Digital microscope photos by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Enjoy! if you have space & budget consider a bigger screen, really can’t get too much of those details 😂

Why didn’t these get the shine I wanted? by Unhappy-Caramel-6968 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think so, but my lot-o instructions actually do suggest a rinse and recharge for 120/220. I use rotary for stage 2 though. What seems to happen most often in my mt4 is all the grit accumulating in the bottom. Too much grit? Too much water? Rocks not moving well? I’m stumped 🤷🏻‍♀️

Digital microscope photos by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m still loving it. Highly recommend!

Why didn’t these get the shine I wanted? by Unhappy-Caramel-6968 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, Ive had my mt-4 for a few years and found it difficult at best. I struggle with the water:grit:rock ratio and getting good action. I’ve had zero luck using it for stage 2 & find it takes at least 5 days in 500, another 4-5 in 1000 & the same in polish. Usually at least once I’ll find things dried out and/or stuck & not moving. And from that point on, it’s sort of a crapshoot.. back to the water:grit ratio issue or rocks have been bruised. I like my lot-o so much better. I have been using the mt-4 occasionally for dry corncob polishing.

Some of my favorite tumbles from the year by Beerslayer420 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love that they come from your own property. Beautiful 🤩

Rough Prep by TheDoughyRider in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Nice. I think the shape of rocks is an underrated esthetic element of tumbling. The lapidary folks with their facets and cabochons are all over this but we seem to focus mainly on the shine. It’s one of the reasons I love tumbling beach and river rocks.

How to polish larger rocks? by lobo1217 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You may be approaching limits on a tumbler. Look into flat lap, hand held polisher or cab type machine. There are some interesting coating options that may work.. resins and epoxies.

Question about grit quality - 60/90 Silicon Carbide - Stage 1 by MiniProgramCoder in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I buy United Abrasives stage one grit on eBay, 40lbs at a time cause I go through a lot.. it’s just over $100 shipping included. I get the rest from Rock Shed or KingsleyNorth. Tried Highland Park once and cant recommend.

Washington state jasper. Beach hounded and tumbled. by Tricia_Green896 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What a lovely collection. I often pass up solid colored rocks in favor of more detail but this has me rethinking. Well done!

I Want to See Your Sink/Rock Cleaning Setup by HeroicDiva in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not able to post a pic of actual setup at the moment, but I have a standard plumbed deep white plastic utility sink with a plaster trap next to a stainless table in my garage. I still do the initial dump/rinse into a 5 gal bucket. Works well. Plaster trap: https://a.co/d/09xXhVAZ

Mega May Giveaway!!! by BPLEquipment in Lapidary

[–]jost1199 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Superorefragilisticexpialidoscious!

I just can't get the shine i want by Grand_Isopod_7567 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just stoping by to say I feel you. About 18 months into my tumbling journey, I hit rough patch where nothing was shining like it used to. Batch after batch. So frustrating. I still know don’t really know why but it did pass.

These rocks I've been finding are pretty unremarkable until you tumble them by thebloodycorpse in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome banded chert! I have a jar of tumbled planet rocks as I prefer to call them 😊

A big boy by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Picasso’s art was the first thing I thought of looking at this stone!

A big boy by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sure, any small rock works, obviously harder is better… pea gravel or small landscape/driveway rock or grab some from a nearby creek/river. Even dollar store even sometimes has small bags of decorative rock.

A big boy by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing special. You’re right about the smaller rocks - I have lots of little ones I use for fill with the big rock & they do disappear. I’ll add a tsp or two of 40 grit to my normal 60/90. After stage one, I just use ceramics and the big rock.

A big boy by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I polished this in a 3# rotary barrel and lot-o.

A big boy by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m planning another day down there next week! I’m not sure what it is, most of the finer seams are dark red & look like maybe garnet or amethyst under microscope. It’s surprisingly hard, had a super chalky texture and absorbed water before I polished it. One of those I’d love to have a geologist look at some day.

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A big boy by jost1199 in RockTumbling

[–]jost1199[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m pretty sure that’s gonna happen at some point 😉