Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Rid the tumbler bowl of any particles or grit from previous use. Rinse and dry the bowl. Rinse and dry the rocks to be tumbled.
Group your gems according to relative hardness. It is not necessary to scientifically classify the stones' hardness. Group them by relative hardness. Harder stones damage softer stones, as the softer stones are pulverized during the tumbling process. Select stones of similar hardness for tumbling together.
Spoon the hardest grit into the tumbler bowl according to the tumbler manufacturer's directions. Add enough water to coat the rocks and enough grit to allow for erosion during tumbling. For example, using a Raytech tumbler, 2 tablespoons of grit is added to 4 pounds of rock along with 2 to 4 tablespoons of water.
Cover the tumbler bowl with the included lid. Secure the lid in place to prevent water and grit from leaking out during tumbling.
Turn on the tumbler. Check the water level every 12 hours and replace as necessary. Operate the tumbler for five to 10 days in the first stage of tumbling.
Turn off the tumbler, remove the lid and drain the sludge from the tumbler bowl. Rinse the rocks with clean water until all the previous grit and sludge is removed.
Add the recommended amount of the next stage of grit -- there are usually three to five stages -- to the tumbling bowl and replace the rocks. Add the recommended amount of water. Replace the lid and tumble for one to two days, checking every 12 hours to add water, as necessary.
Repeat Steps 6 and 7 with progressively finer grits until the final stage of tumbling with the finest "polishing" grit is complete. Rinse and dry the rocks and gems. Mount or display the gems as desired.