ROCK TUMBLING

GEMSTONE TUMBLING GJT05106

Credit 7
 TUMBLING
• is the hobby of collecting a wide range of rocks and turning them into
beautiful gemstones you can use to make jewelry, crafts, decorations,
or just to collect for fun.
• is also popular with people who want to discover the hidden beauty
of rocks and minerals.
 WHY TUMBLING
• Some of the more common uses for tumbled rocks
a) Jewelry making
b) Various craft making
c) Vase/planter filler
d) Holiday decorations
e) Keychains
f) Magnets
g) Paperweights
A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROCK
TUMBLERS
• While nature has been tumbling rocks for millions of years, rock tumbling
machines have only been around since the 1950s.It was a way to take uncut
rocks from nature, and turn them into gemstones that could be made into
jewelry.

• The process of rock tumbling gained popularity very quickly. By the 1960s,
dozens of companies in the U.S had begun to manufacture tumblers. Barrels of
tumblers were first made out of paint cans and eventually evolved to use better
materials like rubber and plastic. While the industry started with dozens of
manufacturers, only two were able to rise to the top and become the brands of
choice: Lortone and Thumler’s. Both of these brands still exist today and cater to
both rockhound hobbyists and lapidary professionals.
EGYPT HISTORY OF ROCK
TUMBLERS
• We know that Egyptian slaves gathered stones, chipped them into roughly-round
shapes, and then rolled them back and forth in troughs which contained sand .These
early tumbled rocks took up to three years to polish, and were usually given to the
King or Queen, or to the High Priest. They were thought to have supernatural powers
to cure illnesses, and because they were so beautiful and difficult to polish, they were
extremely rare and valuable
• History of Tumbling Technology: There have been many technological advances over
the last 100- years or so which advanced the techniques of rock tumbling, not the least
of which was the discovery of Silicon Carbide in 1891. Silicon Carbide is the ideal
tumbling grit because, in addition to being very hard, it is very stable and will not
dissolve or react in mild acids or bases. When ground into a powder and screened to
“classify” the grits into equal sizes, it has the property to resharpen itself as it breaks
into smaller and smaller pieces in the process of abrading the rocks inside the tumbler
EGYPT HISTORY OF ROCK
TUMBLERS
 ROCK TUMBLER

• A rock tumbler is a very simple device/machine used to smooth and

polish rocks. They are a popular tool used by jewelry, craft, and
lapidary hobbyists for producing tumbled stones.
 TYPES OF ROCK TUMBLERS

• There are two different types of rock tumblers –

barrel (rotary) and
vibratory.
 ROTARY /BARREL TUMBLER
• Rotary tumblers are much more common and best for beginners
• In a rotary tumbler will change shape and become rounded
• This is the type of tumbler that will knock off the edges, shape, and
smooth out rough rocks during the coarse grind stage
ROTARY /BARREL TUMBLER
 VIBRATORY TUMBLER.

• They are less common with beginner

• used for fine polishing rocks you’ve already shaped ,a vibratory tumbler
will not shape your rocks like a rotary tumbler.
• If you just want to polish your rocks and maintain the same shape and
angles, then a vibratory tumbler may be for you.
• The main advantage of a vibratory tumbler is that it dramatically
speeds up the tumbling process for stages AFTER your rocks have been
shaped (i.e., medium grind, fine grind, and polish).
• So while each of the four stages in a rotary tumbler can take a week on
average, stages 2-4 can all be done in only one week
VIBRATORY TUMBLER
VIBRATORY TUMBLER
ROCK TUMBLERS
 BEST ROCKS FOR TUMBLING

• The overall best rocks for tumbling 

a) Agates – colorful, and pretty patterns, easily found, and cost varies widely
b) Jaspers – usually bright colors, and can have interesting patterns, easily found
c) Chalcedony – can have patterns, usually translucent, and is generally low cost
d) Flint – very high polish, can have vibrant colors and patterns, can be easily found
e) Chert–like flint can have nice colors, easily found

ALSO
Tiger’s eye, amethyst, aventurine, carnelian, rose quartz, petrified wood, granite,
moonstone, lapis lazuli, hematite, obsidian, amazonite, opal, diorite, and other types
of quartz
STONES YOU SHOULD NOT TUMBLE

• There are some types of rock that do not tumble well

• soft ,porous, Rocks with deep cracks ,Unusually shaped rocks, Rocks
with deep cracks they do not tumble well
sandstone, limestone, shale or coal,
 Rock Tumbling Properties
• Particle Size
• Rock Hardness
• Toughness
• Quantity of Abrasives & Polish to Use
ISSUES PREPARATORY TO ROCK
TUMBLING
1. The Sizing Process--Breaking Big Rocks into Tumbling Rocks
The key to success is to break the rock along natural areas of
weakness, where cracks and voids exist, and to use the more precise,
narrow, focused pressure-wave developed by a sharp object such as a
chisel. This controlled process is called “cleaving”, and it fractures the
rock but keeps shattering to a minimum. The theory is that while
rocks are very strong in compression, they are very weak in tension.
 Loading Process
2. The Loading Process--Barrel Filling, Consumables, Media & Water
Most tumbler instructions specify that the drum be filled 3/4 full
start with clean equipment and an assortment of rocks in sizes from ½-inch to about the
size of a quarter (1-inch)--some can be a little larger, and generally not more than two
quarters long (2 inches) By selecting a variety of sizes, smaller to larger, the stones will
tend to rub on one another better and abrasive will get into the small “nooks and
crannies”
Now we need to decide whether to add media to cushion Week #1 of Stage #1 if the
barrel is not filled to the ¾-level, (use ceramic shapes to make up for lost volume only
during stage 2-4)
Now we must decide if we want to add baking soda (1/2-teaspoon Arm & Hammer for a
3-pound barrel to reduce gas formation) and soap (1/2 tablespoon of Dreft per pound of
rocks to make the batch “slick”— some operators prefer to use grated Ivory hand soap).
 Loading Process
With the rock and media loaded, load in the abrasive compound (grit) per
the amounts in Table 4.Carefully measure the proper amount into the barrel,
making sure not to spill any on that little inside lip. That little bit of spilled grit
will cause the barrel to leak at some point during the week. If you spill some,
be sure to take the time to remove it from the lip before you install the lid
After all the solids have been added, the very last thing is to add water up to
the base of the top layer of rocks. Proper amount of water added--about 1/8-
inch below the top of the rocks
 Too much water, the slurry won’t coat the rocks properly also the rocks will tend to be buoyed
up by the water, rather than rub and roll against the other rocks
 Too little water, the slurry will be so thick or dry it will insulate the rock surfaces from
abrasion, also the rocks may end up striking each other too hard, causing spalling, chipping
and sometimes complete breakage
Loading Process
 Grading Process

3. The Grading Process —Letting the Rocks Talk

When the 4-6 weeks in Stage 1 is completed, a critical evaluation of the quality of each
rock will yield two piles--a small pile of really good stones (no pits, cracks or chips & ready
to proceed to Stage 2), and a large pile of stones which are pitted, chipped, cracked or are
not shaped well this will never look good enough for jewelry until they are repaired
After Stage 2, the scratches should all be the smaller 220-mesh scratches. If they are half
80-mesh and half 220-mesh, you should process them for another week in 220-mesh.
When all the scratches are the same size, you can proceed to the next stage. If you’re
careful in your rock-grading, and if you grade after every week of tumbling, the rocks will
actually tell you when they are ready to move on to the next batch! And once you learn
how to grade a batch properly
Next comes the Stage 3 grading. Are those little beauties ready for the Stage 4 polish? If
the scratches all look uniform,
 Grading Process

The Stage 4 grading is simple, but often frustrating. After two weeks in
Cerium Oxide polish, I just want to know if the polish is as good as it can get.
Again, I use my Polish Stick to create the maximum polish and compare that
rock to the rest of the batch. I don’t stop the tumbler until the whole batch is
as shiny as the Polish Stick shine. This usually means at least two more weeks
in Tin Oxide

NOTE smoothness/roundedness, Size & shape, color, cracking & spalling,

and many other features may be taken into consideration when grading the
batch at the end of each week.
 Cleanup Process
4. The Cleanup Process --Avoiding Contamination
When you remove the lid of the barrel at the end of 7 days, understand that the slurry is a
very dense liquid. If you pour it into your sink drain, it will settle in your water trap and get
very hard. Over time it will plug the trap and coat your drain lines with “cement”
When proceeding from one stage to the next stage, cleanup is much more critical, since you
will be using a finer (smaller) grit next week than you did last week. If any of larger grit from
last week contaminates the barrel next week, the effects of the finer grit will be diminished,
and in some cases, completely wasted. Therefore, be extra-careful between stages. Not
only does the barrel and lid have to be carefully cleaned, but even the rocks themselves
(especially those with cracks, pits and holes). The larger abrasives try to hide everywhere,
and it seems like they don’t come out until you put the lid on the drum. Those coarser grits
come out and make it impossible for the finer grit to smooth the larger scratches
Without a doubt, contamination is the biggest single factor in getting discouraged, because
one can’t see the contamination, and it’s hard to understand why the batch didn’t improve
 Recording Process-

5. The Recording Process--The Importance of Keeping Track

keeping records via the Tumbling Log in the Appendix is an absolute necessity
because there are so many details which you forget after even a few days
Information required
Week #,stage #,Rock type, level of rocks filled, type of grit used, amount of grit used, and
any other information which might be important
Tumbling Log
 STAGES OF TUMBLING
• A total of 4 tumbling stages were used, and each advancing stage
used a finer grained abrasive. In the first 3 stages, Silicon Carbide grit
was used to shape, grind and sand (abrade) the rocks. Silicon Carbide
on rocks works just like sandpaper on wood, first you use 80-mesh
sandpaper to get rid of the large blemishes ,You follow with 220-mesh
sandpaper to remove the scratches left by the 80-mesh paper, and
finally, you do a finish sand with 600-mesh paper, which leaves a very
smooth wood surface, ready for the final finish (staining, waxing, etc)
thus creating a rich luster finish in the wood. The process is primarily
mechanical, with each succeeding stage removing the scratches from
the previous stage
Stage 1—Coarse Grind (Shaping) with 80-
mesh Silicon Carbide
Fill rocks to about 3/4 full
Use 80-mesh sandpaper to get rid of the large blemishes.
The softer rocks may only take 4-7 days in Stage 1 to be fully rounded
and ready for Stage 2 , Some hard crystalline rocks (like the Rose
Quartz below) may take 4-6 weeks, try not to rush this stage make
sure the rocks are rounded just the way you want them
Place any stones which have had sufficient Stage 1 coarse grinding
into the appropriate container labeled “Ready for Stage 2”.This
process of making decisions about each stone is called “grading the
batch”.
STAGE 2—Medium Grind (Sanding) with
220- Mesh Silicon Carbide
Carefully place your super washed stones and ceramic shapes back in the
clean tumbler, and adjust the depth of the rocks/shapes in the barrel to 3/4
full with the lid in place by adding more ceramic shapes.
Add your 220-mesh powder (at the same 1 to 2 tablespoons per pound of
rocks as before), then add the water, replace the lid, oil the bearings and get
your batch tumbling for another 7 days.
This is Week #1 of Stage 2.
Don’t forget to write up your log!
At the end of 7 days, carefully wash and re-grade. Sometimes, although not
always, hard stones will need a 2nd week in Stage 2. If they do, following the
instructions above, start your second week in Stage 2. Remember, let the
rocks do the talking
Stage 3-Fine Grind (Pre-Polish) with 600-
Mesh Silicon Carbide
When the stones are ready for Stage 3 (600-mesh Silicon Carbide), do
another super wash, charge your barrel as before, and run the batch 7 days.
At the end of this period, rinse & re-grade the batch. The stones should now
be ready for Stage 4--the polish stage. There’s an easy “test” you can do to
make sure. Use a Polish Stick, a 1-inch wide stick which has a piece of
leather attached .Moisten the leather with clean water and sprinkle some
polish (agate, jasper and quartz call for Cerium Oxide polish) on it. Spread
out the polish with your index finger on the damp leather and rub one of the
stones vigorously back and forth for a minute or so. If that part of the stone
looks better than it did, the batch is ready for the Stage 4 polish. If that part
of the stone does not change, you need another week in Stage 3
Test to determine if your stones are ready
for the polish stage
 Stage 4—The Polishing Stage
When your batch is ready for the Stage 4 Polish, do an extra-super wash by
re-loading the rinsed rocks in the drum--charge with two or 3 tablespoons of
Dreft laundry detergent or shavings of Ivory bar soap.
Add water to the bottom of the top layer of rocks, and let this cleansing
mixture tumble for 24 hours. Then clean up again and proceed to Stage 4 by
carefully re-loading the rocks and adjusting the barrel volume with the
ceramic media.
Charge your barrel with Cerium Oxide polish at the same 1 to 2 tablespoons
per pound of rocks as before & the same water. Replace the lid, oil the
bearings and run the batch for a full 14 days, without stopping
Stage 4—The Polishing Stage
After the fourteenth day, the cleanup is exactly the same, except you
should now be very careful not to scratch your rocks. Once everything is
clean again, I always start a second polish stage of two continuous weeks
with Tin Oxide polish.
At the end of this second two-week polish run
check whether you have achieved maximum polish by doing the following
rub one of the stones on the Polish Stick you used previously. If the rubbed portion
looks the same as the rest of the stone, your batch is complete.
Pick up a nice stone, dry it and look at it carefully. Now lick it and look at it again. If
the stone looks the same, wet or dry, your batch is complete. If not, give them
another week or two in Stage 4, using the same Tin Oxide slurry.
The 5-Stage Rotary Rock Tumbling
Process for Softer (or More Valuable)
Stones
This more lengthy and careful process is used whenever you have soft
rocks like opals, obsidian, rhodochrosite, chrysocolla, or stabilized
turquoise. Also use this for More Valuable rough stones.
1. Stage 1—Coarse Grind (Shaping) with 80-mesh Silicon Carbide Same as
(Stage 1 in the 4-stage process).
2. Stage 2—Medium Grind (Sanding) with 220-Mesh Silicon Carbide Same as
(Stage 2 in the 4-stage process).
3. Stage 3—Fine Grind with 600-Mesh Silicon Carbide
The cleanup, inspection and grading processes are essentially the
same.
Stage 4— Extra Fine Grind (PRE-
POLISH) with 1000-Mesh Silicon
Carbide
Use 1000-mesh Silicon Carbide
This stage is very similar to the pre-polish stage described in the 4-stage
process above.
Grade the batch very carefully to see if the 600-mesh scratches have all
been removed (If not, tumble the batch another week)
If the batch is ready for polish ,do an extra-super cleanup and proceed to
Stage 5 (The extra-super cleanup involves running the batch for 24 hours
with a mixture of two teaspoons of Dreft (if softer stones, also add two to
four tablespoons of ceramic shapes), and the normal amount of water. This
will remove any residual Silicon Carbide abrasive grit which might
contaminate the polishing process.
Stage 5—The Polishing Stage
 BURNISHING
• Burnishing begins after the polishing stage, after the polish has been
rinsed off the rocks.
• The clean rocks are placed back into the barrel and any needed
ceramic shapes to fill the barrel to the ¾-point are added—some
operators tell me they will include a small amount of well-rounded
obsidian pebbles to add Silica to the burnishing environment. Then
put two tablespoons of Dreft (or Dawn or grated Ivory) and 2
tablespoons of 20-Mule Team Borax into the drum, add water to just
below the top layer of rocks, and let the rotary batch tumble for a
week or two (1-3 days for vibratory).
ivory bar soap
 STAGE SUMMARY:
• Stage 1: 80 -mesh or 60-90 mesh grit + weekly wash & grade +
super wash when done
• Stage 2: 220-mesh or 120-220 mesh grit + weekly wash & grade +
super wash when done
• Stage 3: 600-mesh or 5F grit + weekly wash & grade + extra super
wash when done
• Stage 4: Cerium Oxide polish + Tin Oxide polish—run each for
two weeks at a time
 TIME SUMMARY
• Stage 1: 4-7 weeks (try not to rush this stage…make sure the rocks
are rounded just the way you want them!)
• Stage 2: 1-2 weeks
• Stage 3: 1-2 weeks
• Stage 4: 4-6 weeks
Total: 10-17 week

Note: the timeframes above will usually produce high quality jewelry-grade tumbled
stones. You may be satisfied with your stones after one week in each stage. Here’s the
great thing about rock tumbling. Only you can make that decision, and no one has a
right to second guess you. The entire goal is for you to have fun!
TUMBLED ROCKS MAY NOT BE SHINY FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

• Unsuitable tumbling rough

• Improper cleaning between stages
• Inferior grit or polishing compounds
• Misuse or lack of tumbling media
• Rushing the tumbling process
• Rocks need a burnishing step
 TUMBLING GRIT/MESH
• Tumbling grit. This is a type of abrasive sand, much like the sand in the ocean that
helps to tumble rocks to smoothness. It’s usually made out of either carbide or
silicon. When you place it inside the tumbler with your rocks in the appropriate
amount, the grit tumbles against them and wears them down. You will need both
coarse and medium grit, similar in consistency to coarse and fine sand
4 mesh/grit sizes listed below
1. 80-Mesh (155 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (or 60-90 ungraded mesh)
2. 220-Mesh (56 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (or 120-220 ungraded),
3. 600-Mesh (9.3 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (or 5F ungraded),
4. 1000-Mesh (4.5 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (no ungraded counterpart),
 80-Grit) Silicon Carbide powder
• Used in Stage 1 rock tumbling.
• It was discovery in 1891
• Silicon Carbide is the ideal tumbling grit because,
in addition to being very hard,
it is very stable and
will not dissolve or react in mild acids or bases.
it has the property to resharpen itself as it breaks into smaller and smaller
pieces in the process of abrading the rocks inside the tumbler
Aluminum Oxide (Al2O3, aka, Alumina)
• It is about 50% Aluminum and 50% Oxygen, and was originally mined in its natural
state as an ore (both corundum and bauxite) for the production of Aluminum.
• This ore is also the second hardest natural mineral known (Mohs Hardness = 9),
second only to Diamonds (Mohs = 10).
• Aluminum Oxide is now made for rock and metal polishing by fusing (melting in an
electric arc furnace at about 3200 degree F), and is comparatively inexpensive as a
rock polish.
• Other tumbling polishes like Cerium Oxide (CeO2), Tin Oxide (SnO2), Chrome
Oxide (Cr2O3), and Tripoli (Rotten Stone) have been used to tumble-polish rocks
for many years, but classifying techniques and impurity removal are much more
sophisticated today, thus producing a more consistent product
different additives used to soften the
collisions
• oatmeal,
• sawdust,
• wood shavings,
• walnut shells,
• cornmeal,
• sugar, rubber bands,
• leather & felt strips,and
• many others
modern, plastic, 1/8-inch diameter
• One major advancement occurred when we began to use modern,
plastic, 1/8-inch diameter floating polypropylene pellets to cushion
and reduce collision forces.
• We are now successfully using another “media”--hard ceramic shapes
which are not in themselves abrasive, but they carry the abrasive or
polish to all parts of the stone. Because their specific gravity is
relatively low, collisions between the shapes and the rocks are less
forceful.
• These plastic and ceramic media may be re-used many times
 All of the rocks you place in your tumbling barrel must:

• Be of similar hardness – Most rocks you’ll tumble will be between a 6 and 8 on the Mohs hardness scale. Most importantly,
all of your rocks should be of similar hardness, not deviating more than 1.5 or 2 on the hardness scale from one another.
Otherwise, the harder rocks will ‘eat’ the softer ones. Remove any overly hard or soft rocks from your tumbling barrel and
save them to be tumbling later with rocks of similar hardness.
• Have a smooth texture – If any of your rocks have a gritty or sandy texture then they are not suitable for tumbling. The
rocks should be microcrystalline, without any visible grains. If you rub them together, they should not produce any sand-like
particles. Rocks like this break down and their gritty remnants will scratch your other rocks. Remove any rocks with this
texture from your tumbling barrel.
• Have no fractures – A rock with noticeable fractures has the potential to trap grit and transport it between tumbling stages.
This leftover grit has the potential to become dislodged in the polishing stage and scratch up the surface of the rocks you’re
trying to polish. Remove any rocks with fractures before the polishing stage. You can break them along the fracture and re-
tumble them in another batch.
• Be of appropriate size – Tumbling rough should generally be composed of a good mix of rocks between 1/2″ and 1-1/2″ in
size. Anything larger will tend to interfere with proper tumbling action, and anything smaller may end up being completely
destroyed in the tumbling process. A good mix helps ensure good distribution of tumbling grit and promotes proper grinding
action.
supplies you will need during tumbling
(A) Silicon Carbide is a consumable abrasive powder that wears down
the rocks.
The powder can be purchased in a variety of particle sizes (interchangeably
called mesh or grit sizes)
The bigger the size of the grit (and the lower the number), the more
aggressive the abrasion, For example, 80-grit is more aggressive than 600-grit)
4 mesh/grit sizes listed below
1. 80-Mesh (155 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (or 60-90 ungraded mesh)
2. 220-Mesh (56 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (or 120-220 ungraded),
3. 600-Mesh (9.3 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (or 5F ungraded),
4. 1000-Mesh (4.5 micron) Graded Silicon Carbide (no ungraded counterpart),
Big 4-Silicon Carbide powders
supplies you will need during tumbling
(B) Tumbling Polish consists of a consumable very-fine powder of hard
particles which abrade and level the rock surface, causing it to reflect
light.
“Big 4” polishes are;
1. Cerium Oxide for Rock Tumbling (Optical Grade),
2. Tin Oxide for Rock Tumbling (Optical Grade),
3. Aluminum Oxide (Fused), 3 microns or smaller,
4. Chrome Oxide for Rock Tumbling (Optical Grade),
Note: The Fused Aluminum Oxide holds up best in Vibratory Tumblers, but the
shine you get with Cerium & Tin is magnificent! These polishes can also be used
when polishing Cabochons on a polishing wheel or when using a Polish Stick
POLISHING COMPOUNDS
OTHER POLISHING COMPOUNDS INCLUDES
1. Red Rouge
2. Tripoli (aka, Rottenstone, SiO2)
3. Titanium Oxide (aka, Titanium Dioxide or Titania)
4. Pumice
six rock polishes which have been used in
tumbling for many years.
supplies you will need during tumbling
(C) Tumbling Media Any substance put into the tumbler barrel or bowl that is
not consumed during the tumbling process, such as ceramic shapes and plastic
pellets.
Tumbling Media is used to
1. reduce the force of the collisions within the tumbler,
2. to provide “make-up” volume as the rocks get smaller, and
3. to act as a grit-carrier to rub on areas not reached by the rocks themselves.

Since media will last for many batches, it is not considered a consumable. The two most
popular re-usable types of media are:
1. A mixture of non-abrasive ceramic shapes, large (3/8-inch x 5/8-inch) and small (5/32-inchx 5/16-
inch) angle-cut cylinders and small (5/16-inch diameter) spheres.
2. 1/8-inch diameter Polypropylene (plastic) floating pellets
Note:
The plastic pellets can be re-used, but because they embed with grit during
the tumbling process, they must be kept separate and stored by grit size for
later re-use. Pellets from the 220-grit stage must never be used in the 600-
grit stage, because the embedded 220-grit powder will contaminate the 600-
grit stage.
Because the Ceramic Shapes are much harder, they do not embed with grit--
just rinse them with your rocks and move to the next stage. There is no need
to separate them from your rocks until the tumbling process has been
completed and your rocks are fully polished! For this reason, I recommend
that you purchase 5-10 pounds of Ceramic Shapes and keep re-using them in
each subsequent batch
 Ceramic Pellet Media
Properties of ceramic media
a) Has a hardness of 7+ on the Mohs Hardness Scale,
b) Has an excellent tenacity,
c) It is extremely durable,
d) Reusable,
e) Easy to clean, and
f) Will last through many batches of tumbled stones
 Why plastic pellets not good than ceramic
Here are a few other reasons why we switched to ceramic media for
all of our tumbling.
1. Are difficult to separate from the rocks and gather after rinsing.
2. Are tough to get clean and dry before storing.
3. Cannot be reused in a finer grit step because grit embedded in
them can contaminate the next steps.
4. Must be stored in separate containers according to the grit they
were used in.
5. Do not help much during grinding because they are soft.
 BENEFITS OF USING CERAMIC
MEDIA
Here are several benefits from using ceramic cylinder media:

1. Cushioning: The media reduces the impact energy between the

stones in the barrel.
2. Particle Size Balancing: Add small particles to a load of large rocks.
3. Filler: Get the barrel up to operating capacity.
4. Improve Tumbling Action: Smoothest the tumbling action of the
rocks in the barrel tumble better.
5. Deliver Grit to All Rock Surfaces: Facilitates grinding and polishing.
 BRUISES
Bruises are white fractures or chipping around the edges of your stones resulted
from stones banging against one another in the tumbler
This happens after the polishing step when no cushining
Most bruises result from two things:
1. a tumbler that is too fast for the durability of your stones (most tumblers are
too fast for almost any type of stone except jasper, agate and other varieties of
chalcedony), and,
2. large stones being banged against one another in the tumbler. Cushioning your
stones will reduce, and in many cases, eliminate this problem.
Media in the barrel will keep the stones from hitting one another as often as they
do when there is no media
Tumbling Media
summary of all supplies you will need during
tumbling
1. Silicon Carbide Compounds/Grit
2. Polishing Compounds
3. Ceramic Shaped Media
4. Plastic Pellet Media
5. Soap
6. Burnishing Powders
FILLING THE BARREL
• fill your rotary tumbler barrel with the sized rocks to a level which is
3/4 full with the lid in place (use a template, such as the AccuFill
Gauge, to assist you in getting the fill level correct every time)
• add an appropriate amount of coarse 80-mesh Silicon Carbide
abrasive powder (either follow the manufacturer’s instructions or
shoot for 1 to 2 tablespoons per pound of rocks for a 3-pound barrel,
use 4 level tablespoons, and for 10- pound barrel, about 15
tablespoons) and fill the barrel with water to just below the top layer
of rocks.
LID
• lid and “burp” the batch (a ½ teaspoon of baking soda should cure
this gas generation problem). For the record, most batches never
generate any gas at all
SLURRY
 MEDIA
• Media is any substance put into the tumbler barrel or bowl that is not
consumed during the tumbling process, such as ceramic shapes and plastic
pellets.
• Tumbling Media is used to
reduce the force of the collisions within the tumbler,
to provide “make-up” volume as the rocks get smaller,
to act as a grit-carrier to rub on areas not reached by the rocks themselves.

Since media will last for many batches, it is not considered a consumable. The two most
popular re-usable types of media are:
ceramic shapes, large (3/8-inch x 5/8-inch) and small (5/32-inch
Polypropylene (plastic) floating pellets (1/8-inch diameter)
• Note:
The plastic pellets can be re-used, but because they embed with grit during the
tumbling process, they must be kept separate and stored by grit size for later
re-use. Pellets from the 220-grit stage must never be used in the 600-grit stage,
because the embedded 220-grit powder will contaminate the 600-grit stage.
Because the Ceramic Shapes are much harder, they do not embed with grit--
just rinse them with your rocks and move to the next stage. There is no need to
separate them from your rocks until the tumbling process has been completed
and your rocks are fully polished! For this reason, I recommend that you
purchase 5-10 pounds of Ceramic Shapes and keep re-using them in each
subsequent batch
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