rocks rocks rocks

[moominmolly]

OK, so, my kid loves rocks. A lot. She has always been that kid who loves collecting different rocks and hiding them in her pockets and lunchboxes and in her locker at school until it becomes a problem, all the special, special rocks. Recently, when I said "I need a few bagel-sized rocks for this project I'm doing", she JUMPED UP from the milkshake she was drinking to throw on her shoes and excitedly run outside to gather rocks.

This means: rocks are better than ice cream. I'm just saying.

Obviously, the next step is to get a rock tumbler for her birthday. However, I know nothing about them, and there is a dizzying array of rock-tumbling products on the market in a variety of apparent quality levels. There are plenty of articles out there on the subject, but since I've never owned or used one of these devices, I thought I'd ask you! Have you ever polished a rock? Got any advice for a parent trying to please a tiny rock nerd?

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

When I had a rock-polishing project to do a few years back, I got the cheap kid-targeted kit and it worked fine for me.

[reesei.livejournal.com]

When I was ~11, my parents got us a cheap rock-tumbling kit for Christmas and it didn't polish anything. We tumbled and tumbled and got out just about the same polish level we put in. But these products may have gotten a lot better over the years, or that may have been a particularly low-quality kit, given our economic circumstances at the time.

Not a particularly useful data point, but a data point nonetheless...

[(Anonymous)]

Kcat sent me your way. I have lots of experience with tumblers, though not for rock polishing. Lortone is good name, and their rubber barrels are ideal for abrasive grit. You can find less expensive hard plastic barrels, but I don't trust the seal on those as much. Whatever type you end up getting, do NOT overload it. Pay attention to the rated weight and don't cheat.

You're welcome to pick my brain for more details.
spider AT spiderchain DOT com

Happy polishing!

-Spider

[vespid-interest.livejournal.com]

We had a cheap one growing up and it was too loud to actually enjoy. You have to run it a long time, more than a day, so having the tumble/grind noise for so long was a problem.

I don't know if they even make quiet ones, but it's something to consider. Or maybe they're all quieter these days.

[coraline]

no, that's kind of intrinsic in the process. (some are louder than others, but they're all loud.) it's useful to have a basement or workshop you can leave it in for a weekend and not be near it...

[starphire.livejournal.com]

I haven't actually done it, but I'm pretty sure from what I've read (and friends who had one when I was growing up) that it takes way longer than a weekend to turn a rock from the ground into a pretty polished thing. Multiple stages of grit, maybe a week for each.
I guess jewelry and finishing soft stones might polish up more quickly in one, though.

[coraline]

yeah, you're probably right -- i've never been heavily involved in the rock tumbling per se -- had friends who had one when i was a kid, and then i've used stainless steel shot to polish jewelry (which is a few-hour-to-overnight thing...)

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

I'm kind of thinking that we will put it up high on a shelf in the basement while it's running, so the noise doesn't bother me as much. On the other hand, that would put it right outside my bedroom door, so we'll see, I suppose.

[starphire.livejournal.com]

the nook maybe? Or the velo room?

[blk]

I have nothing helpful to add, except that your kid is terribly cute, and rocks are a really nice thing to collect, relatively. :)

[spike.livejournal.com]

Someone needs to invent a rock tumbler that clamps onto a bike frame and is pedal powered. Or car. Or..NO... WIND! WIND POWERED!

[harimad.livejournal.com]

How about water powered?

[spike.livejournal.com]

ie., the ocean?

[starphire.livejournal.com]

I liked the answers in this guy's FAQ: http://mbyers.net/faqonrocksold.html

Also, apparently a rubber tumbler is quieter and less prone to leakage than a hard plastic one. And these things take a LONG time - forums say the rotating drum variety take 4-6 weeks on average. I had no idea. More than a day, indeed!

I'd suspect that whatever rocks are included in a kids' tumbling kit would be the particularly soft yet colorful varieties, whereas the ones she finds laying around here will likely be a longer-term project to polish.

It sounds like that's probably an essential requirement to fit with her interest in sourcing raw materials, so a decent machine or one with room for two chambers might be worthwhile if she really gets into it. Which looks to be closer to a hundred bucks for the brand-name tumblers. Next to that, an extra fifty bucks for a vibrating tumbler that takes only a week or two begins to look attractive. Contrast with $40 for a cheap noisier plastic one.

Also, something something about putting a tumbler into a foam cooler to muffle the noize all that while...you know, in case the cheap plastic one is the best fit here. :)

[weegoddess.livejournal.com]

::nod:: Yes, it can take weeks to polish rocks. I was a rock-hound too when I was little and I had a rock tumbler way back when. I remember the thing going non-stop for what seemed like EVER.

The problem? Apparently tumbling all that time made a significant difference in our electric bill; my father put a stop to my using it after only one batch of tumbled rocks. This was way back in the 70's and I suspect that tumblers have come a long way since then. But still, you might want to check on that.

[chienne-folle.livejournal.com]

She LEFT A MILKSHAKE to collect rocks! Wow, she's got it bad. That's so cute!

[trom.livejournal.com]

I've seen several come up on craigslist out here for free. I'm happy to keep an eye out for another

[moominmolly.livejournal.com]

Genius! Yes please!

[beloitst.livejournal.com]

I have a friend who does lapidary; she might point you towards some excellent info. You can message her via LJ: http://attackdesire.livejournal.com/profile

[sconstant.livejournal.com]

I don't know from rock polishers, but google "compartment box" - fishing boxes, nail art boxes, craft boxes, etc, all might be awesome co-gifts to give her a place to store and/or display.

[artricia.livejournal.com]

My grandfather was a geologist -- amateur, I guess, but enough of a geologist to have a collection to leave to a museum. He had a rock tumbler in the basement.

I'm not sure I'd do the tumbler route next; personally, I'd see if I could get her some geology classes for kids, or just find a chapter of the local geology chapter and see if someone can recommend something or is interested in teaching. Partly I say that because I remember my grandfather showing me different rocks and telling me about where he got them, what they were, and so on. My first geode! I was floored.

Check out the Fogg Museum at Harvard with her; IIRC, they have great rocks. Someone there might point you in a good direction.

My grandfather did have a rock tumbler in the basement. Someone teaching Natalie would be able to tell her what would work well in a tumbler. But if you get one, will you tell me if the tumbling solution messes up your nails at all? Because my grandfather's nails were a bit weird -- really, just lined -- and he told us it was the solution. He told us a few other tales too, and even now I'm not always sure what was true. He may just have been trying to keep us away from the stuff.

Correction

[artricia.livejournal.com]

Not the Fogg, but the Harvard Museum of Natural History:
http://www.museumsofboston.org/museums/harvardnaturalhistory.html

[bluepapercup]

As a certified rock-lover myself (I have the expensive piece of paper and everything!) I think the best way to nurture her love of rocks is to get her around more rocks. Find some books on New England geological hikes and sights and take her there. Go to the Peabody at Harvard and goggle at the minerals. I think the meteorites are still out and touchable.

Mostly, just let her bring home rocks, touch rocks, play with rocks, and give her resources to LEARN about rocks. Read books together about geology, fossils, etc.

I don't know crap about rock tumblers, though. I always just liked playing with rocks. :)