Rock tumbling can be a fun process, although it requires patience. You’ll start with dirty stones and finish with beautifully polished gems. It is typically easy to use a rock tumbler to polish stones. However, precise steps must be taken to ensure that the stones are uniformly polished. There are four steps of grit and polish. They will be explored in greater depth below.
What Is Needed?
Before you can begin tumbling and polishing your stones, it is important to collect the essentials. Besides the tumbler, you’ll also need stones, water, four grits, and a strainer. The grit requirements will change depending on the stage. It is best to stick with 60 grit at the first stage. Then you can move up to 220, 500, and 1200 grit for the subsequent stages.
Just remember that the required grit may depend on the tumbler you’re using and the stones you’re polishing.
Pre-Polish (Optional)
To maximize the rock tumbling process, experts recommend a pre-polish with aluminum oxide 500 or silicon carbide 500. The recommended amount is one tablespoon per every pound of load. For example, six tablespoons of aluminum oxide 500 for six pounds of load. The exact measurement is vital to ensure the best results without altering the integrity of the rocks.
Add enough water to cover the top layer of rock. Pre-polishing will take between five and seven days, depending on the load and type of rock tumbler. Monitoring is a vital part of rock tumbling. Long-time consumers are known to let their rock tumblers work 12 hours before checking the load. It may be necessary to release gases build up inside the barrel.
Some experts recommend repeating the pre-polish step for softer rocks. With this said, softer rocks are at a higher of cracking. Special monitoring may be required during the second pre-polish to detect any changes in the integrity before unnecessary damage is noted.
Start By Picking Stones
Before turning on the tumbler, start by sorting through your stones. Attempting to tumble the wrong combination of stones will lead to unsatisfying results. Be sure to pick stones that have the same hardness. The stones have to be durable because some are going to fall apart in the tumbler. Once you’ve selected the stones you want to tumble, move to the next step.
Start Tumbling – Coarse Grind
Now that you’ve picked the stones, you can begin tumbling them. Although this process isn’t difficult, it will take time so you’ll have to be patient. Start by filling the tumbler with rocks. The barrel should be roughly three-quarters full once you’ve finished. Then you’ll need to add grit. For each pound of rocks, add 2 tablespoons. Now add enough water until the rocks are completely covered. The water should sit just above the top of the rocks.
Close the lid and check the gaskets to ensure that you won’t encounter any leaks. Now, you can begin tumbling the stones. Turn on the tumbler and let it work. Tumble the stones for several days. Usually, up to 10 days should be okay.
Cleaning The Stones
After that, you will need to clean the stones thoroughly to remove the debris. Do not pour the waste down your sink because it will clog your drain. It doesn’t require anything special to clean your stones. The stones will need to be cleaned after each stage. Although there is no exact way to do this, you can try using dishwashing soap.
Add a little soap to the barrel and use it to clean the stones and the inside of the barrel. If you don’t want to do it by hand, you can add the soap and turn on the tumbler. Let it run for ten minutes or so. Then you can empty the contents into a strainer. Again, make sure that the waste is disposed of properly.
Put the rocks into a bowl and wash them with hot water. Rinse the rocks before putting them back into the barrel. Borax can also be used to clean your stones and barrel. Failing to clean thoroughly enough will lead to unsatisfactory results so make sure you clean completely. The stones must be cleaned after each stage of the tumbling process.
Medium Grind
Next, you’ll need to use a medium grit using the tumbling process. The rocks will be smaller during this step. To avoid damaging the rocks, you’ll need to add more media. Otherwise, the rocks will be slammed against the wall of the tumbler and the other rocks. During this stage, tumbling can continue for seven days to ten days.
Polish
The stage before the last step of the process is the polishing stage. During this stage, your stones will develop a beautiful shiny appearance. It is sometimes best to use a different barrel for polishing to ensure that it is clean. After all, even a small amount of grit could ruin the results. Once the rocks are in the barrel, add the necessary rock polish.
TXP aluminum oxide powder is a good choice, although there are other options. Typically, you should use two tablespoons for each pound of material. The polishing process will take roughly seven days. After seven days, your stones should be smooth and shiny. If there is no shine, burnishing may be required.
Final Step
The final step is to remove the finished product from the rock tumbler barrel. The final product is a rock with a shiny finish with smooth edges. Freshly polished rocks, coins, and gems can fetch a decent price on e-commerce marketplaces.
The polished rocks are a great addition to a flower garden, terrarium, miniature greenhouse, wall art, artificial floral arrangements, and landscapes. Whatever consumers decide to do with their polished rocks, they should be proud of their success.
Conclusion
Although it is easy to tumble rocks, the process has to be precise to get the best results. Otherwise, you may end up with damaged rocks, cracks, or unpolished stones. Start by picking the right stones based on hardness. Then, you must pick the right tumbling settings and grit. Typically, there will be four stages of tumbling with the rocks being cleaned thoroughly after each stage. The process can always be adjusted to get the desired results.