Tumbling out sickness...help please!

[GuntherHess]

gold would work great.

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

Would gold be too soft (not that I have any!), or is it simply the weight of the media pushing the polishing/cutting compound against the glass?

 

[cyberdigger]

Gold would wear out faster than copper, being a softer metal, but it has more "cleansing power" during it's lifespan in the tumbler, because it is heavier and would indeed augment the cutting and polishing effect. I used gold for all my tumbling until the price got out of control.. but I don't accept responsibility for that! []

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

Time for an update!
After the initial posting, this bottle was tumbled in GB media with 600 SC for 3 days in a 4 inch canister.
Some sickness remains plus the corners were not getting frosted like they should:

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

So, next in this experiment was to try a larger canister.
After 3 days of 600 SC with GB in a 5 inch canister it looks perfectly clean and frosted to me:

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

The theory I'm using when doing trials with glass beads is that the rules of cutting compound grits used with copper do not apply. This bottle was tumbled for 12 hours in 220 SC with glass beads and a 4 inch canister. It was cleaned up, but not enough, and the embossing has not been affected:

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

...and here is what that one originally looked like:

 

[GuntherHess]

I would expect glass beads to operate much different than the higher density copper.
Experimenting is the right thing to do.
My biggest fear with glass beads is using it on soft glass and having the beads become the cutting media. So far havent encountered that.

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

Thank you for the words of encouragement!
Here is the 2nd bottle after another 10 hours, for 22 hours total in 220 SC.
The exterior looks done (to me); what do you think?

 

[BarbaraInCalif]

While the interior still needs to be worked on...