Hobbies And Interests
Things You'll Need
Instructions
Drying Stones
Place the stones on an absorbent cloth and place them in a location that is exposed to direct sunlight throughout most of the day. Turn the stones over after several hours. Repeat for several days.
Dry the stones with a hairdryer set to its hottest setting. Continue the process until moisture is no longer seeping from the stones.
Preheat an oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Place stones that have already been dried with sunlight and hairdryer heating on a metal cooking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Place the sheet in the oven and allow the stones to be heated for a short time period to avoid cracking or splitting (the ideal time will vary depending on the particular stone and its dryness).
Polishing Stones by Hand
Choose a stone between a 3 and a 4 on the Mohs hardness scale (such as onyx, limestone or fluorite) that does not have any significant indentations. Put on a breathing mask and set up your supplies in a well-ventilated area.
Use a hammer and chisel to remove large protrusions from the stone, then rub the stone on concrete to remove smaller protrusions.
Use 50 grit sandpaper to remove any tiny protrusions and round the stone to its final desired shape.
Use 150 grit sandpaper to remove the scratches caused by the 50 grit sandpaper. Use 300 to 600 grit sandpaper to remove the scratches caused by the 150 grit sandpaper.
Put a small amount of powdered rock polish and water onto 1500 grit sandpaper and rub the stone to a high shine.
Polishing Hard Stones in a Rock Tumbler
Open the barrel of the rock polisher (immerse the barrel in hot water if the end caps are too tightly attached to remove by hand). Put stones of similar hardness in the barrel until it is three-quarters full and gently shake the barrel to even out the stones. Pour water into the barrel until the stones are just barely covered.
Add 80 grit coarse silicon carbide to the barrel (one heaping tablespoon for a 1 ½-pound barrel, two heaping tablespoons for a 3-pound barrel, or three heaping tablespoons for a 5-pound barrel). Run the rock tumbler and check on the stones every two or three days. Run the tumbler for about seven days; less for smoother stones, more for jagged stones.
Remove both ends of the barrel and dispose of the slurry; do not pour it down the drain, as it will harden in the pipes. Wash the barrel and stones thoroughly in water to remove stone fragments and remaining silicon carbide. Reassemble the barrel and replace the stones. Fill the barrel with water until the stones are barely covered. Add 220 grit coarse silicon carbide to the barrel in the same measurements as the previous step. Run the rock tumbler for five or six days.
Clean the barrel and stones again. Replace the stones, refill the barrel with water and add 400 grit coarse silicon carbide in the same measurements as the previous step. Run the rock tumbler for seven days or more.
Clean the barrel and stones again. Remove any stones that are severely cracked or jagged; these can be re-tumbled separately or discarded. Put the remaining stones in a second, clean tumbler barrel and fill it with water until the stones are barely covered. Add cerium oxide (one level tablespoon for 1 ½-pound barrels, two level tablespoons for 3-pound barrels or three level tablespoons for 5-pound barrels) to the barrel. Run the rock tumbler for seven days and then remove the finished stones. Dispose of the remaining slurry (do not pour it down the drain or it will harden in the pipes).