Petoskey stones michigan lots of people want to polish their petoskey stones in a rock tumbler.
Petoskey stone rock tumbler.
Because of the softness of petoskey stones trying to polish them in a regular rock tumbler can be a tricky process.
The best rock tumbler for petoskey stones the national geographic hobby rock tumbler comes with simple instructions that make this easy for even a novice to use.
Many online sites warn against trying it.
Whether it s a.
How to polish petoskey stones with a rock tumbler.
They are quite beautiful when you finish them by hand but i have to admit i was really surprised that they got far worse in the polish slurry inside the tumbler.
Petoskey stones in a rock tumbler a rock tumbler can be used to smooth rough petoskey stones.
But if we had some nice petoskey stones we would grind them to shape and polish them to a bright luster using a lapidary machine.
For a small single barrel tumbler you ll usually pay between 70 and 120.
If the stone begins to seem oily add denatured alcohol to the wheel and continue polishing until the oily look is gone.
Petoskey stones are relatively soft with a mohs hardness of 3 to 3 1 2 so tumble polishing them safely can be a little tricky and is recommended for experienced lapidarists.
The undercutting issue prevents normal mass polishing techniques and so must be hand polished one at a time.
Unlock the true potential of your favorite stones.
I did them in both the rotary and vibe units without much luck i got my best results in the vibe by using 1000 grit tripoli and then uncooked rice for 3 days but they still don t shine up like other rocks.
Don t mix them with any rock or mineral harder than 4 mohs.
Be warned that you will totally give up control of their shaping if you decide to use a rock tumbler as a labor saving method.
The tumbler barrel is made of tire rubber to reduce the noise and it has a leak proof stainless steel lid.
Petoskey stones are a strange breed.
The tumbler will be most aggressive on the points edges and softer parts of the stone.
Whether you re a seasoned rock hound an artist who needs material or inspiration for your next project or just love beautiful things you re sure to discover something you love.
We sell rock tumblers and know a lot about them.