hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Feb 6, 2023 13:49:18 GMT -5
I've never worked with fordite before so I need a little guidance. I have both a Lortone 3b and a Lot-O vibe. I prefer to use the Lot-O but don't have to. I'm looking for information on how to shape, rough tumble, and then polish fordite. I would like to hear from those who have used both the Lortone and the tumble vibe for their work on this stuff. (Stuff not being a rock or mineral) If you've had success with this stuff, can you give me the details of your procedure including which tumbler you used, and the grits that you used? If there are any particulars that are unique to this stuff, please include that information as well. It's too pricey to experiment with so thats why I'm seeking this information.
Thanks in advance,
Jim
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Feb 6, 2023 19:21:42 GMT -5
I've never tumbled fordite but I do know it's soft, as far as rocks go. It's dried paint so unfortunately I would think it would not fare well in a tumbler. Although if you had enough cushioning in the vibe it may work. Give a piece a go and see what happens. I know it's expensive...
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Feb 6, 2023 19:58:48 GMT -5
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hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Feb 7, 2023 10:59:39 GMT -5
Chuck - Thanks for posting those photos. Beautiful stones, including the fordite.
Jim
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gunsil
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2023
Posts: 324
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Post by gunsil on Feb 7, 2023 12:10:36 GMT -5
I grew up fairly near a Ford factory in the 50s and 60s and a lot of local guys worked there and would bring home chunks from the spray booths. We used to cut it up and polish it by hand in high school. We'd just file it to shape, sand it with progressively finer sandpaper then use car polishing compound for the final step before using wax car polish to finish.
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hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Feb 7, 2023 17:59:16 GMT -5
gunsil - That sounds like the best approach so far. I was hoping to use a vibe to tumble it but that might be too harsh. Thanks for your input. I may take a small piece and vibe it with some 600 and see how it reacts.
Jim
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Post by jasoninsd on Feb 7, 2023 18:04:02 GMT -5
gunsil - That sounds like the best approach so far. I was hoping to use a vibe to tumble it but that might be too harsh. Thanks for your input. I may take a small piece and vibe it with some 600 and see how it reacts. Jim Jim, if you do go for it...please post results. You've piqued my curiosity. I can't imagine any of the "Fordite" I have surviving the tumbler...at least not without a LOT of cushioning material...
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hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Feb 11, 2023 18:28:59 GMT -5
jasoninsd - Have an update for you. I took a small piece of the fordite that I have and put it in my Lot-O with 3/4 teaspoon of 600 grit and a lot of smaller stones like Apache tears and some misc. bits from sawing, plus a lot of SMALL ceramic filler. Ran it for a full 36 hours. Everything came out great. The fordite is just a tad smaller, but not much. Barely noticeable. The colors in the fordite are much brighter after the tumble. I have it aside and will run it thru the polish tomorrow or monday.
I have a second piece that I just put in the Lot-O with 1000 grit and the same kind of other pieces and filler. I will let it run for 36 hours also, just to see if there is any difference.
I do not have a camera that is computer compatible. I would love to show you some photos if I had any. I don't know how to post photos on this site or any computer anyway. At my age, I'm old fashioned and not computer literate. I will say though, if you want to try some of your scrap pieces of fordite, I would say go ahead. If you stay with 600 grit to start, I think you'll be fine. I will keep you posted as I finish up this little test.
Jim
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Post by jasoninsd on Feb 11, 2023 18:56:47 GMT -5
jasoninsd - Have an update for you. I took a small piece of the fordite that I have and put it in my Lot-O with 3/4 teaspoon of 600 grit and a lot of smaller stones like Apache tears and some misc. bits from sawing, plus a lot of SMALL ceramic filler. Ran it for a full 36 hours. Everything came out great. The fordite is just a tad smaller, but not much. Barely noticeable. The colors in the fordite are much brighter after the tumble. I have it aside and will run it thru the polish tomorrow or monday. I have a second piece that I just put in the Lot-O with 1000 grit and the same kind of other pieces and filler. I will let it run for 36 hours also, just to see if there is any difference. I do not have a camera that is computer compatible. I would love to show you some photos if I had any. I don't know how to post photos on this site or any computer anyway. At my age, I'm old fashioned and not computer literate. I will say though, if you want to try some of your scrap pieces of fordite, I would say go ahead. If you stay with 600 grit to start, I think you'll be fine. I will keep you posted as I finish up this little test. Jim Thanks for this update Jim! I seriously appreciate the detailed report!
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hoolligan1938
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2022
Posts: 253
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Post by hoolligan1938 on Feb 14, 2023 18:36:56 GMT -5
jasoninsd - An update. The one piece that I tumbled in 1000 grit came out fine, just like the one I did in 600 grit. I can't tell any difference in the two. I put them in polish in my Lot-O with AO and tumbled, or should say vibed, for 36 hours. Came out beautiful just like the other rocks in the mix. I'm going to try and find some larger pieces for jewelry size and do the same with them. Very happy with the results. I wish I had the right camera and ability to post pictures because I would like all to see the results. For what it's worth, I wouldn't hesitate to vibe more, but I definitely recommend starting with just 600 or 1000 grit, and nothing coarser. Also,bare in mind this was done with a Lot-O vibe. I don't know how it would work in a rotary tumbler.
Jim
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Post by jasoninsd on Feb 14, 2023 21:26:47 GMT -5
jasoninsd - An update. The one piece that I tumbled in 1000 grit came out fine, just like the one I did in 600 grit. I can't tell any difference in the two. I put them in polish in my Lot-O with AO and tumbled, or should say vibed, for 36 hours. Came out beautiful just like the other rocks in the mix. I'm going to try and find some larger pieces for jewelry size and do the same with them. Very happy with the results. I wish I had the right camera and ability to post pictures because I would like all to see the results. For what it's worth, I wouldn't hesitate to vibe more, but I definitely recommend starting with just 600 or 1000 grit, and nothing coarser. Also,bare in mind this was done with a Lot-O vibe. I don't know how it would work in a rotary tumbler. Jim Hey Jim! Thanks again for the update. If you "tag" someone by putting a @ sign in front of their username it will send an alert to them that you've responded to them. (Like this: hoolligan1938 - If you do it right, it'll turn yellow when you create the post). The other way to alert someone you've responded to them is to quote their post and type your reply...they get an alert for that too. As far as posting pictures...I use the app Tapatalk to post pictures to the forum. I usually take all my pics with my phone...so having an app on my phone to post pictures was the easiest for me. I'm not sure if that might be an option for you.
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