean but all stages need them. Plastics and ceramics can be substituted but small agates are the best. welcome to RTH.
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kskid
Cave Dweller
Member since July 2014
Posts: 98
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Post by kskid on Feb 16, 2019 22:59:25 GMT -5
harrym If your rocks are high quality and have some value it’s worth a five stage process. -60/90 -220 -500 -ao 1000/1200 -tin oxide polish or ao 14,000 I think the most important thing to getting a good polish is to have a good mix of rock sizes. 50% small-medium, 25% medium-large 25% large, tops. Small rocks are critical. They work their way into hollows and crevices.. They are a pain to sort and clean but all stages need them. Plastics and ceramics can be substituted but small agates are the best. welcome to RTH. X2
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harrym
having dreams about rocks
NH - The Granite State
Member since January 2019
Posts: 59
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Post by harrym on Feb 17, 2019 7:06:52 GMT -5
Hey thanks so much for all your insights.
I bought and am/will be running two Lortone 33B's w/ 3# barrels. Thus, I have 4 barrels in total. Because I'm only starting I only have two barrels running today at the 2nd week of stage 1. The nice thing about this hobby is that because its a slow process there is time to change course. I had already bought the 500 SiC but I'm glad to see that on more valuable stones I can still use it on a 5 stage process. I still have plenty of time before I get to stage 3 to order myself a bag of AO 500.
This first batch I have going is nothing valuable, mostly stuff I have picked up here and there over the years. I tested them for like hardness and figured they would make for a good practice run before trying out more challenging stones like Tigers Eye or Hematite (which I think is very cool looking).
Again, thanks for setting me on the right path!
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Post by Starguy on Feb 17, 2019 11:52:01 GMT -5
harrymThis is my setup. 12 pound lortone runs nothing but 60/90. 3 pound lortone does 220 through polish. I’m putting out three pounds of polished rocks every 4 weeks. The 12 pounder roughs out enough that I am ready for finer grits when the 3 pounder finishes a batch.
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