Top 5 Tips You Need to Know About Rock Tumbling
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- Опубліковано 19 лис 2022
- Through my time tumbling rocks I have learned a few things that I wanted to share with you all! Rock tumbling is such a fun hobby and one that anyone can enjoy! I hope you find these tips and tricks useful and enjoy your very own rock tumbling journey!
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My #1 tip for new tumblers...start with known rock. Order a few pounds of inexpensive agate or jasper from The Rock Shed or Kingsley North for your first few tumbles. The temptation is to go out and collect some rocks from your driveway because it's free, but you'll be disappointed with the results if you do.
My second tip is to pay attention to the maintenance of your tumblers. Roller bearings need to be oiled frequently and the drive belt needs to be tensioned every few months. Don't neglect this, it's important to keeping your tumbler working properly.
So true-Those are great tips! I’ll have to include them in the next one! 😊
I pour slurry into a container to let it settle out. Once the sediment is on the bottom, pour off the water then let the slurry evaporate. It can be tossed in the trash… now El Cheapo says use the slurry for cleaning metal parts… yes in the rock tumbler. I cleaned me VW Bug hardware with great results
Great tips, patience is a virtue in tumbling but so darn hard. Anytime I tried to take a short cut my results were awful. Patience in moving rocks on, cleaning between stages have all been beneficial. I am one of those who will return a polished rock to stage 1 if they are streaky…It is an incentive to make sure I clean them well. Who wants to rerun their rocks?
So true! It can definitely be difficult to wait but it is so worth it in the end! I have definitely had my fair share of putting rocks back in to grit 1 after polishing!
Brilliant great wonderful 👍 I came up with an idea using a bicycle and a treadmill. I have to ride my bike a lot just to get my exercise. I figured out a way to rig my bicycle to a treadmill device. While I'm exercising my rocks are getting polished. Treadmill basically the same thing. As I'm working out on my treadmill I can polish my rocks at the same time. Very ergonomic. 👍
Haha I love it! That's a great idea!
Hello my name is rodney an I just started rock tumbling. I love your videos I’ve learned so much from you. Am following you from Henry Co. Ga.
I find that rotary tumbling is great for shaping the rock and getting a smooth surface. But for polishing a vibratory tumbler works really well for polishing and it takes half the time 3 ish days.
Good comments! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
I like how you can cater to both beginner and more advanced efficiently. Great vids.
Thank you! 😊
You have given me more information then anyone has including the company I bought my tumbler thank you so much
Great tips. I have found that borax leaves a residue after the final polish clean cycle. I use ivory soap. Another tip, I think one that gets overlooked, undercutting. Some rocks such as jasper or fragmented membrane agates have softer minerals that erode away faster, leaving those areas unpolished and rough looking. The other one is some rocks will not take a high gloss polish no matter how smooth they are. One other tip I have found for trapped polish, use a 50/50 ratio of vinegar and water with a little dawn dish soap, place rocks in the solution, leave sit for 24 hours, then use a tooth brush and gently scrub those areas. This works well on harder rocks, but I can't say how it would affect softer rocks.
Yes very good points! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for the great tips. 😊
you’re so cool ariel 🥺 thankyou for making these videos!!
Loved your vid ! I just purchased my first rock tumbler !! I can’t wait to get started
G'Day Agate Ariel, Thank you for sharing your many video's and tips on Tumbling Rocks, much appreciated. Cheers Kev
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks, good info. Also, I love how you hit your "T's" really hard. It’s satisfying. 😁
Haha I’ve never heard that before! Thanks!
Now that you pointed it out I can’t unhear it. Cute!
Awesome Tips. And agree with all your tips.
Thank you! 😊
Thank you for sharing these amazing tips!!
Of course!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing with us.
Of course!
Just started tumbling. I never pour it down the drain but the other tips are so helpful! Thanks!
Excellent advice
Thanks Nicola!
Sweet great information!❤
Thank you!
Solid tips!
Thank you! 😊
Thank you for all the great tips! You have a wonderful collection! I'm kind of new to Agate hunting but I'm hooked. I live in Colorado. I search the Colorado river and find some nice ones. I found your channel, now I'm your fan. It's so fun looking for and finding Agate. I would like to classify all of the ones I find. Thank you for your help...oh yeah I loved your nails too they look great!
Thank you-I’m glad you found the video helpful! Agates are definitely my favorite as well! 😊
Could you please recommend a tumbler ? My biggest interest is in making sea glass. Thank you.
I spread my grit out and let it bake in the sun to dry. *this only works for rough grit that remains as silt.*
Oh that might be fun to try!
Great tips 👍🏽 yeah… I will do wash cycles next time
Thank you! 😊
When the Canadian Mint polishes blanks they use plastic balls and it puts a mirror finish on silver...
I love watching all of your videos and every single tip was very helpful for me I appreciate it. I have a question for you. My rock tumbler has recently stopped working and I bought online from Amazon. I was wondering if you know of any tumblers that are more reliable or ones you would recommend. I have only used my current tumblr for one full cycle of rock polishing then it stopped working
Great question! Lortone tumblers I believe are some of the best! I personally use a lortone 33b double barrel tumbler!
Yes sand and grit can clog drain because it doesn't float in water. Pour into the trash if you don't have a good spot outdoors (like if you live in a high rise).
I rinse all my rocks each cycle over sifters that separate the rocks from the ceramic media and then catch all the water and grit in a bucket. Then I let that bucket settle and pour out the clear water leaving the broken down grit. Then once this builds up enough over time I dry out the grit and then I can re-use it in the 1st and 2nd stages.
Oh Thank God! I’ve been working with two separate tumblers and spent nearly 1 YEAR (yep!) trying to get shiny rocks but still haven’t succeeded. I haven’t been cleaning through the burning cycle ( never heard the term). Does one need ceramic medium? The national geographic doesn’t have any in their kit. Thank you for this! Fingers crossed!
You're really freakin great 👍 👌
I appreciate that!
What grit do you use for the last polish and where do you get it? I cant seem to find 14000 grit
Okay either you have a great organizational style for your rocks or just a casually curated display? But it looks like your rocks are sorted (classified I guess is the term) into size, type and colors. As seen by a range rocks outside the storage containers on the shelf giving the impression of a visual cue to what's inside.
Or you just arranged your assorted rocks around your shelf for display and there are not sorted rocks in the soft storage bins on the shelf? I'm not sure?
But if you did sort rocks into the shelf storage and then left rocks outside as a way to define what's in each soft storage container on each shelf storage bin then it seems simple but also very clever and useful. It's the same thing done for buttons, babbles and notions in sewing, crafts and even woodworking for tools and supplies for those who love to stay organized.
Your background display looks different than many people who collect and tumble rocks. Often there is material everywhere with buckets and clear plastic containers. And it can be okay for a work area but I like to sort and categorize to stay organized so I noticed the rocks around you and wondered if you store them organized or just display them as a shelf decoration?
Just a display, okay but if they are an organizational strategy then I think its a great way to manage your rock material.
Hi AgateAriel, greetings from Trinidad &Tobago 🇹🇹 . Love the content and great tips. Quick question; do you sell your rocks or these r your personal treasures?
I keep them for now! I may sell some in the future though!
Do you know how to shape round stones?
Great tips! Have you tumbled glass in your tumbler? I have a bunch that I've picked up off the beach, but haven't been brave enough to try them in the tumblers yet. 😊
I haven’t! It might be a fun experiment though!
My tumbler says for rocks and glass.
I am from Holland and we have the same hobby rock rumberlin thank for all difrand way ro privé bye ye
Hi. I recently started drumming beach stones from the Baltic Sea. I'm curious how many ounces of grid you use for a 3lb drum in each step? Greetings from Germany
I personally use 2 tbsp but technically you are supposed to use 3 tbsp for three pounds of rocks!
Have you ever had rocks that don’t tumble down in step one? I have some type of jaspagate that spent three weeks in stage one and never got super smooth to where I wanted to move to stage 2 - so eventually I moved them on and they’re tumbling now.
Yes definitely! Agates are an especially hard tumble and I am currently on week 7 for some of mine!
That’s wild! Darn agate being so difficult 😂 I’ll have to leave mine in longer next time.
Good afternoon
Do you have an opinion the Raytech TV-5?
I haven’t used one no! I use a lortone 33b double barrel tumbler
What do you do with your tumbled rocks?
I bought a tumbler it had 5 different packets of a black dust and a bag of ceramic beads I am on the 4th black powder it has a white film on it I’m wanting to give up. Please help me someone
You might need to buy a true polish like Aluminum Oxide. The grits you get in a kit aren't fine enough to get a good shine. I'd get a real polish and run the rocks through an Ivory soap wash first.
Anybody here who is an expert tell me what the best Tumblr to buy is? I don't want some cheap piece of trash it's going to burn out after The first full polish
I personally prefer the lortone tumblers!
@@AgateAriel thanks 👍
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If you are not willing to "waste" 1 month of your life for a load of tumbling.....Please stay away from rock tumbling since "patience" is the number 1 requirement to get into rock tumbling.
Along with tip 3 try not to choose deeply cracked rocks or holes, many cannot be tumbled out with unloving most of the rock. 8 have stone nurseries for between grit cycles. These are water filled basins that keep rocks wet and ready for their next step*
* I often tumble way more than I have barrel room for or must hold some back or return to step 0-2 for some reason.
Yes great tips!!