Rock Tumbling Tutorial for Rotary Tumblers and Ceramic Media

Want to learn to polish rocks with a rotary tumbler? In this in depth tutorial, you'll learn to use your rotary tumbler with ceramic media to get a professional shine on your rocks. I have another similar video that shows how to do the last stages with a vibratory tumbler. This is my favorite method of tumbling.    • Tumbling Crazy Lace Agate - A Tutorial   If you want to tumble with a rotary tumbler with plastic pellets, check out this video:    • How to Polish Rocks with a Rotary Tumbler ...   All measurements are for a three pound barrel. In all stages the water should be just below the top layer of rocks. I use a little less than that in the coarse grinding stage. Coarse Grinding Stage Run your rocks for a week at a time coarse grit to get all the imperfections out. This will take much more than a week if you want really good results. 3-4 tablespoons of coarse silicon carbide grit (80, 60/90, 46/70 or similar) Stage 2 3 tablespoons of 120/220 or 220 silicon carbide grit Run for one week Stage 3 3 tablespoons of 500 grit aluminum oxide (you can use silicon carbide, but I prefer aluminum oxide) Run for ten days Polish Stage 3 tablespoons of aluminum oxide polish Run for two weeks or longer Burnishing This is optional and can be run between stages and after polish. The idea is to clean out any grit or slurry stuck in holes and cracks. If you don't have holes or cracks, this is not as important. I think the most important time to do this is between the 500 and polish stages. 2 tablespoons of borax Run for several hours – MERCH – Buy Michigan Rocks shirts and other merchandise here. https://michigan-rocks.myspreadshop.com – HIGHLAND PARK LAPIDARY – Highland Park makes some high quality tools at reasonable prices. They also have the best price on grit that I have found. I make a commission if you buy something through this link. It doesn't cost you extra. https://hplapidary.com/?ref=ROBERTABRAM Use promo code MICHIGANROCKS for 10% off rough rocks and accessories. – KINGSLEY NORTH – Kingsley North is a lapidary store in Michigan's U.P. They make a great cab machine and sell many other brands too. They have a huge selection of rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission. https://fas.st/t/u7uaxb5V This is the cabbing machine I use: https://fas.st/t/vCjRymKC – THE ROCK SHED – I buy a lot of lapidary supplies and rough rock from The Rock Shed. I don't make money from your purchases there, but they have good prices and good service. This is where I buy my finer grits and polish. http://rockshed.com – AMAZON STOREFRONT – I also have an Amazon storefront. This is where you can find other products you may have seen in my videos. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't cost you extra. http://www.amazon.com/shop/michiganrocks – SUBSCRIBE – On Michigan Rocks you can join me on relaxing rock hunts in picturesque Michigan. I'll also show you how to polish rocks and teach you other lapidary techniques. New videos are posted every Friday and some Tuesdays. Subscribe now so you don't miss any upcoming videos! http://www.youtube.com/c/MichiganRock... – FACEBOOK –   / michiganrocksrob   0:00 Coarse Stage 28:09 How to Shave Off Some Time 37:17 220 Grit Stage 39:30 500 Grit Stage 42:58 Polish Stage 46:20 Finished Rocks 53:41 Slide Show