OminousLethargy
off to a rocking start
Rocks are hard
Member since October 2024
Posts: 7
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Post by OminousLethargy on Oct 2, 2024 23:30:53 GMT -5
Hello, I've been lurking for a few weeks now but finally decided to create an account. I want to get into lapidary and am currently tumbling my first batches of rocks (again. The mini sonic hates me.) All of the rocks I am currently tumbling are purchased as most of what I find in Maine in quantities for tumbling is quartz or feldspar.
I'm hoping to skill up enough in tumbling and lapidary (I am especially interested in intarsia) to be able to fund my rock buying/hounding/collecting addictions.
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,981
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Post by Tommy on Oct 2, 2024 23:46:30 GMT -5
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titaniumkid
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2023
Posts: 499
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Post by titaniumkid on Oct 3, 2024 3:34:38 GMT -5
Hi from Australia  |
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Post by vegasjames on Oct 3, 2024 4:34:37 GMT -5
Welcome David from Southern Nevada.
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python
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2024
Posts: 292
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Post by python on Oct 3, 2024 5:54:52 GMT -5
Welcome!
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Post by liveoak on Oct 3, 2024 6:14:16 GMT -5
Welcome from NW Florida.
Patty
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 3, 2024 6:49:01 GMT -5
Hey David! Welcome to the forum from South Dakota! I thought I felt someone over my shoulder for the last couple weeks...it was probably you "lurking"! LOL If you've got intarsia in your sights, I can't wait to see what you come up with! I love seeing intarsia pieces! |
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 3, 2024 7:37:34 GMT -5
Welcome from Missouri.
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 3, 2024 20:18:15 GMT -5
Welcome from Dubai!
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Post by opalpyrexia on Oct 4, 2024 9:40:36 GMT -5
Welcome from Washington.
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schnerd
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2023
Posts: 9
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Post by schnerd on Oct 4, 2024 10:53:43 GMT -5
Welcome from central NY.
(:
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,167
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Post by rockbrain on Oct 4, 2024 11:10:41 GMT -5
Welcome from Central California! What kind of issues are you having with the Mini?
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OminousLethargy
off to a rocking start
Rocks are hard
Member since October 2024
Posts: 7
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Post by OminousLethargy on Oct 14, 2024 2:54:34 GMT -5
Welcome from Central California! What kind of issues are you having with the Mini? Hey rockbrain. I'm seeing any surface that isn't convex has a much duller shine to it. I started a whole new run trying to follow youtube advice from 'Finding Rocks' and I definitely started noticing a few things, some of which were surprises. I notice the mini sonic breaks down grit slowly. In fact, rocks coming out of 120/220 in the mini sonic are actually duller than rocks coming from 46/70 or 60/90 (1 week.) I actually tested a 60/90 amethyst straight into 500 and it polished about the same rate as rocks that were in 120/220 for four days. So my first issue was pulling 120/220 when the grit hadn't broken down much leaving my rocks quite matte and taking a long time to polish. I also added a 1000 grit stage. I stayed on 8k for 3 1/2 days and moved into micro alumina (1-3 micron or ~14000 grit.) today. I think my second issue is enthusiastically trying to tumble as many rocks as possible. I think its mostly okay, but where the ceramics are only about 40% of the load it may actually be part of the issue. I can't do anything about the last issue but at full speed my tumber runs at about 60% the speed of the guy in the youtube video I was following. My home's voltage is often 124v so I don't think its a voltage difference. I am tumbling a combination of rock shed's tumble mix, Amethyst/Quartz/Pink Quartz, and a number of rocks from a nat geo mix -- mostly jasper, agates, a couple of laboradite I removed due to it's softness, and some rocks I haven't identified but are hard enough to stay in the mix. The mix is probably mostly 6-7 in hardness including an unexpected peach colored feldspar that must be from rock shed that seems to be tumbling just fine. |
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OminousLethargy
off to a rocking start
Rocks are hard
Member since October 2024
Posts: 7
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Post by OminousLethargy on Oct 14, 2024 3:05:50 GMT -5
Hey David! Welcome to the forum from South Dakota! I thought I felt someone over my shoulder for the last couple weeks...it was probably you "lurking"! LOL If you've got intarsia in your sights, I can't wait to see what you come up with! I love seeing intarsia pieces! I'm definitely starting simple. I don't always have a lot of vision so I'm hoping to borrow inspiration from my wife and teenage art loving daughters. If it were up to just me I'd only have flat hexigons with seemingly random combinations of things like hematite and bloodstone, lapis and moonstone, or labradorite framing around lepidolite. Either way, I'll be sure to post. I just got the 330 epoxy this week -- I guess it has to ship ground to being hazardous -- so I can try to make my first piece next weekend. Definitely starting with rectangles or a taperd rectangle first. I can't cab because I spent all of my bonus money on rocks instead of machines so it will have to all be flush faced. |
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