The batch of stones going into the Lortone 3lb Tumbler One are a mixture this time. 13 of the first 37 stones to go through 80/100grit are from Papatotara Beach. These stones are combined with 24 stones from Gemstone Beach that were collected on the 12 June.
The stones collected from Papatotara Beach are much rougher than the stones collected from Gemstone Beach. Those stones don’t seem to get as smooth as Gemstone Beach stones do. As I get more “fussy” with polishing, I am starting to take more stones out of the batch to redo at the early stages than I used to. I think I’m more conscious now of the finish I’m after and I’ve realised that it’s ok to not push the stones through the tumbling process if they aren’t ready! There’s nothing more disappointing than looking at a polished & boraxed stone only to turn it over and see a gouge or pit indentations!!
Tumbler: 3lb Tumbler One
Stage 1: 80/100grit
Number of stones: 37
Weight in: 953g
4 Tbspns of 80/100grit – no pellets added
Days tumbling: 14
Weight out: 849g – loss of 104g
Stage 2: 220grit
Number of stones: 37
Weight in: 849g
4 Tbspns of 80/100grit – pellets were added
Days tumbling: 10
Weight out: 727g – loss of 122g
5 stones were removed from the batch after Stage 2 – they need to redo 220grit again – too many pits to move to 400grit at this stage.
Stage 3: 400grit
Number of stones: 32 + 16 = 48
The 16 stones added had been waiting in the holding box for a redo at 400grit. They were probably collected from Papatotara but I’m not 100% certain.
Weight in: 928g
4 Tbspns of 400grit – pellets were added
Days tumbling: 11
Weight out: 891g – loss of 37g
The final tumble in the barrel was a soap tumble for 48 hours. Always do a soap tumble of stones before they go into the polishing mix. Despite how well you think you’ve washed all the grit off from Stages 1, 2 and 3, it is still amazing just how much discolouration there is of the soap water! It’s usually a dark grey!
Removed another 6 stones that need to redo 400grit so placed them in the holding box.
Batch 15 (42 stones) joined Batch 14 (32 stones) in the 4lb Tumbler to complete their tumbling polishing journey. They spent 11 days in the polish mix tumble and 24 hours in the borax tumble. Batch 14’s post has a few photos of polished stones.
Batch 15 | 3lb Tumbler 1 | Papatotara/Gemstone Beach | 4 March – 11 April
4lb Tumbler | Combined Batch 14 + Batch 15 | 13 April – 1 May 2023
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