MalibuSky
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2004
Posts: 17
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Post by MalibuSky on Feb 14, 2004 12:08:32 GMT -5
I know this is usually the final step and I have read you should use Ivory Flakes but what exactly is Burnishing and what does it to to the rock?
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Post by sandsman1 on Feb 14, 2004 12:29:43 GMT -5
hi you had me wondering too i found this on a page
BURNISHING SOAP Used optionally after the polish stage this product quickly adds extra depth and luster to the polish on stones. A little goes a long way.
seeya john
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Post by docone31 on Feb 14, 2004 21:18:42 GMT -5
Burnishing is a process of "folding" layers into a plane. Ex., if you take a wire wheel to a rusty piece of metal, it will appear to clean off the rust. The flakes of oxide will be shed, but the cavities will be rolled over. The minute impacts of the wire will hammer the oxide into a reasonable plane. The same in tumbling. The difference is the impacts from the stones against each other will chip and roll imperfections against each other. Grit introduces a cutting action. The grit wears as it is used as it is a semi-sacrificial medium. Essentially, nothing is smooth. With enough magnification even atoms next to each other have gaps. Burnishing is similiar to peening. It creates a layer of different density within the impact zone. Typically, stainless steel shot, or rollers are used in the tumble burnishing process, or a material with similiar properties. Soaps act as a wetting agent to remove debris from the burnishing action. The wire wheel discards from the work with pieces flowing in the air stream. In the tumbler, the flow must be either mechanical or chemical. Vibratory tumblers have a vortex, rotary tumblers utilize the corialis effect. That is also why the grit accumulates on the bottom of the drum, even when the drum is horizontal. Burnishing is a peening action. The stellatite layer is microscopic, vs, other materials, but is makes a good finish on the correct medium. I hope this helps, I just came home from the shop. Just when you think you have seen it all, make your living in a flea market. I will keep the details, it just keeps a person in a constant state of hmmmmmmmm.
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Post by puppie96 on Feb 15, 2004 2:50:27 GMT -5
Docone, what an awesome post. It might take me a while to digest it and to reread and reread it, but there reallly is a lot there. May I ask about your education in rocks? Are you a geologist?
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Feb 15, 2004 8:37:07 GMT -5
Yes Doc, quite an in-depth answer. We know one thing about doc, he's a good typer! ;D The thing is for me, I seem to have limited storage space up stairs. When I pull my file for burnishing it reads: Add soap for a short time after final polish, makes rocks shinier. That's it, no room for any more info. Risk overload. Cheers, Don
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on Feb 15, 2004 18:07:26 GMT -5
I'd like to hear recommendations on how to do this. I've got different instructions: - Use laundry detergent - Only use Ivory flakes to ensure no bleaches present - Use a half inch chunk of hand soap instead of detergent
I've also had different time recommendations: - 2 hours - no more than 4 days - at least 4 days
Augghhhh! What has worked for you and how do you want your rocks to look BEFORE burnishing?
Thx!
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shorty
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2003
Posts: 392
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Post by shorty on Feb 15, 2004 19:16:43 GMT -5
:owow doc i got a headake just reading that. aaaaaa+ for that shorty
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Post by sandsman1 on Feb 15, 2004 21:32:32 GMT -5
hi all skipper im new to all this too but i just finished my first load and i took docs advise i used borax soap and i ran about 2 hrs to make sure rocks got nice and clean there not perfect but for a first load they came out good they rinsed easy and there wasent any foam at all so im happy with that way i used cold water and about 2 table sthingys of soap worked for me give it a try ok seeya john
that was in a 1.5 barrel i just had a lb of tears to polish so they fit well
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Post by docone31 on Feb 15, 2004 23:17:34 GMT -5
I would like to say, a novice is supposed to be dumb. That way they can get a good start and show the teacher a few things. Out of the mouth of babes, the truth shall be known. As long as a novice wants to learn, a teacher has a job to do. My knowlege of stones came from being a teacher long before I was ready. I was forced to learn what I had to teach the next class and answer the ("dumb"/neccessary) questions and figuire out what the question would be before they did. Those who cannot. teach, those who do, show. My wife is the one who is going to GiA to learn diamond grading. I just cut stones. My ruined laps and empty pocket taught me, there are two ways to learn. One is from the pocket, one is from the book. Let me assure you folks, it is far less expensive to lug around a library than replace what I have ruined from here-say! A collection of books on a subject is less expensive than a diamond lap, let alone the index, motor, table, belt, etc... My doctorate is in theology so I know how to use the Dewey decimal system. The only foolish question is the one not asked and acted upon. Learn that and you are on the road to wisdom.
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on Feb 16, 2004 3:53:01 GMT -5
I went back and ready all the relevant posting on burnishing. Conclusion from this group is...the only use for burnishing is to remove some of the polish left stuck in the cracks or pockets of yer rocks.
It does NOT improve the look of the stones.
Thank goodness for stored wisdom on this sight, and thanks for all the input from the community! ;D
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RiverOtter
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2004
Posts: 339
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Post by RiverOtter on Feb 17, 2004 10:59:56 GMT -5
Well I'd like to add a few more questions to this topic. 1. Is it ok to burnish after each grit stage to help clean off any extra grit? I ask because some of the stones I tumble I do not want perfectly smooth. So there are cracks and crevices still present. I do not want to cross contaminate however. 2. Plastic pellet: Leave it in or take it out during burninshing? My gut instinct (and one bad experience with the amethyst) tells me to leave it in to help cushion the rocks, but will the pellet pick up the soap like it does the grit? Should I have pellet set aside to use only during the burnishing process or can I simply use the same pellet that was already present during the grit cycle? 3. If I cannot find borax soap or ivory flakes what else can be used? 4. I remember reading that some soaps change the ph levels. What types of rocks are especially sensitive to this? Again any info would be useful.
Thanks, Otter
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valard
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2003
Posts: 13
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Post by valard on Feb 17, 2004 11:48:10 GMT -5
Some random answers/thoughts from a semi-experienced rock tumbling person:
I save up the pieces of Ivory soap that you end up with when the soap breaks in two in the shower, and gets too small to use. I have a drawer full of those. I break a few up when I need to tumble the rocks in soap and pellets after the polish phase.
I save the soap/pellet mixture in a larger ziplock, and reuse it a couple of times. I do two 12 lb. tumblers at one time, so I keep the two ziplocks full of the soap/pellet mixture in a small bucket, ready for use.
I have started tumbling the rocks in water (no pellets) after rinsing them off between the coarse/medium/fine/prepolish/polish stages. I believe it is more effective than the hand scrubbing with a brush I did for the last couple of years. I'm a little worried that the rocks will beat each other up, but I only leave them for about 15 min., and so far no harm done.
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RedwoodRocks
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 762
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Post by RedwoodRocks on Feb 17, 2004 16:27:23 GMT -5
I use Ivory bar soap for a couple of hours or so between each batch of grit. The water usually comes out grey. So... I am assuming that I am cleaning of the leftover rock dust (?) and hopefully any leftover grit.
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Justme
starting to shine!
Member since March 2003
Posts: 38
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Post by Justme on Feb 19, 2004 23:41:57 GMT -5
I used Ivory on a load of what I thought were pretty clean rocks before switching to a different grit. I was surprised how grey the water was after an hour. I will definetly make this part of each grit change.
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Post by creativeminded on Feb 20, 2004 21:05:36 GMT -5
You can easily find the ivory soap bars and I don't know about anybody else but as a kid in Girls Scouts I used to carve Ivory soap. It is easy to cut into pieces.
Tami
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