Rock Tumbling Hobby

A wonderful hobby for all ages. It is especially good for those that want a hobby

that does not require a lot of backstrain or do not wont to spend all their time working on a hobby.

There is one prolem which can be delt with. It can be very noisy when

the tumblers are running which is a 24/7 process. Place them in a workshop or somplace where they will not disturb you and your family.

Things you need to get started

1.Grit:

siliicone carbide

80 grit

220 grit

400 grit

The larger the number the smaller the grit.

2.Rocks

Quarts of different kind

Malachite

Obsidian

Turquoise

Tigers Eye

Agate

Petrified wood

Pellets

Ceramic

Plactic

One or two talblespoons per pound of rocks.

Sieves

you need several to pour the rocks and slurry into to drain, when going from one stage to another.

You can get them cheap at one of the dollow store.

Two kinds of tumblers

The agitator which shakes the stones.

The rotary which tumbles them over and over.

For a beginner, a two tank rotary would be good, each tank holds about three pounds which includes the water and grit.

Use different size stones add water almost even with rocks don't cover them, place 2 tablespoons of coarse grit into tumbler also.

You can buy more tumblers in order to do more rocks at one time.

Stages of rock Tumbling

You start out with the rough stage. Use rough grit for this stage.

The next stage is using the fine grit.

Then comes the pre polishing state. this is where you add the plastic pellets.

They help to reduce chipping. You don't want your nice stones to get scratched from a chipped stone so watch for them and removed them before they can do damage.

Have patience it is a satisfying hobby.Think what you can do with the beautiful rocks you have.

They make good gifts, they can be used in craft projects. You can sell them. And the enjoyment of hearing family and friend ohhs and ahhs.

Tips

Wear mask and saftey glasses when cutting or breaking rocks into smaller sizes.

Never pour slurry into your drain pipes it will clog them.You don't wont to pour them on wife's flower either,

unless you want to be in dog house for a while. Use one tumbler for polishing rocks, always use the same tumbler,

that way you don't have to worry about trying to clean all the grit out each time.

There will always be a few rocks that do not polish as well as others,but will still look nice and you will want to keep them all.

Enjoy Your new hobby!