rock tumbling
Lapidary barrel spinning
Rock tumbling is the process of smoothing and polishing rough stones by rotating them in a drum with abrasive grit and water.
The tumbling action mimics natural erosion but accelerates it from millennia to weeks.
Hobbyists tumble agates, jaspers, and other semi-precious stones to create polished gems for jewelry or collections: I started rock tumbling after finding some nice specimens on the beach.
- rough stonesUnworked mineral specimens
- polishingSmoothing by friction
- lapidaryWorker of precious stones
- gemstonesPolished ornamental minerals
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
barrel · agates · smooth · quartz · slurry · vibratory · rough · shine · abrasive · pebbles · jasper · polish · rotating · specimens · hobby · buffing · collecting · luster
- geology projectsvolcano model, fossil dig, core sampling
- science experimentsvolcano model, elephant toothpaste, color change, slime making, baking soda volcano
- hobbiesknitting circles, skateboarding, model trains, write, writing