Comments on: Polymer Clay Tutorial | Polished Beads | Lortone Rock Tumbler

By: Laura Z

Laura Z — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:54:12 +0000

Thanks Kat and Cindy! Wow, what a thorough response Kat! Thanks so much! I’ve been baking my beads at 265 for 1 hour. I initially started them at 265 for 1/2 hour but then after lots of reading on the blog increased the time. Some of those beads were baked at a lesser time so that may have been the issue. That search button has become my best friend! LOL!!

Well, I finally stopped tumbling and tried buffing the beads with my dremel and the attachment that Cindy told us about in one of her tutorials. Most of the beads came out just gorgeous and had a finish like glass. Some of the smaller beads that I rolled with plastic gloves turned out well, but had a slight cast to them. I have since tried using wet/dry sandpaper glued back to back in with the stones with a 600 grit in one tumbler and an 800 grit in the other and am doing them in stages. The batch that I did yesterday came out beautifully. I tumbled for about 2 hours at each level and they came out powder free! I am so excited! What a feeling when you open your barrel and rinse out your treasures and find they are just what you wanted. I have to buff tomorrow and will let you know the final results. I am confident they will be just what I am looking for.

Now if I can get my mischievous cat to stop stealing my beads! My husband found a bead in the basement today, little stinker ;D

By: Cindy Lietz@Micro-Mesh Abrasives Tutorial

Cindy Lietz@Micro-Mesh Abrasives Tutorial — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 03:31:56 +0000

@Laura Z: Phaedrakat did such a great and thorough job helping you with this problem Laura. Did you try those things she suggested? Did the articles help? I hope so. Usually I just tumble a couple of hours then rinse and repeat until the residue is gone. (Or at least close to it.) It is one of those things that have so many different variables, that you will just have to experiment until your get something that works for you. Tumbling polymer clay beads is not a miracle cure (at least not until we find an even better way of doing it). It is just a helpful tool to cut down on the tedious labour of sanding. DO let us know how it goes.

By: Phaedrakat

Phaedrakat — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 07:38:23 +0000

@Laura Z: Hi Laura, you said your beads were fairly smooth going in anyway, so 14 plus really DOES sound like they were tumbled too long. Still, I can’t afford my Lortone yet, so….I can only help by replying (which should “bump” your question to the recent comments list.) Hopefully it will attract some attention & get you some help! ;)

You said the beads are powdery…are they super-smooth? If so, have you tried buffing one on your jeans or something to see if the powder comes off? What does happen? Or, if your beads aren’t smooth after all that tumbling…perhaps your rocks are not as smooth and rounded as they should be? Did you sort them, choosing only the nice, rounded ones? Maybe the rocks have some kind of weird coating on them (the other thread mentioned a glaze that caused problems…a “Comet slurry” did the trick.) One last question…are your beads baked thoroughly? Properly cured beads come out nice & hard, and are easier to sand…

A couple people had questions similar to yours on the other thread; it was before Cindy’s video tute came out. It might still be helpful, though. There are some good tips and rather funny comments on the other thread, too…people were experimenting with all kinds of stuff in their tumblers. Here’s Cindy’s reply about the white powder on beads.

Good luck with this, Laura! I can’t wait to hear everything’s working great for you, and that you have a beautiful batch of perfectly tumbled & buffed beads! :D

By: Laura Z

Laura Z — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 20:30:52 +0000

Okay, so I’ve been using my tumbler (Lortone 2 barrel). I’m not sure if I’m doing something wrong or what. I can’t seem to get the white powder to go away. I’ve tumbled my smaller beads ranging from prolly 8mm to 20mm with a few lentils thrown in. I made half of them with the bead roller and half with plastic gloves on. Minimal fingerprints going on. Tossed them in the tumbler with 8mm (or less) river rock pebbles and water just over the top and a drop or two of dish detergent. Let them run from about 7:00pm last night till about 9:00am this morning. Got up thinking woohoo these are gonna be great! Well, got them out, rinsed them off and let them dry. White powder! Ugh…okay put them back in with clean water (rinsed the stones till water was clear) and dish detergent. Let them run for about an hour and a half. Took them out and more white powder! What the heck! More rock rinsing, clear water, dish soap and let them run again for about 3 hours and find I have less powder but still powder nonetheless. Did another complete rinse and they are in again, but I’m getting really frustrated. I didn’t think it was supposed to take this long. If it is and I’m being impatient please let me know, otherwise, can someone tell me what I’m doing wrong?

By: Laura Z

Laura Z — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 03:18:50 +0000

So excited, got a 2 barrel Lortone Rock Tumbler for Christmas! Can’t wait to get started – more tumbling, less sanding!! WOOT!!

By: Cindy Lietz@Ivy and Olive Baby Names Necklace

Cindy Lietz@Ivy and Olive Baby Names Necklace — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:51:21 +0000

@Rada: My goodness Rada that is such a gorgeous name! I love nature based names so much I named my children Willow and Fisher. My heart is with you during this last part of your pregnancy and the beginning of your new life with your baby. I wish you a quick and easy birth. Do keep us updated and take care of yourself.

By: Rada

Rada — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 17:30:03 +0000

Lol! Kat you’re funny. We did pick out a name for our baby a while ago.. Aurora Padme. Aurora because we are in Alaska and Padme because it means Lotus in Sanscrit language and it’s my favorite flower. So I guess without even knowing the flower part of it played a big roll hehe. Haven’t really been on here in a little bit, just feels like there are so many things to do before the due date.

I am going to try the river rocks more and make sure I rinse everything in between tumblings. But first I have to make more beads =o).

By: Phaedrakat

Phaedrakat — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 14:45:09 +0000

@Maria: Haha!..It sure looks like it…I haven’t tried it myself, but there are several comments about this. Lisa W. is one of the members who’s tried using rice. You can see her comments about it on the other thread…or you could try asking about her experiences — like if she’s still using it, and if she’s tried it on the metal. Apparently (from the other thread,) Cindy read the tip elsewhere. I really hope it DOES work…I would prefer to buy some rice at the grocery store than having to mail order a lb. of steel shot at $20-something plus shipping! :D
Anyway, good luck with your new tumbler, and ‘whichever’ tumbling medium you choose! ~Kat

@Anna: Very true…talking about rice, cornstarch, and other things here at the blog IS like on a cooking show. And there’s Recipes, too, which could certainly help Rada with inspiration for the baby’s name. Great idea! Especially for a girl…there’s Misty, Sapphire, Sunny, Lily, Iris, Poppy, & many others…that’s just after taking a quick look! ;D

I had a bit more trouble finding boy’s names, but there’s River, Bud, Thorn, Marsh(all), Reed(s) — well, OK, I had to play with the names a bit, LOL! And is it just me, or do those names sound like character’s from soap operas…or romance novels? Just kidding. Cindy’s Palettes and colors DO have beautiful names, usually based on nature. That’s a great way to name a child, although I’m sure Rada will choose a wonderful name for her baby, without having to “make it fit” like I was trying to do. I hope she and her baby are doing really well! :D ~Kat

By: Anna Sabina

Anna Sabina — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:23:22 +0000

I forgot one more thing. it has been a while since cornstarch has been mentioned. Rice and Corn Starch…. sounds like a cooking show. I use a tad bit of cornstarch on my finger tips to reduce fingerprints. I also do a final roll of the beads in the middle of the palm of my hands or with a piece of paper. the fewer imperfection in the beads before baking, the less need to sand. I wash of any cornstarch residue before putting them in the tumbler.

By: Anna Sabina

Anna Sabina — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 13:16:22 +0000

I had a problem with a film on the first beads I tumbled. the only thing I could think of was the rocks I used had some sort of coating on them. I now do use a little water and a drop of dish soap in my vibrating tumbler-even though it says do not use liquids. I have been doing that over a year and no problems. Good luck with the birth of you Babe. Wishing you a quick and pain free delivery. If you are undecided on a name you can always use one of Cindy’s recipe color names for inspiration.

Anna, Des Moines Iowa