Hobbies And Interests
Different Rocks
Your rock tumbler kit probably came with a few rough rocks to polish. Once you have tumbled them, see what other kinds of rocks are suitable for tumbling. Explore your backyard or a park and collect a variety of rocks with different colors and textures. You can also buy rough stones, including turquoise, opal and petrified wood, from a nature store. Experiment with how well tumbling works on each type.
Time
With each type of stone you tumble, experiment with exactly how long it takes to run it through the tumbler. Keep a log of the amount of time each batch was in the machine. You can jot this information in a notebook that you place next to the tumbler. When admiring your finished product, rate how smooth the rock turned out. Next time, try adding a bit more time to the tumbling cycle and again rate the rocks. Complete a third round with less time and analyze which amount of time in the tumbler was ideal for that type of stone.
Grit
Use different levels of grit to determine which material tumbles your rocks the fastest or makes them the smoothest. These sand-sized particles of silicon carbide are harder than rocks and, when placed with the stones in a tumbler, slowly scratch away at the surface to make them smooth. Experiment with different brands of grit. Also, see what happens when you put in a pinch more or less of the substance. These minor variations might make a big change in the quality of your finished rocks.
Creating Shine
Experiment by adding materials, such as soap, to the finishing polish phase to create an extra smooth shine on your tumbled stones. Experiment with hand soap, dish soap and laundry soap to determine which works best. Search for other substances you can add, too, such as a spoonful of sugar. Compare each completed group of stones to determine which method created the most shine.