Rock Tumbling- What You Need to Get Started
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Interested in rock tumbling, but not sure what to buy? I can help with that! I'll help you decide on a tumbler, plus tell you all the accessories and supplies that you should have to go along with it.
Here's a list of products mentioned in this video. Many of these are affiliate links, so I will make a small commission if you use the link. Don't worry, it won't cost you any more.
The line of tumblers like the one in the video:
hplapidary.com...
Some places to buy rocks:
The Rock Shed: www.rockshed.c...
Highland Park Lapidary: hplapidary.com...
Kingsley North: fas.st/t/mzabicMb
Gold classifier to hold colander on bucket:
amzn.to/4eE4GoE
Grit and Ceramic Media:
The Rock Shed: www.rockshed.c...
Kingsley North: fas.st/t/2K1wE8KJ
Highland Park: hplapidary.com...
- MERCH -
Buy Michigan Rocks shirts and other merchandise here.
michigan-rocks...
- HIGHLAND PARK LAPIDARY -
Highland Park makes some high quality tools at reasonable prices. I have two of their tumblers. They're the most rugged tumblers I have seen. They also make a wide range of other lapidary tools, including saws, sphere machines, cabbers, etc. They also have the best price on grit that I have found.
I make a commission if you buy something through this link. I doesn't cost you extra.
hplapidary.com...
- 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 of rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission.
fas.st/t/u7uaxb5V
This is the cabbing machine I use:
fas.st/t/vCjRymKC
- THE ROCK SHED -
I buy a lot of lapidary supplies and rough rock 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
- AMAZON STOREFRONT -
I also have an Amazon storefront. This is where you can find other products you may have seen in my videos. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't cost you extra.
www.amazon.com/...
- SUBSCRIBE -
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!
www.youtube.com...
- FACEBOOK -
/ michiganrocksrob
Best thumbnail photo on this one! Haha.
Only improvement would be if he was juggling everything !
Another terrifically helpful Video.
I'm testing three different thumbnails, but I'm pretty sure I know which one you saw.
One I saw is the one where you are "wearing" everything in the Video. @@MichiganRocks
@@MichiganRocks I got the thumbnail where you have the strainer on your head, scoop measures in your mouth and both arms fullll of stuff. Which is also an accurate representation of how I looked after going shopping for supplies 😅
@@laurafonseca2090 That's the one I figured you saw.
I retired last spring and watched your videos and now I'm a rock hound. My wife and I love walking the Lake Superior shoreline to find rocks. Thank you for the videos, I've learned a lot from you.
You're welcome, glad to help.
I started tumbling rocks in the 1970s. My first two tumblers were homemade. They were made using a ceramic churn with course interiors, ground ceramic and water. They were turned using an old sander belt. They did a decent job. I got my first commercial tumbler from the Sears and Roebuck Christmas catalog. It was well built but very loud.
Thanks for the video.
You're welcome, David. Compared to a lot of people, I'm actually pretty new at this. I started in about 2011.
Loretone was the point of comparison before they closed shop, but I think the Highland Park rotary tumblers are now the gold standard. The barrels are of excellent quality and the direct drive, at least for the last 6 months, has been incredibly reliable. Having an on/off switch and variable speed control are very useful additions!
I agree completely.
Ameritool bought Lortone. Wonder if they'll be the same quality, but agree Highland Park sounds better now.
This channel is a highlight on TH-cam. Loved the character in the thumbnail. The entire rockhounding community on TH-cam is fantastic. Rob, Theo, Rookie Rockhound, make my day.
Would love to go agate hunting for agates with Rookie in those Australian creeks? I don't know if he realizes how good he has it. They are beautiful and HUGE.
Jesse, Theo, and all the other TH-cam rockhounds are really great people as far as I can tell. I have met a few of them. I wish I would have been able to meet Jesse when he was in Montana, but school was just starting then so it was a bad time for me to be gone.
Thanks to you and a couple other channels, I'm obsessed with rocks! I just started tumbling in April and have had so much fun with it. Not looking to sell them or get extreme quality. Just something fun to do and collect. I watched so many of your videos before I even bought one, and am so glad I did. Still learning, and I'm hooked on agates. They're like a box of chocolates. You never know what you'll get. LOL Thanks for teaching me so much!
You're welcome. Although you say you're not into extreme quality, there's no reason you can't have it. I'd recommend that at least once you go for perfection. I think you'll appreciate the difference.
I can echo word for word what you are saying. Learned so much from Rob and others. I would not have any shiny rocks to this day if it wasn't for Rob. Those instructions that come with the tumblers are terrible.😂
@@MichiganRocks I've gotten some pretty good results. When I say that, I just mean I'm not looking to roll in stage 1 for months. I don't have the patience for that. Shiny and pretty is easy to get. Perfect takes too long, lol.
@@wolfvale7863 Oh my, totally agree on the instructions. No wonder so many people get frustrated with it and give up. I read the instructions, shook my head, and tossed them aside, lol.
I was really disappointed with the instructions that came with the tumbler.
I found your video about learning how to tumble rocks. What a difference!! Much better information and a much better result!
Tumbler instructions are usually pretty bad. I'm happy to fill in the gaps.
My 5 year old son and I just finished our first batch of rocks and your content helped a lot. We appreciate your videos so much! My son just told this morning that if that if Santa brings him coal he won’t be mad cause we can just tumble it! It made me laugh out loud. Also it made me think what a polished coal would look like. Thanks again have a great day!
I read about someone polishing coal. I have to give that a try some day.
Thank you for the very thorough and thoughtful videos. They are an awesome help. You’ve done the hard experimental work. Save me lots of time.
You're welcome.
Great video, it’s easy to tell you are a teacher at heart, Happy Holiday Weekend!!!
Thanks.
Another great "how to" video. You have helped so many people, including me. Thank you...
I'm sure this one wasn't too helpful for you, Dan, but hopefully some newbies will find it useful.
@@MichiganRocks I learn something from every video you post. Keep up the great work. Thank you...
Oh yeah, hope you have a good holiday weekend.
Great video, Rob. I spoke at my local lapidary club this month about rock tumbling. I just shared this video with the group. Thanks for the excellent content.
Thanks Justine. I have gotten a lot of requests to make this video and finally got around to doing it. A lot of my regulars will not need it, but for new people who are always coming into the hobby, I hope it will be useful.
Super helpful video, Rob. I foresee this being shared WIDELY in response to questions from beginners about what they need. Good timing for posting it too with the holidays around the corner too :)
As someone who really appreciated your videos when I was getting started tumbling, it’s great to see you doing more of these educational videos. The work that goes into making these is very much seen and appreciated.
I did consider the timing when I made it. I have gotten several requests for this video over the years, so I know there's some demand for it. Thanks for giving it your seal of approval! You know I respect the opinion of another juggler.
Good job Rob, as usual, You cover some great finer points for beginners, and also have many other videos that can be very helpful for new rock hound/tumblers.
Thanks. Hopefully the people new to tumbling find it.
I recently placed an order for the Highland Park dual 3lb barrel tumbler. I feel very confident seeing it on this video after the review video! Can't wait for it to be back in stock.
I think you'll be impressed.
Love ur informative videos(as well as other ones)❤
I bet u were best teacher ever👍💕
Thanks.
Rob, you may remember me from a few months ago when I questioned you a bit on the glass grinding/cutting machine.
I went to your site on Amazon, and I hit the onscreen thing to get to the site, and I purchased it.
Fast forward to now, and I have now recovered enough from a hip fracture enough to get to my basement to actually use it!
Tomorrow, after having using the cab machine already, I am going to finish off a nice howlite stone, then doing a wire wrap, and on Sunday, I am presenting it to my pastor's wife, along with a nice silver chain.
All of this stemming from first watching you on TH-cam, about 9 months ago.
Yeah, I happen to be one of the many Michigan Rocks/Rob junkies out here!
Tim
That's awesome, Tim! I hope she loves it.
Thank you for this series, I’m considering getting back into rock hounding and they’ve been incredibly informative 🎉
You're welcome!
Thank you! I will wait, until they are back in stock again. 😊
Nice to meet you Rob and Nancy
I had my first casualty. I had a Lake Superior rock, it was brown and looked like it had little steps. It was in the tumbler for three days and when I went to check on it, it was gone; 100%. I guess it was a soft one. I have another rock and I think it was a brick because I get dust if I use sand paper on it. I just posted a video of my last set of rocks that I finished. They are not real shinny so maybe I will have to put them back in the polish a little longer. Thanks for your help.
Take a look at this video. You might find something in there that helps. th-cam.com/video/RuPtptr7_V4/w-d-xo.html
Been watching your channel for years and I dont tumble rocks lol. This is going to be the year lol
Now you have all the information you need, so no more excuses!
@MichiganRocks absolutely. Between you theo Kellison and Taylor (Agate Dad) my 3 favorite rock channels I should be a pro lol. Thanks for the wisdom I'll try bot to screw it up to bad.
Thank you for another great informative video. I started out (as a young guy) with prospecting for gold. I lived in central California and not to far from the Merced river. I now (as a old guy) I have hobbies that require little walking. Whittling, rock polishing, making walking sticks! I Knew my old back wasn't going to last so I gathered as much of everything as I could and now am enjoying the fruits of my labor.
That's kind of what I do seasonally. I gather rocks in the summer and spend the winter in the basement with them. M
My father in law also carves and makes walking sticks. No rocks in his basement though. He makes some cool walking sticks. He has made a couple that look like a rope. After the second one, he said never again though.
New to tumbling, but my late grandfather loved rocks and collecting whatever caught his eye when fishing the rivers in Scotland. I’ve inherited some of his collection but it’s also become something of a thing for me now, I pick up whatever catches my eye and take it home….
Great video, very new to this so very informative! What I am finding is there’s not much here in the UK as far as choice of tumblers, grits, suppliers even, definitely not as much as the US.
I’d love a variable speed tumbler so I suspect it may be a case of importing.
All that said, loving the process and learning lots….even my grandson is getting into collecting “dinosaur teeth”!!!
I don't know what's available there, but check out this channel. Steve is from the UK and might be able to help you with where to get supplies. www.youtube.com/@thestonecraftingworkshop7490
13:03 "So I've replaced him with the lid from another bucket!" 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Er, I mean, great tutorial, Rob, as always!! TUMBLE ON!! 😁👍🏻🪨💦
The lid doesn't eat as much or leave messes all over the house either.
@@MichiganRocks😂 Winner, winner, rock tumbling dinner!! Wait, that doesn't make sense... 🤔😁
Perfect timing, I just started on my first ever batch this morning. I bought a cheap tumbler to start with and that set me back two weeks as it didn't work out of the box, the replacement is acting up also. I'm not making that mistake again at least 👍
Check out the Highland Park tumblers. They're really nice. hplapidary.com/collections/rotary-tumblers?ref=ROBERTABRAM (this is an affiliate link)
Wow.. I love this video. Thank you sir 🙏 I really want to know which rocks don't tumble well.. surprised petosky rock doesn't tumble well..
Petoskey stones are very soft. Soft rocks are hard to tumble. Harder rocks tend to tumble much easier. Another one to avoid is obsidian. It can be tumbled, but it's easier to do in a vibratory tumbler and even then it takes a different method.
I dug out my mother's Rolling Stones tumbler. It's nearly as old as me now and, while the barrel's tend to leak a bit, it still works just fine. I guess the real test will be when I get a batch to the polishing phase!
Sounds like fun!
Hi, Rob! Would you be willing to consider doing a tutorial on rotary tumbler maintenance? I’ve been running mine for a year, and don’t want to kill them! I’ve learned so much from you. Thank you!
I have been asked that several times, but I'm not sure if I want to do a video. There are a lot of different rotary tumblers and I'm not sure if there are any differences in maintenance that I might not know about. For the ones I have, there's not much to it. The most important thing is to oil the ends of both shafts every week or two. Just put a drop of three in one oil on them.
The only other thing I have run into is that one of my tumblers actually wore through the little plastic bushings. Then the metal frame wore into the shafts making a groove around them. This was on a Lortone tumbler, so it was nice that I was able buy spare parts. I put two new shafts on and replaced the plastic bushings. So just keep an eye on those to make sure they're not wearing through.
Great video Rob, You always explain things perfectly making it very easy to understand. Happy holidays.
Thanks!
Very great points that I wished I had known from the start of my rock tumbling..I would have gotten a dual tumbler for sure...and as for an extra barrel for me I see no real need because generally after each stage I tend to do a "burnishing" which cleans the rocks and the barrel itself so no grit gets through the stages usually..picking rocks was a mistake for me online as generally most rocks have hidden fractures etc so by the time you tumble them to a smooth shape they end up as basically the size of peas or marbles
Buying online is always a bit risky, even when buying from reliable sellers. There's always going to be a variety of material available, and it's not all going to be equally easy to tumble. I don't let that stop me from trying some new stuff though.
@@MichiganRocks for me I generally try to buy stuff online now only if it is for display not tumbling..Amazon does have nice stuff for tumbling but it generally turns out like pebbles because of the fractures..I do not buy from many other places because shipping to here in Asia costs as much as the rocks themselves lol
When I first started rock tumbling I was very intrigued to build a bigger rock tumbler and after a couple weeks of planning and purchasing I built one for about $110 and it can hold about 4 3lb barrels
It's probably only a matter of time until you want more!
That's awesome. After I wore out 2 cheaper tumblers, my husband built me a table top tumbler that holds 10- 3 pound barrels & has a 2 speed motor & fan to cool it. He did the math for the pulleys & what they do to the motor speeds. I love it & I'm sure you love yours!
As always you truly provide the best information. Thank you.
You're welcome, Mike.
Great video!! This should be helpful to lots of folks.
Hopefully. I have gotten a few requests for this video.
@ Your videos have helped me, for sure.
I like that new tumbler it looks pretty good I like the direct drive.
Did you see my review of it last week?
@@MichiganRocks 👍 yes
Love your videos and you are an excellent teacher! I wish I could get into tumbling. I don’t like leaving things on when I leave the house and I live in a townhouse and I also don’t want to annoy my neighbors with any noise they would hear from it. Anyway would you ever consider making a video on hand polishing rocks? Personally I like the natural look of a rock so I really just want a little polish on them to brighten them up and I don’t want to spray that clear acrylic on them. Thanks for your teaching! And humor!
The only rocks I have ever hand polished are Petoskey stones since they're really soft. Harder rocks would take forever to do by hand. Here are two videos on hand polishing a Petoskey. The first one was the first video I really put effort into on this channel. The second one is a Short that I did much more recently.
How to Hand Polish a Petoskey Stone: th-cam.com/video/sjImNrwR9As/w-d-xo.html
How to Hand Polish SHORT: th-cam.com/users/shorts8HAzlmtV_I8
@ thanks so much!
Another excellent video. I have learned so much from watching your channel. When my HF single 3 lb broke the pulley, I avoided the National Geographic Tumbler based on your videos. I did get a HF dual 3 lb (trying to save money). Ended up ordering a HPL dual 6, with a extra 12 lb barrel. Wish I could have used your link, but got during their Black Friday sale. Looking to continue learning from you.
I'm glad you're finding the videos helpful. I'll keep making more!
Excellent, Excellent advice everyone !!!
Thanks, Dave!
@ Just wondering Rob, we’re the instructions to the Highland Park tumbler any better than the typical tumbler instructions ? I’m thinking due to the fact that you can slow it down it might be a good tumbler to do the final polishing stage for the more delicate rocks. Especially for those that don’t have a vibratory tumbler. Occasionally I have a rock that comes out with a battered look and it always occurs in the final polish stage.
@@davidhile5363 There were no instructions at all included with the tumbler. So I guess that's an improvement over the other ones I've seen. I do know that Kate of Katydid Rocks is editing some instructions now, though.
mmmm, polished they look like candy, so so beautiful to look at🤩😍
Really enjoy all your videos!
Thanks!
Thanks for the video. You always do a nice job on the videos and you are a great teacher. I did not buy a two barrel and now I regret it. I do have a small vibratory and that helps. I wish I was more patent. I still do not know my rock identification. Is there a web site for Lake Superior rocks?????? When I am on the shore the rocks all look the same but once I polish them each rock tells its own story. Thanks for all of your help.
I'm not sure if anyone know all the rocks that you can find on the shores of Lake Superior. I sure can't even come close. The best I can do to help you is direct you toward this video, which you've probably already seen: th-cam.com/video/lWTgUbdccJE/w-d-xo.html
Dude did you make this cause i commented the other day about buying one for my GF and your responded with suggestions? Thanks man! This is exactly perfect. I need this!
Partially. You're not the first to request this video and I thought it was about time I made it. I'm glad it helped.
Excellent video! Great information 😊
I loved this video. Knowledgeable and helpful. I appreciate it!
I'm glad you found it useful.
Nice review of tumbling supplies. Thanks!
You're welcome!
Great video for beginners! A friend of mine is a huge lover of collecting rocks, & I referred him to your channel. Think he benefit greatly from your info. Btw, love that thumb nail you created. Kind of got the feeling Nancy conjured the idea for it? Hello to Nancy & Sam. God bless.
The thumbnail was my idea. Nancy had the idea of me standing next to a list of items fading out near the bottom, leaving you to wonder what else was on it. I can now test up to three thumbnails, so I tried two versions of mine and also Nancy's. Mine did a little better, so I switched to that. My son in law snapped the picture for me, since my hands were full.
You're so helpful! Glad I found your page
I'm glad too. Welcome!
Hey Rob, this was a great how-to video.
I've been tumbling for about two years now. I've gone through two motors and three belts. I have the Leegol brand, which is cheaper from Amazon. They work pretty well, but it's hit and miss on the quality. I do like the idea of having a direct drive motor unit like the one on your bench....but I'm cheap😂.
I have also experimented with different brand grits from Amazon and have found some to be inaccurate on the grit rating as you had mentioned the AO 1200 is not a polish. I bought optical grade cerium oxide 2.5 microns and do a stage #5 tumble with excellent results! Have you ever tried the cerium oxide? As a stage #5 additional step?
Also, I can't wait for your stage #1 experiment!
Cheers from 🇨🇦👍🏻
That Leegol tumbler looks to be exactly the same as the Harbor Freight tumblers and with all the same problems. I can be cheap sometimes too, but it often doesn't pay to be cheap, it is just frustrating and then you end up buying the better product anyhow. I'm not sure if that's the case for tumblers, but it might be.
I have never tried tumbling with cerium oxide, although I know that used to be the standard polish used. It's just so expensive now and aluminum oxide works great.
Thank you for the video! As someone who wants to start getting into rock tumbling, this video is very helpful.
Do you know if you can rock tumble using just the polish stages? I would prefer my rocks to have a more natural shape but just be polished. Since I'm new to the hobby, I just thought I'd ask someone who is very knowledgeable.
It's funny you should ask that because I am working on a short video showing a couple rocks that I just put through the polish stage. I don't think you'd be happy with the results. What you might want to consider is a vibratory tumbler. They keep the original shape really well, and just polish the rocks. They're not good for shaping the rocks. Here's a video showing the difference between rotary and vibratory tumblers: th-cam.com/video/5V33xUTkmRM/w-d-xo.html
Rob, thank Michigan for once again beating Ohio State!! Note that HPL currently does not have much tumbling size rough offered on their site. I believe they are working on what they wish to offer. They do provide some of the best lapidary grade rough and are the best in the market when it comes to packing their rock for shipping (actually everything they ship). Their motto is "Life's too short to cut ugly rocks!" Hopefully, they eventually provide more tumbling sized rough and can say "Life's too short to tumble ugly rocks!!"
I noticed the same thing. Someone told me that they have more variety in their live sales, but I don't know if that variety includes tumbling size rocks.
@@MichiganRocks I told you about the live sales offering more than is listed on their site. Currently, they are selling Mozambique rough as cabbing and "tumbling" material on their site. They have been offering Alamajo and Stick Agate with tumbling machines during live sales (Black Friday deals). they have offered some Obsidian (regular and snowflake) in tumbling size as well as some higher quality Amethyst (nothing I would consider beginner friendly). However, they don't currently carry the type of rough that Rock Shed, Kingsley North, or The Gem Shop offer for tumbling. I think you might mention (to John or Sherman) that they should build an inventory of tumbling rough to go along with their tumblers.
Note that they gave a shout out to your channel regarding your review of their tumblers at their Saturday Night Live sale on everything machines.
@@michaelc6817 I'll mention that to them next time we talk. You make a good point that they should sell the proper food for their hungry little machines.
Hi Rob! Thanks for the video
What is the best speed for the tumble? If a less expensive one is found that would be a good thing to know.
THANKS! Hope your thanksgiving was great ✌️
My small barrels roll at 32 rpm on my homemade tumblers, which is on the fast side. I wouldn't want to go much faster than that.
Thanks Rob. Great info. Was finally able to purchase a Lot-O-Tumbler. Only 2 years waiting 😅! I should've bought the 2 barrel. Only $40 more. Would you ever suggest doing stage 1 in the Lot-O-Tumbler? I do have a 2 lb NatGeo tumbler that's a 3 speed. Would you suggest running it only on the lowest speed? Thanks for any advice. I will be rewatching your other tumbling videos.
Definitely run the Nat Geo at the slowest speed all the time.
Here is a discussion of my attempt to tumble the first stage in my Lot-O. Lots of pictures to show you what to expect. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/69335/trying-rough-tumble-vibe-polish
Thank you for this video. I am going to buy my wife a tumbler for Christmas. We have collected garnets from various places and we would like to polish them. In this video you said that you use aluminum oxide for the final stages. Garnet has a hardness of 6.5 to 7.5. Is aluminum oxide tough enough to do the job or should I consider a different medium?
Yes, aluminum oxide has a hardness of 9. Most rocks that I tumble are around 7 on the Moh's scale, so garnets aren't significantly harder. Garnets may prove hard to tumble though, depending on what type they are. I tumlbed some almandine garnets and they didn't do well at all. I haven't tried any other type of garnet.
Thanks
Hey Rob, You have a great channel. I like you ,make crosses and give them away. But, my crosses are all made from wood using a scroll saw. I would love to make rock crosses. I’m 62 yo retired in Indiana. I’m not interested in making anything but crosses. I seen your recommendation’s on tumblers, was wondering what saw you would recommend where the shaft is inline with deck and a saw that uses water not oil? Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated on getting started.
Thank You in advance
I don't know of any modern saws that have the shaft at the same level as the saw deck. Mine is a Gemlap saw, which you might be able to find used if you watch for long enough. They were made in Ferndale, Michigan, so being in Indiana might be an advantage for finding one.
The other option you have is to build a ramp that runs along one of the radii of the saw blade. Then you can use any saw. That's what I used before I got the saw I have now. It works as well, but is just a little less convenient to put on the saw each time you use it. My saw has a ten inch blade, and I'd recommend something about that size just to have enough room to work.
@ Thank You for the info. I like my crosses about 3/8” thick how do you achieve that? Buy em or do you slice them some how? Or just find rocks to the right thickness! Then what about drilling them?
Thank You!
@@moparheatman I have a slab saw, so I cut my own. I make them a tad over a quarter inch.
I'm so excited, because I just bought a Raytech Tv 10 vibratory tumbler.
So much incredible advice in your videos, I've learnt so much from you.
Oh, and I've put the vibe updates on my channel, if you are interested 😊
Welcome to the world of vibratory tumbling, Nicola!
@MichiganRocks it's so exciting, but so different to the rotary.
I have to learn how to keep the water levels right.
Big request from your number 1 fan 🤣🤣, I might need you to do a demo video on vib tumbling. Your vids taught me how to rotary tumble, now I need a few tips for this new process.
@@nicolagraynewzealandrockho8976 I too have the Ray Tech 10... it would be GREAT to have a Rob's HowTo on that unit ...perhaps the manufacturer can be convinced to gift one to @MichiganRocks ... fingers crossed !
@@MichiganRocks Ideal would be if Ray Tech donates you a V10 to do a demo Video. The one they have themselves is NOT very helpful !
Great Vid, TY
You're welcome.
Thumbnail game on point
Thanks. I kind of liked it too. However, it's performing pretty poorly. That might just be that this topic doesn't appeal to a wide range of people thing, though.
Found this while looking for info about a beginner tumbler set for my 8 yo daughter. Since she could walk she was picking up rocks she thought were "pweedee"😊. Once she was around 4 or 5 we did attempt to find a tumbler that wasnt garbage. Ended up with the Smithsonian one from target. Never even got rocks finished before it died. She lost the spark for tumbling after that for a bit, tho still collecting rocks. Lately shes been bringing it up again. She wants to tumble and cut now 😅. So if you have any suggestions for what model/brand to buy id love know! Thanks for the great video!
I'd suggest one of the Highland Park tumblers. I did an initial review of it and am currently working on a second review after actually using it.
Review: th-cam.com/video/PDuBjjaOlSs/w-d-xo.html
hplapidary.com/collections/rotary-tumblers?ref=ROBERTABRAM (affiliate link)
Started rock tumbling last Christmas, and you’re videos have been so helpful. I’m now up to 3 tumblers and learning as we go!
I just created a rock tumbling app for iPhone/iPads to help track tumbles and all the pertinent details. I’d love to get your thoughts on it if you’d be interested? It’s called Tumble Track. I’d be happy to send you a download code.
I'll take a look, but my whiteboard does the trick for me.
@@MichiganRocks nothing wrong with the whiteboard ;) I like mine too, but the geek runs deep over here.😆
The first thing you need is people around you to be very cool with constant noise, or a dedicated shed with sound proofing as needed.
I suppose that's true. I have a basement and you can't hear the tumblers upstairs unless it's completely silent, not even the fridge running.
I looked you up to holler at ya, wondering if everything was ok with you guys... What i have found is that for whatever reason your channel has not alerted me!? Well glad things are good and it was just me not knowing you were still posting. The up side to this is I have several videos to watch!! I unsubbed, resubbed and alerts for all to see if that will get me back in the loop... I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing!
I've had other people say the same thing. When you subscribe, there's a drop down menu that lets you choose to be notified for every video. I think that more important than subscribing is just watching on a regular basis. I think what you watch is more important to TH-cam in determining what to show to you than what you're subscribed to.
yes, I have the bell clicked to "all". I just wanted you to know, it is a little different than finding out I had been unsubscribed like has happened on some of the other pages I watch. But, you have been found! lol
First of all, thank you for your outstanding rock tumbling channel! I've been looking into buying a rock tumbler and have decided to buy a dual barrel HP tumbler after watching your review. I'd rather pay a little more for high quality and durability. Their dual 3 lb tumblers are currently out of stock. Is a dual 6 lb tumbler too big for a beginner? What are the advantages and disadvantages of 3 lb vs 6 lb tumblers? Thanks, Rob.
No, it's not too big at all. Larger tumblers actually grind rocks faster since there's more weight pushing down on them. It's like if you were sanding a board, you'll get more done if you put a little more pressure on the sandpaper. The only concern would be if you didn't have a good supply of rocks to keep it fed.
@@MichiganRocks Thanks, Rob. I think I'll go for the HP dual 6 lb tumbler and I will link through your channel to help you earn a small commission. Are the 6 lb drums good for the all the tumbling stages through polish? I've seen where some folks like to use a larger drum for stage 1 but then change to smaller drums for the next stages especially for the polishing stage. Many thanks...much appreciated!
@@bobgarcia182 Bigger barrels do grind a little faster, but it's not that big of a difference. I still do a lot of first stage grinding in three pound barrels.
Thank you!
The thumbnail photo made me laugh. 👍🏻😀✌🏻
Why? It's a very serious photograph.
Good review!! Thx, Rob?!
Excellent information ……Thank You… 15:04
Cool beans.
Hey Rob. I'd appreciate your opine. I recently purchased a 17 lb tumbler. How much 500 AO would you use per batch? 8000AO ?
I have never tumbled a batch anywhere that big in a rotary tumbler. In fact, I finish most of my rocks in a vibratory tumbler. That being said, I'd probably go with 17 tablespoons of 500. You can probably get away with less of the 8000 grit. I'd highly recommend posting your question on the Rock Tumbling Hobby forums (forum.rocktumblinghobby.com). There are some smart people there and I'm sure someone with experience with a big tumbler like that.
I have a question. When you have to purchase rocks to tumble, what is the smallest size rocks? If I tumble, they are then so small
I guess I need a bucket big enough for my saruca.
I don't know what saruca is.
@MichiganRocks it's a50 mesh round screen I use for finding diamonds in Arkansas. Search for it on TH-cam and you will see its larger than your classifier.
I'm in a basement apartment, and I would like to get into it again. I grew up in the country and noise was not a problem. Do you have any suggestions on sound proofing boxes? Thanks...
Whatever you do, don't put a box over your motor. Trapping in that heat in could be dangerous. Other than that, I don't have much experience soundproofing. My homemade tumbler is well soundproofed, but that was designed that way from the start.
Try setting your tumbler on a sheet of cardboard, a sheet of styrofoam or a scrap piece of carpet. That helps immensely.
I'm at the point I need to make my own base for my tumblers. I have been using the National Geographic tumblers. Needless to say in the past 3 years I have 7 barrels and only 3 working bases
Have you looked at the Highland Park tumblers? I just did a review of them and they seem really nice. th-cam.com/video/PDuBjjaOlSs/w-d-xo.html
Hi there and thanks for your videos. Do you know where can I buy some grit here in Europe?? ❤❤ Love your videos!
Nope, I don't know. Steve at the Stone Crafting Workshop would know. www.youtube.com/@thestonecraftingworkshop7490/featured
@@MichiganRocks Thanks!
I was just on your Amazon storefront. The large rotary tumbler grit package looks good. In need of ceramic media. Does the brand on ceramic media matter or is the cheaper 5lb media just as good? ( my highland park dual 3lb tumbler is due to arrive this week. I got a starter grit pack from them too but it was packaged with walnut media which I suspect is not for roc.)
I have never used walnut, so I can't help you with that. All the ceramic media I have used is from Kingsley North or The Rock Shed. I don't know if the cheaper stuff works as well, but I have no reason to believe it wouldn't. Just be sure that you don't buy media with grit already in it.
is Aluminum Oxide 12,000 Extreme Polish Rock Grit better then the Aluminum Oxide 8000 and is the price difference worth it
I have really good luck with the Rock Shed's 8000 grit. I can't imagine another polish being better.
@ ok thank you so much thinking about entering the rock tumbler contest do you know when it is or a website I can look at for info
@@clarkshomesteadadventures Here it is: www.featherriverrocks.org/rock-tumbling-contest/
Do you partake in the incredible deer woods up in the UP? Off topic I know, just curious. I could see you being very good at that too.
Deer woods? Are you asking if I'm a deer hunter?
Yes. My best friends grew up in Houghton, and Copper City and Dollar Bay and they always talk about getting me out there for hunting season one day.
@@mattgohlke8216 Yes, I do a little hunting, but my wife doesn't like venison, so I do my best not to shoot anything. I'm mostly successful.
Lol! Luckily my whole family loves venison. You need to ease them into by making things like venison stroganoff, stir fry, things that you could pass it off as beef (don't actually try to pass it off as beef, thatll get you in big trouble), but that's how I got my wife accustomed to it and it didnt take long. Today, she hunts with me and everything. Thanks for the replies.
The Keewanaw Peninsula, thats where I would be going if I ever do make it up there. I will make sure to bring lots of buckets for rocks.
Tumble Bee is a pretty good beginner tumbler
I heard that it's pretty fast. I haven't heard too much more about it.
@MichiganRocks they do turn at a decent speed but I've been pleased with how my tumbles have turned out using it. I'm happy with it for the cost
@@EastTennesseeRocks That's great.
Dealing with cleaning the rocks off the sludge in a 5 gal bucket. How do you dispose of the sludge?
Like this: th-cam.com/video/j-356YqFox8/w-d-xo.html
Perhaps a dumb question: can I use tiny pea gravel instead of ceramic? I toss in small stones/pebbles in my stage 01, that I run at least two or three times - and they get really small. So can I just keep those small little pebbles in there as I move to stage 02, 03, and 04?
Edit to add: I'm like Rob and like perfectly smooth rocks. I just started so I haven't even made it to stage 03 yet!
You can, but it would be best if you tumbled all the little holes out of the pea gravel too. If not, grit could get trapped in the holes and be transferred to the next stage, which would be a very bad thing.
@MichiganRocks Great tip! I'll keep that in mind and be careful when using pebbles. Thanks so much!
Do use or recommend an ultrasonic cleaner to clean your rocks between stages?
I have never used one, and I don't think it's necessary. I have heard that they can sometimes break rocks. I just throw them back in the tumbler with some dish detergent and/or borax and water. I run them for several hours in a rotary or about an hour in a vibratory tumbler. That washes them pretty well.
@MichiganRocks thanks for the advice.
: GRATITUDE!
Do you ever sell any of your stones ? I have been trying to acquire Petoskey stones for years. Thanks !!!
Nope, sorry.
@@MichiganRocks Ok. Thanks ! I’ll look around to see if I can find a crystal store that carries them. I’m in the desert so they don’t have them here in any store that I have seen.
Hi! Im really getting into this and your videos are the best! However Im having trouble buying stuff online because I live in Spain and the shipping is crazy. Do you recommend any good tumblers and grits from amazon or any page that wont bill me 400€ to ship to europe? 😅 I would really appreciate the help, thanks!!
I think Highland Park ships internationally, but I don't know what they charge.
hplapidary.com/?ref=ROBERTABRAM (affiliate link)
What do you do with the spent slurry?
I made a video to show you: th-cam.com/video/j-356YqFox8/w-d-xo.html
What is name of tumbler you have in video
It's a Highland Park double three barrel tumbler. They're on sale for 10% off, but today is the last day of the sale. Here's a link. It's an affiliate link, so I make a commission if you use it. It doesn't cost you extra. hplapidary.com/collections/rotary-tumblers?ref=ROBERTABRAM
What brand and size of diamond drill bits do you recommend
It depends on what you're doing. I use drill bits as small as 1 mm and as large as about an inch. Here's a video I recently did about drilling holes. There are a couple links to bits I use in the description of the video. th-cam.com/video/hxSzB65Mneg/w-d-xo.html
Thank you!
What’s the good step 4 polish grit?
I use the Rock Shed's 8000 grit aluminum oxide. I have used Kingsley North's micro alumina with good results too.
@ great! Thank you. Cheers from Charlevoix.
I have heard people say to use distilled water in my tumbler not tap water. Could you address that topic.
Sort of. I have never used distilled water and don't understand how that could help. I won a rock tumbling contest in 2016 and my neighbor used my equipment (and water) to win the same contest a few years ago.
@MichiganRocks Maybe it has something to do with hard tap water?
@@elizabethlewis3509 Maybe.
@@MichiganRocks I will try using distilled water in the 1st stage.
"400 grit or 600 grit, it's probably be fine." - I get it... "fine" 600 grit. ;P
Ha!
@@MichiganRocks 8^Þ
"Hi, my name is Rob, and I've been tumbling rocks since they were magma."
I'm old, but not quite that old.
No offence intended Rob. @MichiganRocks
Recently my dad (91) posted a photo of himself and a 50 something year old woman, and my reply was,
"Dad, you've got shoes older than her!" It wasn't till later I realized, he really does.
Anyway, I'm just kidding with you. I think I'm actually older than you, so a shot at your age would be a shot back at myself. ✌️
@@DavidBrown-if8vn I wasn’t really offended. I wouldn’t have made it through thirty years of teaching eighth grade math if I couldn’t laugh at myself.
Congrats against Ohio State !
I'm not a sportball fan, but my wife is and she sure was in a good mood. If there's one game I care about though, it's that one and I actually watched the game with her. Fun, fun, fun.
So you don't mess with 1200 aluminum oxide at all, huh? Jumping from aluminum oxide 500 grit to aluminum oxide true polish (8,000), wouldn't you get microscopically smoother stones, and even better finished polished stones, going 500, then 1200, then 8000? Yes, five stages instead of four. Keep in mind, I'm retired. I got all day. And week. And year.
I used to do 500, 1000, 8000. Now I run 500 for three days instead of two in my Lot-O vibratory tumbler so that it breaks down into even smaller particles, probably at least 1000 grit. By letting that run a day longer, I don't feel like I need to do 1000 grit anymore. I haven't noticed any difference in the finish.
@@MichiganRocks Gotcha, thanks.
Hello. I recently found your channel. I am brand new to this and right now I'm mostly concerned about tumbling glass. I was offered many 5-gallon buckets of manufactured or faux gems. I don't know what you really call them. This person had a friend who made "rocks" of glass in solid colors and mixed colors and then sold them to people for various types of art projects. I had an interest and now I have so much glass I don't know what to do with it all. Some of the pieces are as big as a man's fist while others are about the size of a quarter with some depth to them. I'm overwhelmed and don't know where to start, but found you. There is so much glass here that I would never be able to use it before I die. All of it has sharp edges so whether I use it or sell it, I feel I will have to get those sharp edges gone and the only way I see that possibility is through using a rock tumbler. Is this possible and do you need to tumble them as long as you do real/actual rocks? When you have tumblers it says 3-lb or 6-lb. Is that the weight of the rocks in the tumbler? Is there a step-by-step instruction book somewhere to follow? I heard about the 4 stages and am guessing that glass would go through the same as rocks - is that correct? I plan on continuing to watch your videos but any help is very much appreciated. Thank you!
I know a guy who is an expert in tumbling glass. I have tumbled some glass, but I'm not nearly as knowledgeable as he is. Here's just one of his posts. You could search for a bunch of other posts from him, or contact him through private messages. I'm sure he could help you out. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/91899/tumbled-glass-blowers-scraps