How to Tumble Beach Stones in a Rock Tumbler

I see a lot of folks interested in learning how to polish stones they find on the beaches. What makes stones that you pick up off the shoreline unique for rock tumbling is that most likely they have already been tumbled by the ocean to get the rough edges off of them and they are for the most part smooth. With normal tumbling, you have rough materials with jagged edges that need a much longer time in the tumbler with a coarse grit to take away the sharp edges.

Since I was a little girl, I have always collected my pieces from the beach, so I skip step one of tumbling the stones. So here is the secret I have been using to polish up these little gems that I them use to make Cape May Diamond jewelry especially Cape May diamond pendants since many of the stones are big enough to use for pendants.

Tumbled stones can make great accents in planters, displays and I mostly use the tumbled stones that I collect in Cape May to create Cape May Diamond jewelry but the uses are endless!

Supplies

Tumbler

Found Beach Stones

Water

4 phases of grit

Colander for rinsing

Flat head screwdriver

Step 1: Get a Tumbler

First, you need to buy yourself a tumbler. Amazon has several tumblers you can chose from depending on your goal. You will also need to pick up the grits for the rock tumbler which Amazon also carries.

Step 2: Place Rocks in Barrel

Ok – so now you have your tumbler and you have your rocks…so what’s next? Next, you need to clean your rocks to ensure there is no debris left on them like sand, etc. Once they are clean, fill up the rotary drum about ¾ of the way up with the rocks.

Step 3: Fill With Water

Next, fill the drum with water just slightly above the rocks so they are all submerged with a little water over them.

Step 4: Add in Grit

Next, you take your fine grit and put about a tablespoon and a half in the drum. This is the grit that I start with when I have stones that have been tumbled in the ocean as you really do not need to work off any rough edges if the stones have already been tumbled so I skip the coarse grit. Although this is not a great picture, you can get an idea of how much grit is in the water.

Step 5: Putting the Drum Together - Part 1

The next part is putting the tumbling drum back together. You need to ensure the first part of the top gets put in properly as this top creates the waterproof seal to ensure water does not leak out of the drum as it tumbles. You want to put this piece in on an angle first and then slowly push down the side as you will hear it seal as it gets put in place.

Step 6: Putting the Drum Together - Part 2

After you get the first part of the top on, you will need to secure the rest of the top by placing the cap on the tumbler, pressing it down hard to ensure it meets the side of the drum leaving no gaps. If there are gaps and the cap is not on correctly, the drum will not move evenly, so use a soft mallet to gently tap it in place if you cannot get the cap to fit properly. Next, you will need to use the washer and the black screw and ensure you screw the cap on tightly as this will also help create the rest of the seal. You may even hear a little air escaping as you tighten the screw down.

Step 7: Put the Drum on the Tumbler

The next part is easy, just place the drum (or drums) on the tumbler and turn it on! Make sure you have the tumbler on a nice smooth and stable surface to allow for even tumbling. I personally have the tumblers on my garage floor just to make sure they don’t vibrate off a table.

Step 8: Wait a Week and Rinse & Repeat!

Each cycle in the tumbler takes approximately a week for each type of grit, but sometimes I let it go a little longer just to make sure the cycle is complete for that grit. Once you are ready to change out the grits to the next level (i.e., Fine, then pre-polish, then polish), you will need to turn off the tumbler and remove the drum. Remove the cap, screw, and washer. You will then need to grab a screwdriver or something that will allow you to pry open the other stopper top.

Once you take the top off, it would be advisable to dump the stones into a colander of sorts to drain off the grit/water. You should then rinse the stones off very well to ensure you leave no grit on the stones. If you do not rinse the stones and the drum out well, it could cause problems for the next cycle as you would be mixing different types of grit.

Once both the drum and the stones are thoroughly clean, you would then go back and follow the steps for loading up the drum initially. This process is repeated until you complete your final polish stage, and then you can enjoy your polished stones!

Hope this helps someone!