|
Post by Starguy on Oct 21, 2019 19:24:30 GMT -5
I have never used ceramic tumbling media. I use some plastic media in fine through polish but only as a cushion. Ceramic media can replace small to medium rocks in coarse grit but why pay the premium for something that will never be pretty? My favorite replacement is small Lake Superior Agates. I just bought 26 pounds of small Lakers from a reputable dealer that will keep me going for years without ceramics. It will mean longer cleanout times to examine the small ones but I don’t have to deal with pieces that will never be attractive. $4.20 /lb in bulk vs approx $7 / lb for ceramic. It’s hard agate the polishes well and can be very attractive. in the past, I have paid up to $12 / pound for this stuff.. Keep on rockin. I appreciate and learn from you guys. I do rotary only. rockjunquie . This stuff is perfect for tumbling flats. sincerely
|
|
jasonshort
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2019
Posts: 113
|
Post by jasonshort on Oct 21, 2019 20:05:32 GMT -5
Well I use ceramic when I tumble apache tears in a 3lb barrel. I use 1 cup ceramic and 2 cups tears. It provides a cushion because the tears are easy to scratch. Some people use plastic pellets but the grit sticks to the pellets and the only way to get the pellets clean is to dump them in a bucket of water so the pellets float to the top. Pain in the neck if you ask me. Grit does not stick to ceramic so just spray it off and use it in the next step. rocktumbler.com/rough/apache-tears.shtmlAnother use of ceramic is when you use a vib tumbler. I use about 10 to 20% ceramic rocktumbler.com/blog/operating-the-thumlers-uv-10-rock-tumbler/Works really good Check out that website lots of good info
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Oct 22, 2019 4:33:42 GMT -5
If you only tumble agates and jaspers I agree with you why use ceramic filler. But for softer rocks ceramic is used.
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Oct 22, 2019 7:50:41 GMT -5
I have never used ceramic tumbling media. I use some plastic media in fine through polish but only as a cushion. Ceramic media can replace small to medium rocks in coarse grit but why pay the premium for something that will never be pretty? My favorite replacement is small Lake Superior Agates. I just bought 26 pounds of small Lakers from a reputable dealer that will keep me going for years without ceramics. It will mean longer cleanout times to examine the small ones but I don’t have to deal with pieces that will never be attractive. $4.20 /lb in bulk vs approx $7 / lb for ceramic. It’s hard agate the polishes well and can be very attractive. in the past, I have paid up to $12 / pound for this stuff.. Keep on rockin. I appreciate and learn from you guys. I do rotary only. rockjunquie . This stuff is perfect for tumbling flats. sincerely
That may be for the harder stuff, for sure. I was using little rocks form the dollar store, but they create a really thick soup and melt away to nothing in no time. Very few hard rocks in the mix. I switched to all ceramics, but got a lot of sticking problems. So, where do I find this LSA mix?
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
|
Post by Fossilman on Oct 22, 2019 10:39:03 GMT -5
I use ceramic when I tumble Obsidian...
|
|
gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
|
Post by gatorflash1 on Oct 22, 2019 19:18:11 GMT -5
I use mixed ceramic media (really just very small and hard rocks) for all stages. It is harder than any rocks I tumble. It is a good for getting the grit or polish into all the cracks and such. It lasts a very long time and has enough weight to buffer the rocks. It holds up very well with course and fine grits. Here is some info from the pros. rocktumbler.com/media.shtml
|
|
|
Post by Starguy on Oct 23, 2019 8:59:11 GMT -5
I have never used ceramic tumbling media. I use some plastic media in fine through polish but only as a cushion. Ceramic media can replace small to medium rocks in coarse grit but why pay the premium for something that will never be pretty? My favorite replacement is small Lake Superior Agates. I just bought 26 pounds of small Lakers from a reputable dealer that will keep me going for years without ceramics. It will mean longer cleanout times to examine the small ones but I don’t have to deal with pieces that will never be attractive. $4.20 /lb in bulk vs approx $7 / lb for ceramic. It’s hard agate the polishes well and can be very attractive. in the past, I have paid up to $12 / pound for this stuff.. Keep on rockin. I appreciate and learn from you guys. I do rotary only. rockjunquie . This stuff is perfect for tumbling flats. sincerely
That may be for the harder stuff, for sure. I was using little rocks form the dollar store, but they create a really thick soup and melt away to nothing in no time. Very few hard rocks in the mix. I switched to all ceramics, but got a lot of sticking problems. So, where do I find this LSA mix?
rockjunquieKingsley North has the small Lakers. Search for stock number 7-0080.
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Oct 23, 2019 9:33:46 GMT -5
That may be for the harder stuff, for sure. I was using little rocks form the dollar store, but they create a really thick soup and melt away to nothing in no time. Very few hard rocks in the mix. I switched to all ceramics, but got a lot of sticking problems. So, where do I find this LSA mix?
rockjunquie Kingsley North has the small Lakers. Search for stock number 7-0080. Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Oct 23, 2019 12:28:09 GMT -5
rockjunquie Kingsley North has the small Lakers. Search for stock number 7-0080. Thanks! Booooo, out of stock.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Oct 24, 2019 8:11:25 GMT -5
If finish tumbling in a vibe(maybe a rotary too) the ceramic media is hard and does a great job of breaking or rounding grit down when tumbling soft materials like obsidian and glass. Because glass and obsidian is soft and has difficulty breaking down abrasives without the help of the ceramics. Speeding the break down of finishing abrasives is key to speeding up the tumbling process and getting excellent finishes.
Or you can use quartz pea gravel because it is also a hard material and will break down abrasives too.
|
|
|
Post by arghvark on Nov 3, 2019 11:29:21 GMT -5
Another voice: I don't use ceramics in rotary tumblers at all. But I'm lucky to have an easy and endless nearby supply of very small agates - 1/4" to 1/2". Just have to pick 'em up. A couple hands full into each rough roll, even soft stuff like obsidian and rhyolites. Really speeds up shaping especially when there are lots of nooks and crannies.
On the other hand, based on advice from the more experienced folks here I use 30-40% ceramic media in the vibe for varied-sized hard stones and 50-60% when finishing soft stuff. Higher percentage for soft stones seems to keep them from banging into each other.
|
|
|
Post by greig on Nov 3, 2019 12:15:55 GMT -5
I use both in a rotary tumbler, sometimes alternatively and sometimes together. If I had to choose just one, it would be ceramic. Knowing that most of the work happens at the bottom of the barrel as the rocks roll through, I have a thought/worry that plastics might not be there in quantity because they float. I am not sure how to test that theory, other than make a transparent lid so I can watch what is happening. Might be a good winter project and interesting video.
One tip regarding new ceramics is to run them first time in stage 2 grit to remove any sharp edges, before using them in stage 3 or 4. If they have soft edges, they won't scratch your stones.
|
|
osuguy0301
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 203
|
Post by osuguy0301 on Nov 16, 2019 6:31:05 GMT -5
I rarely tumble softer rocks, although I have some mahogany obsidian I would like to tumble. I typically just use a mix of smalls that I have already tumbled to fill in the space. It has worked well for me, but again I don't tumble softer material so mileage may very.
|
|