pugdog
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Apr 8, 2005, 12:50 AM
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Rocktumbling catching on ?
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While the Internet is a global entity, we are trying to be a local/regional business, serving our Pittsburgh area customers. To that end, we'll post announcements when new rough or other materials and things show up. Unfortunately, we are not really ready for any mail order requests, so we won't torture you with pictures :) But when in Pittsburgh, do stop by!
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We've sold a lot of tumblers the past couple of months, and have a lot of new people addicted to tumbling -- or just to the rocks, we can't tell :)
A couple of people we are seeing 2 or 3 times a week -- they can't seem to get enough. One customer is up to 3 tumblers, from 0 just before Christmas. He's having fun :)
We are moving a lot of rough, and grit, and we are getting in some more exotic materials, and old favorites. The more we move (eg: sell to our customers) the more we can buy, and seek out really good stuff.
We just got 100 lbs of grade A med/large mix (ave 1.5-2"). This is nice stuff,without a lot of(any??) pitting. The mix has all sorts of stuff in it -- red and mixed jaspers, dalmatian stone, carnelians, quartz, obsidian, brecciated jasper, red and green aventurine, amazonite, and and quite a few suprises. It's what I call a "low peanut mix," very little clear/white quartz. Larger size, since this was intended for a commercial-grade operation where they put a few hundred pounds in a tumbler and see what comes out 3 months later. They expect a 40-50% rock loss, but also a top-grade end product they don't have to worry about. In a vibrating tumbler, you'll have to add a handfull or two of smaller stones to get this stuff to grind/polish correctly, but it will be beautiful! Random mix is only $6/lb, and $4.50/lb for 10 or more pounds. Similar quality stuff (when available) sells on ebay and elsewhere for up to $15/lb (sometimes more). (Some of these stones sell for $8-15 per pound individually!)
We'll have a few pre-made 5/lb packs with about 1lb of smaller grit-carrier stones that should polish up nicely from 1/8" to 1/2" final size for a discounted $35.
We also have individual species of stones from $5 to $40/lb.
We've cleaned out the store room (mostly) and have found some awesome rough, slabs, and specimens. We forgot we had them!
There are some agates that need a few hits of a hammer to fit into a tumbler, but also some exotic things that are making me seriously consider getting a 1.5 pound tumbler instead of the 4-5 pound ones I usually use. The right tool for the job. :)
Mini-slabs are popular now for beading and other jewelry, and the Lot-o-tumbler is a great little device for polishing them up! We have some slabs in various materials, including petrified woods. We found some high-grade slices of orbicular jaspers and other materials we forgot we had :)
And finally, like everything else, there is no free lunch. You can find tumble grade stones for $1.95 a pound or less, but what you get are usually jagged, pitted, and largely unusable stones. To grind them down to a "smooth" look will leave you with pebbles -- literally. Look carefully at any great "deals". If the rough is large, you'll have to break it, and that can be a tricky and wasteful (even dangerous) endeavor. When hit, agates tend to splinter, and create lot's of shards and splinters that are wasteful and don't tumble well, and can cut like a knife or lodge in an eye. Those chips can be used in a rotating tumbler to get those tiny stones used for gem trees and artwork, but if that is not your primary goal, it adds up to a lot of waste.
The rough we carry is designed to give you maximum yeild, and enjoyment. Pitted rocks, can be a problem in a grind as well. Grit will hide in the pits, and may come out in the next step. If you use small pitted rocks as filler *don't* pass them on to the next step. Keep them in the coarse grinds until they are smooth, or all ground down. In short, the better the grade of stone you put into the tumbler, the better the end product coming out will be.
Enjoy!
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