Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 29, 2017 9:55:28 GMT -5
Hello! I'm Luminin from northern Ohio. I stumbled across the idea of tumbling while looking into joining a lapidary club (something else I've only recently discovered while searching for a new hobby). Tumbling seemed to have an easier and cheaper startup than the full on lapidary craft.
I've already purchased a small hobby tumbler, a kit of grit and several pounds of fancy stones from far away places and expect to start the first stage today after work.
I'm an avid gamer who loves the idea of treasure and no treasure chest is complete without gems! Thus my breach into this craft.
The more I've read and watched, it seems almost taboo in some circles to buy rocks to tumble. The preferred method being finding your own. But as I'm a complete novice, I don't have any idea of what I should be looking for nor where I should be looking.
Any info or advice is appreciated!
Excited to be here, Luminin
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Post by gmitch067 on Aug 29, 2017 10:20:18 GMT -5
As far as I am concerned, buying the rocks is perfectly fine. Some words of advice though...
If you are not able to go out to the boonies (or beach) looking for rocks to tumble, you might have to buy from a rock shop or from an internet site. It is more economical to buy rough stones from a shop than from eBay or Amazon. Shop costs are higher but (especially in local shops) you get to pick and choose which ones you want to purchase and tumble. Amazon sells rough stones for about $12-$20 per lb. But when you get them they are many times of poor quality and have only 4-5 rocks in the batch worth tumbling (if you are lucky) - the rest are so small or cracked that they will be totally chewed up in the 80 grit run(s), ...or they are riddled with impurities. In essence, you are paying between $3-$4 per tumblable stone (1-1 ⅟2 inch size) at Amazon... shop costs will begin to look allot better!
But you can find some nice batches at Amazon if the retailer used happens to be one of those which specializes in tumbling supplies. Look at he retailer name on the Amazon add and see if they have a home web page. Go there and check them out first and compare their direct price vs. using Amazon as a middle man. (I have had good results buying my rough from The Rock Shed, but each of the members have their favorites.)
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
Posts: 1,360
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Post by lookatthat on Aug 29, 2017 10:23:31 GMT -5
Buying rocks is OK! Many people buy rocks that they can't collect locally. Even the most ardent collector may be able to self-collect petrified wood from Oregon and Washington, but not Madagascar and Australia.
Tumbling stones that you have collected yourself adds another layer of satisfaction to the whole process, which is why we like to do it when we can. It's like eating vegetables from your own garden VS buying them at the grocery store or farmers' market.
As you learn more about which rocks take a nice tumble, you may be able to find some of your own. What area are you in?
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Post by Pat on Aug 29, 2017 10:29:50 GMT -5
Welcome from California. Not a tumbler, but there are many tumbling experts here.
Did you see the big tumbling sections?
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 29, 2017 10:49:33 GMT -5
Excellent advice gmitch067! I'm actually doing exactly that in my search for high grade Labradorite! That makes sense lookatthat!, funny you should mention petrified wood from Madagascar, in one of the random mix bags I bought I have a piece! I've been slowly poking through them this past hour while at work Pat, there's SO much information!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 29, 2017 11:19:21 GMT -5
lookatthat Woops. I'm from Northern Ohio. Right on Lake Erie.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Aug 29, 2017 11:31:41 GMT -5
Welcome from a neighbor in KY. Glad you've taken an interest in the hobby. There's a lot to learn and a lot of fun to be had. Word of warning on the labradorite front, it's a tough one to tumble well. Agates and jaspers are good rocks to learn on. They take a while to shape up in stage one, but they are the most likely to provide good results. Your pet wood will tumble nicely as well, but it often has some fractures to deal with. Jump in, though, you have to start somewhere.
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 29, 2017 12:19:23 GMT -5
Hey neighbor, Garage Rocker ! That's good info, I've read a little about skipping the first (course) grit for the Labradorite and keeping a close eye on it. In the same package from Madagascar that contained the petrified wood, there was a piece of Labradorite, albiet low flash. I'll be searching to see if I can find agate or jasper locally!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Aug 29, 2017 12:34:52 GMT -5
This is a good read about the flint found in your home state.
Flint Ridge Ohio
It is a great candidate for tumbling, here is some I have finished.
May be worth a trip, if you want to try digging for your own material.
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lookatthat
Cave Dweller
Whatever there is to be found.
Member since May 2017
Posts: 1,360
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Post by lookatthat on Aug 29, 2017 13:57:40 GMT -5
GR, those are some sweet tumbles!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 29, 2017 16:46:21 GMT -5
Wow! Those ARE gorgeous! I'll defo be planning a trip!
Having given the link a good read, I'm pumped to get out there! What you had finished was truly gorgeous!! Thanks so much for that suggestion!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 29, 2017 19:06:41 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum from Michigan.
I've never heard anyone on this site say that it's taboo to buy rocks to tumble. You'd miss so much if you only tumbled local rocks. That being said, I do find it enjoyable to tumble rocks that I have picked myself. Rather than buying rocks, I've done a lot of trading on this site. I pick up my local rocks and trade for someone else's local rocks. Everybody wins.
I picked up the Petoskey stone in my avatar. I chose that for my avatar because it's local and I polished it, so I guess it's a little more special because of that.
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Post by captbob on Aug 29, 2017 19:13:19 GMT -5
I would trade with Rob Jugglerguy for his local rocks, but I'm kinda thinking that he wouldn't appreciate a box of sand. Ohio flint is a top tier rock for tumbling. Not that I would move from Florida to be closer to it. So, I buy it. Often where one lives dictates that buying rocks is a must. And, welcome to the forum Luminin
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Post by aDave on Aug 29, 2017 19:20:36 GMT -5
Hello! I'm Luminin from northern Ohio. I stumbled across the idea of tumbling while looking into joining a lapidary club (something else I've only recently discovered while searching for a new hobby). Tumbling seemed to have an easier and cheaper startup than the full on lapidary craft. I've already purchased a small hobby tumbler, a kit of grit and several pounds of fancy stones from far away places and expect to start the first stage today after work. I'm an avid gamer who loves the idea of treasure and no treasure chest is complete without gems! Thus my breach into this craft. The more I've read and watched, it seems almost taboo in some circles to buy rocks to tumble. The preferred method being finding your own. But as I'm a complete novice, I don't have any idea of what I should be looking for nor where I should be looking. Any info or advice is appreciated! Excited to be here, Luminin Welcome. You'll have a great time learning here...the folks on the site are more than happy to help. I'm going to "second" the suggestion that you get some Flint Ridge flint. It's beautiful stuff and tends to tumble quite nicely. However, because it is so hard, it takes a while to shape. I got my hands on some a while ago, and I'm trying to figure out how to score more (though I haven't looked that hard). You mentioned you bought a "hobby" tumbler. Which did you get? Unfortunately, some of the budget tumblers don't hold up too well and end up causing more frustration in the long run. There are two companies that sell entry level stuff, and there are pros and cons to each. Good luck in your venture. Keep asking questions. Dave
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 3:13:38 GMT -5
Thanks for the suggestions/info, Jugglerguy, captbob and aDave! aDave I purchased a Nat Gel tumbler off Amazon. It's small and doesn't strike me as robust, but I figure (hope) it'll last long enough for me to cut my teeth.
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 30, 2017 3:31:12 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum.
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 8:17:55 GMT -5
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Aug 30, 2017 8:53:42 GMT -5
Howdy and welcome to the forum....
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,652
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Post by Tommy on Aug 30, 2017 11:20:10 GMT -5
Welcome from California!
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Luminin
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2017
Posts: 400
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Post by Luminin on Aug 30, 2017 14:36:45 GMT -5
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