A couple of stupid questions..

*S* Not stupid questions at all. Most of us have found that stuff out through trial and error but, by asking questions first, you save yourself all the hassle.

1; Yes, the coarse stage is the most important for turning out good tumbles and it takes patience. Either run in coarse till the pits are gone or use the saw or grinder to get rid of the pits before you start the grind. Pits can trap grit and contaminate the other stages and detract from the appearance of you finished stones.

2. You can tumble pieces that size in a big tumbler like a 12 pounder but in small barrels you probably wouldn't get very good grinding action. Also, it's very important to have a mix of sizes from a few large to lots of small stuff. I never run more than a handful of larger stones in any one lot as you need the surface to surface action of the smaller stones to make sure each stage gets properly done. Also, remember the big stones can be real knockers in the later stages creating fractures or chips in the more delicate pieces in the lot so use lots of small stones and plastic pellets in those later stages to prevent the big'uns from smacking around the load too much.

3. Trimming or pregrinding stones has the advantage of letting you choose better shapes and remove imperfections before the stones start the coarse grind. This can give you nicer stone shapes for wrapping etc and a head start on the coarse grind which will shorten the time the stones have to spend in coarse to get good smooth shapes.

Good luck and have fun....Mel

I really appreciate the great information. It will get me off to a good start. I live on a river that has a lot of large agates, and is, for the most part, Columbia River gravels. So I am having a lot of fun learning how to get going. Again, thanks very much
David

Not to repaet what Jack said but something that is usually not done is to have at least 1/3 of any load being small pieces.
Most people don't want to waste the room in the barrel and just put in the "good stuff" thinking they have done the right thing.
The smaller pieces carry the grit around and also improve the surface contact between all of the rocks.

lotsa big rocks = very little surface contact.

lotsa small rocks = a LOT of surface contact.

connrock

All good advice! I can't think of a thing to add, other than that you might want to save the 3"-4" ones for cutting and cabbing. That way you'll get a lot more bang for your buck from one rock. Having said that, big tumbled stones can be really impressive (but they're also a lot of work!).

Chuck