vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 15:34:38 GMT -5
So my expierience with the jasper and agates got me wondering. I know Tumbling rocks is gonna take time, no matter what, but Some have to be faster. So what rocks would yall say tumble fastest like give me a list please?
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Post by Pat on Sept 30, 2022 16:21:24 GMT -5
Haha! We were talked into tumbling. Bought all the equipment, and were given a lot of grits.
Went home, dumped in the rocks and grit snd flipped the switch. Checked on the progress about every hour. When they weren’t done by dinner, we said ENOUGH!!
I use the nice small tumbler to polish findings and finished metalsmithing projects. Gave the grits away to very patient tumblers….. happy ending!
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 30, 2022 17:03:43 GMT -5
Obsidian...but search for threads on here for the best ways to do it...
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 17:05:34 GMT -5
Haha! We were talked into tumbling. Bought all the equipment, and were given a lot of grits. Went home, dumped in the rocks and grit snd flipped the switch. Checked on the progress about every hour. When they weren’t done by dinner, we said ENOUGH!! I use the nice small tumbler to polish findings and finished metalsmithing projects. Gave the grits away to very patient tumblers….. happy ending! Oh no no im not giving up, and I dont need them done by supper, but I would like rocks that i can get each stage done in 7 to 10 days. I dont mind a Batch taking a month from start to finish, What I have a issue with is when its 16 days later and stage one isnt done lol. I am sure there are a whole bunch of very pretty softer rocks that I can get done in a month, just need to know which ones they are lol.
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pebblesky
fully equipped rock polisher
Placed another order in rockshed. Happy 2024 everyone!
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,305
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Post by pebblesky on Sept 30, 2022 17:21:04 GMT -5
Pat Softer rocks tumble faster but on the other hand it is a challenge to get them to a great polish. It would be much easier to deal with hard rocks, as I have heard all the time.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 17:33:49 GMT -5
Obsidian...but search for threads on here for the best ways to do it... Awesome, I will add that to the list of Softer rocks. Basically, I am looking for rocks that I can spend 7 to 10 days per stage on. I dont need them done in hours, but these agates, On the next check will have spent 21 days on stage one. So basically I need a List of rocks that I can have done in 30 to 45 days total time between all stages.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 17:36:34 GMT -5
Pat Softer rocks tumble faster but on the other hand it is a challenge to get them to a great polish. It would be much easier to deal with hard rocks, as I have heard all the time. Well, I dont really want to go Super Soft, Like I was thinking mostly stuff between 5 and 6.5/7 Mohs, But I also know the scale isnt linear as well, Like for example Quartz and Agate are both 7 but in my very limited personal expierence, quartz tumbles MUCH faster.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,197
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Post by quartzilla on Sept 30, 2022 17:41:03 GMT -5
Vance where do you live? Any rock hunting areas nearby? Why my stones are rolling I’m looking for more! Good way to tide you over during that course stage. Have you considered joining a club in your area? Good way to learn about rocks, meet like-minded people and learn how to use the other equipment like flat laps and cabbing machines. Also I’d stick with the agates and jaspers for a while, they really are fun and seeing the progress can be amazing! Having 1 small tumbler is rough, I have several and basically I have a good sized handful of rocks coming out of course every week.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 18:04:20 GMT -5
Vance where do you live? Any rock hunting areas nearby? Why my stones are rolling I’m looking for more! Good way to tide you over during that course stage. Have you considered joining a club in your area? Good way to learn about rocks, meet like-minded people and learn how to use the other equipment like flat laps and cabbing machines. Also I’d stick with the agates and jaspers for a while, they really are fun and seeing the progress can be amazing! Having 1 small tumbler is rough, I have several and basically I have a good sized handful of rocks coming out of course every week. Well, I live in what I like to refer to as rock wasteland lol. I am in NW Ohio, so anywhere to find really cool rocks is at least a 3.5 hour drive 1 way, which I really cant afford to make. Most of what is in my Area is Quartz,Quartzite, Basalt, and Limestone, that is not to say that I dont go out rock hunting locally, I do, in fact I have 20 gallon zip lock bags full to last me through the winter. I do, occasionally find some nice green quartzite or some cool Green basalt, but Agates,jasper,obsidian,etc are just not within a distance I can afford to drive.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,197
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Post by quartzilla on Sept 30, 2022 18:17:48 GMT -5
Vance where do you live? Any rock hunting areas nearby? Why my stones are rolling I’m looking for more! Good way to tide you over during that course stage. Have you considered joining a club in your area? Good way to learn about rocks, meet like-minded people and learn how to use the other equipment like flat laps and cabbing machines. Also I’d stick with the agates and jaspers for a while, they really are fun and seeing the progress can be amazing! Having 1 small tumbler is rough, I have several and basically I have a good sized handful of rocks coming out of course every week. Well, I live in what I like to refer to as rock wasteland lol. I am in NW Ohio, so anywhere to find really cool rocks is at least a 3.5 hour drive 1 way, which I really cant afford to make. Most of what is in my Area is Quartz,Quartzite, Basalt, and Limestone, that is not to say that I dont go out rock hunting locally, I do, in fact I have 20 gallon zip lock bags full to last me through the winter. I do, occasionally find some nice green quartzite or some cool Green basalt, but Agates,jasper,obsidian,etc are just not within a distance I can afford to drive. Yeah that is being in between a rock and a hard spot, pun intended. My grandparents lived in Miamisburg outside of Dayton. While vacationing there I always found fossils, which helped nurse my fascination with rocks, but that’s all there was around there, fossils. All I can say is patience is hand in hand with tumbling. Try to remember : good things come to those who wait. After your first batch of self collected quartzites, etc. come out nice and shiny you will see what all the waiting was for.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,197
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Post by quartzilla on Sept 30, 2022 18:21:15 GMT -5
Vance I’m heading out on a field trip to The Kramer Hills In the Mojave Desert this weekend. I will be happy to get a bunch of tumbling size pieces for you that I can send you in a small flat rate box for some of your green quartzites if you have plenty to spare. Let me know if your interested.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 18:59:11 GMT -5
Vance I’m heading out on a field trip to The Kramer Hills In the Mojave Desert this weekend. I will be happy to get a bunch of tumbling size pieces for you that I can send you in a small flat rate box for some of your green quartzites if you have plenty to spare. Let me know if your interested. Sent you a message, Hells ya that sounds awesome. Oh ya I have plenty to Spare for sure. I had a state Geologist look at photos of the rocks and he said they were green quartzite, so I am taking his word for it lol.
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,197
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Post by quartzilla on Sept 30, 2022 21:13:15 GMT -5
Vance I’m heading out on a field trip to The Kramer Hills In the Mojave Desert this weekend. I will be happy to get a bunch of tumbling size pieces for you that I can send you in a small flat rate box for some of your green quartzites if you have plenty to spare. Let me know if your interested. Sent you a message, Hells ya that sounds awesome. Oh ya I have plenty to Spare for sure. I had a state Geologist look at photos of the rocks and he said they were green quartzite, so I am taking his word for it lol. oh I’m interested lol. I like tumbling new materials and this sounds interesting to me. See I will get you sticking with tumbling agates and jaspers one way or the other lol!
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howgneiss
starting to shine!
Member since May 2022
Posts: 25
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Post by howgneiss on Sept 30, 2022 21:52:01 GMT -5
A softer stone I've had decent luck with is sodalite. Also something like picture jasper can be considered done with stage one after one to two weeks if you're not crazy picky.
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 22:29:36 GMT -5
Sent you a message, Hells ya that sounds awesome. Oh ya I have plenty to Spare for sure. I had a state Geologist look at photos of the rocks and he said they were green quartzite, so I am taking his word for it lol. oh I’m interested lol. I like tumbling new materials and this sounds interesting to me. See I will get you sticking with tumbling agates and jaspers one way or the other lol! Might do them on My Girls Nat Geo type tumbler tho lmao
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Sept 30, 2022 22:49:42 GMT -5
A softer stone I've had decent luck with is sodalite. Also something like picture jasper can be considered done with stage one after one to two weeks if you're not crazy picky. Awesome Added to the list!
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Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 1, 2022 0:17:30 GMT -5
Vance I’m heading out on a field trip to The Kramer Hills In the Mojave Desert this weekend. I will be happy to get a bunch of tumbling size pieces for you that I can send you in a small flat ra box for some of your green quartzites if you have plenty to spare. Let me know if your interested. quartzilla , you just went in February, right? We've been up there twice, was not crowded at all, brought home a bunch of cool rocks. Nice area! Have a great hounding weekend!
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ericabelle
spending too much on rocks
Instagram acct: @erica_shoots_everything
Member since April 2021
Posts: 482
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Post by ericabelle on Oct 1, 2022 7:44:32 GMT -5
Obsidian...but search for threads on here for the best ways to do it... Awesome, I will add that to the list of Softer rocks. Basically, I am looking for rocks that I can spend 7 to 10 days per stage on. I dont need them done in hours, but these agates, On the next check will have spent 21 days on stage one. So basically I need a List of rocks that I can have done in 30 to 45 days total time between all stages. I hardly ever tumble anything less than a mohs of 7, but I just happen to have a “soft” load going right now of Feldspar and granite. I also threw in some mostly rounded rocks I collected on Lake Michigan that didn’t need much shaping. In fact, that’s another thing you could do, which I think you already do some, is do quite a bit of the shaping before you put it in your tumbler.
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ericabelle
spending too much on rocks
Instagram acct: @erica_shoots_everything
Member since April 2021
Posts: 482
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Post by ericabelle on Oct 1, 2022 7:54:58 GMT -5
I thought of something else- landscape gravel. Notice what type of landscape gravel different businesses around you have. You might find some mostly round rocks there. That’s where I got all the feldspar. 😆
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Oct 1, 2022 13:23:52 GMT -5
Awesome, I will add that to the list of Softer rocks. Basically, I am looking for rocks that I can spend 7 to 10 days per stage on. I dont need them done in hours, but these agates, On the next check will have spent 21 days on stage one. So basically I need a List of rocks that I can have done in 30 to 45 days total time between all stages. I hardly ever tumble anything less than a mohs of 7, but I just happen to have a “soft” load going right now of Feldspar and granite. I also threw in some mostly rounded rocks I collected on Lake Michigan that didn’t need much shaping. In fact, that’s another thing you could do, which I think you already do some, is do quite a bit of the shaping before you put it in your tumbler. I do have a lot of Quartz and quartzite that I have found to do. But really I was just looking for a list of what rocks actually tumbler faster than the Iron Man race I have going against these agates lol. I am totally good with a batch taking 30 to 45 days total. Not so good with stage 1 taking 30 to 45 days lol
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