The Biggest Rock I've Tumbled - Unakite
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 พ.ย. 2020
- This is the biggest rock I've ever tumbled. I started out by doing some grinding on it and then polished it in a 12 lb. barrel.
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/ michiganrocksrob
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- KINGSLEY NORTH -
Kingsley North is a lapidary store in Michigan's U.P. They make a great cab machine and sell many other brands too. They have a huge selection rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. I buy most of my coarse grit from here in 45 lb. bags. It's the best price I have found. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission.
bit.ly/3MerxdI
This is the cabbing machine I use:
kingsleynorth.com/kingsley-no...
- THE ROCK SHED -
I buy a lot of lapidary supplies from The Rock Shed. I don't make money from your purchases there, but they have good prices and good service. This is where I buy my finer grits and polish.
rockshed.com
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I also have an Amazon storefront. This is where you can find other products you may have seen in my videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't cost you extra.
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On Michigan Rocks you can join me on relaxing rock hunts in picturesque Michigan. I'll also show you how to polish rocks and teach you other lapidary techniques. New videos are posted every Friday and some Tuesdays. Subscribe now so you don't miss any upcoming videos!
th-cam.com/users/MichiganRock... - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
I was so excited yesterday! My son walked in yesterday with a large pudding stone he found while working at one of the construction sites he was at. It was in a pile of rocks that was brought in. He said there was a smaller one there too but was not as nice as this one. I was so glad I had shared your videos with him so he recognized what it was! Many thanks!!
That's a fun surprise! You should train him to retrieve Petoskey Stones too.
THANKS, I have brain injury and watching this brings my memorys back.
Wow, that's great!
Same, head injury from 20 years ago, i find this channel so relaxing, it really helps me
🙏🏼
You are a master w/your video prepping & narration. All the step-by-step descriptions and genl info are v. helpful for newbies like me. Feb. 2024.
I'm glad you think so. I still feel like I'm just winging it.
The colors are beautiful! I didn't realize that you could tumble a stone of that size. The way that you prepared it was interesting too. Really enjoyed the process. Thank you!
You're welcome. I've tumbled baseball sized rocks before, but this is the first one this large. It really didn't give me any problems at all.
I'm always amazed at how much rock is lost due to tumbling process. I always hate that. But what you end up with is fabulous!
There is definitely some loss, but I don't think this one lost that much. Grinding it first helps a lot.
Very pretty rock. I really like that dark green stripe in it.
Me too!
so much nicer than I expected after seeing the rock pre polish. Love the layers.
Yeah, this turned out better than I thought it would too.
big one 😮 looked awesome after 😊Thanks for sharing 👍🏻 Take care have a wonderful weekend 👋🙋♂️
This is awesome. Glad you showed us how to tumble a big rock. Unakite is so cool looking.
Yep, I love unakite.
All that polishing payed off and it turned out really gorgeous ! I love green rocks 🥰
I was happy with the results.
It's a giant wishing stone !!!! Nice job
A really nice result. I so glad you decided to do a big rock. Thanks.
I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but it turned out really good.
Wow! What a big, beautiful rock! Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome. It was a nice rock. I might have to do more large rocks.
Finally someone does a good video on one way to polish a larger stone.
I've done videos on more than one way. Here's another way:
th-cam.com/video/v7xwyC_prV8/w-d-xo.html
That was a big one. Came out really nice. Was fun to watch. Great video
Wow, amazing piece, I love unakite!!
I have always been into rocks, but just started my tumbling journey because of a recent Xmas gift.
I just want to say thank you because I have learnt a lot from your videos.
Cheers from Canada!
You're welcome. I love helping people learn to tumble.
Michigan has so many beautiful rocks, especially unakite.
I really like unakite.
I just love rocks. Polished or not! Gotta admit, though, polishing sure makes them even more pretty. I don't have a tumbler so I have to look at nature's art in its natural glory. Who says that you can't make a good thing even better? Diamonds wouldn't be adorned on so many fingers if they weren't cut and polished, I'm sure!
I think diamonds are overrated. Why is such a boring rock so popular? They do sparkle nicely, I guess.
Really interesting project, 12lb barrel! I find a 3lb barrel a bottomless pit to fill! Great fun, thanks for showing this!
I find three pound barrels way too small for a lot of the batches I do. I like having different sizes depending on my needs. As you've seen from my other videos, I have no shortage of rocks.
It's amazing how much of a shine you get from a rough stone! Fantastic job!!!
Thanks. It is sort of the point to take something rough and make it beautiful.
I'm always amazed at the ancient artwork, hidden and just waiting to be revealed after some effort. This episode was a little different - Thank you.
I don't even remember what was different about this one, other than the size of the rock.
@@MichiganRocks I guess just seeing the additional use of the grinders etc. cheers.
Thanks for the shove down the unakite trail! I have some nice pieces
Glad to give you a push.
That’s beautiful! Can’t wait til I can do this! Hey I just wanted to thank you for all your feed back on the rock pics I send you and the help in educating me. I really appreciate it a lot!!! Hope one day to have as much knowledge as you do!
For rock identification, that shouldn't take too long. I don't know too much.
@@MichiganRocks I disagree. I have watched ALL of your videos I think and I’ve learned SOOO much from you. I don’t think you give yourself enough credit! :)
What a great specimen.
Now you know you can do some good sized stones. Imagine the tabletop arrangements you could set up. Shallow tray of sand and various beauties.
Or a shallow bowl in a slab rock
I have a few larger rocks on the bay window over the kitchen sink, but all are less than half the size of this one.
@@MichiganRocks
It's good to know not all your rocks are in tupperware.
Show and tell!
Wowza! That's beautiful. What a process. Good job!
Thanks Kim!
All of your patience gave you a beauty. Congratulations on your achievement.
Thanks. I didn't consider this a tumble that required much patience. This was fairly quick compared to other rocks I tumble.
You are both a master of rockhounding and polishing your finds Rob! I learned a lot watching your efforts in both area's of your hobby! Rock on fellow rockhound! 😊
What I really like about this hobby is combining those two aspects. I don't mind buying rocks that I can't find in Michigan, but what's really fun is going from picking up a rock on a beach to producing some sort of finished product.
So great, I really like that green, pink, and gray, color combo, and as always the shine and shape is outstanding.
Thanks.
Beautiful stone!! Look awesome on a book shelf. You certainly are organized and very patient to go through all those steps!!
I tumble a lot of rocks that take much longer to do than this one. This was one of my quicker tumbles.
This is a pretty perfect visualization of the life id like to live. House near the beach with woods on the other side. Plenty of space to create and plenty of land to search for things. Do you ever find gold or gems in these rocks?
I don't find anything that I would consider a gem. I have found gold in black sand like in last week's video: th-cam.com/video/DheySMEQsx0/w-d-xo.html
Pretty cool how you were able to get this rock so polished!!! Love the green!!!
It's just another rock, but bigger. I wasn't too concerned about it working out. I might be hooked on tumbling big rocks now though.
That was fun to watch, really turned out nice! Nice power tools too!!😁
It's always nice to find an excuse to buy expensive power tools.
I do like the green , it's very pretty. Well done! Thank you for sharing. I really enjoy your videos
I'm glad you like them. I have fun making them.
That was very nice of you . I hope he appreciated all your thought and work.
He did.
Came out really nice!
What a beauty! I love it!
That came out pretty well! It is so shiny!
Damn, that's really beautifully tumbled! Love how it turned out! I have alot of Unakite and wasn't aware that it also is comprised of Feldspar! Now I'll have to check mine out with a 365 LW UV light for a nice surprise.
Another great video. Love the "power tools". Very nice result. Thank you...
I have a bit of Tim Allen in me.
Sooo awesome.. wish I lived around you! What a hotspot!!
Astoundingly beautiful! I'm not a huge fan of unakite but this one is just gorgeous.
Yeah, this one is nice. I like the white stripe.
Right on man, I love the grinder cup for removing lots of material. I need to get some of those pads soon
That grinder works really well. I could have done the whole rock with it, but I opted for tumbling instead. It takes a lot longer, but it's a lot less labor intensive.
@@MichiganRocks Yeah and you don't have to wear a respirator when using a tumbler but on the flipside if you were skilled with the grinder and young enough to need a career, you can make good money finishing granite countertops.
It turned out beautifully!! Well done, sir!
Thanks Jeni.
Beautiful rock! Thanks for sharing 👍
You're welcome!
Quite an amazing go on there. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👌👌👍👍
Thanks Jimmy.
Thank you so much for posting this! I'm getting into tumbling larger rocks and this was perfect timing! :)
I must be psychotic or something.
@@MichiganRocks 🤣
@@MichiganRocks Psychic sounds a little better! 😂😂😂
WOW , what a beauty , nice work....Rock onnn
RJ
Yeah, that turned out pretty nice. I was happy with the results.
Beautiful results!
Thanks!
Hello Brother, Very Nice 👍 Thank You 😊
I’m usually attracted to raw rocks but polishing them sure brings out their inner beauty! TVs. You do beautiful work.🇺🇸🐝
That's what I like about tumbling, the rocks start out cool, but then I get to make them even better.
Wow, thats an amazing accomplishment. I love how pretty you made it look, and i love the green color. 😍🥰😇💜💙💚
Thanks Indyana!
@@MichiganRocks Your welcome Michigan Rocks!
Exquisite. Nice job. Never seen anyone tumble a rock that big. Turned out very nice.
I was happy with it as my first really big tumble.
LOVE this rock!! ❤
Very nice. ..like the shine and your technique shaping it with grinder
The grinder cut off a few weeks or even months of tumbling.
Love the banding and the crack is character! Nice work, much prettier polished.
Thank you Lynette.
Wowzer! It looks amazing!
Thanks!
Very nice!
beautiful! inspiring. thank you
You're welcome, Jeff.
I might have to get one of those grinders and try this. Very cool! Unakite is one of my all time favorite rocks!
I'm surprised at how many people love unakite. I have tumbled more unakite that just about anything else. I try not to bring too much home anymore just because I've done so much of it.
Your drill set up is pretty similar to my grinder set up. You're using the same pads at at least. I worry about annoying my neighbors by using it too much. They haven't complained, but I still try to limit it to a couple projects a summer. Just something to think about if you have neighbors close.
I thank you kindly for sharing these clips with us! Yours are the most pleasant to watch. Learning bunches. How many different Michigan shirts do you have? 😂❤️
If you count all the styles and colors, a lot. But there's only one design. I spent a lot of time trying to come up with another one, but I could never get it to look right. You don't happen to be an artist, do you?
Great shine! There is a real feeling of accomplishment when ones puts a lot effort into a stone and it pays off. Stay safe.
I think that's what keeps me going. I love the transformation from beginning to the end.
Fantastic and amazing, won a subscriber.
Yay! I love winning subscribers. Welcome to the channel. I hope you enjoy it here and learn a thing or two. Don't be afraid to ask questions, and I won't be afraid to admit when I don't know the answers.
Great Job! Love seeing all the steps and tools. Still learning, epidote is a favorite of mine. Big ricks rock. Thank you. 💚
Glad you liked it, Betsy. There's no shortage of this stuff in your neck of the woods.
Gorgeous!
This was an amazing video. Loved it . It polished really nice. 😁
I was happy with the results.
Your videos are mesmerizing!
I always worry that they're boring. They're not exactly fast paced.
Beautiful biggest rock!!
That was super cool. Turned out great.
Thanks!
Nice job. Well documented. Thanks for the grat info/
You're welcome, Don.
Cool! This video makes me want to get a QT12 as my first tumbler, just in case I find a nice big stone like yours to tumble!
Bigger tumblers also work a little faster on small rocks too. Having more weight pushing down on them makes them grind a little better. Plus, you'll want more capacity eventually anyway.
That's beautiful. Bet that was spendy on polish though. Great work thanks for sharing
It was a lot more grit that I would have used in the Lot-O, but it wouldn't fit in the hole.
Really cool piece!
Yeah, it turned out well.
Perfect gemns stones...💜
Alê vc já está fazendo cabochao?
Não sei o que significa a palavra "cabochao". Você pode usar uma palavra diferente?
@@MichiganRocks , I think he means cabochon. I know Spanish and it sounds almost the same .
@@rockhoundingparadise isso mesmo .
@@mdemaciel Sí, hago cabujones, pero no haré cabujones con esta roca.
Awesome video man. Love the wet grinder and those pads. I’m going to have to invest in those. Thanks for the share
It's a fairly expensive tool, but I've had fun with it.
Beautiful rock.
Beautiful!!!!!
Very cool project!
Thanks!
Hi from Moscow, nice work. I am watching your videos fnd want to start my workshop. Very usefull videos Thant you.
You're welcome, let me know if you have questions along the way.
Wow! Very nice stone!
It is a nice rock. I really like unakite.
I just watched this again and I learned something new !
It's a video that just keeps on giving!
@@MichiganRocks I wish that I could ask you a personal question as I am about to visit the U.P. with a small group of my rock club friends
@@robertkreiling1746 Can you send me a note on Instagram?
@@MichiganRocks I do not know how to do that .Are you on face book ?
Stunningly beautiful 😊
Awesome, congratulations, beautiful !!
Thanks!
Very nice! 👏 great job!
Thanks Jessica.
Whoa what a fantastic surprise... not having to wait till Tuesday for another video... priceless!
I put out a video every Tuesday and every Friday.
@@MichiganRocks And I enjoy everyone of them...thank you!
That really turned out nice!
Yes it did. I was very happy with it.
Goes to show ya', I wouldn't have seen anything good in that rock. You really know your stuff.
No, that's not true. I would have probably left that one behind, just because I've tumbled a lot of unakite. I also would have passed on it because of the speckled granite part that undercut a little. This was not my rock. I polished it for someone else. I'm really surprised at how well this video did. I also posted the video on the Great Lakes Rocks & Minerals Facebook group and it got over 1,700 likes. I have always liked unakite, but I didn't realize how many others feel the same way.
The grinder ahead of time definitely looks like the way to go to save weeks in the coarse grind. The ceramics getting ground down is quite a bit shocking for sure. That's a big factor in why with these big stones I keep "sacrificial quartz" around - stuff that is kind of junky looking but has made it through polish and can be added to the finishing stages to keep the barrels topped off. Kudos though! Closest to a tutorial for big stone tumbling I've seen since the trend started over on RTH. Good job!
I know of people who tumble bags of aquarium rocks to use as filler. One person in particular gets amazing results. I thought of that when I was adding all those ceramics. I might need to go buy a bag of that if I do more of these.
Great video!!! That big guy turned out awesome ✅👍👍👍👍👍🏴☠️🏴☠️
I was pretty happy with the results.
That is an awesome rock!
It is pretty cool.
It came out nice. I like the white band all the way around.
That white band really sets the rest of it off.
Awesome job , Thank You
Glad you liked it, Robert.
Very nice! I have a large agate that I need tumbled and if I can borrow a 12 pound tumber I think I will tyr that. It too has a crust that I can't identify so I will see if it tumbles off or I have to grind it. You gave some good tips as usual. Thanks. Havagudun and stay safe.
Good luck! I didn't find that this process was really much different than it was for any other rock I've tumbled. It all went smoothly.
I started using the convex sanding pads those work well for the stone Bowls I’ve been making
I've made stone bowls with flat pads with a very flexible back. Are the convex pads a lot more expensive? I'd really like a smaller one to make smaller, deeper bowls.
Awesome as always. I have been battling a bif stone my brother inlaw brought me from the shores of Lexington MI with 3 black bands "representing the 3 levels of the earth" lol with a unique band of quartz. Ceramic media completely helped my step 2 tumble. 1.5lbs stone in a 3 lbs barrel. I Skipped step 1 obviously from the beach.
I never skip step one. They always get at least a week in coarse grit. So your BIF turned out ok after using ceramics?
@@MichiganRocks Yes it was smooth from the lake. So I chose to go straight to step 2. In a 3lbs tumbler with a few native stones. after 2 weeks of what I call a dead tumble in 220 the grit that collected in the bottom of the barrel was stagnant. I recycled it and repeated the process with ceramic media and I am now currently tumbling in step 3. The stone was originally 1.5 lbs
Yes the ceramic totally help move the grit better than plastic pellets. The plastic pellets did nothing.
@@ICEPICK7882 Plastic cushions the rocks from chipping and also gives more contact points for the grid to do its work. But since it's soft, the grit gets imbedded and doesn't break down as much as it does when it's being ground between hard ceramic and rock. The other thing you might consider if there's a lot of grit left in the bottom is if your barrel is too full. It shouldn't really be much more full than 75% or 80%.
Your still photos made it look like a fancy bicycle seat !!🤣 beutifull rock 👍
Might want to put a little padding on top.
Excelente trabalho ficou linda de mais !👏👍Sucesso sempre tmj !like🔰
Thanks for sharing Tfs
You're welcome. Yw.
Beautiful
Your videos just keeps popping up all over my Smart tv
I msde another rock tumbler and now inknow e
What i am doing there coming out just perfect have a happy green eggs and ham weekend to u and your family
You must have a few tumblers now.
@@MichiganRocks
yes i just finihed my second one with success
AWESOME, was hoping you'd use that grinder again on something :)
Your wish has been granted!