OK! You're Addicted To Tumbling!
Remeber my warning? CAUTION! Rock tumbling is very addictive! *smile*
I can see it now, you're thinking ... this takes too long, I want more polished rocks faster! I need more tumblers! I want a better shine! More! More! More! Where to start? This is where things can start getting a little more expensive so unless you are independantly wealthy, plan your purchases carefully

Ok, lets get into rock tumbling a little deeper

Additional Polishing Steps
Lets start with this. Remember the four basic tumbling steps?

• Coarse (60/90) = 1 week minimum
• Medium (120/200) = 1 week
• Fine (500) = 1 week
• Polish = 1 week minimum

How did I change this? First, I decided I wasn't really happy with the shaping so I started leaving them in the coarse grit longer. After four or five days, I'd open the barrel, inspect them, recharge with more grit and put them back on the tumbler. Now most of my rocks are in coarse for at least two weeks. Here's the formula I use now, although this can vary a little, depending on what I'm tumbling.

• Coarse (60/90) = 2 weeks minimum
• Medium (120/200) = 1 week
• Fine (500) = 1 week
• Pre-polish = 1000 grit aluminum oxide = 1 week
• Polish = 10 days Aluminum Oxide Polish

Washing Between Steps
Remember 20 Mule Team Borax? It's in the laundry department, go get some. I don't worry about washing between the coarse and medium steps but I do after that. Before my rocks go in to the fine grit, they go back in the barrel in hot water and a couple tablespoons of borax for a good washing. Leave them for a couple of hours at least, let them get a good wash.

Why BORAX?
Because I said so? *smile* Seriously, it's what everyone has used forever. It's natural, won't scratch the shine, does a good job and is inexpensive. If it's not broken, don't fix it ... just get some borax. If you really can't find it, you can use Ivory bar soap (if you can stand the smell). Cut some chips or grate it and use a little of that in place of the borax.

Inspecting The Rocks
Inspect the rocks carefully between each step. After they are washed, they are put in a plastic collander to dry. Each rock is checked out carefully to see if I like the shape and if there's chips/fractures that shouldn't be there. If I like them, they advance, if not, it's back in a previous step. Beware of pits! Pits can hold grit in them that could get carried on to the next stage.

Plastic Pellets
Beginning in the second (medium) step, many tumbler enthusiasts add plastic pellets in with the rocks. This helps to prevent the rocks from banging against each other and causing more fractures, breaks or chips. Most people think the plastic pellets are a pain in the patoot but are worth the effort. There's a few things to remember about using them though ...

• Use them only in one grit, DO NOT pass them on through the different steps. The plastic pellets can become embedded with grit. As long as you use them only in for that grit, you can reuse them over and over. I keep mine in plastic ziplock bags marked with what grit they were used in.
• Get a small plastic, wire or net-type strainer ... I use a small square fish net from my old aquarium days. When you dump your barrel into a bucket to wash the rocks, the pellets will float. Use the net or strainer to scoop them up and put them into their appropriate bag or container. Swish the rocks around, some of the pellets get stuck underneath them. Repeat until you've collected all of the little pests, then you can play with the rocks.

How Many Steps Are We At Now?

• Coarse (60/90) = 2 weeks minimum
• Medium (120/200) = 1 week Pellets added
• Borax wash (wash the pellets too)
• Fine (500) = 1 week Pellets added
• Borax wash (wash the pellets too)
• Pre-polish = 1000 grit aluminum oxide = 1 week Pellets added
• Borax wash (wash the pellets too)
• Polish = 10 days Aluminum Oxide Polish Pellets added
• FINAL Borax wash (wash the pellets too)

This (above) is my formula ... it's what I've learned and it works for me. There's lots of other variations to the formula and the more you get into rock tumbling, the more you'll learn. You'll try different things, different pre-polishes, different polishes but whatever you do ... DON'T ignore the basic forumla.

• Coarse (60/90) = 1 week minimum
• Medium (120/200) = 1 week
• Fine (500) = 1 week
• Polish = 1 week minimum

So What Is This MOHS Hardness Thing?
The MOHS Hardness scale will help you determine what can be tumbled together. Like hardnesses are tumbled together.

1. Talc 2. Gypsum 3. Calcite 4. Fluorite 5. Apatite 6. Orthoclase Feldspar 7. Quartz / Agate 8. Topaz 9. Corundum 10. Diamond

Some of the things used to test hardness. Fingernail = hardness of 2.5 Penny = hardness of 3 Knife / Common Nail = hardness of 5.2 Glass = hardness of 5.5 Steel file = hardness of 6 Masonry bit = = hardness of 7 When doing a hardness test, especially on harder rocks, you need to be sure that the item your using is actually scratching the rock and not just leaving a mark on it. Like a knife on agate might leave a mark, but it's actually the agate wearing at the knife.

Buying Rocks
By now, if you haven't already, you're searching the net for rocks. Buying them on eBay or from one of the online Rock Shops. Who would I recommend? Bid for specifics on eBay, buy rough and grit from The Rock Shed They are just the nicest people to deal with.

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I hope you have found this information helpful. Before long you'll be wanting to get a saw so you can cut your own slabs and a grinder to shape your own cabochons. Good luck and above all, don't forget to enjoy yourself. Take the kids along and introduce them to nature.