Took my niece's rock tumbler for a spin against my old hand-polishing method

My 8-year-old niece got a National Geographic hobby tumbler for her birthday, so we decided to test it against my old-school way of polishing agates with a Dremel and cerium oxide paste. After one week in the tumbler, her Lake Superior agates looked way better than the ones I spent 3 hours on. The tumbler gave them a deep, even shine, while my hand-polished ones still had flat spots and scratches. I guess the constant, gentle tumbling action just works better than me trying to hold a tiny rock steady. Anyone have a favorite grit sequence for getting that final glass-like finish on quartz?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameron3712mo ago

Wait, you spent THREE HOURS on one rock? That's crazy... I'd lose my mind. The tumbler winning is a real blow to the old ways, huh. Guess it's time to admit the machine just does it better.

grant1302mo ago

Right? My hands were cramping up after just one hour last time I tried... and the rock still looked like a lumpy potato. The tumbler gets that perfect shine while I'm just making dinner. It's hard to argue with results when the machine does in a week what takes me a month of sore fingers.

ivan52224d ago

Honestly I gotta push back a little on this one @cameron371. Tbh three hours on one rock isn't crazy if you're actually into the craft of it. The tumbler gives you that factory finish sure but it takes away all the personal feel and the connection to what you're making. Ngl when I'm hand sanding a piece I can feel every little bump and grain that the machine would just blast through. Plus you learn way more about the stone itself when you work it slow like that. I've had tumblers ruin nice pieces before too from chipping or uneven wear. So yeah machines are faster but they're not always better if you actually care about the end result.