Getting Exciting

[Harrison]

This life of a lapidary is getting exciting now that I have some finished product, that really looks nice. It is a slow process sometimes it takes over a couple of months.
I have upgraded my equipment with more and larger high quality tumblers. Two of my newer tumblers each hold 6 pounds of rock. You may start out with 6 pounds in Stage one, but by the time you get to the super polish stage that six pounds has shrunk to 3 pounds or less. If you plan on a lot, or serious, rock tumbling, get really good, more expensive tumblers that can run 24/7 for years. Sort of like buying firearms and accessories. Buy very good the first time and don't have to buy again. Soon I will be running two 6 pounders and three 3 pounders. That speeds a really slow process up quite a bit.

 

[lihpster]

What kind of stones you tumbling there, Harrison?

 

[Harrison]

What kind of stones you tumbling there, Harrison?

Right now I have petrified wood, agates, jasper, to include dalmatian jasper, and a little quartz. Next week I will probably start of load of quartz in different colors.

 

[jscheck]

I did a little bit of tumbling several years ago. It was fun but I couldn't afford the really good equipment at the time and gave it up. The end products were beautiful!

 

[glenwolde]

I thought we were only allowed to tumble brass....

 

[65Whelen]

You tweaked my interest. We need some pics of the finished product to figure out what all the hopla is about.

 

[NYlakesider]

I thought we were only allowed to tumble brass....

The same equipment can do double duty. A good friend ran a lapidary business and was also a shooter. His business was named Many Facets, it was right outside of Albany NY.

He sold good quality equipment and in fact sold many tumblers to people that only wanted them for gun projects!

 

[oldman10mm]

I dabbled in lapidary stone polishing for a while.

 

[TX-Dennis]

Hmm... I had one of those kid's kits about 50-odd years ago. Was fun, but a bit noisy running 24 hours a day for weeks at a time. I probably still have some polished stones from it around here somewhere. I remember buying the metal parts and making some earrings and rings for female relatives back then.

I later got one of those wheels for faceting stones, but I never got very good at it. Just a bit of childhood fun.

 

[rustythread]

Hmm... I had one of those kid's kits about 50-odd years ago. Was fun, but a bit noisy running 24 hours a day for weeks at a time. I probably still have some polished stones from it around here somewhere. I remember buying the metal parts and making some earrings and rings for female relatives back then.

I later got one of those wheels for faceting stones, but I never got very good at it. Just a bit

This life of a lapidary is getting exciting now that I have some finished product, that really looks nice. It is a slow process sometimes it takes over a couple of months.
I have upgraded my equipment with more and larger high quality tumblers. Two of my newer tumblers each hold 6 pounds of rock. You may start out with 6 pounds in Stage one, but by the time you get to the super polish stage that six pounds has shrunk to 3 pounds or less. If you plan on a lot, or serious, rock tumbling, get really good, more expensive tumblers that can run 24/7 for years. Sort of like buying firearms and accessories. Buy very good the first time and don't have to buy again. Soon I will be running two 6 pounders and three 3 pounders. That speeds a really slow process up quite a bit.

It'll get really exciting when you get set up with wet grinders and sanders, and start making shaped work. Back in the early '60s, I spent a lot of off-duty time in the lapidary section of the post craft shop at Ft Sill. Best thing I ever made was a ring with a body of solid black jade and a top inlay of opal. Did black opal jewelry for family members, and a lot of belt buckles out of tiger-eye and agate and a lot of bracelets I sold to guys who wanted something unusual to send home to CindyLou.

Enjoy the hobby and the education that comes with it!