Lapidary Tumbler - How to Use it Correctly
A lapidary tumbler is what is used to shape stones with coarse to fine grits normally with water.
They perform the job of Mother Nature, like when you see rocks in a brook or stream.
These stones are cheap and are used for making jewellery.
The sorts of lapidary tumblers are: Rotating tumblers - some types are available from toy stores and are fun to use.
But you are limited as to the dimensions of the rocks as these only have a tiny rotor power.
There are a few sizes and some have double barrels.
The advantages of these are they're cost-effective; straightforward to use; the rocks get rounder; and you can start the tumbler and forget it.
Vibrational Tumblers - these don't tumble the rock, instead they use an ultrasound or spin round the vertical axis.
They're a bit dearer but they're more favored because they polish the rocks a lot faster and keep the form of the rock instead of only making a rounded rock.
Also they seem to be a bit quieter too.
The advantages for using these tumblers is they put a better shine on the rocks; they polish quicker; it does a minimum shaping of the rock; frail rocks are better handled; and it uses less grit and polish.
They're also better than rotary tumblers when polishing stones like obsidian, glass or opal.
The downside of these is that you've got to check them daily and it is hard to get the right slurry.
It's a brilliant idea to employ a rotary tumbler to round the rocks and then put them in a vibrational tumbler for the last stage of polishing.
Size is critical when selecting a tumbler and you want to decide what type of rocks you are going to tumble.
Little barrels should really only be used for little rocks and the massive barrels can hold bigger rocks and more smaller rocks.
Also remember the reasons behind rotor screw ups and belt breakages is when you have overloaded the barrels.
Double barrels are excellent for polishing plenty of rocks or keep a barrel reserved for just polishing.
Some preparation tips: Use Vaseline to seal the barrel for leaks.
Buy additional grit Employ a sound insulator to shelter the tumbler (the people next door will most likely thank you for it).
The main problem for folks not getting a good polish on their rocks is perhaps because they don't have the patience.
Remember if the early stages are rushed then the scratches that are still in the rocks won't come out.
Also this process takes weeks not days.
The other main problem is overfilling the tumbler.
If the barrel is too full the rocks will take more time to get rounded in the coarse grits.
It's best if the barrel is 2/3rds full, also you can tumble in two groups and then mix them for the remainder of the method.
So when taking a look at purchasing a lapidary tumbler, search around and get recommendation from folk who have experience with these machines.
They perform the job of Mother Nature, like when you see rocks in a brook or stream.
These stones are cheap and are used for making jewellery.
The sorts of lapidary tumblers are: Rotating tumblers - some types are available from toy stores and are fun to use.
But you are limited as to the dimensions of the rocks as these only have a tiny rotor power.
There are a few sizes and some have double barrels.
The advantages of these are they're cost-effective; straightforward to use; the rocks get rounder; and you can start the tumbler and forget it.
Vibrational Tumblers - these don't tumble the rock, instead they use an ultrasound or spin round the vertical axis.
They're a bit dearer but they're more favored because they polish the rocks a lot faster and keep the form of the rock instead of only making a rounded rock.
Also they seem to be a bit quieter too.
The advantages for using these tumblers is they put a better shine on the rocks; they polish quicker; it does a minimum shaping of the rock; frail rocks are better handled; and it uses less grit and polish.
They're also better than rotary tumblers when polishing stones like obsidian, glass or opal.
The downside of these is that you've got to check them daily and it is hard to get the right slurry.
It's a brilliant idea to employ a rotary tumbler to round the rocks and then put them in a vibrational tumbler for the last stage of polishing.
Size is critical when selecting a tumbler and you want to decide what type of rocks you are going to tumble.
Little barrels should really only be used for little rocks and the massive barrels can hold bigger rocks and more smaller rocks.
Also remember the reasons behind rotor screw ups and belt breakages is when you have overloaded the barrels.
Double barrels are excellent for polishing plenty of rocks or keep a barrel reserved for just polishing.
Some preparation tips: Use Vaseline to seal the barrel for leaks.
Buy additional grit Employ a sound insulator to shelter the tumbler (the people next door will most likely thank you for it).
The main problem for folks not getting a good polish on their rocks is perhaps because they don't have the patience.
Remember if the early stages are rushed then the scratches that are still in the rocks won't come out.
Also this process takes weeks not days.
The other main problem is overfilling the tumbler.
If the barrel is too full the rocks will take more time to get rounded in the coarse grits.
It's best if the barrel is 2/3rds full, also you can tumble in two groups and then mix them for the remainder of the method.
So when taking a look at purchasing a lapidary tumbler, search around and get recommendation from folk who have experience with these machines.
Source...