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All Forums >> [Bottle Forums] >> Cleaning and Repairing >> Why the diff in tumbling results?

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Why the diff in tumbling results? - 11/5/2010 2:06:05 PM    thegrammarfairy   Posts: 8 Joined: 7/23/2010 Status: offline Hello all. My husband recently resumed his childhood pastime of digging for treasure. I'm the research-and-reconstruction department. In an effort to keep our house from sinking into the earth under the weight of broken glass, I've been trying to come up with some kind of craft I can make out of it. DISCLAIMER: I would never, but never, break anything intentionally, or make a cutesy craft out of something that qualified as an actual artifact. I have been properly indoctrinated that as little as one square inch of glass counts as a Pikes Peak flask, and so on. Back to our story. I noticed that crafty types sell jewelry made from shards of glass and china, and they say using a rock tumbler replicates the process that makes 'sea glass' frosty with a matte finish. Yet bottle-and-jar-heads use a tumbling process to shine up their finds. What gives? Is the difference in the abrasives used? Your insights will be much appreciated. Your pal, the Grammar Fairy Post #: 1

RE: Why the diff in tumbling results? - 11/5/2010 2:19:19 PM    cyberdigger Posts: 12319 Joined: 11/29/2008 From: I 195 @ US 9, NJ USA Status: offline Yes ma'a, it's all about the polishing medium. Bottles are frequently tumbled in stages, first with a coarser grain compound to remove sickness and stains, and then with a finer grit for polishing them. In contrast, a bunch of shards and pieces rolling around together in a rock tumbler will give you that sea-glass look, though usually not quite like the real thing. (in reply to thegrammarfairy) Post #: 2

RE: Why the diff in tumbling results? - 11/5/2010 4:09:05 PM    chosi Posts: 106 Joined: 2/25/2008 From: Northern Virginia Status: offline Attached photo shows a bottle that was tumbled twice.  Left is the original sick bottle, middle is after the first tumble with the coarse (cutting) polish, and the right is after the fine polish.  Hopefully it shows that after the coarse tumble it looks dull, while after the final tumble it looks clear and shiney. I've never tried tumbling a shard before, but I suspect that an extra coarse (600 grit) polish would leave it pretty dull, but well rounded. Attachment (1) _____________________________ - Chosi ( See my website at www.chosi.org ) (in reply to cyberdigger) Post #: 3

RE: Why the diff in tumbling results? - 11/5/2010 7:21:42 PM    Lordbud   Posts: 2297 Joined: 6/16/2005 From: San Jose Status: offline If you can make it up to Fort Bragg, California there's a beach nearby with lots of naturally tumbled sea glass shards. You could spend hours choosing pieces and colors, all the while listening to the surf and the seabirds... _____________________________ Jason San Francisco Bay Area bottles and go-withs. (in reply to chosi) Post #: 4

RE: Why the diff in tumbling results? - 11/9/2010 2:07:01 PM    thegrammarfairy   Posts: 8 Joined: 7/23/2010 Status: offline Thank you, all! It's very kind of you to offer me my pick of California's sea-glass supply---especially since my husband is a surfer as well as a digger---but I'm looking for something to do with the glass I already have. : ) My goal is to shine the sickness off of some of the shards (in others it's an asset), and possibly take the worst sharpness off the edges (as you know, only the thinnest glass is really sharp). Then I'm going to use the sea-glass-jewelry techniques to make pendants and whatnot. I intend to try polishing with jeweler's rouge and a Dremel tool, but that'll have to wait until St Nicholas is able to swing by the house and drop off the equipment. your pal, The Grammar Fairy (in reply to Lordbud) Post #: 5

All Forums >> [Bottle Forums] >> Cleaning and Repairing >> Why the diff in tumbling results?

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