When I first started out a few months ago I was using the grit that came with the Lortone 4lb tumbler. Coarse, Medium, Fine 600 grit, Pre-Polish and Polish (Tin Oxide). I’d also managed to source some (very expensive) grit through Fishpond – which came from America and took ages to arrive!! Now there’s new grit, new stages to my tumbling process.
Grits and Stages
Thanks to JP over at Tumblestoneblog for sharing his supplier Rock and Gemstone Shop Rotorua . I’ve now purchased their Grit Kit 1 which comprises of:
- 1 x 1kg – 80/100grit (Stage 1)
- 1 x 1kg – 220grit (Stage 2)
- 1 x 1kg – 400grit (Stage 3)
- 500g – Tumble Polish (Stage 4)
- 500g – Plastic Pellets
Stage 5 is the final tumble in Borax (purchased from Mitre 10). Borax just removes any residual traces of polish on the finished stones. I think it helps adds to the final shine too!
I really like that Colin and the team at the Rock and Gemstone Shop have grit kits. They are great to get started because you’re getting everything you need to get started and to finish! There’s also a 2kg Grit Kit but I do wish there was a grit kit that didn’t include the plastic pellets. Those plastic pellets last a LONG time so you don’t always need more when you need more grit. I worry about putting tiny plastic into the environment when it’s time to replace them!
I did the math – as of April 2023. If you buy the grit & tumble polish separately in 1kg lots it will cost you $96.05 (no pellets). If you buy the grit & tumble polish in 2kg it will cost you $182.80 (no pellets). It is cheaper to add each product to your cart. You might find that you go through one particular grit more than others especially if you repeat a stage often. That means it’s handy to be able to purchase different sizes as well!
New Batch, New Grit
On the 6th of July I put 88 stones (weighing 1690g) into the 4lb tumbler, and began to tumble stones using the new grit (and stages) from above.
The stones were collected from Gemstone Beach with two collected from Herbertville Beach. Stones that were picked up from Gemstone Beach by some Y9 students were also added. Read more about the tumbling journey of those stones in Part 1 and Part 2.