Hi there, Just a quick note from AZ... I Love everything rocks! From collecting them rough out of the field, or wet and shining with promise out of a mountain creek, or taking them to the final step of setting them into jewelry. I just wanted to tell you that the beautiful translucent orangey stones are most likely Carnelian. They can range from clear to a gorgeous deep autumnal burnt orange, from a solid color to stones with stripes and swirls running through the them. Thanks for the videos and continue to enjoy and share your talent in working with the lovely stones of different areas of the world!
As long as you keep the rocks wet most all of the grit will come out between stages if you run a burnishing stage between each stage of polish, clean the rocks as you have been then reload them into the bowl & add the dawn & triple the water you’d normally add then run it for 2-3 hours - (plastic pellets are also useful both both burnishing & polishing stages), remove & rinse thoroughly then on to the next stage, - I even burnish after my polish stage - also run similar hardness materials in your batches to avoid frosting (the white spots on your tiger iron) & damaging the softer materials.
I use ceramic media. I've never really seen it called "abrasive". I use large and small, but only in the vibratory (steps 2 through 4). I only do step 1 in the rotary and I just keep filling those with rocks.
From what little I have learned the rocks were too dry. While too much water is not good, so is too little water. It would be uncommon for the barrel to shed and cause the black (if it's a Thumbler) but it still could be the cause.Havagudun
I think you are right! I've got a LotO now and I've been using it almost exclusively. I think with the ease of checking it I'm getting better at dialing in the right amount of water, but I also am not in any way saying the Thumler wasn't good. I just took forever to be able to produce enough rough to load it up. I generally could keep the LotO full whenever I wanted to run a batch! Thanks for the comment!
I did find a source that said that it is caused by the rocks grinding too much on the inside of the barrel and they suggested that I was not putting in enough rocks. They suggest filling to the top of the internal post. I'm going to do another batch in a month or so and I'll probably make videos of the new batch as well. I'm going to put more rocks in and we'll see how it comes out! Thanks so much for the comment!
@@jenniferteribury5641 I am having the same black specs show up on my final polish stages, and I know i fill the bowl up enough. You could not get anymore rocks in the bowl for me, they are almost falling out, haha. But did you find a way to remove the black specs or stop them entirely. They do not seem to come off very easily at all, stinks
The black specs I had washed off easily, but I was told it was partially because it was brand new and i used some sharp rocks. So I got a regular tumbler to put the sharp rocks in to make my bowl last longer. Seems to have done the trick. 😉
Hi Ed, i won't be at the show this year. I have an event in Columbus to attend . There will be several club members there to help you with all your questions. Wishing you and liem a wonderful trip.
Excelent my Friend ... Can I use this type of polisher for stones with hardness 4 and 5 =? Do you recommend any type of ingredient to achieve it and achieve a very good polish? What would I need to achieve very shiny cabochons... THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you can use this tumbler with softer rocks, but you have to be careful that it is all softer rocks and I think they may do it differently. I've heard of people using dry polishing with softer rocks for example. I don't know much about cabochons. I've never really done those. Thanks for the comment!
I got a comment notification from someone named Talespinner35 asking about the brands of the tumblers I'm using. I can't find the comment to reply (maybe they deleted it) but the notification said it was on this video. If Talespinner should see this I have two rotary tumblers, both Lortone that I use for Step 1 (rough grit). One of them is a dual 3lb model (It runs 2 three pound barrels) and the other is a 12 lb model. There are earlier videos where you see both of them. My vibratory is an 18lb Thumler vibratory. I love all three and have no complaints at all on any of them. My only issue is that it takes me many batches even running both 3's and the 12 to get enough rocks ready to run the 18 lb vibe. I bought all of them through the Rock Shed (therockshed.com/) and that is also where I get all of my grit! Hope this helps!
I am working on an all petrified wood tumble, but I've been doing Step one since July and I still don't have enough. I live in Ohio and it has gotten cold so I have stopped tumbling until spring. There will probably be a new video in the Spring when I have enough to do the pet wood in the vibe. I'm thinking I'm just going to do one video showing all the steps though.
I think you are right. My next set of videos which I'll be starting soon I'm finally doing a "species" tumble. All the rocks are Arizona petrified wood that I got this summer while my son and I were traveling. So all the rocks are not only the same type they are from the same site. We'll see how that works out. I try to do mostly the same type of rock, but it takes a lot of rock to fill that vibe. I do love tiger eye though.... :)
Great Video! I am no expect myself, but a few suggestions 1. I think you could use a lot more water, the rocks look pretty dry, may be why chips of plastic are in there, maybe getting too hot? 2. You should totally remove the rocks and clean out the bowl before you burnish the rocks. Also you should use ivory soap not dawn. If you clean the rocks, clean the bowl, then add soap you should get a much better polish!
1. With a rotary tumbler you fill to the level of the rocks with water. In a vibratory it's a much finer balance. If you have too much water all the grit will lay on the bottom, too little water and the slurry will get thick/sticky and the rocks will stick to the bottom and not tumble. I'm pretty sure I was ok with the water.
That's good to know! I don't want to have to buy a new bowl!! I've only put maybe 5 batches through so it is relatively new! I'm going to do a new vibratory series in the next month or so. I'll do the dawn wash! Thanks for the comments!
Hi there,
Just a quick note from AZ... I Love everything rocks! From collecting them rough out of the field, or wet and shining with promise out of a mountain creek, or taking them to the final step of setting them into jewelry. I just wanted to tell you that the beautiful translucent orangey stones are most likely Carnelian. They can range from clear to a gorgeous deep autumnal burnt orange, from a solid color to stones with stripes and swirls running through the them.
Thanks for the videos and continue to enjoy and share your talent in working with the lovely stones of different areas of the world!
Thank you for putting this out there! As someone who is looking to get a tumbler, your hands on video series is very helpful. Happy tumbling!
Nice-looking collection. Well done.
As long as you keep the rocks wet most all of the grit will come out between stages if you run a burnishing stage between each stage of polish, clean the rocks as you have been then reload them into the bowl & add the dawn & triple the water you’d normally add then run it for 2-3 hours - (plastic pellets are also useful both both burnishing & polishing stages), remove & rinse thoroughly then on to the next stage, - I even burnish after my polish stage - also run similar hardness materials in your batches to avoid frosting (the white spots on your tiger iron) & damaging the softer materials.
Now I really want to make a set of dice out of tumbled rocks!
Lovely lovely lovely.....
Hey i live in Arizona and my mom just got one of these tumblers for me today and i was wondering did you use the big "Ceramic Pollishing Abrasive"?
I use ceramic media. I've never really seen it called "abrasive". I use large and small, but only in the vibratory (steps 2 through 4). I only do step 1 in the rotary and I just keep filling those with rocks.
From what little I have learned the rocks were too dry. While too much water is not good, so is too little water. It would be uncommon for the barrel to shed and cause the black (if it's a Thumbler) but it still could be the cause.Havagudun
I think you are right! I've got a LotO now and I've been using it almost exclusively. I think with the ease of checking it I'm getting better at dialing in the right amount of water, but I also am not in any way saying the Thumler wasn't good. I just took forever to be able to produce enough rough to load it up. I generally could keep the LotO full whenever I wanted to run a batch! Thanks for the comment!
Mine did the black specs as well, but I noticed it on the second stage. Probably just normal wear and tear.
I did find a source that said that it is caused by the rocks grinding too much on the inside of the barrel and they suggested that I was not putting in enough rocks. They suggest filling to the top of the internal post. I'm going to do another batch in a month or so and I'll probably make videos of the new batch as well. I'm going to put more rocks in and we'll see how it comes out! Thanks so much for the comment!
I probably didn't put enough rocks in either. I look forward to seeing your news videos 😁
@@jenniferteribury5641 I am having the same black specs show up on my final polish stages, and I know i fill the bowl up enough. You could not get anymore rocks in the bowl for me, they are almost falling out, haha. But did you find a way to remove the black specs or stop them entirely. They do not seem to come off very easily at all, stinks
The black specs I had washed off easily, but I was told it was partially because it was brand new and i used some sharp rocks. So I got a regular tumbler to put the sharp rocks in to make my bowl last longer. Seems to have done the trick. 😉
Hi Ed, i won't be at the show this year. I have an event in Columbus to attend . There will be several club members there to help you with all your questions. Wishing you and liem a wonderful trip.
Excelent my Friend ... Can I use this type of polisher for stones with hardness 4 and 5 =? Do you recommend any type of ingredient to achieve it and achieve a very good polish? What would I need to achieve very shiny cabochons... THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think you can use this tumbler with softer rocks, but you have to be careful that it is all softer rocks and I think they may do it differently. I've heard of people using dry polishing with softer rocks for example. I don't know much about cabochons. I've never really done those. Thanks for the comment!
@@edcctf THANKS SO MUCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oooooooo!!!! 👍nice rocks!!!
I got a comment notification from someone named Talespinner35 asking about the brands of the tumblers I'm using. I can't find the comment to reply (maybe they deleted it) but the notification said it was on this video. If Talespinner should see this I have two rotary tumblers, both Lortone that I use for Step 1 (rough grit). One of them is a dual 3lb model (It runs 2 three pound barrels) and the other is a 12 lb model. There are earlier videos where you see both of them. My vibratory is an 18lb Thumler vibratory. I love all three and have no complaints at all on any of them. My only issue is that it takes me many batches even running both 3's and the 12 to get enough rocks ready to run the 18 lb vibe. I bought all of them through the Rock Shed (therockshed.com/) and that is also where I get all of my grit! Hope this helps!
I am working on an all petrified wood tumble, but I've been doing Step one since July and I still don't have enough. I live in Ohio and it has gotten cold so I have stopped tumbling until spring. There will probably be a new video in the Spring when I have enough to do the pet wood in the vibe. I'm thinking I'm just going to do one video showing all the steps though.
Thanks for the videos.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed them!! :)
Amazing !!! Wish I could have a tumbler. In my country there is nothing like that. Enjoy your video
Go to a gun shop. They are used for polishing ammo cases. I'm sure that you could make one from scratch too if you feel so inclined.
Ebay is where I get my rock polishing supplies.
If you tumble the tiger eye by itself it should come out better. I think you had some harder rocks in the mix
I think you are right. My next set of videos which I'll be starting soon I'm finally doing a "species" tumble. All the rocks are Arizona petrified wood that I got this summer while my son and I were traveling. So all the rocks are not only the same type they are from the same site. We'll see how that works out. I try to do mostly the same type of rock, but it takes a lot of rock to fill that vibe. I do love tiger eye though.... :)
Great Video! I am no expect myself, but a few suggestions
1. I think you could use a lot more water, the rocks look pretty dry, may be why chips of plastic are in there, maybe getting too hot?
2. You should totally remove the rocks and clean out the bowl before you burnish the rocks. Also you should use ivory soap not dawn. If you clean the rocks, clean the bowl, then add soap you should get a much better polish!
1. With a rotary tumbler you fill to the level of the rocks with water. In a vibratory it's a much finer balance. If you have too much water all the grit will lay on the bottom, too little water and the slurry will get thick/sticky and the rocks will stick to the bottom and not tumble. I'm pretty sure I was ok with the water.
Those black spots are rock freckles, from small pieces of the bowl. They seem to substantially decrease the longer you tumble batches.
That's good to know! I don't want to have to buy a new bowl!! I've only put maybe 5 batches through so it is relatively new! I'm going to do a new vibratory series in the next month or so. I'll do the dawn wash! Thanks for the comments!
Thank u for nice vedio...
What is the end of these rocks....
I mean for what purpose they use them... Please...?
Most of mine are in totes. I give away some. Mainly I just have fun doing it.
I wire wrap them into jewelry.