All of my rotary machines are Lortone Tumblers. I now run 2 x double 3lb barrels; 2 x 4lb barrels; 1 x 12lb QT12 and 1 QT66 (2 x 6lb barrels). Yes that’s nine (yes 9) barrels of stones tumbling at any one time!! Surprising though, my power bill is not through the roof because of the tumblers (it only goes through the roof when I run the dryer!!). Our daily usage charge for power is under $4 normally!
If you’re new here you might not know that my recent purchase of a magnifier, plus the purchase of a second-hand QT12 tumbler (Lortone Tumbler with 1 x 12lb barrel) and the barter swap of a QT66 tumbler (that’s a QT Lortone tumbler with 2x6lb barrels) have seriously upped my tumbling game!
Originally 54 stones collected from Gemstone Beach were tumbled in F60grit in this 3lb barrel. Of the 54, 38 were redos from some Gemstone Beach stones that had already tumbled in the QT12 tumbler but needed a redo because they weren’t ready to go through to Stage 2.
Batch 66: 3lb Tumbler 3
Stage 1: F60grit
Number of Stones: 54
Weight in: 1053g
3 Tbspns of F60grit
1 Tbspn Borax
No pellets added
Days Tumbling: 10
Weight out: 969g – loss of 84g
42 stones ready for Stage 2
Stage 2: 220grit
42 stones from Stage 1, 13 stones from the readies drawer plus 2 hydros found my good friend Chris on King’s Birthday.
Number of Stones: 42+13+2=57
Weight in: 873g
3 Tbspns of 220grit
1 Tbspn Borax
Plastic Pellets added
Days Tumbling: 10
Weight out: 772g – loss of 101g
Stage 3: 400grit
Number of Stones: 57
Weight in: 772g
3 Tbspns of 400grit
1 Tbspn Borax
Plastic Pellets added
Days Tumbling: 7
Weight out: 722g – loss of 50g
Pre-polish Soap Tumble: 24 hours. I did not inspect the stones, just placed them straight back into the clean barrel and tumbled them with 2 tspns of grated sunlight soap for 24 hours.
Batch 66: Ready for Stage 2
Batch 66: Added to Stage 2
Ready to Polish
Stage 4: Polish Mix
Number of Stones: 57
Weight in: 722grams
Polish Mix (2nd use): Originally 9 Tbspns of polish mixed with 600mls of clean water.
Plastic Pellets added.
Days Tumbling: 10
Final Weight Out: 719grams
Borax Final Clean
2 Tbspns of borax plus water
Days Tumbling: 3
Polish Complete
When these stones first came out of polish I thought they weren’t as shiny as they should be hence the tumble in borax for 3 days. I think it really does make a difference when you need it too!
I was really pleased with how the hydrogrossulars polished up though. In the image below (right or second one) with the polished hydrogrossulars the white one has diopside in it (that’s the black) and the middle little blue looking one was given to me by a lovely local lady whom I met on Gemstone Beach two days in a row. It’s definitely one of my favourites now!
Hydrogrossular Garnets: Before & After
Polished Stones of Interest: Batch 66
Batch 66 | QT12 & 3lb Tumbler 3 | Gemstone Beach | May 2024 – 11 July 2024
Hi there
Firstly May I say how stunning the gems you have brought to life are spectacular.
I’m looking at starting this process with no experience. I would be a beginner and there for would really appreciate your advice on where to start. I have an amazing beach I walk with my dogs and an abundance of gems at my feet. This would be a labour of love to enjoy and share with my friends. I am researching and reading and find your page easy to understand as well as very informative. I just don’t know how to get started there are so many polishers it gets overwhelming .
I look forward to any advice
Warm regards sue
Hi Sue
Thank you for your kind words! I really enjoy collecting and tumbling the stones from my local beach. I know what you’re saying about being overwhelmed! My best advice for you would be to purchase a Lortone Tumbler (if you are in New Zealand) and I’d buy a double 3lb tumbler (that’s two 3lb barrels which means you can have two batches going). The 3lb barrel is a good size when you’re just starting out. You’ll need grit and polish too – which you can purchase as a kit or separately. Have you read this post Lortone Tumblers : Techniques for Achieving The Perfect Polish that I wrote about my tumbling process and what I use? Please feel free to email me at tumbleandpolish[at]gmail.com if you have any questions.