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Rock Tumbling Grit Substitutions

After a long day of rock hunting, there is nothing more exciting than tumbling and polishing your stones until they shine. Polishing rocks is like slowly opening a present; step by step you get to see their beauty unfold. And the key component in polishing rocks is the grit used in the tumbler, so it is important to pick the right kind.

Silica
- Silica, or sand, can be used in a tumbler to polish rocks. It is important to take into account the hardness of the rocks in your tumbler if you plan on using sand. Many rocks will be too hard for sand to polish.
Silicon Carbide
- Silicon Carbide is the most popular commercial grit used in rock tumbling. It is inexpensive, harder than most rocks, and is readily available in both coarse and medium grit. These grit sizes are used to shape and remove large scratches from rocks before the final polishing stage.
Aluminum Oxide
- Typically used in conjunction with silicon carbide, aluminum oxide is sold for use in the final, polishing stages of rock tumbling.

Gemology