Each year I try to learn something new in the area of hand skills. This year I have chosen Rock Tumbling! I have watched YouTube, read 'how to identify rocks and minerals' books and have finally purchased my own dual drum rock tumbler and the grit needed to smooth the rocks, usually in one week intervals which means you have at least 4 weeks to wait for you polished rocks!
I have collected and admired rocks since my earliest memories. (In fact, I can still remember the horror to learn my parents had somehow disposed of my paper grocery bags full of rocks when we moved when I was 15!) I grew up living under an hour away from Lake Ontario on the South shore. I thought for a very long time (until 12) that the name of the lake was Grandpa's Lake because that is what we called it when we stayed at my Grandpa's camp at the shore! I still have rocks I have collected from there and I will tumble a few of them to polish them. Lake tumbled rocks don't take as long because they have already been 'tumbled' naturally.
I am also tumbling in the second drum, a bag of carnelians from a friend who has had them saved for ages! I hope to see some shiny, rounded 'gems' when I finish with these!
The unit has gone out to the garage to run continuously for about a week for stage one! To be continued next Tuesday!
My mom used to do that. I was always fascinated by the change. They look like the crown jewels to me when they came out.
ReplyDeleteEager to see the results of your new craft. I collected rocks when I was younger. My Mom frequently would stoop over to pick up pretty rocks.
ReplyDeleteOh what fun! I always wanted a rock tumbler as a child!
ReplyDeleteI was very upset to learn my Dad bought one a few years ago, long after I moved out. But he doesn't use it for rocks. He uses it to clean brass casings from his guns so he can reuse them when he loads his own ammunition.
Sounds like they are gonna require a whole lot of tumbling. I had a nice collection of unique rocks when I was younger. Gave them to my ex-husband's brother because he had started a rock collection as a kid -- kinda wish I hadn't done that. I also gave away my stamp collection when we got divorced -- to a girl at the bank that I knew collected them. :) Oh well. I have all sorts of other collections now -- and that includes rocks.
ReplyDeleteVery exciting!
ReplyDeleteOh!! I did that a time or two when I was younger, and always loved going to gem and mineral shows to pick up polished stones.
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