New Tumbler Seeking Guidance
So I received a lortone 33b for Father’s Day. It was pretty cool at the beginning, researching and going through the steps, to ultimately attain my shiny rocks. My first batch was just a beginner bag the gemstone lab sent with the tumbler. I tried to ID some, pulling some of the softer stones, but it was pretty difficult to get them all sorted.
This was my 3 week check. I have been running 4tbsp of 60/90 silicon carbide grit, with 2 tsp of borax. Today, I finally was able to pull enough rocks to combine them from the previous week to start a stage 2 batch. I started that batch with the barrel about 50% full, then filled to 75% with ceramic media (a mix of large and small with more small). It has 4 TBSP of the 120/220 silicon carbide grit, with 1 tbsp of borax.
During the first week of tumbling, I found someone selling an 8” flat lap and another lortone 33b a few hours away. Both barely used for $350 total. I have since been using the flat lap and keeping the other two barrels running constantly. I have some questions about pulling rocks and the timing of stage 1 in particular.
It seems like some of my rocks went from almost ready for stage 2, to not even close, from week 2 to 3. Is that normal? I assume it is, because from using the flat lap I’ll work on crazy lace, have it almost how I want, then find a pit or something. I want to make sure I’m not overfilling the barrels or something and it’s somehow harder on the rocks. I definitely do not think I’m underfilling. It was difficult to tell the percentage of the barrel that was full, so I measured and marked the inside with a pen at 50% and 75%.
I also tried to take 1 lbs each of crazy lace, moss agate, and black obsidian for tumbling. I rounded all the edges off, to try and speed up stage 1. I put them into stage one, then in the barrel next to it, ran 3 lbs of the same mix, just straight rinsed from their bags. When I checked today, the ones I rounded seem to be larger in mass, like they lost less size, but they seem no further along than the ones rinsed straight from the bag.
I know it’s a hobby of patience but I feel like I will make progress, then lose progress one week after. Is that normal? If you get a rock that’s been tumbling a few weeks, you rinse them to change the grit, and it’s got big cracks and cleavage in it, do you just pull that one and toss it? Seems like it’d take forever to round it out, and potentially just break apart in the barrel.
Any guidance would be appreciated. Maybe I’m just being impatient, especially after using my flat lap and seeing I can run through 60>100>220>325>600>1200>3000 (haven’t done a polish yet on any stones, waiting for a large batch) grit wheels in a couple afternoons, and have a good pile of stones most whatever shape I want ready to be polished.
The pictures are of my first batch still in stage 1. I pulled a few of the stones out today, washed with soap and a toothbrush, and started the stage 2 barrel with ceramics. Many of the ones on the table, and all of the singles I’m holding, had to go back in for week 4 of stage 1.