ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 26, 2016 18:12:12 GMT -5
The first picture of the box is what's left - so there is plenty! And yes, those are the 6# barrels. There are quite a few pieces that are around 1.5". I tried to make a bunch of sizes. I'm going to fire the saw up and try that method also with the smaller chunks. I can definitely try and keep some pieces even bigger. I was just basing the sizes on all the tumbling rough I've gotten from the Rock Shed - and then threw a bunch of medium and smaller stuff to fill in.
A question on the borax, how much would you add? A couple of tablespoons?
Thanks!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 26, 2016 17:45:00 GMT -5
Alright, I decided to document my attempt at tumbling the mahogany obsidian I bought from Tommy . I ended up buying the small tile saw from Harbor Freight, but decided for this first barrel I would try busting the material up by hand. I grabbed a large granite rock, placed the obsidian in a large box and put on as much protection as I could find - jeans, boots, long sleeve, leather gloves and a full face shield (happy to report it all worked - no blood). I felt pretty good about the small amount of "waste". I was able to break a couple of the bigger chunks into smaller slabs. Then I whacked them with a rock chisel. Didn't take much and I had more control than I thought. Grabbed anything that looked big enough. Got a nice mix of sizes. Into the barrel with 10 TB of some 60/90 and water to the bottom of the top layer. All guesses. I'm going to check this tomorrow since I thought I read that obsidian can cause a bit of gas. I'll let this roll for a week and see how things look. I included a few pics of my grit and tumble stash. I'll be adding in some plastic pellets and small ceramic media when this moves to stage 2. This will be fully rotary tumbled. Thanks for all the help everyone has been providing. Here are the pics...
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 26, 2016 15:26:26 GMT -5
I just sent you an email. Hoping to talk to you soon. Thanks.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 26, 2016 15:14:42 GMT -5
I hope to post material that looks this wonderful some day. At the rate my rocks are coming out of the rough stage, it might be next year. But this is what I'm shooting for. I always look forward to seeing your posts. I only have rotary tumblers, but I've seen plenty of great stuff come from them also. Just takes time. Lots and lots and lots and lots......
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 25, 2016 12:51:58 GMT -5
Payment sent. Thanks for the quick reply!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 25, 2016 11:40:56 GMT -5
Would it be possible to combine 1 & 4 into a single box?
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 19, 2016 11:17:40 GMT -5
Thank you for all the replies. I think I'm going to start with the 7" saw just to get a feel for slicing things up to make tumbles. If it seems like something I want to continue doing, I can look for something a bit more specialized and larger.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 18, 2016 10:29:54 GMT -5
I tend to stay away from CL and Ebay after having issues with both of them, but I will keep an eye out around here for used equipment. I've seen so many posts on here suggesting a trim saw and just as many with people saying a tile saw is good enough.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 18, 2016 8:31:30 GMT -5
So, I guess this is how the hobby gets you. I saw the beautiful mahogany obsidian Tommy was selling and had to have some. Of course, these are fist sized pieces. I was wondering if someone could help steer me towards a tile saw that would allow me to just make some slab cuts, with the intention of busting those slabs into individual pieces (I saw a post from jamesp, but he has a much larger saw). I see the following 2 saws at Harbor Freight. The 10" would run about $224 with the 20% off coupon. It seems I would be able to cut larger pieces with this. I also see that this can be fitted with a rock vise (I believe). This looks like a MK101 knockoff and I've seen plenty of reviews here where it worked for others. Just haven't been able to see many reviews on the HF version. I'm thinking I could also use this to rough cut some previously bought tumble material where it looks like a little trim is necessary. Thanks! 10" saw
7" saw
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 16, 2016 19:07:33 GMT -5
Well, this is my first purchase from a board member. I'm excited to see what can be done with this material. I've found plenty of reference posts, but most people finish in a vibe. I'll be tumbling the whole time and will see what happens. Thanks, Tommy!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 15, 2016 18:44:29 GMT -5
Thank you for the suggestions and links. I was browsing thru the wire wrapping section and then realized I could search "tumble" and found a bunch of ideas.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 15, 2016 12:44:44 GMT -5
I see all kinds of posts where you start with slabs/cabs. Does anyone actually make any jewelry with tumbled stones? I see all kinds of wire wrapped cabs. I see all kinds of bezel set cabs. I'm guessing that's because tumbled stones are a bit more unpredictable? Just curious if someone could point me in a good general direction. Thanks in advance!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 11, 2016 15:50:18 GMT -5
That middle stone in the first picture is amazing! And the photography is incredible. I'm out of adjectives.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 5, 2016 13:09:34 GMT -5
I can see all the pictures now. I just got started with tumbling so I don't have much to offer other than don't move rocks to the next stage until you are happy with their shape. Looking forward to seeing how these turn out. I would be tempted to just throw that last one in and see what happens.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 5, 2016 11:07:04 GMT -5
I don't see pictures 2 or 3 in your second post.
After "This is a picture of agates..." and "This is a zoom of the..."
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 5, 2016 7:49:17 GMT -5
Has anyone tumbled this material before? The copper ores are a mix of different copper minerals and matrix materials. It would be hard to match up the hardnesses of the different stones. For tumbling I would go with something like the silicated chrysocolla, which ought to be beautiful. It is mainly dark green and brown. Occasionally turquoise blue or mutil-colored. But definitely hard enough to tumble. Thanks, vegasjames!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 4, 2016 20:05:28 GMT -5
Has anyone tumbled this material before?
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 4, 2016 10:39:57 GMT -5
I love all those different greens. Can't wait to see them all finished up.
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 3, 2016 21:05:14 GMT -5
Wow, that is impressive!
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Aug 3, 2016 15:58:11 GMT -5
Agreed! Thank you for all the information. I also have both types of media and will have plenty of experimenting in the near future.
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