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Post by fernwood on Feb 2, 2020 7:13:53 GMT -5
Am excited about the possibilities. Need to do some errands early afternoon. After that plan on doing a clean out of the barrels I have been running, untouched, for over 3 months in stage 1.
Unbelievable that the CE duel rotary has held up this long with no maintenance. Everything has sounded great during this time.
The rats are gone from utility room, so I feel safe doing the clean out.
I did find a bag of final polish that the rats chewed through. It was on floor, moved from the shelf where it was. Some of the polish was on the floor. I wonder what effect rat saliva has on polish, lol? Might be a new form of rat bait, AO polish, lol.
Plan is to do the clean out, both outside and inside. Then run 24 hours in Borax. Do any additional cleaning with toothbrush. Put all rocks in a bag of water until it gets warmer. Do maintenance on the rotary. Wait until temps are warmer to continue the tumble.
I was caught off guard by early Winter temps.
Have been waiting for this opportunity.
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Post by knave on Feb 2, 2020 9:16:16 GMT -5
That’s great Beth! Right on! (As mohs would say) I think our igloo will grow today.... I should but won’t... do T@XE$.... should get that refund coming.
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Post by fernwood on Feb 2, 2020 15:20:32 GMT -5
Whew! Started errands at 8:00 AM. Got home at 12:30 PM. Then tackled the tumblers. These started in their second round of 60/90 SIC on 9-24-19. Duel, 3 lb. CE rotary. They had previously run about 1.5 months in the same. Both barrels are are a mix of materials from various sources. Various Agates, Jaspers, Jaspelites, Banded Iron, Granite, Pet Wood, fossils and ? Many had crystal inclusions that I wanted to preserve, hence the pits. Barrel 1: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Barrel 2: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The one in this photo with the arrow has to be one of my favorite Lakers of all time. 6. That did I learn? Many in the first barrel look like they have been through 120/220, due to the breakdown of the grit. The second barrel had lots of plastic pellets to help prevent the crystal formations in the agates from deteriorating. They did that, but also appeared to hinder the overall shaping. Those were the two major points. I also learned I probably not have thought I could finish these before Winter set in. Thanks for looking.
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 2, 2020 16:12:27 GMT -5
That's a lot of rocks! Congrats!
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Post by miket on Feb 2, 2020 16:33:53 GMT -5
Nice rocks Beth! And some good lessons...
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Post by fernwood on Feb 2, 2020 17:06:02 GMT -5
That's a lot of rocks! Congrats! I actually got brave. Put a 2.5" one in the barrel. It was long and narrow, but had some translucent rind and beautiful patterns. It is the last one, barrel 2, bottom row. Might be better suited to using the trim saw to slice off a couple cabs than further tumbling. Cannot wait for warm weather to come, so I can get all of my "new" equipment going. That is one of the reasons why these tumbles will be sitting in bags of water for a few months. Want to evaluate potential for something other than tumbles. Some of these are 1-2 cab wonders.
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 2, 2020 17:07:35 GMT -5
That's a lot of rocks! Congrats! I actually got brave. Put a 2.5" one in the barrel. It was long and narrow, but had some translucent rind and beautiful patterns. It is the last one, barrel 2, bottom row. Might be better suited to using the trim saw to slice off a couple cabs than further tumbling. Cannot wait for warm weather to come, so I can get all of my "new" equipment going. That is one of the reasons why these tumbles will be sitting in bags of water for a few months. Want to evaluate potential for something other than tumbles. Some of these are 1-2 cab wonders.
I can tell that getting a little taste has made you even more anxious for Spring.
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Post by fernwood on Feb 2, 2020 17:59:25 GMT -5
Warm weather = new rock adventures.
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Post by fernwood on Feb 6, 2020 9:27:31 GMT -5
Here are some from one batch after a 24+ hour cleaning in Zote soap flakes. They look like they have been through pre-polish. Most of the pits contain druzy, which I wanted to preserve. Both batches are in labeled bags of water, waiting for warmer weather.
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