I know this video is long and boring but I wanted to make a video that has all the info you might need to tumble rocks. I get my grit from the rock shed and learned everything I know from watching KZitem tutorials on tumbling.
ROCK TUMBLING INSTRUCTIONS!
STAGE 1
1. Fill Tumbler 2/3 full with rocks.
2. Add 3 TBSP of STAGE 1 (60/90) grit.
3. Fill Tumbler with water so that it just barely covers the rocks. A little bit of the rocks should peek out of the top of the water.
4. Turn the tumbler on speed 1 and check on them every 3-4 days until they are the shape and smoothness that you like. It usually takes a week or two for them to be ready for stage 2.
RINSING AND CHECKING YOUR ROCKS
Carefully open and dump out your rocks into a colander over a large bucket. DO NOT pour grit water down your sink. It can ruin the plumbing!
Fill your tumbler with water and pour over rocks in the colander and swish the water around. I usually repeat this 3 or 4 times before the rocks are rinsed enough to safely finish cleaning them in a sink.
After you rinse off your rocks, check each one and see if you are happy with the shape and smoothness of the stone. The shape wont change much past stage one. So if you want a super smooth rock you will probably need to leave rocks in stage 1 for a few weeks. But if you don’t mind some bumps and scrapes and odd shapes, you can probably move them all to stage 2 after a week or two.
Every time you check on your rocks in stage 1, you have to repeat the process above. You cannot reuse grit!
You don’t need to clean the rocks and the barrel if you are repeating stage 1. But if you are moving on to STAGE 2, you MUST clean your rocks and Tumbler!
CLEANING YOUR ROCKS BETWEEN STAGES!
Before you can move your rocks onto the next stage, you must make sure your rocks and tumbler are clean! I use dawn dish soap and a toothbrush. Scrub tiny cracks or dents in the rocks to get any grit that might be hiding.
After you’ve scrubbed the rocks, you should burnish your rocks before moving forward to the next stage. This helps to ensure all of the grit is removed from the rocks between stages and prevents them from looking foggy at the end. I’ve skipped burnishing between stages in the past, and ended up with foggy unpolished rocks after months of tumbling!
DON’T SKIP CLEANING AND BURNISHING YOUR ROCKS BETWEEN STAGES! It makes a huge difference!
Also - Keep rocks wet between stages! Don’t let them dry.
I’m not sure why… but I’ve heard professionals rock tumblers say that.
BURNISHING ROCKS
Put the clean rocks in your tumbler
add 3 TBSP of Borax.
Add water to the top of your rocks.
Tumble for 1-3 hours.
Rinse rocks and move onto the next stage.
For a safer option, you can use ivory soap. It has to be the kind with no scents or anything added to it. You shave off a couple tablespoons into the rocks and add water. I’ve never done this but a lot of people do it who don’t want to use Borax. But Borax works great for me! I wear gloves and immediately wash my hands after.
STAGE 2
1. After burnishing, rinse your rocks and put back into tumbler.
2. Your rocks probably got smaller or changed shape after stage 1. The tumbler should always remain at 3/4 full.
3. Add ceramic media to fill in the nooks and crannies and make sure the barrel is 3/4 full.
4. Add 3 TBSP Stage 3 (120-220) grit.
5. Add water so that it almost covers the rocks. Your rocks should be peeking out of the water just a tiny bit.
6. Tumble 7-9 days on speed 1.
CLEAN AND BURNISH ROCKS BEFORE STAGE 3!
STAGE 3
1. After cleaning and burnishing rocks and tumbler, add ceramic media so tumbler is 80% full.
2. Add 3 TBSP Stage 3 (500 aluminum oxide) grit.
3. Add water so that it almost covers the rocks. Your rocks should be peeking out of the water just a tiny bit.
4. Tumble 7-9 days on speed 1.
CLEAN AND BURNISH ROCKS BEFORE STAGE 4!
STAGE 4
1. After you have cleaned and burnished your rocks and tumbler, add ceramic media so tumbler is 80% full. Get it really cushioned tight in there!
2. Add 3 TBSP Stage 4 aluminum oxide polish and water.
3. Tumble 1 week on speed 1.
4. I know it’s tempting to stop here! But it makes a HUGE difference to burnish your rocks after the final stage! Burnish for a few hours and NOW YOU HAVE POLISHED ROCKS! Hooray!!!
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