tepperly
off to a rocking start
Full Metal Tumbler
Member since October 2007
Posts: 11
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Post by tepperly on Oct 6, 2007 19:56:16 GMT -5
I am a beginner at rock tumbling and rock hounding. When I was 6 years old living in New Jersey, we knew a family with a rock tumbler, and I loved looking through their large container of polished rocks. They even let me bring some handfuls home from time to time. ;D
As a child, I got an cheap tumbler that leaked and broke after a few days of tumbling, and that was very disappointing. Now, I am four days away from the end of my first batch of rocks in a Thumler's A-R1.
For my next batch, I would like to do some amethyst and citrine that I bought. I am wondering if it's safe to tumble these in the same batch. According to what I've read online they're roughly the same hardness. The amethyst are larger rocks, and the citrine are smaller. I read somewhere that having a variety of sizes is a good thing. Any suggestions?
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Oct 6, 2007 21:28:37 GMT -5
Welcome, there's a few of us NorCal folks on here, always nice to meet yet another.
Amethyst and citrine should do fine tumbling together according to most of the basic rules of thumb- however, and many will back me up on this, Amethyst has a nasty habit of cleaving and fracturing, especially if bigger pieces are rolling against each other,
A mix of sizes is pretty important, the smaller pieces help carry the grit and cushion the impacts. I'd also be sure to run the barrels well loaded with plastic pellets after the first stage.
The AR-1 isn't a huge barrel either, so you probably won't do too well with more than one or two "large" pieces (more than 1.5" in any dimension) -in there, but with a good fill of smaller pieces and pellets you should get decent results.
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Post by LCARS on Oct 7, 2007 12:56:21 GMT -5
Hi & welcome to RTH! Well, Amethyst & Citrine are both crystaline quartzes which can be a tricky tumble for a beginner but if you've been following along here for a little while and your first batch comes out looking as good as you hoped it would, I see no reason why you shouldn't move on to your next challenge. It is important to avoid too many larger pieces especially at higher RPM since it will have a tendancy to chip. Having a good variety of sizes and smaller bits is important too because they carry the grit into those "harder to reach places" making sure the finer grits can do their job more evenly in less time. Ironically though, i've found I get better polish results if I remove anything smaller than my pinky nail before starting that crucial final stage. Anything that's too small or has any edges left at that point may start to break off little bits that continue to scratch the surfaces of the stones and making it darn near impossible to get that perfect glassy shine in any reasonable amount of time. The hardest part of tumbling is usually knowing when your rocks are truly ready for the next stage. It's something you pick up on in time over many batches. Rushing rocks into the next stage before they are ready is probably the single most common mistake made by impatient beginners and veterans alike. It would be awesome if you could post some pictures of your first finished batch too so if you're not entirely happy with it, we can offer some advice on how to get the results you were looking for. Good luck & hope you stick around. Rob
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Post by cpdad on Oct 7, 2007 20:24:22 GMT -5
hello tepperly...welcome to the board
that amythyst has been referred here as being the devils rock ...it just dont wanna do right ;D...sound advice above...only 1 maybe 2 larger peices...i would only go with 1...maybe break the rest up into semi small and medium peices....if you decide to go with 2 larger peices expect coarse stage to run somewhat longer.
oh ya...expect coarse to run 3 weeks at minimum...with weekly recharges.. each peice that has any sharp edge should not be allowed to be moved on...it will scratck the others....plenty of pellets from stage 2 on also....welcome to the board...kev.
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tepperly
off to a rocking start
Full Metal Tumbler
Member since October 2007
Posts: 11
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Post by tepperly on Oct 7, 2007 21:26:41 GMT -5
Thanks for all the suggestions. I didn't realize that amethyst was the devil's rock. Right now, I've really got the rock tumbling bug, so I suspect I will be into this for the long haul. I am already bemoaning the fact that my barrel is so small. I'll try breaking up some of the amethyst.
I have a digital camera, so I can provide pictures. I've decided I should probably let the polish run 10 days instead of 7, so I will hopefully have something next weekend.
For my next batch, I am planning to take pictures before and after each stage from start to finish.
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Post by rocklicker on Oct 8, 2007 18:31:47 GMT -5
Welcome to the board! I'm also a nor-cal rockhound like rallyrocks and some others here! I hope your batch comes out. Can't wait to see some photos of it. I am also sort of a tumbling newbie, well sort of. I've been into rocks for years but this is the first time in 3 years I have been tumbling. Good luck with the amyethyst. If you add some pellets to cushon the amethyst/citrine you should be fine. BTW, Rob, you just answered some of my tumbling questions back there . Thanks! Anyway, welcome to the board and to tumbling Tepperly. Can't wait to see that batch. Steve
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karenfh
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,495
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Post by karenfh on Oct 11, 2007 3:08:48 GMT -5
Yep, lots of good help, here. No matter what you do, you probably should have left it in longer, but that is SO hard with your first batch! And your second, and your third.... I have not attempted to polish citrine, but I do have a great chevron amythyst that I keep putting back in polish. Someday, I will get it right! I encourage you to check out all the different forums here, they are great fun and very educational! Hope you have a blast!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 11, 2007 3:40:30 GMT -5
Welcome to the board! Looking foward to seeing your batch!
Nathaniel
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tepperly
off to a rocking start
Full Metal Tumbler
Member since October 2007
Posts: 11
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Post by tepperly on Oct 13, 2007 22:18:17 GMT -5
Pictures of my first batch is in the Member's pictures area.
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