For full details on how to get the very best shine from using the National Geographic tumbler, I came across this great YouTube video by a rock tumbling expert: https://youtu.be/CsTc1kXUuPo
His detailed advice:
- Tumble better rocks: hard rocks, all the same type at a time in the drum
- Tumble slower
- Take it slower on the first stage: run more times to remove flaws (3 days at a time at speed one)
- Use ceramic media mixed with the rocks after the first stage
- Use quality polish - 1200 aluminum oxide as final polish
- Keep the barrel at least 3/4 full
- Always wash rocks and scrub holes and cracks with a toothbrush then run through borax for a few hours
- Use 3 tablespoons grit per bin at every stage
He inspired us to order 1200 aluminum oxide polish, ceramic media, and borax from Amazon. We're going to run the polished stones through a borax cycle and then we will use the polish and ceramic media to see if we can get them shinier.
Polish:
Polly Plastics final polish 1200 fine aluminum oxide
Ceramic media:
Borax:
We will tumble some stones in there, all the same kind at a time, with the ceramic media taking it up to 80% full in the bin, and we will let you know what happens.
Update from weeks later: any shinier?
