How to Tumble Beach Rocks to a Great Shine
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 พ.ย. 2021
- Have you ever wondered how to tumble beach rocks? Do you tumble in a rotary tumbler? Watch how I use a National Geographic Tumbler to polish some rocks from Lake Superior.
These are the steps I took in this video. For the last three stages, you could probably get away with a little less time.
Stage 1: 3 TBSP 46/70 silicon carbide (60/90 grit or 80 grit or something similar would work too) for three days at time. Repeat until each rock is flawless.
Stage 2: 3 TBSP 220 silicon carbide for seven days
Stage 3: 3 TBSP 500 aluminum oxide for ten days.
Stage 4: 3 TBSP aluminum oxide polish (1-2 micron or over 10,000 grit) for fourteen days.
Other National Geographic Tumbler Videos:
Review: • National Geographic Tu...
How to use a Nat Geo Tumbler: • How to Get a Great Shi...
Is the Nat Geo tumbler Too Fast? • Is the Nat Geo Tumbler...
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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.
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This is the cabbing machine I use:
kingsleynorth.com/kingsley-no...
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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.
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And this is what I get when I search for Cleveland rocks?
Just kidding, love everyone of your uploads. Born and raised walking the shores of the Great lakes myself. A thing that makes this magic for me, is there are still secrets and treasures to be found in this world.
You never know what strange rocks you might find on a Great Lakes beach. I think that's what keeps me going back.
Do you like the original version of "Cleveland Rocks" or the Presidents of the United States of America version better? I love the Presidents of the United States of America, so I like that version best.
@@MichiganRocks PTOTUSOA has prettier rocks, no question.
Never tired of how different they look after tumbling, so many new colors and patterns emerged. 😁👌
I feel the same way. That's why I keep doing this.
I understand your shirt reference! I sing that song almost every time I make toast =)
I'd have to sing it almost every morning then. It's a great song, but that would be a lot.
@@MichiganRocks Oh wow. Yes I do not eat toast that often =)
@@dannileemeow My sister gave me her bread recipe about a year ago and I make homemade bread all the time now. That's my breakfast almost every day.
I really love these tumbling videos. It helps me hone my skills because I've only been tumbling about 9 months. They turned out really well! Great video!
I'm glad they're helpful.
The first time I heard Heywood Banks say, "French Toast" I was in tears laughing. Great T-shirt Rob.
If you ever get a chance to see him live, I'd recommend it. What a great show.
Thank you for the slide show! The ugliest rocks turned out to be beautiful! I have some pretty rocks and now encouraged to buy a tumbler.
I think you’ll have fun with a tumbler, Su.
Those rocks look really nice and shiny! The quartz at 24:41 was my favorite.😍🥰😇👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Love your tutorial videos Rob! My kids (mostly me) are hoping Santa brings us a tumbler for Christmas as our rock collection is ever growing and we're itching to do something with them. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
That would be a great gift for your family then. It's so much more fun to pick them up thinking about what they might become later.
I hope Santa’s paying attention. It’s great fun !!!
i got ta say i learn more about rocks from your videos than any book i have tried to learn from. The books are fine but you have a easy presentation that turns on the little light bulb in my brain. Oh and I hope you enjoyed the game....my husband Rob is still on cloud nine.
I'm glad they're working out for you. It's nice to hear that these things actually do what I plan for them to do.
I'm not a sport ball fan, so I was out putting up way too many Christmas decorations during the game. Nancy, on the other hand, is in a much better mood tonight than she would have been if the game had gone the other way.
Nice tip of the cap to Haywood Banks. Loved him on the Bob and Tom show back in the day. French toast!
My daughter and I saw Heywood live. She saw him again recently. If you ever get a chance to see him, take it!
'Yeah Toast!' is one of the best songs of all time...pure comedy/music genius!
If you ever get a chance to see Heywood in concert, do it. I don't know if I've ever laughed so hard.
Day one with this tumbler went straight to tumbling my local beach rocks hopefully these tutorials help me get good results
I hope so too!
Love the variety of rocks
Love the Heyward Banks shirt! 👍 video is interesting as well. Ty for that.
I'm surprised how many people know who Heywood is. My daughter and I saw him live in Cheboygan.
Thank you for the step by step process! Very helpful.
You're welcome! I know a lot of people who think that they can skip steps because they're tumbling beach rocks, so I thought I'd make a video about it.
Great video, your content is the best I’ve found on tumbling!
Thanks!
Love the before and afters.
Before and after sideshows are awesome!!!
Awesome awesome great knowledge your sharing,thank u
What a great run through on tumbling! My favorite was the "Yeah, Toast!" shirt! Ooh! Another food reference! Great vid Rob!
My daughter and I saw Heywood live a few years ago and bought shirts. Allison and David just saw him again a couple weeks ago. I was a little jealous.
Nice rocks love the shine on them 😊💙, thank you for sharing
Love the "Yeah Toast" t-shirt! Heywood's one of the funniest guys I've ever seen! Great video, thanks!
My daughter and I saw him live. It was a great show. I don't think I've ever laughed that much before or after.
I met Haywood Banks several times. He is an interesting nice guy. I worked at the Funnybone Comedy Club for over 10yrs.
@@kathleencunningham6242 I loved that he came out and greeted his fans after the show. We have a great picture with him.
Absolutely loved this video. 😍
My favorite in the slide show is the first one.
Seen this many times on TV, watching on phone now so I can comment and give you a 👍.
Thanks, Patricia.
The T shirt fashion show was an unexpected bonus. I thought rock tumbling was just a simple, fast process. Learn something new everyday.
Simple, yes, fast, not so much. This tumbler is way faster than most, but that's also what I don't like about it.
Hopefully this will help folks who have purchased National Geographic tumblers produce shiny rocks. Patience and thorough rinsing are of the utmost importance. Yeah Toast !!!
I figured that both tumbling beach rocks and the National Geographic tumbler are both popular, so this might be perfect for some people.
I got my rook tumbler for my birthday I love it
Ain't this convenient! I have a giant collection from Lakes Huron and Michigan, and a Nat Geo tumbler (maybe Discovery brand? I don't remember) But the directions provided didn't go how I expected the first go round. Eager to learn! Thanks a million for posting this!
I posted it just for you, Marisa!
I really enjoy your videos thank you
Thanks, Karen!
I really learn a lot from your videos!! That is good!! 🤣 Thanks sooo much for doing these videos for all of us!!! 🤗❤️🙏🏼🎄
You're welcome, Kim.
Thanks again sir...
You're welcome again.
Informative
some of those before and afters are wild. that green rock is stunning
I wish it didn't take so darn long to do the before and after shots because they are pretty amazing.
Gorgeousness!
Such incredible beauty!
Wow! So exciting to see all the steps with out having to wait. The episode image gorgeous! The before and after shots ROCK! Pun initially unintended.LOL!
I’m glad you liked it so much.
Love your videos on this tumbler as I am thinking of getting one.
It's not perfect. I'd actually consider a Lortone 3A or 33B. I have links to my two favorite lapidary stores in the description.
Loved this video. Really helpful and great tips and tricks. Thanks Rob, I appreciate your work and time into it!
Glad to help, Nicolas.
Amazing video, congratulations and thank you for sharing it with us!!
You're welcome!
Hola buenos dias Excelente las piedras colores todo le gustan
Loved the slide show. I appreciate that you took the time to line them up perfectly. So cool!
Yeah, it takes a long time to make before and after slide shows like that, but the results are pretty cool. I’m glad you appreciate them!
Much appreciation yes! Such attention to detail makes it so easy to understand exactly what you are explaining. 💜
Hi 👋🏽 Really beautiful rocks. Love it 😊
Glad you liked it, Iris.
Awesome video. Really appreciate how you go into fine fine detail. Also love the YEAH TOAST tee. Really brought me back to high school in the 90s. Rock on!!!!
My daughter and I saw Heywood live maybe five years ago. She and her husband just saw him a few months ago. He's still around and funny as ever.
I love that shirt! Yeah Toast! Cool song and awesome video Rob!
My daughter and I saw Heywood Banks live once. It was a really fun show. He's from Michigan!
These are so gorgeous! I definitely have to get a rock tumbler. I have so many pretty stones to choose from out at our camp on Lake Superior.
Lake Superior is my favorite place to get rocks for tumbling. I agree, get a tumbler!
Great job, looking forward to getting back into it, now I live near an area that has lots of nice hard rocks.
You should, it's a fun hobby.
This tutorial was incredible, loved the video and I have learnt lots from it. Recently bought a National Geographic Tumbler, so a big thank you for the tips 😊
You're welcome, I'm glad I could help out!
Interesting results. Thanks for another good vid!
I thought they turned out really well considering how fast that thing turns.
@@MichiganRocks Extremely good results on the stones that took a polish. I tried a Nat Geo (NG?) tumbler on crushed rock...I returned it. I hoped it would speed up initial smoothing and shaping but it had quality issues. I opted out of a replacement thinking I would get an elusive single barrel 6 pound machine. That's on the back burner for now..
@@markattardo Have you considered a Lortone QT66? That's a pretty nice machine.
@@MichiganRocks I was leaning towards the QT6. I want a larger barrel for larger rocks more than quantity. Finding one in stock or used locally has produced zero results. The last time I checked, my local rock shop hasn't been able to get anything for a while.
@@markattardo Try Kingsley North or the Rock Shed. They're getting them in, but just not as often as they should. I'd send one of them an email and ask them to let you know when they get one.
If you want to do bigger rocks, you should also consider the QT12. The six pound barrel isn't any taller than the three pound barrel. You can definitely fit bigger rocks in, but the 12 pound barrel gives rocks even more room to move around.
nice one
I'm about ready to start my first batch in my new Lortone. I'm going to fellow your tumbling videos. I ordered mixed rocks and some kind of red agate from Africa to try first. I got my rocks from the Rock Shed. Really appreciate your how to tumble videos!
Good luck!
Have a bunch of beach rocks and got the NatGeo tumbler, but have been waiting to do anything because wasn't sure about separating by hardness. Thanks for clarifying and now finally have the courage to start tumbling. Thank you from the south end of the lake.
You’re welcome. I was on the beach at the south end a couple days ago.
I'm super interested in getting into this hobby. I found a bunch of neat rocks at my current job site and ordered a National Geographic tumbler which will arrive tomorrow. I'm going to use your videos as a guide.
You should watch this one too: th-cam.com/video/CsTc1kXUuPo/w-d-xo.html
@@MichiganRocks I will, thank you!
I don’t know a lot about geology, but I’ve been enjoying your videos recently. Good stuff!
I don't know much about geology either, but I enjoy making things out of rocks. Tumbling is the area that I'm stronger in.
Thanks Rob I appreciate your guidance on this tumbler. I bought one for the grandchildren but we have not used it as we don't want to beat up our rocks.
I'd go ahead and use it. Throw in enough ceramics and the rocks should be ok.
Really can sit through hours of your presentation style. I guess your teaching days really honed your speaking/presenting skills for this activity. Anyhow, rock on!
Thanks, Bob!
Its amazing how beautiful rocks look after being tumbled….i picked up a few handfuls of stones that I thought were prettynwhen wet…just a normal stone or rock laying about and tumbled them and four weeks later they looked like jewels to me…..just amazing😊im from Michigan too!
That's the goal, to make the rocks look wet even when they're dry. Tumbling can bring out the color of wet rocks.
I am very impressed with the shine you've gotten out of those beach rocks! I'm glad you haven't given up on the Nat Geo Pro! It's a very good first stage tumbler :-)
I still prefer to do the first stage in my slower tumblers. Maybe I should try a few more batches in the Nat Geo though.
They came out great. I love all of the t shirt changes. I hope that you and Nancy had a nice Thanksgiving. I bet that your grandson, Joseph is getting big now.
I thought it was better to change my shirt occasionally. My wife appreciates that too.
Joseph is definitely growing and getting more smily all the time. We're going to see him again soon.
Rob, hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving. Enjoyed the video.
We had a great Thanksgiving. We didn't get together with the extended family last year, so it was a special treat to do so this year.
@@MichiganRocks much moreto be Thankful this year!
I love rocks!
Me too!
Really like the rock tumbling videos, I learn so much.
I finally have my big tumbler up and running with 5 barrels on it.
I actually started them with 220 grit because the stones were so smooth.
I have run out of 80 grit
Always learn lots from you.
I'm tumbling beautiful stones from Slopepoint new zealand
A five barrel tumbler is a fun thing to have. You'll be cranking out more polished rocks than you know what to do with.
@@MichiganRocks its the coolest tumbler.
My hubby built it for me.
I'll put a video on my little channel so you can see it, it's amazing. It's got some really cool stuff in it.
One of the barrels is 14 pound.
@@nicolagraynewzealandrockho8976 He must really love you!
@@MichiganRocks he built me one because I told him I was going to buy a brand new one 😂😂😂😂 but yes he loves me too 😊😂😂
@@nicolagraynewzealandrockho8976 Either way, you got a nice, big tumbler!
The aluminum from rock shed makes such a difference. As well as the pellets to fill voids.
Yep, good polish and ceramic media makes all the difference.
another great video! Also, love the yeah toast shirt. Haven't thought about that video in a long time--my mom found it when my younger brother (who is now 21) was in cub scouts hahaha
My daughter and I saw Heywood Banks live. What a great show.
Maravilhoso
I've thought about getting one of these just because of how fast it does the first stage. It probably wouldn't really be good for any of the rocks I have around here like quartz(fractures easy), agates(fractures easy), jasper( sometimes fractures easy), binghamite(fractures easy)... The rocks around here tend to fracture easily I guess.
yeah, I wouldn't suggest it for your fragile Minnesota rocks.
If you fill it about 90% full and run about 5 days per coarse cycle I don't see any damage caused by the speed. They obviously don't tumble in the normal way when filled that full, but you wouldn't know the difference by looking at the results. The alternatives are a thick slurry or a lot of ceramics in all stages.
Hola como estas, me gusatria por favor, si tienes tiempo me respondas si para una piedra en cabujon de dureza 5 Mohs, se puede pulir con este metodo y cual seria el tipo de ceramica o polvo o sicilio o algun otro componente para usar ... MUCHAS GRACIAS - Hello, how are you? I would like you, please, if you have time, tell me if for a cabochon stone with a hardness of 5 Mohs, it can be polished with this method and what would be the type of ceramic or powder or silicon or some other component to use .. . THANK YOU SO MUCH
The subtle banded quartz one is totally worthy of being set as a ring or wire-wrapped pendant. Some tumbled into natural cabochons
I do like when white quartz has some very subtle banding in it.
Thank you for the quality content! I have to get some aluminum oxide polish. I started with the nat geo since it was convenient, but it doesn't get anywhere close to the shine with the included grits.
If you have a list of materials to share that'd be super helpful!
I use grit from the Rock Shed and Kingsley North. I buy most of my coarse grit from Kingsley North and all the other grits from the Rock Shed. I'm in the process of testing the finer grits from Kingsley and so far, they seem good too. There are links to both places in the description. The Rock Shed's grits are in my Amazon storefront too, but sometimes they're out of stock there.
3:36 ❤
Just got this tumbler and my 8 year old is on day 3 of his first batch. We will follow your advice and see how they come out. Our rocks are from the beach in Ventura, CA.
Good luck. Make sure you have some decent polish. The stuff that comes with this tumbler will not make your rocks shine.
@@MichiganRocks yes! We took your recommendation of aluminum polish and have some on the way. Already switched stage 1 grit after 3 days. My mom has been wanting to get into tumbling and told us about your channel, she’s watched every video 😊 Now my son and I are obsessed with hunting rocks on the beach and after the recent rain storms out here the beaches are covered in rocks.
@@peteraphotography That's great, it sounds like you guys are having lots of fun with this.
I just bought that tumbler. Your rocks are beautiful. Thank you for explaining every step. If I wanted to make jewelry can I drill a hole in my finished rocks?
Sure. Here's an older video, but I think I explained how I drill holes in it. th-cam.com/video/Ind9PXxJQSY/w-d-xo.html
My second time reviewing this, wasn’t taking notes the first time. Good thing, I’ve been using two Tablespoons at each load, will bump that to three. I’ve not paid attention but don’t think my rocks have dried between stages. I will be more vigilant. Most importantly, I’ve used too little ceramics. That will be corrected as well. Great job, you are turning out keepers with every cycle! Thanks for your efforts.
You don't have to worry too much about letting the rocks dry between stages as long as you keep moving. You just don't want to let them set there too long so the cracks dry out. I'm glad you're learning stuff from these videos. I love seeing people have success so that they can get as much enjoyment out of this as I have.
@@MichiganRocks , very much so. My wife is my full on rock-picking partner, skips the whole tumbling part, but LOVES the results. Thanks from the both of us!
@@berjo77 You're welcome!
Nice insight on this tumbler especially in regards to high speeds and time reduction. I'm wondering if I could jury rig it with a potentiometer to slow the motor. Maybe 3d print a gear adapter that would reduce speed.
Take a look at the pinned comment on this video: th-cam.com/video/MjBtZ4-JheA/w-d-xo.html
There's a link there to another video where someone slowed it down electronically. I could have linked directly to his video, but I thought you might like to see what's going on inside the tumbler first. I have also gotten comments from people who have just printed larger pulleys, although there's not a lot of room for a bigger pulley.
I absolutely love your videos, I wanted to tumble rocks since childhood and finally at 62 my wife bought me this exact tumbler so I am thankful for your channel, what is your thought on plastic media for tumbling later for the polish I do not see you using that.
You can get a good polish using plastic media, but I kind of hate the stuff. You have to have dedicated plastic pellets for each stage which means that you have too remove the rocks from the plastic at each stage. That's a real pain. You would think that the fact that plastic floats and rocks do not would make it easier to separate them, but it really doesn't help much. I also find it more difficult to get a good shine using plastic than ceramics, although other people swear by plastic.
Here's a video showing a batch done in plastic if that's what you already have:
th-cam.com/video/EnNvywwztr8/w-d-xo.html
@@MichiganRocks thank you very much
Hello. Love your videos and I learn so much. I have this same tumbler with the three speeds. As you tumble, do you keep on the first speed for every stage? I did watch your video on the Nat Geo instructions and I learned quite a bit from that also. Thank you for your help.
Yes, I only use the slowest speed.
Great video! The rocks turned out great. Just got my first tumbler and even with a four step grit/polish they were still dull looking but I think it was the amout of grit because they don't give you very much with those machines and also no ceramic beads. It came with about six acorn size rocks that were mostly tumbled already and a handful of gravel and that was supposed to be one tumbler full I added both bags and still didn't even get to the half way point so I added a few of my own. The tumbler also only tumbled on one speed that was alarmingly fast and loud so I'm going to have to figure out how to get better results with it any suggestions? It did seem to tumble the edges off of the rough fairly quickly and nice but also broke some.
I had very similar results when I followed the directions. I have a lot of suggestions for this machine in these two videos. You might find something in them that helps you out.
National Geographic Tumbler Review: th-cam.com/video/G71XbZTlQwM/w-d-xo.html
How to use a Nat Geo Tumbler: th-cam.com/video/CsTc1kXUuPo/w-d-xo.html
My son and I have just started into tumbling rocks and our first batch is about a week or so from being finished. Where do you purchase your grits and polish’s from? Love the videos and they are full of great info. Keep them coming.
I buy most of my grits from The Rock Shed. I buy more coarse grit than anything else and I get that at Kingsley North because they have the cheapest bulk price. I haven't tried Kingsley North's polish yet though. There are links to both places in the description of this video and the Rock Shed's products are also in my Amazon storefront.
@@MichiganRocks thank you I will def check that out.
Another very enjoyable video Rob! I am a bit partial to the all white Quartz as here on the southern California beaches it is somewhat plentiful and takes a great shine. They make a great contrast in with my other darker rocks! I'm almost persuaded to get a "faster" tumbler for just stage-one! The three-pound Lortone tumblers I have are at 40-rpm (your thoughts)?
I much prefer the slow approach. I think this tumbler beats up the rocks a bit. If you get one, I'd use it only for the first stage and then finish your rocks up in your slower Lortone tumblers.
Cool video Rob, thank you for sharing. Do you know if anyone has tried sand blasting media?
I'm not sure what all the different materials used for sand blasting, but one is aluminum oxide. That's a great grit for tumbling. It's better to start with silicon carbide to do the grinding, but then you want to switch to aluminum oxide. Even very coarse stuff is used sometimes.
I like your videos so I subscribed. I am an avid prospector, and am starting to get into rocks as well now.
I just ordered a 3lb Thumblers Tumbler (AR-1) as a starter, and it should be in this coming week.
Question: I see people say you should open the container every so often because of gasses that build up?
Not so sure I believe that, but wanted to ask someone who knows more than I do, and has some experience. You can't always believe everything out there.
Thanks in advance.
I have had tumblers running for about ten years, pretty much nonstop. My big homemade tumbler holds two twelve pound barrels and eight three pound barrels. In all that tumbling, I have only had gas build up a handful of times. They were all from either glass or obsidian. I'm sure there are other materials that cause a gas build up, but I haven't run across them. Someone just told me that the Harbor freight tumblers actually have this advice right in the directions. They say to open the barrel every day. That's just silly. When you open the barrel, it's important that you clean the rim really well so it doesn't leak, especially on your tumbler. Those barrels tend to leak even if you do everything right. I have one.
If you're tumbling glass or obsidian, just keep an eye on the bottom of the barrel. If it starts bulging a lot, let the pressure off. Otherwise, I'd suggest not opening it.
We bought the Nat Geo tumbler for my son before we saw these videos. We have got pretty good results, but I think we also see the effects of the high speed. I just 3D printed a new larger wheel and got the speed down to about 39RPM. If you are interested, I could send you one to test out. I haven't ran it with any rocks yet, but should work just fine. It's big enough and there is enough run out in the axel that it can bump up against the case a bit, but don't think that will cause too much of a problem other than a loss of paint. Let me know if you want to try one out.
Thanks for the offer, Jeff. I have enough tumbler capacity in my giant homemade tumbler that I really don’t need to use the National Geographic tumbler. I bought it just to make a few videos since so many people buy them. I’m not sure if there would be much interest in a video on altering it unless people could get parts to do the modification themselves. Since most people don’t have 3D printers, they couldn’t easily get their on pulley. You’re not planning to sell them, are you?
Am looking for you on Facebook and trying to subscribe. Am needing the links for tumbling media. We can not get the corn husk or graphites in our area. Think this is crazy because we live in a geologically significant area.
My husband and I are learning so much from your videos. Thank you for teaching us more than we knew.
I don't have a public Facebook page, but there are links to my two favorite lapidary shops in the descriptions of all of my videos. Kingsley North and the Rock Shed are the places I buy almost everything.
Great video just wondering if u have a start 2 Finnish video on how to use a vibrator tumbler for a beginner thxs
Here you go: th-cam.com/video/ksrmpPZrAuU/w-d-xo.html
@@MichiganRocks thxs 4 the reply and the link 2 your video
@@MichiganRocks what rotary tumbler would u recommend for the beginner that won't break the bank? Thxs
I like Lortone tumblers. They're hard to find right now, but Kingsley North and the Rock Shed get them in, just not as often as they would like, I have links for both places in the description. I really like the 33B as a first tumbler.
What vibrating tumbler do you recommend I can’t find that info in the videos I’ve watched. You are an inspiration and do gorgeous work!
The only one I have ever used is my Lot-O. I really like it. Both Kingsley North and the Rock Shed carry them, although they’re in short supply lately. Send a note to one of them and ask them to hold one for you. Links to those two stores are in the description of this video.
@@MichiganRocks Just bought a dual Lortone tumbler and the grits and ceramics you recommend, all from the two shops you recommend. Thanks for inspiring me!!
@@AnneMRast I hope you get some really good results. let me know if you have questions.
@@MichiganRocks awesome! Will do and hopefully will send good pics 🤞
Thank you for the video. Do you think ceramic pie weights that are small and round would work as ceramic media?
I wasn't sure what pie weights looked like, so I just googled them. I'm not sure if they would work as well or not. The ones made for tumbling are cylindrical with the ends cut at an angle. That makes them better at getting into smaller areas, which is probably important. The pie weights seem a little bit large too. Plus, I think ceramics designed for tumbling are cheaper anyway.
Thank you for the information. It's really helpful!
I’m new to tumbling. What do you mean the other speeds are too fast? I figured that the faster it would be better. Could you explain please?
A fast tumbler throws the rocks around too much and can chip or break them. Here's a video I did about the speed of this tumbler: th-cam.com/video/MjBtZ4-JheA/w-d-xo.html
Hi love your channel. I have a question. I went to louisiana and rock hunted with the gravel bar hopper. Got lots of crowley agates. What do you think about tumbling them. They are pretty wavey and full of different crevices. I also want to cut them. Any ideas or have you dealt with agates like that. Ty
I can't really help you with that because I have never tumbled that sort of agate. How about throwing a couple in with another batch to see how they turn out?
@@MichiganRocks ty I might do that
I saw a recommendation on a Chinese site to use agate chips as cushion in place of ceramics, do you think that would work well?
It would work great as long as the agate chips are completely smooth and don't have holes in them. Holes would trap grit and rough rock could scratch up your other rocks. But if you tumbled the chips completely first, they would work great.
Hey bud I'm new to tumbling I have a tumbler that goes goes in both directions and I was wondering if it is worth the trouble to use the setting that makes it switch directions every few minutes. O and I dot have any tumbling medium atm so I tore up strips of a 100 grit sandpaper that's made for sheetrock so it's like a fabric screen with grit on it just going to see if it works as an experiment need to buy proper medium love your channel so glad I stubbled across it 👌 any help and advice would be greatly appreciated 👍
That's the first time I've ever heard of a tumbler that changes directions. What kind is it?
I'd just leave it going one way. I can't imaging changing directions would matter and it's more likely to make something break than if it was just going one way.
I'd love to hear how your experiment goes. I can't see that working, but who knows?
It is a kd6808 mini tumbler
@@jonathannorthup5705 I just looked that up. I don't think that's designed to tumble rocks. I can't imagine that barrel holding up very long with rocks in it.
Dang ..... I'm sure glad I bought a vibratory tumbler! It seems that a rotary tumbler takes excess amounts of grit and time, which equates to $$$$. I can do a whole batch of rocks on my Thumler's Ultra-Vibe 18 in seven to ten days (Only three grit stages), and I never have to keep adding grit ..... Only water.
Stage 1: Four days with 120/220 grit.
Stage 2: Four days with 500 grit pre-polish.
Stage 3: Two to three days with Micro-Alumina polish.
BTW, fantastic video!
I have a Lot-O vibratory tumbler that I use to finish most of my rocks. I do like to do the first stage in a rotary though because you can't make the rocks super smooth and remove the holes with a vibratory tumbler. If you like the rocks more naturally shaped, then a vibe is the perfect tool. You're right about using way less grit too. For my 500 and polish stages, I only use 1/2 teaspoon.
yeah, toast!
Have you ever seen Heywood in concert? My daughter and I went and had a ball. It's about 2/3 jokes and 1/3 funny songs.
I've read adding a little mineral oil to the final tumble will shine them up really nice. Would I use borax in the tumble before mineral oil,or by using borax would not need mineral oil?
If you tumble your rocks well, mineral oil is not necessary. If you have to coat your rocks with anything, then you haven’t really been successful in tumbling. Borax is just one way of cleaning your rocks between stages. Shaved Ivory soap works, and so does a squirt of dish detergent.
Thank you for your prompt response. All the rocks I'm using come from the ocean on the New Hampshire coast.As with yours they are nicely smooth and rounded,but I'd ideally like for them to shine.Its my first time tumbling and I will keep you posted on my progress. Your videos are entertaining and informational,I'm enjoying them very much and am learning more with each view.Im hoping these will polish up very nice.
@@billpierce3734 With a little patience they will. There are some rocks that are too soft to take a shine, but most beach rocks that I try to tumble turn out great. I find a lot of satisfaction in getting rocks so smooth that they look wet, even without putting something like mineral oil on them.
By the way, I don't tumble my own Lake Superior agate finds and I have soaked some of them in mineral oil. So it's not like I have never used mineral oil. I just don't think there's a place for it in tumbling.
My husband got me the Dan & Darci tumbler on Amazon which I think is probably very similar to this one. I also picked up the Harbor Freight double tumbler this past week. Do you think I should use the single fast tumbler to do the first stage on rocks, since it is so fast, and then use the double Harbor Freight tumbler for the other stages? Also, do you have any advice on tumbling Septarian/Lighting Stones? We picked up a bunch in South Haven and I need to tumble them but wasn't sure if they need a different method than typical Michigan beach rocks.
I would use those two tumblers exactly as you suggested. Keep the slower one for the later stages.
I have not tumbled lightning stones yet, although I do have a few that I plan to tumble. I have heard that they're very soft and that they shouldn't be tumbled with other types of rocks. One person told me that they tumbled them, but then hand to shine them up after. I'm not sure if he used a buffing wheel or hand sanded them. Maybe I'll do a video on them one of these days.
@@MichiganRocks I threw one in with the second stage of grit with other beach rocks and it does seem like it ground down quite a bit. It has about 5 days left of the polish so I'll see how it turns out with that. It seemed very nice and smooth after the prepolish.
I'm brand new to rock tumbling and have a quick question. I bought a 1 lb tumbler. If you're using 3-4 tbsp in a 3 lb tumbler, does that mean I should use 1-1.5 tbsp?
BTW, thank you for putting links to the places you purchase your supplies, very helpful!!
I'd probably use two tablespoons. I have a National Geographic tumbler that has two pound barrels. I compared the volume to my Lortone three pound barrels and it's almost exactly the same.
can you, and have you ever tumbled opel? and when you buy new ceramics do you put them in the tumbler with or without water?
I have never tumbled opal. When I buy new ceramics, they usually go in my Lot-O tumbler for a day or two with some 220 grit, just to take off any sharp edges. I'd run them a little longer in a rotary tumbler since they work slower, 4-5 days should do it. I use the normal amount of water, just a half inch to an inch below the top of the rocks.
@@MichiganRocks ok thanks
Can aquarium ceramics be used? what is the grain size of your ceramics?
I don't know what aquarium ceramics are, so I don't know. The large size starts out 3/8" x 5/8" and gets smaller every time you use it. I mix that with small ceramics measuring 5/32" x 5/16".
Can u tell me where and what to buy please. I was given this tumbler for a gift. Thank you for the cool video
I have links to the Rock Shed and Kingsley North in the descriptions of all my videos. Those are my two favorite places to shop for tumblers and tumbling grit. I'd buy the following grits:
Step 1: Either 80, 60/90, 46/70 or 35/70 silicon carbide
Step 2: Either 220 or 120/220 silicon carbide
Step 3: 500 aluminum oxide
Step 4: Aluminum oxide polish from the Rock Shed or Micro Alumina from Kingsley North.
If you want to upgrade your tumbler, I'd buy something from Lortone. My first was a 33B and my second was a QT66. Both are good machines.
Thank you. I have just gotten into this hobby. It's fun. We get alot of agates from the Oregon coast. So this will make them even prettier.
Do you use GemFoam in the tumbler?I have a national geographic tumbler it comes with GemFoam not sure if I should use it or not
I used it in my review of this tumbler and I didn’t notice any effect at all. I don’t use it anymore.
Question in your previous videos you tumbled rocks for a week or this one for 3 days or so which do you like better.
This tumbler is really fast, so the rocks don't take as long. That's the good news. The bad news is that the rocks get banged up more and are more likely to get cracked or scuffed up. I much prefer tumbling slower for longer times.
My motor burned out on my 3 lb nat geo tumbler so I installed a heavy duty RC car motor and a DC speed controller so I can slow it down or speed it up as much as I want and the new motor is way more heavy duty.
Great idea!
I have the hobby edition and it only has one speed and it seems fast. I just finished step 2 in 3 days. Do you think there is a disadvantage to the speed tumbling
Yes, I think it beats up the rocks. I prefer a slower tumble where the rocks are hitting each other, but rather rolling over each other. I did a video just about the speed of this machine that you might enjoy. th-cam.com/video/MjBtZ4-JheA/w-d-xo.html