The lower numbers are more aggressive and will remove more material. The numbers determines the coarseness of the grit and how aggressively they will attack the stones. Now there are other grades but these are more common than most. When looking at abrasives, you will see numbers that are usually 80, 100, 120, 220, 320, 400, 6. But what exactly do these numbers mean? The Levels Of Rock Tumbler Grit – Breaking Down The Numbers For example, a rough grit for the first stage of rock tumbling might be an 80. The levels of grit are denoted by numbers.
The grit itself have a Mohs hardness of over 9 so it can be used to polish many hard surfaces, like the stones we work with of course! As a side note, this same silicon carbide is also attached to paper to make…you guessed it – sand paper. It comes out of this oven in chunks and is broken down into the particles that will be used to make our rock tumbling abrasives.
Silicon carbide is created in a very hot oven by combining different elements and melting them into a new mixture. You start off with a very course grit, which consists of silicon dioxide particles that are larger making the mixture much more course, and you progressively use a finer and finer grit to achieve the polish that is seen on the final stone. While silicon carbide is used for all phases of grinding, you do not use the same level of abrasive in each phase. That particular abrasive, or grit, is silicon carbide. Rock tumbling these days, uses one main type of abrasive inside the tumbler for each of the rock polishing phases. In the end, you will have better polished rocks by becoming intimately familiar with every aspect of the tools of the trade. Knowing your rock tumbling grits inside and out is very helpful for knowing exactly when to use each one. We’ll go over exactly what these abrasives are, how they’re made, and the best ways to use them. I hope this article gives you a better idea which rock tumbler to buy.You can’t polish a rock without getting rough with it first! Modern day rock tumbling involves the use of abrasive powders, known as rock tumbl er grit, that range from very rough to very fine.
#ROCK TUMBLER GRIT UPGRADE#
And in the future when you want to upgrade to a larger tumbler, they make several other models which allow you to grow into the hobby. They’re also much higher quality than other brands and will last a very long time. These brands have been around forever and build everything in the USA – they also have great warranties. If you know the child will love the hobby (as most do) OR if budget is not a concern, go with the Lortone or Thumler’s. It’s priced pretty competitively and is a big step up from the ‘toy tumblers.’ If you’re not sure whether the child will like the hobby and don’t want to break the bank, then go with the Chicago Electric model. They are both made overseas and use cheaper parts than other models. Just be aware that these tend to break down more often than the professional-grade tumblers. If you’re just looking for more of a toy as a gift, then go with either the NSI or Smithsonian model.
If you’re still having trouble deciding which you should buy, consider the following:
It has three selectable speeds, a timer function for days or hours, sound dampening cover that makes tumbling quieter than ever before, one pound of rough rocks (including agates), four bags of grit, five jewelry fastenings, and a new strainer included in the box!Īll you need now is some rough rocks and some polish to make beautiful jewelry pieces out of them! Final thoughts
#ROCK TUMBLER GRIT PROFESSIONAL#
The National Geographic Professional Tumbler is the most advanced model for kids on the market.