Rock Tumbling Media Substitutes

It is a common myth that you can use sand or river silt to act as grit substitute.

Rock tumbling media substitutes.

1 it delivers grit to hard to reach rock surfaces. 2 it is used to cushion fragile rock materials during the tumbling process. I have a separate post on the best rock tumblers for different scenarios which you can find here. The problem with sand is that it is too soft.

3 it is used to improve the tumbling action in the tumbler barrel. Rock tumbling media sort by. What is rock tumbler grit. These materials round out when tumbling and become ineffective very fast.

Rock tumbling is a slow step by step process with each step taking anywhere from five to 10 days. The first thing many people consider using when looking for a substitute tumbling grit is sand. This ceramic abrasive is ideal tumbler media for general purpose polishing and light deburring. Blended for soft action polishing and deburring this is a great ceramic abrasive for polishing small parts.

Silicon carbide is the best tumbling media for rocks. This is the best tumbling media or tumbling grit for rocks. Generally speaking the two brands i favor are lortone and thumler s. And 4 it is used as a filler to make up for lost volume after the coarse grit and medium grit steps.

Polishing rocks is a satisfying hobby but the use of a rock tumbler to achieve the polished result is surprisingly unnecessary. With a few simple materials and some elbow grease even the most novice rock hound can create beautiful polished stones and gems from a jagged collection. These beautiful stones will be turned into rings pendants belt buckles and money clips so polishing these rocks to perfection is not only an art it s a necessity. Rock tumbling media is a rounded or cylindrical material added to the tumbler barrel to improve the results of your tumbling.

Descending products per page. The tumbler media is made up of angle cut tri stars and provides a high luster finish on your items. They may already buy in bulk and resale to members at the discounted price. 8 12 16 20 40 100.

Best prices are a 300lb. It improves the tumbling action facilitates abrasion on all surfaces of the stones and helps to prevent chipped and bruised tumbled stones. I know buying in this quantity is a large chunk of change but try finding a friend or 2 to split the cost or check your local lapidary club. Rock tumbling is a very fun and rewarding hobby that people of all ages can enjoy.

Rock tumbling is becoming a popular hobby. What s rock tumbling grit made out of. Grit is the media used to grind down and shape stones or other objects in a tumbler and is made of silicon carbide. Commercial rock tumbling grit is made out of silicon carbide.