Brass Tumbler for Sea Glass?

[cavman]

I have a Frankford brass tumbler.

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=414369


My brother and his wife did a little beach combing, and brought back some sea glass. Some if it was kind of sharp. I thought that it might be able to be smoothed out using my tumbler (and the corn cob media).

Not really doing anything so far after a couple of days of vibrating. (I didn't really put much faith considering the media was corn cob; maybe pebbles or sand?)

Any one use their tumbler to effectively smooth out sea glass?

thanks
cavman

 

[Steve Koski]

You probably need some abrasive media/grit and to tumble wet.

 

[strat81]

Corn cob is relatively soft compared to glass. I'd try some fine gravel.

 

[The Bushmaster]

Sea glass?? I lived my whole live on the coast of Oregon and other West Coast locals and I have never heard of "sea glass". Or do you mean Agates and coast agates...??

However...As Steve Koski said...

 

[mejeepnut]

A sandblaster works great!

 

[cavman]

A sandblaster works great!

not what I was looking for mejeepnut!

But, as I grew up in Maine, and as my brother and his wife just picked up little bits of broken glass off the beach in Maine, is "sea glass" used in your neck of the woods? (at least more often than "coast agates")?

 

[mejeepnut]

Yes,we use the term sea glass(I think that is what you are asking).Sea glass is just broken glass that gets rolled and tumbled in the sand,it is not any type of naturaly occuring mineral.It can come in any color that glass does.
Sand in your tumbler should work but make sure you don't wear out the bowl,glass is hard and may take awhile.Wetting the sand may help,just enough water so the sand if fluid while the machine is turned on.You can also use sandblasting media.There is a type that is black oxide that may be what you want and I bet an autobody shop would part with a hand full or 2 for next to nothing if they even charged you anything but again,watch out for wear on the bowl!

 

[The Bushmaster]

Gotcha...By The Way "Coast Agates" are a stone like planin ol' agates except they have a white crust like an egg shell on the outside partially covering the agate.

 

[mejeepnut]

Just went out front and got these off the beach.Most are not done yet and will get thrown back but it shows some different colors and shapes.
My wife broke most of this glass and threw it out there,she says it takes a few years before its done and since she has been doing this for about 35 years I take her word for it.I hope cavman's tumbler works faster.

 

[cavman]

My Mom has been beachcombing forever. By far and away her favorite would be the dark Blue one.

I, too, hope that the tumbler does a faster job than a few years!

 

[50 Shooter]

You're usuing the wrong type of tumbler, get a rock tumbler and don't ruin your brass tumbler.

Go here to ge what you need. http://www.google.com/products?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GWYA,GWYA:2006-37,GWYA:en&q=thumler's+tumbler&um=1

 

[cavman]

Thanks.

My brother and his wife are now in the market for a rock tumbler.

 

[jeepmor]

Would people pay money for this stuff? I could generate hundreds of dollars from a $5 broken blue bottle and a bag of sandblasting media.

And women think our firearms hobby is boring.

It'll take a while in a tumbler, I wouldn't waste the wear and tear on mine for that. If they are that interested, take it to a bead blaster somewhere, they should be able to make quick work of it.

 

[alias]

I met some guys in Maine one time (back in the 70's) who sold "sea glass" to tourists. Claimed they rented an electric cement mixer, added 50 pounds of 30mesh sand, filled with water and turned for a couple days. Some clear and green, with a few pieces of blue amd a milk (white) glass chunk or two, put in an old mason jar and sit on the side of the road making their summer beer money.