It's here, it's here!!!

[miket]

Got the grit from Eric, should get the tumbler in the next day or two then my adventure begins...

Pandora's Box?

Attachments:

[manofglass]

Better buy another box of grit it don’t
Last long

[miket]

I'm just dipping my toe in the water but I'm sure you're right

[MsAli]

Now you have the hard decision of what rocks you are going to throw in there 1st

[miket]

Yeah, I may need some advice on that one. Do I pick good looking rocks since it's my first time or do I put in so-so rocks to get a little experience...
I'm pretty patient but I think I may need to hone that skill a bit

[fernwood]

Pick rocks that you like, but be sure they are the same hardness. Understand that the instructions that say 1 week per stage are often not accurate. All depends on the rocks.
Will you be shaping them prior to tumbling? If not, select rocks that are already fairly smooth. Will get quicker results that way.

Some rocks are hard to get a good polish with. Others may undercut, chip or fracture.

Agates, Jaspers and other hard rocks are always a great start.

[miket]

Jul 23, 2018 11:29:32 GMT -5 fernwood said:

Pick rocks that you like, but be sure they are the same hardness. Understand that the instructions that say 1 week per stage are often not accurate. All depends on the rocks.
Will you be shaping them prior to tumbling? If not, select rocks that are already fairly smooth. Will get quicker results that way.

Some rocks are hard to get a good polish with. Others may undercut, chip or fracture.

Agates, Jaspers and other hard rocks are always a great start.

Thanks.  Mostly I have Agates and Jasper.  I hadn't really planned on shaping anything, I don't really have the tools for that yet.  I'm planning on throwing some in for a week or so, cleaning them and moving the one's to the next stage that are ready and tumbling the others again that need it.  But I don't really know if that's the right way to approach it or not- it just seems to make sense.
I've read that I should try and stay away from rocks with fractures, and that rocks with pits can contaminate the next stage.
Other than that, I'm  going to have to learn by trial and error I think.

[fernwood]

Yes, you are on the right track. Never move anything along that is not ready. When removing some for completing later, be sure to have some filler to add.
I always run a cleaning stage between grits/polishes. Just clean everything the best you can. Then put back in tumbler with a cleaning agent. Some prefer Ivory Soap (bar flakes), others Borax. I am using powdered dishwasher detergent and it is working great. I have been running the cleaning for about 2-4 hours. Then rinse everything and start the next stage.

[miket]

Good advice, thanks again.
A question- we have fairly hard water, is it better to use distilled or does it even matter?
Hopefully that's not a dumb question!

[NRG]

Jul 23, 2018 12:40:14 GMT -5 miket said:

Good advice, thanks again.
A question- we have fairly hard water, is it better to use distilled or does it even matter?
Hopefully that's not a dumb question!

Don't over think this. Rocks and grit don't care if it is distilled or sea water. It is simply a medium for carrying grit.

[miket]

Jul 23, 2018 14:03:46 GMT -5 NRG said:

Jul 23, 2018 12:40:14 GMT -5 miket said:

Good advice, thanks again.
A question- we have fairly hard water, is it better to use distilled or does it even matter?
Hopefully that's not a dumb question!

Don't over think this. Rocks and grit don't care if it is distilled or sea water. It is simply a medium for carrying grit.

Nice, thanks.  Sometimes I do overthink things- especially something new.  Sometimes when I use Iron Out on some rocks or soak them in water to clean it leaves a white residue.  But, duh, I'm guessing that would get polished off!