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Post by merlebrightshue on Mar 12, 2011 12:12:19 GMT -5
I'm very new to rock tumbling but looking here and on the internet I see there are literally tons of rocks being polished. Where do they end up? Like I see a box of 25 lbs of rocks for sale. If I buy and polish them what do I do with them? Just admire them for awhile and then toss them to make room for more? This is a serious question. I've only just started with a Thumbler's model T and it's running now but I'm thinking ahead about what in the world I'm going to do with these polished rocks if I enjoy this like I think I will.
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 12, 2011 12:18:11 GMT -5
Welcome aboard. Kids love shiny rocks. I give most of mine to the Girl Scouts for craft projects. The little polished chips I save to use as gravel in a tropical fish tank, and I've given a few pounds away to folks on here who do wire wrapping. Don
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Post by tntmom on Mar 12, 2011 14:26:48 GMT -5
I have mine in pretty glass jars and bowls that I put on tables or shelves for decoration. Evertime my girls have a friend over they pick out a favorite rock or two to take home with them. I've also used them in killer stepping stone molds for my garden! This summer my kids will be making their own stepping stones with them.
~Krystee
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 12, 2011 17:27:28 GMT -5
Make jewlery from some, give em to my granddaughter, give to any kids who like them, toss em into a flat rate box and then riffle thru them when I get depressed. It really doesn't matter what you do with them. This sickness we all have is called tumbling illness- the end results are not important.
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Post by rockrookie on Mar 12, 2011 17:33:02 GMT -5
we just like SHINEY rocks that were not that way when we started , its fun !! --paul
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
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Post by quartz on Mar 12, 2011 22:06:58 GMT -5
Two things we enjoy doing. Get a fairly large clear glass container and a tall, thin glass container that fits inside the other one. Put a candle in the thin one and fill the difference between inner and outer with polished agates, the more translucent ones work better. Makes a nice light and uses lots of rocks. We also make indoor fountains, generally ours in 16" dia. plastic tubs or handmade wooden tubs sealed with the resin used with fiberglass work, or Plasti Dip from auto parts houses, normally used for dipping wrench handles in. The fountains are fun, as you get to let your imagination go anywhere. Some of the really special ones, we do display just to look at and enjoy.
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Post by susand24224 on Mar 13, 2011 13:56:36 GMT -5
Gem trees, intarsia, covering soil in houseplant containers, making jewelry, tossing surreptitiously in playgrounds, gifts, picture frames, table tops--I don't do most of these things, but they are all good ideas. I just look at them for the most part. The above list is a justification for my addiction
Susan
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 14, 2011 7:54:36 GMT -5
Love the idea of tossing them in a playground!! Imagine the look on that lucky kids face when he or she finds a polished agate!
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Mar 14, 2011 16:18:50 GMT -5
I make jewelry and small decorative items to show off the patterns in the stones I have cut. Very, very slowly but since I polish stones very, very slowly, it's all good. I do have a "gift bowl" near my front door, for anybody who needs to pick out a lucky rock.
Also, it may be an unacknowleged activity over a wide area of the country, but there is a small underground of people who use rocks for folklore/crystal magic. For instance, if a person is struggling with a lot of negativity in their life or at their job, I might suggest that they carry a Smoky Quartz. Such a "worry" stone can be calming, if nothing else. The stone may serve as a reminder to your subconscious mind to help you cope, or the stone may link us with the ancient folklore of our ancestors, or who knows what...but I do think having something beautiful around can be better medicine than popping a pill when we feel overwhelmed. In New Orleans folklore, magic rocks would very often be in gris-gris bags or perhaps otherwise buried or hidden, so the skeptical eye would not be taking the magic out of the moment...and of course those rocks would seem to have vanished from the marketplace if they're being used privately and secretly. This is a sensitive topic, since this particular use of rocks is not accepted by either science or most modern religions. Yet it is a harmless thing that makes people happy, so why not?
Finally, some stones just look better polished in the mineral cabinet. I like to have a polished piece of rough but also a polished specimen -- particularly important to show off the lovely patterns in Agate.
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prairiedog41
starting to shine!
Member since October 2009
Posts: 35
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Post by prairiedog41 on Mar 15, 2011 19:05:01 GMT -5
We have SEVERAL rock clubs in our area and most of them due annual shows. (I belong to three of the clubs myself) All of these shows give polished rocks as prizes in the kids activities and games and I have as yet to find a club that will turn down donated polished stones for their shows.
-=Will=-
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flkate
starting to shine!
Member since March 2011
Posts: 43
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Post by flkate on Mar 25, 2011 9:28:17 GMT -5
I am TOTALLY going to throw some of my next batch out onto playgrounds - that is such an awesome idea. My 4 year old is always bringing home 'treasures' (tiny pinecones, etc) he picks up off the school grounds.
So far, the stones I've tumbled have sentimental value, and I find it calming to just look and them and take a handful and let them fall through my fingers. That may sound silly, but you take your comfort where you can get it!
Kate
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carneliancanuck
having dreams about rocks
Member since November 2010
Posts: 63
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Post by carneliancanuck on Mar 25, 2011 13:14:08 GMT -5
i give most away to visitors who are always fascinated with the polished stones. if it puts a smile on somebodys face then it was worth it, and i will do it again. i drill a hole in them, run a string through it and where it as a sort of hippie jewellery if i can call it that. most rocks are believed to have healing properties, i always wear a carnelian around my neck that gives me courage, strength and helps purify my blood. do i believe thats true? why not, if jesus can walk on water. there are many ideas on this site as to what you can do with your rocks. when your batch is finally polished i am certain you will almost instantly know what to do with them.
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Mar 25, 2011 18:14:45 GMT -5
When I'm not out salting playgrounds, tossing them around my neighbor's boat docks (everyone here thinks they are coming from aliens), or making jewelry from them, I'm doing odd things to make give-aways or set them on my table when doing jewelry sales. Seems they sell as well as my jewelry. Here's an example: I sell these for $1 each. Pull out the ole Dremel, cut in a design, go back with a sharpie marker and fill it in. Just something else fun to do with this hobby. Now I'm moving to more progressive designs, doing a simple outline of my PT Cruiser then filling it in with sharpie's new metallic silver marker. Should sell well on my PT Cruiser site. Again, a fun way to take the hobby a step further. Mind you, these rocks are between 2 and 3 inches across so they aren't the smaller ones.
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