fcbarnard
off to a rocking start
Member since May 2020
Posts: 1
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Post by fcbarnard on May 27, 2020 0:15:39 GMT -5
I wanted to ask a question and see if someone has some advice or suggestions for me. I have a agate that I want to tumble, however i want to only polish one side of the stone and leave the rest in its original state?
Is that possible? If have been thinking that I I can use a strong aggressive that could survive being tumbled and something I can remove later, it could work? Any ideas?
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agatemaggot
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2006
Posts: 2,195
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Post by agatemaggot on May 27, 2020 1:06:19 GMT -5
Maybe going to a rock shop might be advisable . Tell them what part of the stone you want polished. I suspect any type of coating you would apply to protect the stone would be about impossible to remove after a trip thru the Tumbler ! The only thing I could think of would be RTV rubber or truck bed liner and both would not be removable using chemicals , it would have to be ground off . Once set up , both are similar to Kryptonite, kinda maybe ! Polishing a small area of your Agate would not be very pricey and would be your best bet I suspect !
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whyofquartz
spending too much on rocks
So, Africa is smaller than I expected...
Member since December 2019
Posts: 316
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Post by whyofquartz on May 27, 2020 7:39:17 GMT -5
You can hand polish it with either sandpaper or power tools.
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Post by rmf on May 27, 2020 7:45:50 GMT -5
just polishing one face is easier. However you should be able to coat it with a thick layer of epoxy. I have used this to protect some plastic plugs I use for lids on my tumbler drum. I mix coarse grit into the epoxy to up the abrasion resistance and it has worked fine. Of coarse I only use that for coarse tumbling. All the finer stuff goes into the vib.
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Post by pauls on May 27, 2020 17:32:55 GMT -5
I polish one face of some of my Agate specimens into a cab. Here in Australia it's jokingly referred to as a "cabover" as in the cab over trucks. It's handy if you have a nice agate that would be a good specimen but not enough material to take a saw cut off to get a flat face, or nasty flaws that need to be removed but again not enough material. Just turn the face into a giant cabochon, I use an angle grinder with a diamond cup wheel to get a basic shape, then those Chinese velcro backed wet polishing pads. They work a treat but never get a really good polish so I go to a polish buff with Cerium or Tin oxide to make it really shine.
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gatorflash1
spending too much on rocks
Active in Delaware Mineralogical Society, Cabchon Grinding and Polishing, 2 Thumlers B's and a UV-18
Member since October 2018
Posts: 375
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Post by gatorflash1 on May 28, 2020 18:28:49 GMT -5
Do you have a friend or relative that has a lapidary grinder polisher? That would be the easiest and fastest way to accomplish the task. The Genie model is very popular lapidary and jeweler folks I know. www.diamondpacific.com/products.html
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madman
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2020
Posts: 10
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Post by madman on Jun 15, 2020 17:16:48 GMT -5
I have a mini-sonic 4lb vibrating machine. The variable speed switch has me confused. When do you know what speed is correct. Does the speed of the rocks rotating give you an idea of proper running speed? Confused and stupid.
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Post by knave on Jun 15, 2020 19:06:43 GMT -5
toiv0 has much experience with these.
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inbtb
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2016
Posts: 351
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Post by inbtb on Jun 15, 2020 19:46:39 GMT -5
You might be confused but I doubt if your stupid. I run my mini sonic as fast as it will run. As your grit breaks down the action of the rocks will slow That is the time to add a little water. Keep playing with it and you will get it figured out. You just need some time with the machine.
Les
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Post by knave on Jun 15, 2020 19:53:00 GMT -5
Yeah that’s the same thing Billy says. When the speed control goes out just wire past it and adjust your moisture and slurry to get the speed you want.
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madman
off to a rocking start
Member since June 2020
Posts: 10
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Post by madman on Jun 15, 2020 20:15:35 GMT -5
Thank you for your help everyone. Great people on here. I wondered if it was a case of extra bells and whistles. Learning a lot in a short period of time.
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stonemon
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2017
Posts: 1,024
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Post by stonemon on Jun 15, 2020 20:28:32 GMT -5
Hey, and welcome to the forum!
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