herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Jan 21, 2012 12:08:40 GMT -5
I'm running my first batches in 2 6# lortone barrels. I'm following Don't instructions for stage 1, I do plan on moving to the vibratory tumbler once they have their shape and are crack and pit free. Here is Don't tutorial for reference (scroll down a bit) forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=trtphoto&action=display&thread=22055&page=4I'm at the 3rd iteration of opening after 2 days and adding 3Tb of grit. Tom (connrock) pointed out that they look pretty wet, so I thought I'd show them with slurry and rinsed. with slurry: rinsed: Even though I have been following the directions, when I use my spray bottle to clean the edge of the barrel I do end up add some decent water. You can see in the unrinsed photo that the slurry in the left barrel is like gravy, and also that there has been a lot of reduction in volume of rock. The right is more runny and there is more rock. I think a lot of this has to do with the jaspers in the left barrel being generally softer, and the jaspers and agates in the right barrel being generally harder. I did remove some water from the right barrel, added the last batch of 3Tb of 60/90 and sealed it back up for another 4 day run, when I will clean everything up and see who moves on and who stays in stage 1. Thanks to Tom and all who are looking and helping out.
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Post by talkingstones on Jan 21, 2012 18:20:10 GMT -5
Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo! I've got a bazillion questions for you!!!! How much of that did you preform? Biggest and smallest on size of your pieces? Did you check and stir daily? Are you oiling daily or just between cycles? How much volume would you say you lost fractionally? Is this your first tumble too? Looks like you're a few days ahead of me. I'm running my first batch in a 3X 1.5 Lortone but while this goes, I'm cutting cabs of every piece of jasper I have to see if I can get enough up for my dual 6. Some of your stuff is really similar to a piece I picked up in Michigan. Keep shooting as I'd love to see how this goes for you! Did you get extra barrels or are you going to run on just the two?
Thanks!
Cathy
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Jan 21, 2012 20:21:29 GMT -5
Let me see if I can answer all this. First I am very new, like 3 weeks so I know very little. I did not preform anything. The jaspers take shape pretty fast, and in these larger barrels (6# Lortone ) they get some shape a lot faster than the 1.5# barrels. We are also running the same thing as you in parallel. I have another thread with the start of those stones, but they are taking longer. My pieces to start were all 1.5-2", but lots of chips and chunks have come off. I am following the instructions in the link I posted in my original post to the letter, so you can see how often I am checking (every 2 days, for 6 days, each time adding grit, and then running 4 days before I rinse and restart step 1) The one thing I have learned about the 1.5# barrels is that lortones instructions have you add way too much water. If I fill the barrel 3/4 full, I only have about 1/3 of that volume of water. Oiling? You mean the tumblers? They only get lightly oiled like once a month. I don't do anything else with oil. They both started off 3/4 full, and after to first 2 days I would say they had lost maybe 10% of their volume, so I added 3 or 4 new rough rocks to each, and I haven't added any more. The one on the left has some pretty soft red jaspers, you can tell by the color they are really getting worked fast. I am not getting any more barrels for now, I have 2 barrels for my 10# thumler vibratory tumbler. Once I have enough rock that is pit free and crack free, I will move it into the vibratory and keep adding new rock to the rotary. I have the spare barrel for the final polish. I have plenty of rough here and on the way to keep new stuff in the rotary for a long time. I think that answers all my questions, we will pop open the 3x1.5# barrels tonight or tomorrow and see how things are going. Good luck and you post pictures too! Folks are very helpful here. Ooooo! Ooooo! Ooooo! I've got a bazillion questions for you!!!! How much of that did you preform? Biggest and smallest on size of your pieces? Did you check and stir daily? Are you oiling daily or just between cycles? How much volume would you say you lost fractionally? Is this your first tumble too? Looks like you're a few days ahead of me. I'm running my first batch in a 3X 1.5 Lortone but while this goes, I'm cutting cabs of every piece of jasper I have to see if I can get enough up for my dual 6. Some of your stuff is really similar to a piece I picked up in Michigan. Keep shooting as I'd love to see how this goes for you! Did you get extra barrels or are you going to run on just the two? Thanks! Cathy
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Post by paulshiroma on Jan 21, 2012 23:22:23 GMT -5
Very cool, John. Looking forward to seeing your results! Paul
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keystonecops
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2010
Posts: 957
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Post by keystonecops on Jan 22, 2012 9:29:38 GMT -5
John, lookn good thus far. When I get back to Wyo, well go out and get ya a ton of agate fer tumbler. Its all over the ranch, but its gotta bunch of fractures and voids. Hard to get any big nuff to cab, but plenty fer tumbln. Later Clyde
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Post by connrock on Jan 22, 2012 10:14:26 GMT -5
Lookin good John,,,, I have to wonder about what you said here,,,
",,,,,the jaspers in the left barrel being generally softer, and the jaspers and agates in the right barrel being generally harder."
Although there are differences in hardness between jasper and agate and even within themselves,,,,from your photos I would suspect that the barrel on the left has more small rocks then the one on the right,,,or at least that's what can be seen in the photos here?
It's pretty difficult to do a "comparison" test unless you're doing exactly the same material in each barrel and using the same recipe and time but this is a great way for you to see what the differences can be when doing different types of rocks.
Do you have a photo of all of these rocks before tumbling? Every little bit of info you give us helps us to give you better info!
Great job "pilgrim"!
connrock
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2012 11:25:50 GMT -5
Looking good John--- I just want to add my one cent worth. Jasper, flint, chert and agate are all mohs 7 but there may be a little bit of difference in the micro cell structure which makes them seem as hard as the hubs of hell. Both are a form of chalcedony (pronounced calcedny, go figure lol) Agate is a little more difficult to drill, maybe because the cell structure is a little tighter than the others. My son has napped agate but very little because it is much more difficult. People on the west and people on the east of USA have a different idea as far as which is which and I have not been able to figure out exactly what should be chalcedony, agate and jasper. Maybe someone on here can give an exact definition if there is one. My Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals has photos of each but lumps them all together in the description section. Very confusing. Oil: My Lortone instructions said to put three drops of oil in each motor bearing once per week. I figure that a little to much is better than a little to little so I follow it religiously. I had some squeaking in the plastic bushings on the shafts and had to spray them with silicone once and it has never happened again. Ok, that was two cents. Sorry Jim
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Jan 23, 2012 11:24:24 GMT -5
Thanks Jim and Tom, the rocks were all the same size, but I have noticed that "red jasper" sold around here is softer, our at least takes shape much faster than other agate and jasper seems to, and it is what was in the left barrel along with some other jasper.
The little pieces are chips that have broken off some stuff.
I double checked and I will start oiling everything once a week.
I don't have "before" pics, too late now, but when I start a fresh batch I will do that for everyone's benefit.
Sincerely thank you all.
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 23, 2012 12:45:15 GMT -5
Chalcedony is a broad term describing cryptocrysatine quartz (as opposed to quartz crystals . It includes agates and jaspers. Many use the term to describe the bubble agates like fire agates without the fire. Some use it to describe solid colored agate (chert). It is all very simple as long as nobody uses the same terms. And then some terms change over time like slang does.
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Jan 23, 2012 13:00:16 GMT -5
Haha yeah I am picking this up.
My understanding is that chert, flint, jasper, and agate are all chalcedony.
Locally (northern colorado) it seems that jasper = opaque, agate = transparent or highly translucent.
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