If you like to tumble rocks DMSeeleysTools.com has a nice Rotary Dual Drum Rock tumbler tool for cleaning and polishing small stones or hardware. The way the tumbler works is the rocks fall over and over and over, polishing rocks in much the same manner as the ocean has for millions of years. Be advised that your choice of rock size is limited by the small rotor power and that it may be difficult to get replacement parts like a broken belt from an over weighted tumbler. DMSeeleysTools.com usually has belts.
Tumblers are sized according to the weight of the load they can continuously bear. The most common cause of rotor failure and belt breakage is improper or over-loading of the barrel. . Double barrels can be used to polish lots of rocks or to ensure a really good polish (if you reserve one barrel for that purpose).
The rock tumbler is a ideal bench top hand tool to have on hand for descaling , deburring, and surface conditioning for smaller items. Use on semi precious stones, glass, metals, remove rust or polish jewelry what ever your needs require. Quiet low-speed tumblers are designed to run for days at a time, ensuring a smooth, lustrous finish. Some tumblers have Rubber barrels for quieter operation. The following is a good way to polish jewelry.
You can use a Small rotary tumbler and barrel.
Soap (not detergent). Ivory soap flakes are recommended.
Polished steel shot. You want enough to fill the barrel about halfway.
Procedure
Pour the shot into a clean barrel to about the halfway mark.
Add enough water to cover the shot plus about 3/4 inch.
Add a tablespoon of soap flakes.
Load the jewelry and/or components into the barrel. You want them to be able to tumble, so pack them loosely.
Seal the barrel and let the tumbler rotate for 6-8 hours.
When the pieces are sufficiently polished, remove them from the tumbler and rinse them well with water
Do you want rounded rocks, or more natural looking rocks?
If you really do not want a well rounded rock, you may want to look at a vibrating model instead of a rotary machine also found at DMSeeleysTools.com. We get consistently better results with our rotary models, but occasionally we find someone who finds a vibrating model suits their needs better. If you are just starting out we recommend starting with a rotary machine. They truly are easier to operate.
So why get a vibratory tumbler?" you ask. They have a very useful purpose. They don't change the shape of your stones. If you have stones that you have cut and ground to a specific shape and you want to polish a lot of them at once, then you can use a vibratory tumbler.
On the other hand, vibratory tumblers tend to be a bit more expensive than their rotary counterparts. However, if 'time is money' and you want to retain more of the shape and size of the original material, then a vibratory tumbler may be just what you need.
Make a balanced load that includes for large and small rocks. For a 2.5 lb bowl, sizes from 1/8" to 1" work well. A proper slurry is needed to get the best polish in the least time. If there is too little water, then the thickness of the mixture will prevent proper movement, thus slowing the polishing action. Too much water results in too thin of a slurry, which will result in a much longer time to achieve a polish. The grit may settle out of the mixture altogether. Never wash grit down the drain! Plastic pellets may be rinsed and reused, but you cannot reuse grit. Best to your work Denny at DMSeeleysTools.com
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