A handful of ordinary, even ugly, rocks can be polished into beautiful pieces for art or jewelry by using a rock tumbler.
Step1
Check out a book on rock tumbling from the library.
Step2
Look at both the rotary tumbler and the vibratory tumbler to decide which would work the best for you.
Step3
Note that a rotary tumbler is less expensive, quieter and easier to use but takes longer to provide a finished product, uses more grit and wears the rock down more.
Step4
Compare it to a vibratory tumbler, which is quicker, uses less grit and retains the stone's basic shape - only smooth. But it's expensive, more noisy and needs more attention than a rotary tumbler.
Step5
Decide on the size of tumbling barrel you will need. The 3-pound tumbler is a good size for beginners wishing to tumble only small amounts or smaller rocks. When deciding on size, remember the barrel must be at least half full and no more than three-quarters full to work properly.
Step6
Look at a multibarrel tumbler for polishing rocks at different stages and sizes.
Step7
Think about buying a rock-tumbling kit that includes tumbler, grit and polishing materials to start out with.
Step8
Talk to a rock hound about reliable tumblers. Look in the phone book or the Internet for a rock and gem club close to your home. Rock hounds love to talk about rocks and will be more than willing to help you get started in the right direction.
Further Reading:
===============
For More quality and unique Information on the topic of Jewelry Tumblers, please visit the following reference site:
Jewelry Tumbler
Showing posts with label Using Rock Tumbler Jewelry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Using Rock Tumbler Jewelry. Show all posts
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
How to Choose a Rock Polisher
Rock Polishing is perhaps one of the oldest process on earth. Long before man came along it was done by the oceans and was a gradual process that took years.
Nowadays we're able to get in on the fun and with the use of the right type of Rock Polisher / tumbler it can be done in a matter of days or weeks.
At first it can be very daunting trying to get to grips with the different terminology associated with the rock polisher, but it needn't be - there are actually only two main types of Rock Polisher (also commonly known as Rock Tumblers) on the market - Rotary and Vibratory. Before you choose your equipment and spend any money there are just a few factors you should consider:
1) Cost
Rotary rock Polishers / tumblers are generally cheaper and start from around $50 and can range anywhere up to $800 for heavy-duty commercial machines. For a decent Vibratory tumbler you can expect to pay upwards of $150.
2) Observation
Once set-up, rotary rock Polishers require very little, if any observation and as such you can effectively 'set it and forget it' whereas Vibratory tumblers should really be checked at least once a day.
3) Time
Vibratory rock polishers are far quicker that their rotary counterparts - typically 7-10 days versus the 30-45 days you could expect to run the rotary rock polisher.
4) Rounded or Natural?
Another key difference between the different types of rock polisher is the end result. Rotary Rock Tumblers will leave you with a more rounded stone, whereas the vibratory rock polisher will polish without much alteration to the overall shape of the rock. For the purposes of jewelry making (Lapidary) most people prefer rounded rocks, however for displaying that raw amethyst you found whilst out Rockhounding you may want to keep the natural shape but polish it up to a shine.
5) Capacity
There are varying sized barrels for the Rock Polisher, measured in lbs and the more you're planning to do at any given time the bigger barrel you'll need to do it - you may even want to consider one of the double-barreled tumblers on the market, available from companies such as Lortone.
6) Rock Types
The final consideration when choosing your rock polisher comes down to what rocks you're thinking of polishing. For smoothing out rough rocks you're going to want to use a rotary tumbler. If your main focus is going to be fragile rocks which and you don't want to alter their shape too much, then you'll need a Vibratory rock polisher.
Once you've all of the above into account, you're ready to head off and make an informed decision.
In the long run, if you get really serious about rocks you may find yourself (like so many lapidaries) with more than one Rock Polisher - A rotary for rounding and then a vibratory rock polisher for the final stage of polishing.
More articles on this subject can be found on my blog, as detailed below.
Further Reading:
===============
For More quality and unique Information on the topic of Jewelry Tumblers, please visit the following reference site:
Jewelry Tumbler
Nowadays we're able to get in on the fun and with the use of the right type of Rock Polisher / tumbler it can be done in a matter of days or weeks.
At first it can be very daunting trying to get to grips with the different terminology associated with the rock polisher, but it needn't be - there are actually only two main types of Rock Polisher (also commonly known as Rock Tumblers) on the market - Rotary and Vibratory. Before you choose your equipment and spend any money there are just a few factors you should consider:
1) Cost
Rotary rock Polishers / tumblers are generally cheaper and start from around $50 and can range anywhere up to $800 for heavy-duty commercial machines. For a decent Vibratory tumbler you can expect to pay upwards of $150.
2) Observation
Once set-up, rotary rock Polishers require very little, if any observation and as such you can effectively 'set it and forget it' whereas Vibratory tumblers should really be checked at least once a day.
3) Time
Vibratory rock polishers are far quicker that their rotary counterparts - typically 7-10 days versus the 30-45 days you could expect to run the rotary rock polisher.
4) Rounded or Natural?
Another key difference between the different types of rock polisher is the end result. Rotary Rock Tumblers will leave you with a more rounded stone, whereas the vibratory rock polisher will polish without much alteration to the overall shape of the rock. For the purposes of jewelry making (Lapidary) most people prefer rounded rocks, however for displaying that raw amethyst you found whilst out Rockhounding you may want to keep the natural shape but polish it up to a shine.
5) Capacity
There are varying sized barrels for the Rock Polisher, measured in lbs and the more you're planning to do at any given time the bigger barrel you'll need to do it - you may even want to consider one of the double-barreled tumblers on the market, available from companies such as Lortone.
6) Rock Types
The final consideration when choosing your rock polisher comes down to what rocks you're thinking of polishing. For smoothing out rough rocks you're going to want to use a rotary tumbler. If your main focus is going to be fragile rocks which and you don't want to alter their shape too much, then you'll need a Vibratory rock polisher.
Once you've all of the above into account, you're ready to head off and make an informed decision.
In the long run, if you get really serious about rocks you may find yourself (like so many lapidaries) with more than one Rock Polisher - A rotary for rounding and then a vibratory rock polisher for the final stage of polishing.
More articles on this subject can be found on my blog, as detailed below.
Further Reading:
===============
For More quality and unique Information on the topic of Jewelry Tumblers, please visit the following reference site:
Jewelry Tumbler
Reason for Using Rock Tumbler Jewelry
Rock tumbling is actually a fun project. It requires some patience but in the end you will enjoy every bit of it and it’s a good way to use your collected rocks. After you are done, you’ll be having an amazing selection of rocks. Add interest to the house plant’s dirt, add vase for use with flowers and put it in your main display place.
But the main question is that “How we get rock tumbler jewelry?”
Fir you’ll start with coarse abrasives, tumble for about week, now check the progress. If you are not satisfied than make the abrasive finer to finer grit until you get the desired result i.e. surface of your jewelry item become smooth. Rock tumbling should always be supervised by an adult. You have to simply add silicon carbide grit and water as abrasives to make the smooth surface of your gems. In beginning process, you may addsmall rocks to help the smoothening process. Mostly used abrasives are fine silicon carbide (120/220 grit), coarse silicon carbide (60/90 grit), reusable plastic pellets and some other polish materials. This jewelry looks as shiny as a new one. To get the desired result, you have to put your jewelry item into the tumbler for few hours. In beginning level, it will take more time but when you become professional, you just have to give just few hours to it.
There are also some other cases involved such as the choosing of tumbler. A rock tumbler is very likely to break if it is sold as a toy. On the other hand plastic tumblers are very cheap but noisy and it also indicates the bad quality of machine. In the end you’ll find that tock tumbler is better among them if it is properly treated with care. Therefore the jewelry of rock tumbler type is the one which will not let you down and make you feel that your jewelry is still new.
Further Reading:
===============
For More quality and unique Information on the topic of Jewelry Tumblers, please visit the following reference site:
Jewelry Tumbler
But the main question is that “How we get rock tumbler jewelry?”
Fir you’ll start with coarse abrasives, tumble for about week, now check the progress. If you are not satisfied than make the abrasive finer to finer grit until you get the desired result i.e. surface of your jewelry item become smooth. Rock tumbling should always be supervised by an adult. You have to simply add silicon carbide grit and water as abrasives to make the smooth surface of your gems. In beginning process, you may addsmall rocks to help the smoothening process. Mostly used abrasives are fine silicon carbide (120/220 grit), coarse silicon carbide (60/90 grit), reusable plastic pellets and some other polish materials. This jewelry looks as shiny as a new one. To get the desired result, you have to put your jewelry item into the tumbler for few hours. In beginning level, it will take more time but when you become professional, you just have to give just few hours to it.
There are also some other cases involved such as the choosing of tumbler. A rock tumbler is very likely to break if it is sold as a toy. On the other hand plastic tumblers are very cheap but noisy and it also indicates the bad quality of machine. In the end you’ll find that tock tumbler is better among them if it is properly treated with care. Therefore the jewelry of rock tumbler type is the one which will not let you down and make you feel that your jewelry is still new.
Further Reading:
===============
For More quality and unique Information on the topic of Jewelry Tumblers, please visit the following reference site:
Jewelry Tumbler
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)