christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 56
|
Post by christianswest on Jun 30, 2023 16:15:59 GMT -5
I found this piece today and need some help in cleaning it. My intent is for it to be a shelving piece and not to cut or tumble it. My question is how to clean the white off the piece. Looking through past posts, I see using diluted Muriatic acid, lime away, bleach (but it can dull the darker red color), CLR (not sure what that is), and Super Lime Out. First, can you help me to identify what the white is (I’m in the Denver area and it is fairly common to find on rocks around here)? Second, which method is best to clean the piece with? I guess that leaves me with a third question, what to use to shine it up…assuming the white crusting is gone? Thanks in advance for all help and suggestions. I am a newbie to rockhounding and rock collecting.
|
|
realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,215
Member is Online
|
Post by realrockhound on Jun 30, 2023 16:22:28 GMT -5
Diluted muriatic acid. Then rinse well with just water. Don’t leave it on long or it will discolor the rock
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Jun 30, 2023 16:40:35 GMT -5
Although its tempting to assume that all white colorations on pet wood and agates in general are calcium salts, its my experience that they are not and hence not altered by acid soaks. Many agatized specimens just have an oxidized film on their exterior and the way to remove it involves diamond wheels and not chemical treatments. Its hard to imagine what you are dealing with without pictures. Please post some examples to stimulate and guide our thinking.
Too often we assume that acids will dissolve salts, and indeed strong acids will alter some of those salts and convert them to other compounds that are also not dissolved in the solution in which the stones were soaked. In essence you are replacing one contaminant with another. My inorganic chemistry was a long time ago so I can't get more specific and "may" be totally in left field.
|
|
realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,215
Member is Online
|
Post by realrockhound on Jun 30, 2023 17:39:21 GMT -5
Piggy backing of the comment above. They are correct about it potentially being a different deposit. Best way to tell is if you were to post pics. I have some wood that has a white layer on it, muriatic won’t take it off. Only way to get it off is to grind it off.
|
|
christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 56
|
Post by christianswest on Jun 30, 2023 19:31:04 GMT -5
I thought I had uploaded photos. When I went back to do it, I got a Cloudinary error code. Checking into how to add photos I have on file, but can’t figure how to get the. Into cloudinary. I’m at a loss here. Does anyone have an alternative way to get pictures into this thread?
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,741
Member is Online
|
Post by Mark K on Jun 30, 2023 20:34:57 GMT -5
Get a Flickr account. then you can just copy the link and paste it here.
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jun 30, 2023 20:39:41 GMT -5
I thought I had uploaded photos. When I went back to do it, I got a Cloudinary error code. Checking into how to add photos I have on file, but can’t figure how to get the. Into cloudinary. I’m at a loss here. Does anyone have an alternative way to get pictures into this thread? I do use Cloudinary every once in awhile...but I take most of my pics with my phone, so I use the Tapatalk app. It's got a free version...and it's super easy to post pics on this (and other) forum(s).
|
|
christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 56
|
Post by christianswest on Jul 1, 2023 14:29:57 GMT -5
Thanks for the good advice with Flickr. Let’s see how this goes. And I thank everyone for their advice and patience flic.kr/p/2oLPXm8
|
|
christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 56
|
Post by christianswest on Jul 1, 2023 14:32:59 GMT -5
|
|
khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,979
|
Post by khara on Jul 1, 2023 14:56:16 GMT -5
christianswest If you are using your phone, down at the bottom of the page is a little button that says “use desktop version” or just “desktop”. Click that and then start typing your post. Below your text window will be a button that says “cloudinary upload” that will allow you to access your phone photos. Then afterwards I go back to mobile version because it’s easier to see on the phone, only switching to desktop for a pic upload. And, usually I do picture posts from my computer and the cloudinary upload is right there. Also, if you haven’t done it yet, there are some really quick and easy instructions for setting up a guest cloudinary account. It’s somewhere in the tech support area. I’d need to dig for it…
|
|
khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,979
|
Post by khara on Jul 1, 2023 15:01:36 GMT -5
What about a soda blaster or sand blaster? I don’t know if the white mineral is harder than the petrified wood or not…
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,741
Member is Online
|
Post by Mark K on Jul 1, 2023 17:10:18 GMT -5
|
|
khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,979
|
Post by khara on Jul 1, 2023 19:35:56 GMT -5
I almost think the white looks cool on it but maybe it’s not so cool in person.
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Jul 2, 2023 6:23:08 GMT -5
I could be wrong but that looks like the white is pet wood too! Those are particularly colorful and varied in coloration and while you may not want the white on the exterior ridges, that's the way this wood came through the fossilization. You can grind it off, but I think you would change the final product.
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Jul 2, 2023 6:53:53 GMT -5
I agree that the white looks like part of the wood.
|
|
christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 56
|
Post by christianswest on Jul 2, 2023 7:11:51 GMT -5
I have been staring at it a bit and tend to agree. I took another piece that is similar in color and in having the white deposits on it and did an overnight vinegar soak with no noticeable change. My thinking is if a milder acid like vinegar doesn’t make any changes, it is likely that a stronger muriatic acid might make more changes but they probably won’t be very that extreme.
I am hoping to “brighten up” the piece without damaging it by grinding. I see many polishes using tumbling but not so many for piece that don’t include slabbing. Any thoughts? I was thinking either a Drexel buffing wheel with a 80 grit and then a 200 grit (cause those are the only two I have) and then some PlastX applied with a buffing wheel that will generate a little heat. I am sure open to other’s ideas and methods.
Thanks everyone who have been following this thread and posting. It is sure helpful to a newbie like myself!
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Jul 2, 2023 10:30:41 GMT -5
Depending on its size you could polish it in a vibe with lots of smalls. In my shop I would Ron it with small scraps of pet wood and a couple of handfuls of small garnets or decomposed granite. I like the natural rough surface when polished. Just don't run so many smalls that they all clump in the bottom. And use some soap to make the smalls carry the grit. Here is a pet wood piece with lots of white that I polished in a vibe. This may be more extreme than your specimen and you might say it looks like a guano rock, but I like it because of the contrast. Just the most readily available example I could find. 2023-07-02_11-09-04 by Thomas Fritts, on Flickr
|
|
christianswest
having dreams about rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 56
|
Post by christianswest on Jul 2, 2023 12:26:49 GMT -5
I like that look!
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jul 2, 2023 13:23:51 GMT -5
I know vegasjames tumbles a lot of his material with just water and "like" material rather than using any grit. It keeps the integrity of the piece, but still shines them up a bit. Worth a thought...
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jul 2, 2023 13:40:00 GMT -5
I could be wrong but that looks like the white is pet wood too! Those are particularly colorful and varied in coloration and while you may not want the white on the exterior ridges, that's the way this wood came through the fossilization. You can grind it off, but I think you would change the final product. Peruano is correct the white is slightly weathered agate and the acid won't help ( see also "can't touch this" by mc hammer) sand blasting with some baking soda might polish it a little. Get a cheap Harbor Freight or Northern Tool sand blaster and use try baking soda or walnut shells. it might polish the surface a little. beyond that flat lap, or grinding wheel or tumble would be the best bets
|
|