vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 25, 2017 19:44:49 GMT -5
OK, so I bought grit from a place called Rockhounds.com, just because I am an Amazon guy. I assume grit is grit? Please correct me if I am wrong. I will run stage 1 for two weeks and go from there. The instructions in the grit called for using plastic pellets in stages 3 and 4. Are pellets pellets? With a 1 lb. tumbler, how much do I need?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 25, 2017 19:12:09 GMT -5
I did not know that cleanliness of the barrel and the stones themselves was so important. Thank you all. I am preparing to start the next batch of my daughter's rocks, and this is probably a stupid question, but do you recommend a toothbrush cleaning of the rocks prior to starting stage 1?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 24, 2017 20:09:37 GMT -5
Do you mean, in the tumbler, or by hand? Sorry. I should've been more specific. Run the rocks again in your tumbler with just soap or borax. Some folks burnish a full 24 hours. I usually let it run 4 hours or so. That makes sense. When you say "soap"....how do you mean? Soap to a NOOB like me is in bar form?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 23, 2017 21:40:03 GMT -5
The one on the left could be chert. Looks like it will polish up nicely. Just remember that after stage one the rocks do not change in shape or quality. Any rough areas, pits or imperfections that are not addressed in stage one will still be there when the tumble is done. One other thing that has not been mentioned is that using a small 1.5 pound barrel means stage one takes even longer then the larger rotary barrels that most of us our running. The larger diameter barrels create more falling/grinding action and the added rock volume also helps the grind. After your 1 week stage one run was the grit 100% used up or could you still feel any grit in the slurry? You are aware that no water used in your clean outs can go down your household drain right? Chuck Based on what I could tell, there was no "grit" left after each one week run. And yes, the Nat Geo instructions did tell us to NOT pour the clean out down the drain!!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 23, 2017 21:13:14 GMT -5
So, these are two rocks from her collection that seem to have promise....just because there are shiny parts to them. I have no clue what kind of rocks they are, but each are approximately 2" x 2". 1485221137208 by Michael Aldrich, on Flickr
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 23, 2017 20:55:54 GMT -5
WOW! Those are Gorgeous!!!!!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 23, 2017 19:58:48 GMT -5
After your final polish step, do one additional stage with just soap or borax and water. This is referred to as burnishing. Do you mean, in the tumbler, or by hand?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 23, 2017 19:47:06 GMT -5
So....perhaps two weeks for stage 1? The coarsest grit?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 23, 2017 19:33:53 GMT -5
Wow. This place is pretty awesome. Thank you ALL for all of your input. Having never tumbled rocks before, I simply followed the directions that came with the tumbler, which basically stated 4 stages of grit, one week per stage. My daughter is actually quite pleased with the results, and since this was her Christmas gift, I am going to leave the rocks be for now.
I have ordered additional grit. My daughter has a penchant for picking up rocks no matter where she goes. She has been collecting rocks since she was probably 3 or 4 years old. Personally, I prefer the look of Rock God's stones, so perhaps I can nudge her in that direction. We have already chosen our next batch of rocks from her "collection" and I made sure to let her know that we need to exclude rocks with too many pits and/or holes.
A couple of questions....she typically picks up rocks from wherever she is....our yard, the woods, her playground at school. Is this typical? Where do you all get your rocks from? Also, based on jamesp's post, should I automatically plan on doubling the time for each stage, versus what is written in the Nat Geo instruction manual? Thanks again for all of the information!!!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 23:48:58 GMT -5
I cannot thank you all enough for the tips and tricks, but what do you recommend I do to make my daughter's rocks shiny, like the ones one in Rock God's picture?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 23:26:31 GMT -5
OK, that is a good point. I am not sure my daughter and I were exact enough.... Now, I need to buy more grit!!
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 23:10:51 GMT -5
OK...thank you, but I am not sure what that means?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 22:19:43 GMT -5
So, I want her rocks to look like "Rock God's".....need to figure out how to get there, please.
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 21:01:50 GMT -5
Better?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 21:01:37 GMT -5
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 20:42:02 GMT -5
Thank you for the responses. While the National Geographic tumbler may be considered a toy, we felt it best to start there for an 8 year. With this in mind, her 48 year old Daddy is every bit into it as she is, if not more. You are correct in that the instructions had us basically run each packet of grit for 7 days. I am going to try to attach a picture showing the results after the final running. This batch is basically 50% rocks that came with the tumbler and 50% that she found elsewhere. While the rocks are nice and smooth, they are hazy and not shiny as I expected. www.flickr.com/photos/147786444@N06/shares/gM9rWhThe tumbler itself is made of rubber and not that noisy, so for now, I think it is satisfactory. I just need to learn more about the process, perhaps?
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vayank5150
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 118
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Post by vayank5150 on Jan 22, 2017 19:33:02 GMT -5
We bought our daughter the National Geographic 1 pound rock tumbler for Christmas. We have now gone through all 4 stages of tumbling. However, the rocks are not "shiny", which I anticipated they would be. Is there another step that we have not done yet?
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