waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Jan 8, 2023 0:31:15 GMT -5
I guess I wasn't paying attention when I made an order of Noreena Jasper from The Gem Shop. This was not actually in the tumbling rough section and was just sold by the pound. So I ended up with several big pieces. The piece on the right is petrified wood (which I also ordered from The Gem Shop) which is there for reference of the size I need. The bottom left one is probably fine. The two in the bottom right I could probably use a chisel and hammer and just break in half and be fine. It's the two top ones I'm not sure what to do with. The top left one weighs about 1.5 pounds and the top right one weighs 3/4 lbs. I have no tools over than a hammer, chisel, and a Dremel. Any tips? I'm thinking of just using the Dremel to make some notches for the chisel and trying to break it in half repeatedly as cleanly as I can.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 8, 2023 0:44:27 GMT -5
I've "scored" larger rocks with my slab saw, then took the chisel to them in the cut line. I'm not sure if you can get the cut deep enough with the Dremel...but it might be worth a shot. I just hate taking a hammer and chisel to break rocks apart...I just think it leads to stress fractures that have to be ground past...whether tumbling or cabbing. Basically just a loss of material. I know a lot of people do it though...
Another option is to sell the big chunk for what you paid for it, then reorder tumbling rough.
*Don't feel badly. I ordered a couple pounds of Malachite without specifying. I wanted one large piece...instead, I got two pounds of tumbling rough. My mistake though...one I'll try very hard not to make again! LOL
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Post by parfive on Jan 8, 2023 1:38:51 GMT -5
You’re just tumbling, right?
Those two big ones, you have about twelve bucks worth of rock. Put a glove on your left hand and hit ‘em hard right in the middle and then take it from there.
w/safety glasses, of course.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Jan 8, 2023 4:47:31 GMT -5
I've "scored" larger rocks with my slab saw, then took the chisel to them in the cut line. I'm not sure if you can get the cut deep enough with the Dremel...but it might be worth a shot. I just hate taking a hammer and chisel to break rocks apart...I just think it leads to stress fractures that have to be ground past...whether tumbling or cabbing. Basically just a loss of material. I know a lot of people do it though... Another option is to sell the big chunk for what you paid for it, then reorder tumbling rough. *Don't feel badly. I ordered a couple pounds of Malachite without specifying. I wanted one large piece...instead, I got two pounds of tumbling rough. My mistake though...one I'll try very hard not to make again! LOL That's what I did yesterday J for my Ohio flint. A little tle more work and mess, it did make cleaner breaks.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 8, 2023 6:34:54 GMT -5
I've "scored" larger rocks with my slab saw, then took the chisel to them in the cut line. I'm not sure if you can get the cut deep enough with the Dremel...but it might be worth a shot. I just hate taking a hammer and chisel to break rocks apart...I just think it leads to stress fractures that have to be ground past...whether tumbling or cabbing. Basically just a loss of material. I know a lot of people do it though... Another option is to sell the big chunk for what you paid for it, then reorder tumbling rough. *Don't feel badly. I ordered a couple pounds of Malachite without specifying. I wanted one large piece...instead, I got two pounds of tumbling rough. My mistake though...one I'll try very hard not to make again! LOL That's what I did yesterday J for my Ohio flint. A little tle more work and mess, it did make cleaner breaks. I do look for natural fracture lines before I do the "scoring" trick. If there's natural fracture lines, it usually just take a little "pop" with the hammer and chisel versus a full blow. Not that you don't know this...just tossing this out there in print! LOL
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Jan 8, 2023 6:38:20 GMT -5
Send them to me. I'll cut them up smaller and sent them back. No charge just pay shipping both ways and let me have a slab or 2.
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Post by HankRocks on Jan 8, 2023 8:26:08 GMT -5
By the appearance of the rough I would say it already has fracture lines running thru it. As folks suggested you can hammer and chisel it along those fracture lines. If you have a chisel with a wide edge as opposed to a point it would be better as it will spread the force across a longer area. For cleaning up Arkansas Quartz clusters with attached sandstone bases, I have a chisel with a 3 inch wide edge, it works really well. It also helps if the chisel you are using is sharpened.
Try a series of softer hits with the hammer and chisel, it may break with those before resorting to the "nuclear" option.
Safety Glasses are mandatory!! and work on your aim, hammer hit on your hand is not fun. I use measured hits, meaning I place the hammer on the chisel and then pull the hammer back and then hit the chisel. This way you setup your aiming point and hopefully reduce any hammer to hand contacts.
Good luck
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ataraktos
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2020
Posts: 140
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Post by ataraktos on Jan 8, 2023 12:19:05 GMT -5
i don't have any tips but i've done this more than once. but that's ok ... one day, i'll get a saw! =) i also recently bought something referred to as "cutting rough" - thought that would be big-ish but oh, no, most of it was too small to even tumble and have anything left?! some expensive filler i guess. (i think i also bought noreena from the gem shop, so not only have i done it, i've bought this exact same rock from the same place! i think i was excited to see "noreena jasper" or something, smh.)
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afterburnt
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2021
Posts: 152
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Post by afterburnt on Jan 27, 2023 18:02:16 GMT -5
A Skill wet tile saw is 85 bucks on Amazon which is 50 bucks yesterday. If you have some place that can use it it will broaden your options with a lot of stuff.
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Jan 30, 2023 10:27:51 GMT -5
I tried using the chisel and hammer and was able to break a few smaller pieces off the big one, but that was it. All I ended up doing was flattening the tip of the chisel. Looking closely there really aren't any fractures to use as a starting point. A Skill wet tile saw is 85 bucks on Amazon which is 50 bucks yesterday. If you have some place that can use it it will broaden your options with a lot of stuff. I've thought about getting one of those before but I just don't need to cut rocks very often. There have been only a handful of times I wished I had a saw in the 2 years since I started tumbling.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 30, 2023 11:00:21 GMT -5
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Post by HankRocks on Jan 30, 2023 11:46:36 GMT -5
I bust up large rough for tumbling a few times a year. Long pants, long shirt, gloves, safety glasses and big hammers. I put the rocks on a piece of steel or aluminum to protect the cement floor. Chuck Dang it, even your rock-breaking setup looks professional. Those rocks never had a chance!! Just curious what the two holes in the side walls are at the back side in line with the yellow bucket, I would guess it they are from something that was re-purposed.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,499
Member is Online
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Post by rockbrain on Jan 30, 2023 11:51:52 GMT -5
HankRocks those holes are the goal! They look like a cornhole boards.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 30, 2023 12:43:15 GMT -5
HankRocks those holes are the goal! They look like a cornhole boards. Yep, cornhole boards. They work fine for keeping rock shrapnel contained. Chuck
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vance71975
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2022
Posts: 760
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Post by vance71975 on Jan 30, 2023 20:40:15 GMT -5
2lb mini sledge would do the trick.
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Post by Bob on Jan 31, 2023 13:53:22 GMT -5
... a chisel with a wide edge as opposed to a point it would be better as it will spread the force across a longer area... Sure agree with this. I use what is called a brick cleaving chisel with an edge about 4" wide, though I don't use it as often now that I have a saw. A point chisel or a small chisel with an edge 1" wide or less produced much poorer results for me than the wide one. Even if a wide one only contacts the rock on 1 or 2 high points, it worked much better for me. Also, with a big rock that has suspected fractures, I found another method. The street in front of my house is hard asphalt. I just drop the rock from belly height or shoulder height. If it has fractures, it usually breaks up from drop 1 or 2 or 3. If not, nothing happens and I have to take more serious steps.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 2, 2023 22:06:59 GMT -5
Depending on the size of your tumbler, just tumble the big pieces too. The largest I've tumbled is a three pound piece of petwood ( in my 12# tumbler) and it turned out great ..
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waterboysh
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 369
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Post by waterboysh on Jul 20, 2023 9:11:40 GMT -5
Also, with a big rock that has suspected fractures, I found another method. The street in front of my house is hard asphalt. I just drop the rock from belly height or shoulder height. If it has fractures, it usually breaks up from drop 1 or 2 or 3. If not, nothing happens and I have to take more serious steps. I tried the Bob method and nothing happened. I tried tossing it up a little so it dropped from about 7 - 8 feet. I also tried throwing it down slightly to give it extra force. I didn't want to damage the road and I also didn't want to slam it down, only for it to break and the pieces go everywhere unable to be found so I stopped at that point. This stuff is still sitting in my garage. Not sure what to do with the bigger pieces.
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 20, 2023 10:10:16 GMT -5
I get the produce boxes with the overhanging lips to help catch flying debris. Then I have a cast iron railroad plate I place inside Safety glasses on, put the rocks on the pate and smack them with a sledge hammer. I save the chips for fill.
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michiganpebbler
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2023
Posts: 344
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Post by michiganpebbler on Jul 24, 2023 11:57:50 GMT -5
That's what I did yesterday J for my Ohio flint. A little tle more work and mess, it did make cleaner breaks. I do look for natural fracture lines before I do the "scoring" trick. If there's natural fracture lines, it usually just take a little "pop" with the hammer and chisel versus a full blow. Not that you don't know this...just tossing this out there in print! LOL This newbie appreciates you putting it in print!! lol
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