A rockhound’s paradise, Gemstone Beach is becoming more and more popular. Not so long ago the carpark would be empty upon arrival and maybe 2-3 cars parked there upon my return to the carpark.
The stones in Batch 75 are from my Gemstone Beach readies drawer collected a few months ago and have already previously tumbled in the QT12 tumbler in F60grit.
Batch 75: 3lb Tumbler 1
Stage 2: 220grit
Number of Stones: 42
Weight in: 850grams
3 Tbspns of 220grit
1 Tbspn Borax
Plastic pellets added
Days Tumbling: 10
Weight out: 750g – loss of 100grams
Stage 3: 400grit
Added 2 stones from Stage 3 readies drawer
Number of Stones: 42+2=44
Weight in: 825g
3 Tbspns of 400grit
1 Tbspn Borax
Ceramic media added
Days Tumbling: 7
Weight out: 760g – loss of 65 grams
Pre-polish Soap Tumble: 24 hours
Batch 75: Ready for Stage 2
Batch 75: After Stage 3
Ready to Polish – Transfer to 6lb Tumbler 2
Batch 75 (from 3lbT1) was added to Batch 73 to make up a full barrel load for polishing.
Stage 4: Polish Mix
Number of Stones: 44+213=257
Weight in: 2495 grams
Polish Mix (2nd use): already mixed
Plastic Pellets added for cushioning
Days Tumbling: 10
Weight out: Not weighed
No borax burnishing as the polish finish was pretty good for the majority of stones.
Polish Complete
Polished Stones of Interest: Batch 75
Important Disclaimer! I am only writing down my best guess when I add captions to the stones that have caught my eye. If you have any thoughts on what these stones from Gemstone Beach could be then I’d love to hear from you – please leave a comment as it all adds to my own learning!
Batch 75 | 3lb Tumbler 1 + 6lb Tumbler 2 | Gemstone Beach | June – 29 August 2024