Rock Polisher 101

I recently happened upon a really nice article on the Gourdvine Flotsam and Jetsam blog about a Rockhound who recently discovered the joy of Rock Polishing.

I could definitely relate to the story of his first trying a Rock Tumbler with his young son and then finding it become a fully fledged hobby of his own just a year  or so down the line.

The author since invested in a pair of double-barrel rock tumblers, which he has running nearly 24hrs a day!

His great rock polishing projects for the are not limited to local stones either - the latest batch includes a batch of blue spotted sodalite, which is a beautiful stone from Brazil!

I really enjoyed reading about his passion for his rock tumblers and all of the exotic rocks he’s polishing.

Be inspired by the full story here:  http://gourdvine.typepad.com/gourdvine_flotsam_and_jet/2009/02/the-rock-tumbler.html

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Enjoy the new layout and any further feedback can be submitted in the usual way via the rock polisher 101 contact page!

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As their name suggests, Rock Polisher and Rock Tumbler machines’ primary function is to take your rough precious or semi-precious stones (or even beach pebbles!) and do in a (relatively) short space of time what the ocean takes thousands of years to do.

The end result of this rock polishing process can leave you with beautifully finished stones for you collection or even the centerpiece of a piece of fine jewelry.

As if that’s not enough, there are countless different uses for that Rock Polisher.

Recently I’ve come across all sorts of fascinating things people around the world are using their tumbler for.

Cindy Lietz of  Polymer Clay Tutorials uses her Lortone Rock Tumbler for Polishing Polymer Clay Jewelry Beads, which form the basis for beautiful works of art. What I found particularly fascinating was that the Lortone Rock Tumbler she uses belonged to her husband from when he was a child, back in the 70’s and is still in great condition!

Blue Crockatt, a professional silversmithing artist uses his for cleaning his silver pieces and says the level of cleaning they deliver is “Unbeatable”

Rock Polishers are even employed by the treasure hunting/metal detecting community to clean the coins they find to a shine and restore them to their former glory!

I loved hearing about all the wonderful uses people have found for their Rock Polisher.

Get inspired and read Blue and Cindy’s full stories here:

Blue Crockatt’s article on cleaning Sterling Silver Jewelry can be found here

Cindy Lietz’s Blog post on her Lortone Rock Polisher endeavours is available here

Click to more relevant rock polishing posts.

Technorati Tags: Lapidary, Rock Polisher, Rock Tumbler

I came across a wonderful piece by Ray Hill, an avid Rock Polisher on EzineArticles about how to encourage youngsters who are interested in Rock Polishing.

It was interesting to read about how he got into rock polishing at the young age of 12 after his mother married a rockhound.

He talks passionately about how thrilled he was when he first experienced not only having made stones himself, but that other people liked and appreciated what he did.

His advice in response to the question “What can I do to help [young people] enjoy, learn and grow in their [Rock polishing] interest?” includes:

Encourage their interest.

They may grow up to be geologist, paleontologist, volcanologist, or, just a plain old rockhound hobbyist whose life is greatly enriched by their interest in rocks and rock collecting.

Go to gem & mineral shows.

Most larger cities in the USA have at least one show a year - Going to the gem & mineral shows is a great way to purchase items for your collection, and learn new things while you’re at it.

Purchase books on rocks, minerals & fossils.

There are lots of books out there on the subject. Get your child some basic books; there are many publications written for the young person and beginner.

I loved reading about Ray and his origins as a rock polisher and general Rockhound.

Get inspired by Ray and read his full story here

See more relevant posts about rock tumbling here

Technorati Tags: Lapidary, Rock Polisher, Rock Tumbler