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Post by Son Of Beach on Oct 14, 2022 20:24:57 GMT -5
This is kind of shower thought tonight, but something I've pondered on and off in the past.
What are the defining characteristics that separate these two similar hobbies?
Patience, eccentricity, stubbornness, perfectionism, age, creativeness?
I often thought patience defined a tumbler, but then I think of how much work cabbers put in to get all the small details just right, so it can't be that.
Maybe perfection, but I think those on this forum who put in and placed in the annual rock tumbling contest would say otherwise.
All tumblers don't just evolve into cabbers given enough time, right?
I dunno, I think there is something that is a dividing line, but I can't quite put my finger on it.
My money is on the stones themselves.
I think rollers just rock what they can, and cabbers are connoisseurs of a sort.
Home cooking vs eclectic eats, micro brew vs fine wine.
Maybe I'm off my rocker, but there seems to be a difference.
I love ya'lls work, but it doesn't quite seem to fit my personality, being a tumbler that is.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 14, 2022 20:41:42 GMT -5
Instant gratification...that's what I think more closely defines a cabber versus a tumbler.
There's something about allowing a tumbler to choose the shape of a rock (tumbling), versus how "I" choose to shape a rock (cabbing). Maybe it's a "control" thing...
Don't get me wrong, I think there's an "art" to tumbling rocks to perfection...but there's something that seems more creative with regards to cabbing. There is a certain skill to the "set it and forget it" of tumbling...but it's a different type of skill set when it comes to grinding cabs.
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hummingbirdstones2
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Oct 14, 2022 20:54:56 GMT -5
jasoninsd stole my best lines on this subject.
I've never tumbled a rock, so I'll say it's because I want it "my way" and "I want it now"!
I know I'll never have the patience to wait a week to see if my rocks are better than the week before.
It did, however, take me two months to cut a black opal I posted on here a while back. You only get one shot and that one made me nervous.
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brybry
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Post by brybry on Oct 14, 2022 20:55:21 GMT -5
My wife is a cabbers type. EVERYTHING needs to cut & cabbed. Tumbling is ehhh, whatever.
I'm stuck in between. I want to cab, getting everything together but even when I cut, I think Oh man this would make great tumbles. Other things I cut I think it's definitely cab material because it's the only way I see bringing out anything from the stone.
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Post by stardiamond on Oct 14, 2022 21:14:35 GMT -5
I think the starting point is equipment cost. Next is the control factor. I want to be able to control how the product looks at finish. There are a lot of crossovers. Tile saw, grinder/Dremel finish in a tumbler. If I were making cabs for myself, I wouldn't care it they were cut perfectly only the overall appearance.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Oct 14, 2022 21:37:48 GMT -5
Huh, control is a word I didn't think of. I think you guys are on to something.
I lean more towards let's see how it plays it out. I kind of enjoy not knowing exactly much the defect will ruin the rest.
I have a small stash of rocks, I'd say half a dozen or so rocks that I'm even thinking about putting on my tile saw. But I'll be honest they'll probably just end up back in the tumbler.
I have control of the rocks I put in and take out, I'm just more willing to let them take their time.
Maybe instant gratification is it as well.
Also you guys are doing one at a time vs say 25-30 at once so the control makes a lot more sense.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Oct 14, 2022 21:59:02 GMT -5
I started out cutting precious opal. You DON'T tumble precious opal unless you're a multi-millionaire and can afford to piss away 1/2 of the money you spent on the rough. I also like to make jewelry and tumbled stones, while very pretty, don't allow the creativity cutting a stone in a specific shape with a pattern you chose to show on the stone in a piece of metal (or wire) that you designed around that stone.
Just my opinion. The instant gratification doesn't apply on my end. I take forever to cut a cab and even longer to make a piece of jewelry.
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Post by stardiamond on Oct 14, 2022 22:03:54 GMT -5
I don't work one at a time. When new material arrives, I mark all the preforms. Then cut all the preforms with a trim saw. I then choose what I want to work on, grind the shape and then dop. The number I pick is what I feel like. When motivated I work on more. Too many and I can lose focus. I break up my work sessions to avoid physical and mental fatigue. I do all the cabs on the same wheel before moving on to the next. After the first two wheels I'm in autopilot mode. When I retired, I did more work and like most things, practice makes things simpler. One of the things that comes with practice is being more fearless. Having confidence in my ability. I would not have dared to start cutting soft material on an aggressive wheel. Wheels cut rock at a varying rate and as long as I feel in control, it is all about speed. I've watched cabbing tutorial videos and see a lot of rock ticklers. I'm a rock punisher because I have confidence.
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Post by Pat on Oct 14, 2022 23:06:28 GMT -5
I’m definitely a cabber . A cab can be done by dinner. Tumbled stones won’t be done until I’m too old …
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rockbrain
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Post by rockbrain on Oct 15, 2022 9:24:41 GMT -5
Rock tumbler $150 Cabbing machine $1500
Rock tumbler footprint 1 sq ft Cabbing machine footprint 4 sq ft
A lot of different reasons and some great ones talked about but these surely must be a factor in some cases.
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Post by liveoak on Oct 17, 2022 6:27:34 GMT -5
For me, cabbing is a means to an end (or at least I think that's what the term is). I like to make jewelry and cutting my own stone to incorporate into it is very satisfying.
Patty
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quartzilla
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Post by quartzilla on Oct 17, 2022 7:19:18 GMT -5
Why can’t we be both? The only reason I don’t have a cabbing machine is the cost. The tumbler is the entry level tool to work with stones and leads you to cutting, slabbing, cabbing, etc. I will eventually get a cabbing unit when the right opportunity or the right deal comes along. Good thing I’ve learned my patience from tumbling lol.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 17, 2022 17:39:14 GMT -5
Why can’t we be both? The only reason I don’t have a cabbing machine is the cost. The tumbler is the entry level tool to work with stones and leads you to cutting, slabbing, cabbing, etc. I will eventually get a cabbing unit when the right opportunity or the right deal comes along. Good thing I’ve learned my patience from tumbling lol.
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dshanpnw
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Post by dshanpnw on Oct 23, 2022 8:40:41 GMT -5
Cabbers are creative artsy folks keeping the lapidary vision of jewelry alive, like the ancient Egyptians. Tumblers do that too but in a different way. I don't think we are that much different, but costs definitely plays a part, so does attention to details. Cabbers are real critical of details.
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oldschoolrocker
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Post by oldschoolrocker on Oct 23, 2022 10:05:33 GMT -5
Instant gratification...that's what I think more closely defines a cabber versus a tumbler. THIS!! I was too impatient when tumbling. Would regularly do clean outs a day or two before needed just so could see what changes had occurred. Tried speeding up process by removing flaws before and during course grind with my tile saw and dremel. Which led me to making cabs w dremel in between barrel clean outs. Something very satisfying about seeing a cab take shape in one evening and was so much quicker than the months long effort of tumbled rocks so I quickly moved into cabbing and cutting rocks and haven't tumbled in quite a while.
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nursetumbler
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Post by nursetumbler on Oct 24, 2022 7:27:23 GMT -5
Why can’t we be both? The only reason I don’t have a cabbing machine is the cost. The tumbler is the entry level tool to work with stones and leads you to cutting, slabbing, cabbing, etc. I will eventually get a cabbing unit when the right opportunity or the right deal comes along. Good thing I’ve learned my patience from tumbling lol. quartzillaSo you're basically saying that tumbling is our GATEWAY DRUG advancing our ADDICTION to hard core sooner or later.
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Post by HankRocks on Oct 24, 2022 8:44:07 GMT -5
I have never "cabbed" a stone, my process which involves cutting out the shapes from various slabs avoiding fractures or softer areas, then tumbling to Polish. . Also learning the relative hardness of different pieces while shaping on the two rough diamond wheels I have; grinding the final shape on the wheels on a piece of Montana versus a piece of Tiger Eye or Sodalite tells me all I need to know about the tumbling process I will use.
Usually build up a batch of 50 to 100 pieces over the course of 3 or 4 months before I will tumble. For softer material I usually skip the coarse stage. During the tumbling process if any of the pieces show signs of mis-shaping due to soft areas I missed, they get pulled out and re-shaped and set aside.
If I have 50 pieces, about 35 to 40 turn out to be satisfactory the others either get re-shaped or put in the $1 tray.
Downside of my method is the "wait" for a particular piece, but it does save me from needing more than my two-wheel arbor for shaping.
Since I consider myself to be a "Tumbler of Rocks" that will remain my method. Everything I do and learn helps improve those tumbling skills.
Henry
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Post by Son Of Beach on Oct 28, 2022 18:21:08 GMT -5
Tumblers wait up to a year for some rocks to finish, cabbers have slabs that get forgotten for 15 years. Advantage tumblers.
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Post by HankRocks on Oct 28, 2022 18:25:44 GMT -5
Tumblers wait up to a year for some rocks to finish, cabbers have slabs that get forgotten for 15 years. Advantage tumblers. I believe the "forgotten" also applies to Tumbler's, or at least it does in my case.
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pebblesky
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Post by pebblesky on Oct 28, 2022 18:45:25 GMT -5
I love rocks, but am not into jewelry. I might hand-polish some rocks in the future if I have more equipments, which I will receive instant gratification and stones that are not super thin.
I enjoy seeing all the wonderful cabs and wrapped cabs here. Some rocks do look the best when they are super thin, for example, the plume agates.
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