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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 10, 2009 19:36:38 GMT -5
Good afternoon to all!
I am new to tumbling .... finally caved in at Christmas and bought a base (Rolling Stones) tumbler (later that week bought a second one) and even though I am getting the biggest kick out of it, I seem to be making nothing but mistakes.
I know, we learn by doing and in most cases making mistakes.
Now, I understand that the rocks that come with this tumbler are not high grade and I am glad that I am (hopefully) screwing up now instead of later with more precious stones.
My first full batch all appear to have a matte finish (if any finish at all). I also noticed that when all was said and done with the first batch, the size of the stones was less than half of what I started with.
Any and all suggestions, comments, and input ..... bring it on!
ps ... I have also purchased new grit and polish and plastic pellets from BlackCatMining
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Post by frane on Jan 10, 2009 20:44:30 GMT -5
Hi There and welcome to the board! You are in the right place if you are just starting out. There are a lot of folks here that are great at tumbling and can really be of help. I have been tumbling for a year and don't worry, sound pretty normal to me. The first thing to remember is that you will loose a lot of mass. The first grit will usually take more than the week that the instructions normally tell you. At the very least for stones that are about a MOH 7, the minimum time it takes me is 3 weeks. Agates up to 12, and that is just the rough grit. As I have been learning, your final lack of much shine may be the barrel and stones not cleaned well enough before going to polish, too much water or not enough time in the previous steps. It can also be that you don't have enough stones in the final step to cause the proper action in the polish. You may want to start another batch and add some of this first batch as needed to fill the tumble as you loose mass. Maybe that will help. Fran
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 10, 2009 20:53:02 GMT -5
Thank you so much for the input. I am 51 and cannot for the life of me remember the MOH guides. Too many years since I have had a geology course.
Geesh ..... back to studying I go .... woof
The initial chart that came with the tumbler states: grit 1 = 2-4 days grit 2 = 12-14 days polish = 7-8 days
I am assuming after reading your response that these timeframes are under stated by much.
Also .... cleaning my barrels are an issue. I have tried small rocks and chips with comet to get rid of the hard residue and black residue left after grit tumble. But .... it does not work.
Since I now have two barrels .... one is strictly (now) for the polish and the other will be strictly grit, I am at least keeping most of the cross contaminates at bay.
Love the help .... thank you
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Post by Bikerrandy on Jan 10, 2009 23:33:49 GMT -5
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jan 12, 2009 22:03:29 GMT -5
Oooops .... my bad ....
to BikerRandy ..... you asked where I was from ....
I am in Ventura County, California (between LA County and Santa Barbara County)
Now that I know this is gonna get (very) addicting .... anyone know where I can find places to find rocks .... even just rocks that will be really happy when polished!
My Deepest Thanks
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