I Tumble My Rocks Without Grit to See What Happens
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Grit can be expensive. Is it really so important? Let's find out!
In this video I used carnelian agates from the rock shed to test out if you really need grit to tumble your rocks. Is there possibly a way to get a mirror finish without the polish? The rocks were left in the tumbler without water for over a month, and I'm not sure what to think about the results!
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Perfect demonstration of why grit matters: it speeds up the natural process
So true!!
Yes, grit matters but you don't need the expensive stuff that EVERY rockhounder is now using...The manufacturer's are making a fortune now that so many people are into rock tumbling...There are alternatives out there that work just as well for the first stages and the polish...Just gotta do your research and try it yourself.
@@SistaJainePlease name one alternative to SiC that is as cheap and as effective.
@@SistaJaine😂 name One!
I love the way they turned out. A tad shiny, but still natural looking. The texture is nice. Would look great decorating an indoor container garden or terrarium.
Would be interesting to try using some outside sand instead of grit. Since naturally tumbled rocks are also helped out by the sand 😊
Michigan rocks actually did that. He had three barrels of the same rocks, one with no grit, one with sand, and one with SC 60/90 grit. He found that the sand did basically nothing, mainly because the sand is the same hardness as the rocks themselves so it broke down very fast. In nature there's a constant supply of new sand so that doesn't really matter there.
I kind of like the results for a change of pace from the normal totally smooth grit tumbled rocks. The shiny but still rough look is very interesting.
Great idea for those who want a beach natural look
You should definitely do it again if you haven't already.
To me , I would be completely satisfied with how polished.😊
Red Ochre is the word you're looking for to describe the mud in the tumbler.
I’d love to see another video with this no grit experiment!
I don’t tumble often because I’m too impatient but I remember learning “Junk in, junk out” at some point in my research.
Those were beautiful rocks and in a way I like the semi polished/ semi natural shape when they came out. But I agree they weren’t the best quality for tumbling.
I think if you want smoother shapes coming out you might want to try smoother shapes going in. 👍🏻
Thanks for uploading this today! My fiancé and I ordered our first rock tumbler last night. Super nervous and excited to start this new hobby!
Ever been to haunted Buffalo lake in Buffalo MN? Gorgeous rocks all over the place and a cute tourist town. I’ve been walking the lake each morning lately.
Love the content :D
Oh I haven’t! I will have to put it on my list! I hope the tumbler works great! 🙌
I'd love to see a follow up video. Can you make a video showing what they look like after you use grit and polish them?
Honestly, i love them like that!!
I appreciate your experimenting.
I've often wondered the same myself! Thanks for exploring and making this video!
Fun experiment! Perhaps adding some much smaller rocks in the batch would've produced smoother rocks. It wouldn't be as dramatic as grit or sand, but would still be fun to see. ROCK ON!! 😁👍🏻🪨⛏️
I would agree! The uniform size didn’t help that’s for sure!
@@AgateAriel Love your experiments!!
Really interesting experiment.
I'd love to see you put them back in the tumbler for a month, with stage one grit.
That orange slurry was sludgy.
I could try the same experiment, with my smooth beach stones.
I may have to do that!
@@AgateAriel it would be interesting to see how small they get, and the colour of the slurry
Did heroin put them back.
Great video! Nice comparison. Have you ever tried this experiment with sand?
Pretty interesting. I have been collecting and saving rocks for tumbling, but i have yet to get a tumbler. Hopefully i will get into it this winter.
Yes!! Do this with more round ones!
Love to watch your videos and I am a new rock tumbler
Thank you so much!
You should do those rocks for another month. They’ll eventually get smooth and shiny but it will take a lot, lot longer
Yes, more videos more combinations for sure!
I would love another vid with river rocks❤ as you recently went to Lake Superior you could perhaps try these?
Sand is a excellent idea, Lauren. After sand you could try gritty-er tooth paste or maybe Comet cleanser.
I was thinking of using river sand as a grit. I am using small round pebbles in place of ceramic media to fill the barrel to 3/4 full. I don't have any supplies local to me so I'm thinking of using natural "grit" and then ordering the polish.
I really like rocks when still a bit rugged. Like halfway through. Way more personality than perfectly polished!
Interesting experiment. Thanks. I tried doing a short cycle experiment (3 days per grit level) with the ocean tumbled rocks I find. Like you, the results were mixed. Most had a satin finish & there were more visible defects. I do however save a little money on ceramic media by tumbling my rocks with the small little quartz pebbles I find on the beach. They do a good job of getting in the nooks & crannies of the bigger rocks. When I'm done, not only are my big rocks beautiful, but I also end up with a bunch of little pearls; double bonus.
Yes I love that!
I have had some luck using coarse horticultural sand to round down my especially rough rocks before starting the polishes.
Oh I might have to try that!
Honestly I prefer my rocks to retain more of their natural shape so this minimal smothing of the edges and natural shine is exactly what i want anyway.
Sure, it'll take a while, but I can just biff em in the tumblr and leave it going without having to faff around with swapping to different grit levels which is a win in my book.
I like the "the natural tumble look" its rough but cool
you gave me an idea to make paint of the sludge
I’m interested in what they’d look like if they went straight from as they are now into polishing. While they are smoother but still actually shaped like rocks.
That’s a good idea for an experiment!
Where you buy polishing grits? Pls🥺❤️
Love the way they came out. Still with some personality. I'm wondering, since grit is so expensive...can it be reused? Seems like such a waste, maybe send it through a cheesecloth or some other fabric?
I have a question Can you crush up concrete and use that as grit?
I could listen to you say bag all day lol.
They held more shape though!
They definitely did!
@@AgateAriel I just started tumbling from a friend
I do not have grit but I had some in
Should I use it to tumble one rock
Why not use beach sand or river sand as grit? And does glass in a tumbler do anything?
I wish we had agates here in Newfoundland 😢… awesome video as usual 👌🏼
It’s a bummer you don’t! I’m sure there are lots of cool rocks to look for where you are though!
There are SUPERB agates in NS, and vast potential for future discoveries of all sorts of cool minerals all over the East coast!
I like! The water tumbled rocks have to character - IMHO.
I'd say try it with river sand as grit to help grind the sharp edges off faster then prepolish and polish as normal we
Good thinking!
I don’t know if anyones mentioned this already but this still isn’t something to put down the sink, it would take a lot, the same as with the grit or clay water but it would do the same thing and eventually cause problems
Yeah I suppose you are right! I didn’t think of it that way!
@@AgateAriel I’ve definitely put worse things down there in the past and have been suitably punished for it with blocked pipes
could you use sand, maybe with a few little aquarium rocks?
Try it with Smooth rocks pretty please
Should you clean possible quartz rocks, in the tumbler you use ? Or a different solution? I’m looking for some advice! ❤
I've tried both. I had better luck in my tumbler. Some acid baths can really change your pieces. I had a beautiful crystal go dull while cleaning it
I haven’t tried that but have been meaning to!
Carnelian is one of my favorites?
I just use left over sand I use in my aquariums
I like to pre-shape some of my rocks with the tile saw.
That’s a great idea! I still need to get myself one of those!
Craigslist 20-30 bucks.
i think it worked
Have untryed silica sand?
I tumble my white rocks just with some random sand..for a week.
Its a soft rock i tumble and polish a bit so its easier to paint/draw on 😊
Cool idea!
@@AgateAriel yes , they will become smooth. Rough surfaces on rocks are horrible to draw on.
They dont have to shine ,but smooth is important
I always tumble mine 4 days with borax before I start the process just something I learned from a old timer it helps you should try it nice experiment I wonder how they'd look after 30 days?
I’ve never done it that way before! I may have to try it!
Tumbling with borax before coarse grit? Utterly pointless.
I’ve got some petrified wood and I’m waiting to start Stage Three tomorrow when the stage three grit that I am out of comes in but they all look pretty damn good, so I’m debating on just polishing them for like nine days straight with the stage four polish grit. I’m worried that they are going to tumble all their shape and size away at this point.
And I love a lot of character.
Typically the last stages don’t take as much mass off as the first two so I wouldn’t be too worried!
@@AgateAriel Yeah! Yea! You’re right!! I’m still i little bit of a rookie good reminder 🙌🏼
Also I’m finding that the grits grind down with the rocks so the effect/result for that particular grit only lasts so long if you don’t add more.
But I’ll wait and do the 3rd stage LOL Thanks for being our rock consultant!
I’m hooked it’s really fun.
Of course! I’m glad you’re liking the hobby!
I'm jealous of your petrified wood! I did a video similar to what you want to do. It's not quite the same, but I've taken really smooth beach rocks straight to stage 4 polish and the results were amazing, if not just as good as doing all stages for rough rocks. Have fun and WOOD ON!! 😁👍🏻🪵⛏️
@@CacklingChick that is so awesome! I might have to try it out!
I think they turned out nice! Super beautiful rocks! I just got a super clear and dark Smokey Quartz tower. You can put it up to your eye at night and see through it. It's so amazing and fascinating! I think your experiment was a pass!
Another good experiment, is to tumble Agates until smooth in stage 1, then tumble in soap powder for 3 weeks, instead of polish.
Oh that would be a fun one to try!
@@AgateAriel it really works,
how about using Sand?... I heard that it is coarse and it gets everywhere.
I will say this is weird because I have done this and I did it on and off for 8 months. And it was… I got them smooth! They didn’t polish that well they were like a pre polish. Later I put them in with polish to fill us a different batch and they turned out well
Just out of curiosity, could children's play sand be used for a stage one grit?
Or perhaps course builder's sand for stage one grit and fine children's play sand for stage two?
Sand is more akin to natural tumbling in a river or on a seashore.
It might be a fun experiment!
And silica sand could be a stage two!
Is it about the high polish glazed finish or simply about the Matt finish,
I go for carector,and all those intricate patterns and designs,
How about making beautiful moulded pathways,
Simply use a mould fixture in your stone pour a clear resin,it makes for a beautiful finish in the garden,around fish pounds,,Ah imagination let it run,
You can even make table coasters,artistic furniture table tops,resin bathroom floored,,with all your most beautiful rocks,,what a finish to any home,bathroom,hallway,even resin wall clocks all from your rocks and resin.
Let your imagination become creative.
I tumble fist sized and larger rocks in a 25 lb tumbler. I got tired of my smaller rocks in with them being chipped and fractured. So my solution is everyday I walk my dog down a gravel road and pick up BB sized up to quarter sized Chert, Jasper and Quartz, any rock near a 7 on the Mohs hardness scale. Most of the rocks have sharp edges from being fractured by vehicles and graders. They can be used over and over until they disappear. The main goal in the first stage is to scratch your rocks. I usually tumble for 21 days
That’s a great way to do it!
But I still use the recommended amount of grit
THIS IS INTERSTING
Cool😎
I am impress
Have you tried play sand??
tbh i like the more natural texture so i might go with this anyways. cheaper as a plus :p
That might be perfect for you then!!
Do it again for one year!
I do my 1st rough tumble with like a 5th of the recommended grit. The slurry comes out after a week looking almost the same as with a full batch of grit. I then grind them to a better shape on a flat lap and put them back in the tumbler. Saves a good 3 weeks of rough tumbling and tons of grit when dealing with gnarly/ sharp/weird rocks
Oh that’s a good idea to try!
I would love to see you just put them back in the tumbler and let them go. Check on them every couple months and see what happens! Maybe a year of water only tumbling will get you something unique.
Oh that’s not a bad idea! I might have to try that!
@@AgateAriel I just came back and rewatched this. One really neat experiment would be to do this but add in polish. I wonder if you could get an even more rough/polished look.
how about sand?
I always wondered if I just spun then for a long time what would happen. And i was thinking beach sand because its prevalent and free. For at least the first tumble . Then polish after.
That might be a good experiment too! I have always wanted to use beach sand as a stage one
@@AgateAriel I'd be interested to see that too. These experiments are fun!!
Tried it. It didn't work. I Tumble softer rocks with no grit. I'll add less rocks with more media. I've had some interesting results. For translucent pieces, it's great for removing the weathered white hazy layer while keeping it as close to natural as possible
Mr. Michigan Rocks did a pretty thorough video on sand as grit. Pretty interesting. ua-cam.com/video/rk1DEqyH8Pc/v-deo.html
Never seen anyone tumble with just water and rock dust so thank you. They look very nice and since I saw this, I think I'll give it a shot with some of the rocks that seem too small to survive the grit process. Hate to have them just disappear, usually I crush them for inlays but maybe this could be a another option. Thanks again!
@@darrend4484 That is an ongoing issue I have been having with translucent rocks. Would you mind elaborating what you do? Thank you
try a batch with just Borax vs just water vs grit?
Oh that’s a good idea!
Do you sell tumbled rocks.
Best to use the grits, everything has been tried and tested, grit always wins...
Nice to think outside the box though...
I agree! Definitely like to experiment though!
Cant you just use sand and/or gravel?
Definitely worth a try!
But what if you used beach sand as your grit? 🤔 OR river sand with river rocks
I have been wanting to try that!
Michigan Rocks has a video where he tries silicon carbide grit, sand, and nothing. He got the same shininess from just water, while the sand did very little. Most sand is mainly quartz so it might work on soft rocks, but for rocks of similar hardness it has little effect.
I don’t think it was a great job I would not do that! I have started rocks in grit for sand blasting grit and regular fine sand for a gamble it worked great with both but ran first tumble 14 days
I agree! Something fun to try though!
What about with sand? If it were in a river, more times that not they would be sand
Yes I’d like to try with different kinds of sand as well!
It's been done and doesn't work...
You look so familiar, have you ever been to Alaska? Maybe you just look like someone I know lol
I haven’t! Doppelgänger maybe!
You may want to try another month... for the sake of the experiment 😊
That probably would help some!
Do the same ones again.😊
Like with no grit again? Or to actually do them right? 😅
@@AgateAriel no grit
Oh good idea!
Whose paying the electric bill, and how?
The right scientific way, would be to Tumble one batch with just water, and compare it to a batch tumbled with Grit for the same time.
I suppose that’s true! If I ever try an experiment like this again, I’ll have to do that!
Couldn’t you just use sand?
How about doing this with agates. It looks like you just tumbled stones you didn’te about.
I might have to! These are technically carnelian agates though
I want to try sand... SAKRETE 60 lb. Multi-Purpose Sand ($7.00)
I was thinking of trying that too!
I use sand from the river down the road from my house.
Can't you just use sand? Different courses....?
Diamond tip cutting tools are sharpened with diamonds. I don't have the patience for your hobby. It's cool though.