denversue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2021
Posts: 160
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Post by denversue on Dec 18, 2021 18:05:55 GMT -5
Hi, this store is the only place I could find mixed agate for tumbling. Has anyone used them before? I've been getting my rocks at the rock shed but they don't have mixed rocks.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Dec 18, 2021 18:20:07 GMT -5
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Post by MsAli on Dec 18, 2021 18:35:15 GMT -5
I've used Gems by Mail on a few occasions. They provide decent tumbling material at a reasonable cost.
Also may I recommend you post what type of mixed rocks you'd like. I bet some members here may be able to accommodate you
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brybry
Cave Dweller
Enter your message here...
Member since October 2021
Posts: 1,220
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Post by brybry on Dec 18, 2021 18:39:24 GMT -5
I've ordered from them a few times. Some of their prices almost doubled just in time for Christmas. Kinda put me off a bit. Otherwise, decent tumble rough.
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RedWingTumbler
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 65
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Post by RedWingTumbler on Dec 18, 2021 22:35:08 GMT -5
I've used them a few times & they have always been good. Once they sent me six pounds of moonstone, but only charged me for three. Buying mixes is a good way to get a wide variety of stones to try tumbling, but I quickly learned that tumbling a mixture of rocks can be iffy. Too often, the mixed stones don't play well together in the barrel. I've bought mixes from Rock Shed, Kingsley North, Gems by Mail, Rough Stone Rocks, & rocktumbler.com. I usually separate all the rocks by type & wait until I have enough rocks of one type to fill a barrel.
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 865
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Post by lordsorril on Dec 18, 2021 23:05:03 GMT -5
Hi, this store is the only place I could find mixed agate for tumbling. Has anyone used them before? I've been getting my rocks at the rock shed but they don't have mixed rocks. The quality of their material varies greatly. I have seen some really poor pitted pieces of rough in their agate mixes...their jasper mix has always been fairly solid though...go figure... I consider Gems By Mail to be my less reliable (and more expensive option) for material I can't find at The Rock Shed. Gems by Mail changes their sales twice/week, they usually rotate their inventory of 'on sale' stones (1lb. bags)...so if you are patient you can eventually get what you want (buy one get one free, or 'on clearance'). They almost always have promotional codes available...if you do a bit of digging you should be able to get a % off a purchase of $X+. A year or two ago they would 'overlap' sales briefly for a few hours during their changeover and you could manually type the product name in and pull up the previous sale price and add them to your cart...an attentive person could combine the sales from two groups and then add on a promotional code + free shipping...I got a lot of reasonably priced rocks from them before they 'updated' their website.
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denversue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2021
Posts: 160
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Post by denversue on Dec 18, 2021 23:10:00 GMT -5
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jimmie
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2021
Posts: 233
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Post by jimmie on Dec 19, 2021 8:56:53 GMT -5
You can get good deals on mixed tumbling agates on eBay. I’ve still got a bunch. Just look for the cheapest. Price comparison shopping with all the sites is best.
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RedWingTumbler
having dreams about rocks
Member since April 2021
Posts: 65
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Post by RedWingTumbler on Dec 19, 2021 9:32:52 GMT -5
All things considered, gemsbymail.com was the best for me. They seem to have a wider variety of rocks in their mix & their price is very reasonable. I ordered 10 pounds from them & separated the rocks by type for tumbling. Looking back on it, I should have ordered 15 or 20 pounds to be able to have enough of each type of rock for full loads. The trouble with mixes, is that you are likely to get a wide range of hardness & durability (for instance, quartz is as hard as agate, but more prone to bruising, so they need to be tumbled differently.) Nevertheless, I still like to order a mix now & then. I've gotten some really nice rocks that way.
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denversue
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2021
Posts: 160
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Post by denversue on Dec 19, 2021 11:07:43 GMT -5
Thank you. I don't know anything about identifying rocks or their hardnmess, so I'm just going to dump them all in my tumbler and see how it turns out. I got some fantastic Crazy Lace at rockshed.com, but I'm trying to expand my tumbling beyone Crazy Lace. National Geographic has an agate mix, but I haven't been too happy with their rocks.
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eccman
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since August 2021
Posts: 93
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Post by eccman on Dec 19, 2021 20:03:41 GMT -5
I have used Gems by mail and have been happy with them.
Eccman
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tjs77tsa
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2021
Posts: 17
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Post by tjs77tsa on Dec 20, 2021 23:50:51 GMT -5
Rockshed sells mixed rock it's not all agate but it's all mohs 7 so should tumble ok together I would think.
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Post by Bob on Dec 26, 2021 15:50:23 GMT -5
I've used Gems by Mail on a few occasions. They provide decent tumbling material at a reasonable cost. Same for me.
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