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Post by ingridCauldronofWitchcrafts on Jul 27, 2021 4:59:50 GMT -5
Hi everyone! I am new to rock tumbling. I am a pagan witch who uses crystals quite a lot in my work. I own a small etsy shop where I put my creations on - mainly earrings and pendulums for now but I hope to expand my offer! I wanted to get closer to making of the tumblestones I later use, so I bought the National Geographic tumbler. I firstly followed the directions from the kit to a T, but soon realised the final "polish" included in the set was not in fact a polish at all. I then bought a set of grit from Dani&Darci, that includes an Aluminum oxide polish, but my rocks still did not shine the way I wanted them to. Looking through this forum I first tried burnishing which helped somewhat. I have went out and purchased some other polish (cerium oxide) and will attempt to polish my rocks again soon. I also separated my rocks as the national geographic mix contained both quartz and sodalite, that I later learned differ quite a bit in hardness. I already learned quite q bit from this forum and hope to learn even more as I go. I hope to soon be able to share my first batch of polished rocks
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 27, 2021 6:56:51 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from South Dakota! If you search the forum, you'll find a ton of information from Jugglerguy (Rob) on how to get the best out of your Nat Geo tumbler. He's a huge asset! I look forward to seeing your accomplishments!
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stonemon
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2017
Posts: 1,024
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Post by stonemon on Jul 27, 2021 9:11:36 GMT -5
Welcome from Oregon!!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jul 27, 2021 9:42:50 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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hypodactylus
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2021
Posts: 434
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Post by hypodactylus on Jul 27, 2021 10:58:21 GMT -5
The Dan&Darci grit pack looks very similar to the National Geographic grit pack. Neither of them show the 'grade' of their grit, but I know from personal experience that the Nat Geo #4 grit is not a polish. I would not be surprised if the Dan&Darci grit is the same (and they probably get their grit from the same distributor).
While many factors can affect the outcome of your final polish, I would start by getting a real polish grade Aluminum Oxide grit. A grade of around 3 - 4 microns (5000 - 7000 grit) should be good.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 27, 2021 11:07:29 GMT -5
I had a lot of trouble with the dan and darci. It never worked. A lot of people on here recommend the rockshed's grit and polish. I tried the polly plastics and it worked fine for me. It is only 1200 grade ao though so you might be able to get better results using other polish.
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catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
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Post by catskillrocks on Jul 27, 2021 20:12:54 GMT -5
Welcome from Western New York.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 28, 2021 11:11:20 GMT -5
Welcome from Virginia.
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Post by As I in does tries! on Jul 30, 2021 13:26:37 GMT -5
Greetings and welcome from scotland, may I suggest you have a look at UK lapidary suppliers found in my Lapidary Vendors Worldwide! F80, F220, F400 Silicon Carbide and Aluminum Oxide Polish from Mineral Craft North, F600 and F1200 Silicon Carbide from UKGE,
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