How to Get a Great Shine from a National Geographic Tumbler
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- If you've struggled to get shiny rocks from a National Geographic tumbler, this video is for you. Throw out the directions that came with the tumbler, I didn't have any luck with those either.
If you missed my review of this tumbler, check it out here: • National Geographic Tu...
How I Dispose of Rock Tumbler Slurry: • How I Dispose of Rock ...
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Kingsley North is a lapidary store in Michigan's U.P. They make a great cab machine and sell many other brands too. They have a huge selection rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. I buy most of my coarse grit from here in 45 lb. bags. It's the best price I have found. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission.
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This is the cabbing machine I use:
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I buy a lot of lapidary supplies from The Rock Shed. I don't make money from your purchases there, but they have good prices and good service. This is where I buy my finer grits and polish.
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If you missed my review of this tumbler, you can watch it here: ruclips.net/video/G71XbZTlQwM/видео.html
I seen some of your rocks on
Meminer's channel and was wondering if there was a way to purchase some of your rocks
@@Brewersprospecting420 No, sorry, I don't sell anything online.
Hi there not sure if I missed it but could you tell me the exact grit and polish material you use? I plan on getting this tumbler after watching your review and now the adjustment video and I just want to be sure I get exactly what you used and where I could get them...thanks so much for these videos were super helpful.
Really appreciate that. My 4yo daughter has one coming for Christmas. Could you possibly find some decent grits on Amazon and create one of your links so I can buy it and get you some Commision?
@@joelg598 It's already in my Amazon storefront. Sometimes it's out of stock on there, but you can also get it directly from the Rock Shed. rockshed.com
My husband got me this NatGeo Tumbler for Christmas and I had the EXACT experience your review showed.I was so disappointed. I have since found your review of the tumbler and the horrible instructions, this video on how to actually make it work for you and a few others that have been SO informative. As my husband said this morning, watching you is like getting a Master Class in rock tumbling.Thank you SO much for sharing your knowledge and passion with all of us!
You're welcome! It's fun to hear when my videos are helpful.
Amen to that!
THANK YOU OVER AND OVER AGAIN!! For over a year my husband and I have struggled to get our rocks to shine and in 38 minutes you gave me the secret.
I'm blown away at the shine I have....and I could have gone longer. Again Thank you for blowing my mind 😀😁😀😁😀
I'm happy to blow your mind. It helps to have the right polish and good instructions. I'm not sure why tumbler manufacturers don't understand that.
You've won the award for the most costume changes in a YT video.
That’s what I was going for. Where do I pick up my trophy?
You should see the video he has where the rocks spent about two months in stage 1.
@@ssteele1812 or the one where he talks about "shaving some time off" and he shaves his beard off in parts 😂
To be fair, tumbling one batch from start to finish takes MONTHS lol he films each step but those steps r weeks apart...how many times do u change clothes over 4-5 months? 😂 I know I wouldn't even bother trying to match my clothes lol
@@MichiganRocks I just wanted to say you have such a nice smile, when ever you smile it makes my day.
Rob, after paying attention to this video, I've been checking my other tumblers in fewer days running. I've found that, in less than a week, most of my 1st stage slurries are grit free. I've begun tumbling fewer days and changing to new grit. This could possibly cut my production time to half of what I had been doing. Great information in this video. Thanks.
That doesn't surprise me. I check weekly because I'm sure the grit will be used up by then and because it works into my schedule better. It also seems to be what most others do, so I guess I just got into that habit. I try to give reasons for the things I do so that people watching will understand the process more and be able to make their own decisions. I'm glad to hear that that's working out.
New to the tumbling world. Have a Nat Geo. You are a great teacher. Much Respect
Hi Ben, I'm glad you found it helpful.
As a person who has a growing interest in rock tumbling, I appreciate that you did another follow-up video.
While I wouldn't be totally against an imperfect rock, I would rather have that perfect rock shine. "Slow Is Smooth and Smooth Is Fast" according to US Navy Frogmen.
Perhaps for a future video, you might do a comparison, or ranking, of good beginner tumblers for newbies like me.
I might do more tumbler reviews. We'll see. The problem is that it's hard to judge reliability until you've used one for awhile. I don't really want a ton of little tumblers running since I have a huge homemade tumbler that is plenty of capacity for me.
I'd suggest a Lortone 33B as a first tumbler if you're looking for one. They're hard to come by right now, but if you can find one, that's my recommendation.
Thank you so much for this Rob. My husband bought this tumbler for me for my birthday. I was disappointed because I wanted a "proper tumbler" (I was still grateful!) I've been getting mixed results for the last six months. The positive results were because I've watched your tumbling process for a while. This video gives me a very clear idea of what to do. Thank you.
You're welcome. I think you'll be able to get good results from this tumbler, even if it is not perfect.
I would love to try this hobby and have looked at this tumbler as a starter machine. Totally informative and helpful. You are a great teacher! This is a perfect RUclips video IMHO - it speaks to my inner nerd. Love your results. Subscribed.
Gee, thanks. I try to be thorough. Sometimes I think my videos get a little long, but if I was just learning, I'd want the details.
@@MichiganRocks They are not too long. Little bits of information are ( pardon the pun) gems of knowledge needed to be well informed. I wish i would have watched this video PRIOR to buying the tumbler. Lesson learned.
I bought this tumblr on an impulse this summer to get into the hobby. Not knowing any better, I just followed instructions and was really discouraged when I didn't get shiny rocks! I finally found this video and so far my rocks are looking much better! I've gotten better grit and polish, better rocks, and have rerun stage 1 for quite a while. I just set them on stage 2 today, and I keep coming back to this video to make sure I'm doing things "right" since I'm still new at this. Your videos are incredibly helpful, thank you so much!
I'm really glad to be able to help. I got a lot of help when I was starting out and I don't mind sharing what I learned.
Rob you have a dedication and patience for Rock Tumbling that is unmatched by the majority of people. I guess that why your stuff comes out so well. Great video. Didn’t mind the length at all
I think you're right. Even after watching my videos, people will ask me why their rocks didn't turn out and then tell me that they were in the first stage for a whole week.
I've legitimately never wanted to tumble rocks more in my life, great videos!
Ask Santa for a tumbler!
@@MichiganRocks Don't think I haven't ;) Though in this case, santa = my wife :)
It's been a year now since I discovered your videos. I have gotten some much enjoyment from this hobby. Thank you again for all that you do. I have expanded to a 33A, a 33B, a QT66, plus a 12 pound and a 1.5 pound barrel. I also added a Thumler UV-10. I am in the process of teaching a group of fourth graders at our local Spanish Immersion School. You are listed as an invaluable resources. Thanks so much!
Wow! I'm sorry for all that I have cost you. You jumped in with both feet.
The time you put into your videos really shows. This is a fabulous tutorial. I learn something with each of your videoes I watch, and I've watched many of them several times. I had already started using only speed one on my Nat Geo before watching this, but now I think it may be time to upgrade. Appreciate you!!
Thanks, Julie. I don't think most people realize how much time goes into making these, so it's nice to know they're appreciated. You don't see all the cameras, lights and microphone being moved around every time there's a new shot, not to mention a lot of time editing. I do enjoy it though and I enjoy chatting with people who watch. Thanks again for your comment.
Thanks Rob! This is a GREAT intro for a newbie like me. I was gifted this tumbler for Christmas by my best friend (who obviously really gets me and knew I’d love this) and I’m so excited to start shining up some rocks. I’ll be instituting these improvements and hopefully get some good results! Thanks SO much for taking your time to create this great content! I’m going to get my extras from your Amazon store so I can contribute a bit. I really appreciate your advice!
Thanks, I appreciate that. If you just go to Amazon through my storefront, it doesn't matter what you buy. You can buy anything on Amazon and I'll still get a little commission. It's a great way to say thanks without costing you an extra penny.
@@MichiganRocks where can I find the link for your Amazon storefront?
I got this tumbler for my seven year old daughter because she loves rocks, and she loves to wash her rocks. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for this video. You explain everything so clearly that even my seven year old begged to watch the video. I'm so glad I found your channel before we moved past the first stage with her tumbler. I think knowing how to do it properly will give her a better experience and increase the chance that she'll be pleased with the end results (thus making the purchase worth it). Looking forward to more videos :)
I'm really glad I could help, Jennifer. I hope her rocks turn out super shiny. I have lots of other tumbling videos and rock collecting videos, plus 66 videos (so far) of past batches of tumbled rocks to get her excited about some other types of rocks she might want to tumble in the future. My videos are all appropriate for a seven year old, too.
I am a school librarian at a charter school and we have several of the NatGeo tumblers that we check out to our families. It made me so sad to think of all the poorly polished rocks my students were churning out. We are now talking about assembling our own refill kits with better polish…and a few more instructions and tips so that, hopefully, they can get better results! Thanks for being such a great teacher and sharing your passion!
I love that you can use the information in this video to do that. I hope families can get better results with better directions.
I am amazed at how much time it takes you to make one video. Hats off to you.
I just started this hobby! So glad I found your channel. The videos are very well-made and informative! Can’t wait to watch and learn more about rock tumbling.
I'm glad you found me, Faith. My videos should get you off to a good start.
This is basically a compilation of how many Michigan shirts you own. Cheers, thanks for the great advice.
Yes, that was totally the point. 😃
Thank you so much! The batch of rocks I'm tumbling are coming along so well thanks to your recommendations. I would have been so sad if after all that time they hadn't turned out well. Thank you so much!!!!
You're welcome, I'm glad I could help.
Happy to see this post!! My little nephew has been tumbling with this tumbler and is having the dull rock problem. I have referred your channel to him and will let him know about this video, maybe now he will be more excited to tumble again!!
Good luck!
This video helped so much!!!! I just opened my first round and yes the foam was crazy but the rocks were starting to look pretty good, I am running them again because I want them smoother but this video really helped! Had I done it nat geos way nothing would have happened the first time! I also build your bucket trick, it saves a ton of water! Thank you for these videos!
You're welcome. I enjoy helping people be successful at tumbling. Thanks for letting me know that the videos are helpful.
Thanks so much for this second video about the National geographic rock tumbler even though you have better tumblers
Your tips will definitely help my second batch!
You're welcome, Nancy. Since this thing is so popular, I think I'll keep making videos with it. I don't plan to vary too much from what I did in this one though. Now I know that three days at a time is plenty in the first stage, and that using a lot of ceramics might help with chipping later on.
I'm old (73), but new to tumbling. I went the Nat Geo route, so I really appreciate this video (I have ordered a Lortone 3A). I have also subscribed to your videos and ordered the suggested Aluminum Oxide compounds and Ceramic Media. I hope to introduce the hobby to my two youngest grand daughters. Thank you so very much.
I'm glad I could help, Terry. Good luck!
I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. Excellent!
Glad it was helpful, David.
I commented yesterday but I think it’s good that you went through each rock individually and pointed out it’s flaws that needed to be removed. Sometimes the cracks and holes are so bad that you’ll never get all of it out so you have to choose a stopping point that suits your expectations. I don’t mind holes if they have the sparkly little crystals inside. Thanks for taking the time to redo the video !!!
I learned a lesson. I hurried through this one and it cost me a lot of time fixing it. Sure would have been easier to check my work the first time.
I think the first stage is the most misunderstood. I feel like I spend too much time on my videos on the first stage, but then again, it’s the part that takes the most time during the tumbling process. I’m glad you found that a useful part of the video.
Thanks for helping to "rehabilitate" this tumbler's reputation :-) I guess that except for the tumbling speed, this tumbler is really no different than others. It comes down to having a lot of patience in the coarse step, running it a lot of times until you get the right results, and using good AO polish. I've been learning the same with mine. I now use it mostly for step 1/2, then when the volume is reduced I move them over to a 1.5lb barrel in a Lortone for the next steps. Thanks!
I agree. I mostly just adjusted for speed. The other thing I worry about is the durability of the motor, but so far mine has been running fine.
Old disabled house bound dusty rusty rockhound here: You teaching skills shine ✨️. I started to pass on this one 'cause I been polishing for decades...but... I always enjoy your videos so I watched. I'm happy I did...it rekindled the flame that drove me to tumble all those years.
That's quite a compliment. This wasn't really aimed at someone with your experience.
Would love to see a kit with all your supplies for beginners! Enough to tumble a series if rocks
I'd suggest going to either Kingsley North or the Rock Shed and buying a Lortone 33B as a good first tumbler. They both also carry very good quality grits and polish.
Thank you for this video. My 4 year old daughter got the NG hobby tumbler for Christmas, and our first experience using it was as you described in your review. We watched this video together, and are excited to do our next batch using your method. So many great videos on your channel! Once an educator - always an educator . . .
I think you'll do much better if you follow this tutorial and get yourself some better rocks. I don't know where you live, but if the ground isn't frozen solid, you might want to collect some of your own rocks to tumble. That's a great way to spend time outside with your daughter and the rocks will be more fun to tumble if you collected them yourselves. Here's a video using this tumbler with beach rocks if you decide to go that way. The method is the same though. ruclips.net/video/_Vmm24Fc7j4/видео.html
@@MichiganRocks Thank you. We live in central Texas. We have collected some nice rocks and fossils in local creeks. We have a batch of creek rocks in the tumbler now, but that was before seeing your videos, so our method wasn't great - they should be done polishing in 5-10 days. After that we will try some Ocean Jasper using your method. It is a great hobby for the family, and we appreciate the information you provide!
@@dillonfinan1477 I have always wanted to tumble ocean jasper, but it's so expensive. There's some near the bottom of this page. Really good stuff like this costs a fortune now. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/22055/newbies-inspirational-tumbles-start-on?page=3
@@MichiganRocks Looks like we have sea jasper. Guess that is not exactly the same? Got it from Kingsley North. Hopefully it will polish up nice.
@@dillonfinan1477 Yes, that's different. Should still polish nicely.
As everyone else stated, I would also like to say THANK YOU for this vid!!!! It's actually how got to your channel. However, I was going to use the thing as a paperweight, I'll give it another go-around with your method! :)
Good luck!
Man, You truly do a great job. I'm north woods Wisconsin and found I wasn't getting the high shine. Your channel and video, audio, personal work is EXPERT. Thank You. Really nice, Yes!
I always think of my videos as pretty amateur, but I'm glad you're impressed!
Thank you for your in-depth video showing your method when tumbling rocks. I learned a lot watching you from the way I tumble my rocks.
I live in South West Scotland in a small coastal town, I collect mainly from my local beaches Agates and all different coloured Jaspers. I have a Beach rock tumbler and a Lot-o vibe tumbler I shipped from USA.
Could you please do a similar video with a vibrating tumbler like you did with the rotary tumbler.
Sure, here you go: ruclips.net/video/ksrmpPZrAuU/видео.html
And here's another video you might enjoy: ruclips.net/video/bPnAwM_iA2A/видео.html
You sure bring out the best in them, smooth and flawed. They are all fascinating and beautiful!
Thanks, Margaret.
My wife recently gave me a "KomeStone" rock tumbler, which is almost identical to this National Geographic. I never imagined I'd get the rock hounding bug, but here I am. Thank you for taking the time to create these videos; they have been extremely useful tools for me on this learning process. I thought I'd have a few questions, but you covered everything perfectly.
I'm glad I could help you out. If you end up having questions later, just let me know .
Awesome video Rob and really impressed at your discipline to keep at it until the rocks meet your standards in each stage. Question for you. I've got rocks that have been picked from around the ocean when the tide is out. They are fairly smooth and rounded to begin with. Would you recommend skipping stage 1 and simply moving to step 2 and beyond? Love your channel!!
I tumble a lot of beach rocks, from the Great Lakes, not the ocean. I actually plan to do a video with this tumbler and beach rocks pretty soon. I always run the rocks through the first stage no matter how smooth they seem. A week in the first stage will smooth them out just a little bit more and get them ready for the second stage.
Just found this channel! The thing I really like about how you present your preferences is that you disclose it's your PREFERENCES. You say things like "How _I_ define perfect" or "I call them flaws, but some people call them character". I really like that you keep in mind variety in tastes and don't give too much weight to any one ideology.
That's after being beat up a few times for having high standards for my rock tumbling. Calling them "flaws" offends some people for some reason. I've gotten to be careful about how I speak.
Thanks for going through everything and explaining each step. We just started and you're videos definitely helped to get us going.
You're welcome! I have some other tumbling videos and more in the works, so those might help you too. Let me know if you have questions.
This is awesome and just what I needed. I got this for my birthday on the 23rd and just finished the first step for the first time! I'm excited to move on to step 2 using this advice. So far I am loving the tumbler, as far as my first ever tumbler goes. This is all a new hobby for me
Don't be afraid to run that first step more than one time as I did in this video. If you take your time with the first step, the rocks will look a lot better in the end. At least that's my opinion. I like my rocks to be very smooth without any holes or cracks. Happy birthday and happy tumbling!
@@MichiganRocks thank you so much! Rock on 🤘
Love all the tshirts. Great explanations
I’m new to all this and this is the best video I’ve come across to help us understand! You really talked us through every stage and explained things well. Thank you!
You're welcome!
Hi, Rob!
Thank you so much for this video and your many other videos. I have been wanting to get started tumbling rocks for quite a while. I almost bought this model of tumbler, fortunately, I saw your video in time. I think this machine would have been too aggressive for the types of rocks that I want to tumble. I placed an order for the Lortone through The Rock Shed instead.
I’m certain that your videos have already saved me hundreds of dollars and hours of frustration trying to figure this out on my own. Thank you so much for sharing your in depth experience and knowledge with us!
You're welcome, Jen. I think you'll like your Lortone. Let me know if you need any help as you get started.
@@MichiganRocks thank you for your reply, Rob. I’m sure that I will have many questions along the way. I will be re-watching several of your videos.
Along with my tumbler, I purchased a start up supply and grit and rocks to get me started. I was wondering what you recommended as the most economical way for beginners to practice tumbling. I recall you mentioning that agate and jasper were good rocks for getting started. I’m tempted to buy all the pretty rocks that I see and realize that it may take me many batches before I can do them justice. About how many batches does it usually take a beginner to start turning out really nice batches? Is there one mistake that you see many beginners making that I should be sure to avoid?
Thank you again for your time. I look forward to catching up on more of your videos this evening.
@@zenjen8312 One of these days I plan to make a video on the top mistakes beginners make. In the meantime, if you just watch my tumbling videos and do what I do, you should have no trouble getting good results right away. I consider my first batch a success and I was just tumbling granite from the beach. I haven't been doing anything that I don't show in my videos.
If you have access to beach rocks, that's a good way to start, but you have to know a little bit to decide which rocks to tumble and which ones to leave behind. Can you find unakite locally? That's a good one to start with. Quartz is also good. So is chert. Otherwise, find some jasper or agate.
@@MichiganRocks thank you for your reply. I should be able to get some local quartz on a day trip soon. Based on your advice, I will start with the jasper or agates that I purchased from The Rock Shed.
Your videos are very through and walk through all the steps and what to be aware of, so now it’s just a matter of me just taking the leap and doing it. I plan on rewatching a couple of your videos before running my first batch. Thank you again for the great information! 🙂
Ahh a chisel... that's a great tip for someone who can't afford a grinding belt or saw yet, thanks for that one! can't believe I didn't think of that one sooner :D
Poor man's saw, I guess. I actually prefer breaking when I can because the rock looks more natural. With a saw, there will be a flat side unless you grind it so it's not flat.
Someone needs to point out this dude keeps tshirt printers in business. I haven't seen the same Michigan shirt twice. Kudos!
My wife wasn't happy that I was wearing shirts with holes, so she ordered me some new ones.
@@MichiganRocks your wife is a keeper.
Thanks so much for reviewing the NG tumbler. I'm brand new to this but am excited! My son bought me the NG tumbler and I'm now at the polishing stage (with the gemfoam). My next batch I'm definitely going to follow your process, as I'm not happy with what I'm seeing from my first tumbling experience. Thanks again!
You're welcome. It's definitely possible to get shiny rocks out of that machine with the right polish and procedure.
Thank you!
Great tips!
I wish that you would have gotten into the hardnesses of the different rocks vs grits/material of abrasives a little more.
My wife and I watch you walk along the beach collecting rocks and fossils. It reminds us of when we lived in North Chicago as newlyweds, we would walk lake Michigan's shores collecting rocks 40+ years ago.
I'm sorry. I think these rocks are about 7 on the Mohs scale. The abrasives I used are:
46/70 silicon carbide
120/220 silicon carbide
500 aluminum oxide
1 micron aluminum oxide polish
The media is ceramic tumbling media. I bought everything from The Rock Shed.
@@MichiganRocks
No need to be sorry.
You did say what you used in the video. Other than the rock hardness, you pretty much covered what you had.
I was more interested in, do you use different abrasives for different rock hardnesses?
If so, what kind?
I've polished rocks for 50+ years now, off and on. Just not in years now. My grandchildren found a stash of my old rocks and an old tumbler of mine, and want to polish some. They are old enough to enjoy it now, so I bought me another tumbler(nice double) and want to separate the rocks by hardness, and see if there were any new technologies or techniques that I wasn't aware of.
I appreciate your reply!
Thank you!
@@perplexedpapa Nope, I use the same abrasives for everything. Sometimes I have added a 1000 grit stage for softer rocks, but usually I use the same stuff.
I do use a different tumbling method for really soft rocks like Petoskey stone. I have a video showing how I do those.
@@MichiganRocks thank you!
I love how you are so practical 😊
Nice video, Rob. I've never actually run any of my Nat Geo tumblers past 220, so I enjoyed this.
I am surprised by the shine -- simply because it's a rotary tumbler. Bahia agates do shine up better and faster than most, but the results look better than you get from your small Lortone. And you didn't even use the polishing foam!
I have had some breaking / peeling with Bahia agates, although always in coarse or final polish. Never in between, for some reason. The speed can't help, but cracked rocks breaking along the cracks is not out of the ordinary, as you know. I don't see any spalling, which would be a stronger indication that the action was too rough. Then again, Bahia agates are not prone to spalling. I'm sure this tumbler would do a number on some Botswana agates or lakers... Better to keep those at slow speed (and you still might end up with a bunch of spalling).
Nat Geo should pay you to rewrite their manual. They would have a lot more happy customers if they did.
Hi Jonathan. There was some spalling on some of them. I haven’t done tons of rotary tumbling, but I’ve done some and never experienced anything like this. I do have rocks break during the first week or two sometimes but not so late in the game.
@@MichiganRocks A cheap DC motor speed controller would slow things down, but its hard to recommend a tumbler that doesn't work well out of the box. Same goes for slurry thickener. Would probably help, but an added complication for beginners.
@@jonathanyoung7785 I agree with both of those statements. I will say that I'm impressed with how fast this thing chews through grit, but I don't think it's worth the chipping. I took a long time to make this video because even though the barrel could be cleaned out every three days, a lot of time I didn't do it on time. I'm ok with only checking the barrels once a week at this point. On the other hand, beginners can hardly wait one day to open the barrel to see what's going on in there.
Since I have this tumbler, I figure I may as well keep doing videos with it. I was thinking of doing some Michigan beach rocks next in it. I get some questions about whether it's ok to skip the first step with beach rocks. I could answer that question, tumble beach rocks from start to finish, and make another Nat Geo tumbler video all at the same time. What do you think? Can you think of anything better to do with this tumbler next?
@@MichiganRocks People who own this tumbler would no doubt like seeing you use it more. The issue is whether you can come up with projects you find sufficiently engaging. Running beach rocks through it sounds like a good idea.
Similarly, you would do a great service to those new to the hobby by collecting a barrel's worth of pretty beach rocks that you know from experience will not tumble well (granite, etc) and running them through the process to show what happens at each stage. I was quite frustrated by this when I started tumbling rocks. I had all these pretty rocks that I had collected since I was a child, and I really, really wanted to polish them. Even though I had read that most pretty rocks you find on the beach are not good candidates for tumbling, they always seemed to be doing great through the SiC stages, and the problems showed up in the AO pre-polish or polish stages. It took me at least 2 or 3 frustrating batches to finally accept that 98% of my beach rocks were never going to polish well. I am certain that many others, like myself, buy their first rock tumbler for the specific purpose of polishing all their pretty beach rocks. At the risk of being the bearer of bad news, you could dispel this fantasy before they waste a lot of time.
I use my Nat Geo tumblers for rocks that I want to keep a close eye on. For example, if I clean out a large barrel and find a handful of rocks that need just a little more rough tumbling, but I'm afraid of tumbling off a cool feature, I might put 3 or 4 such rocks in one of the Nat Geo tumblers with a few tablespoons of 120/220, a handful or two of large ceramics, fill with water to the top of the rocks, and check back after 24 hours.
Final idea -- you could try to develop a simplified rotary tumbling process for the Nat Geo tumbler that takes advantage of its fast grinding action. For example, I wonder if a double dose of coarse grit run for a full 7 days would create a thick enough slurry, and create it quickly enough, to cushion the rocks? And if the last reload with coarse SiC were run for 10 days, could you skip 220 entirely? Moving on to AO, I wonder if a double helping of AO 500 run for 3 weeks with no clean out would break down to a polish while creating a protective slurry? If you don't try this, I might. It would be pretty cool to get a decent polish with only 2 types of grit while better cushioning the rocks. I have gotten a glassy shine in the Lot-O by running AO 80 for 5 or 6 days, so if the Nat Geo breaks down grit even 1/3 as fast as the Lot-O, a simplified, two-grit process might actually work.
@@jonathanyoung7785 Those are some good ideas. I have had "tumble granite" on my list of ideas for a long time, but haven't gotten around to doing it yet. I should add in other bad rocks to that mix. Thanks for the push.
I also like your idea of doing more experiments in general. I always need projects for the winter and those sound like some good ones.
As an adult who walks Wisconsin beaches near daily and who has always been curious about "how to make shiny rocks" I received a similar Dan & Darci tumbler for a gift. I have spent probably 4-5 hours watching your videos and they are so helpful. As an expert in any hobby, it can be overwhelming for a novice to follow along but that is not the case in your videos. I have been bookmarking your recommendations for grit and media as well as other equipment. I am confidant with what I have learned that in a few weeks I will have some rocks I can show off! thanks so much and just sharing what you enjoy. I might even make some jewelry if all works out well. Thank you so much and please keep sharing this type of content.
I think you'll have good success too if you follow my instructions. When I started out, I did a ton of reading before I started and I had success right off the bat.
I have a lot of people ask me for advice after failed tumbles and very often the problems stems from impatience and trying to hurry things along by skipping or shortening steps. Don't rush it and you'll be fine.
@@MichiganRocks a lot of the equipment you’ve mentioned is unavailable on most sites such as your 33b and your lot-o. Websites such as rockshed and Kingsley north just say unavailable, even the manufacturer’s website. How have you gotten around this? I live fairly close to Kingsley North’s retail shop and was thinking of driving the 2 hours and checking it out to see if they had any advice. Also, what resources do you know of for rock identification?
@@nerdph I think they're getting them in periodically. Both the Rock Shed and Kingsley North have a place to leave your name on a waiting list for products that are out of stock. Lortone and Lot-O tumblers have been in short supply since Covid started. I'd just get your name on a list as soon as possible.
@@MichiganRocksyou rock, I’ll check that out. Thanks again!
Ohh yes thank you for this video your the best!
You’re welcome, Sally!
My daughter is turning 8 this week. She collects rocks all over. (Just like her dad) lol. My parents wanted to get her something unique. I had Mom order from your Amazon store front for the NatGeo. I am binge watching your playlists for tumbling. Thank you for your details and insights!
I need to catch up on your current content yet. Cheers from the 920 of Wisconsin.
There's a lot to watch, but I think you've made a good dent.
I’m glad you did this review! I bought the same tumbler in December 2022. I could not get a polish until I watched the aluminum oxide additive along with first burnishing. One dumb thing I did was purchase a red double barrel tumbler from harbor freight!!! What a waste of money!! I am returning it! I wanted a vibrator rock (lot- o tumbler) but the rock shed is sold out and the ones on Amazon are ridiculously priced. So I purchased a light blue double barrel one from The Rock Shed! Got some more tootsie rolls!lol . The feeling of the rubber barrels compared to the Harbor Freight barrels are huge!!! Harbor Freight feels more like hard plastic. The Rock Shed barrels are great, and before taking out of the box I could feel the huge difference!
Harbor Freight vibratory tumblers are for tumbling metal pieces, not rocks.
Great video !!! thank for sharing this work❤❤.
I'm impressed by two things here: your rock tumbling knowledge, and your collection of Michigan-themed shirts.
Would you believe I'm a Michigan grad? I do have a few shirts.
I just did a run on my Christmas present..a Nat Geo rock tumbler...as the instructions said...came out dull and some of my very nice rocks wore away to nothing...so I ordered more grit and rocks...I will try your way now..thank you
Did you order some good grit? The polish is the most important. I get mine from either Kingsley North or the Rock Shed. Links to both places are in the description.
Hi again. I just want you to know what a good thing you did by sending Me Miner those rocks. Your a good man. May good thing come to you and you family. Be happy, safe and stay healthy 😷⚒
Oh, is that video out now? I figured he couldn't get out to get his own, so I'd send him something to play with.
@@MichiganRocks that was very nice and thoughtful of you. Rock people are the best!
I can not WAIT to try this. I got my national geographic tumbler about a month ago and my rocks turned out TERRIBLE. I used a tutorial that i barely watched for a tumbler that was completely different. I did not separate the ones it came with at all and I had the speed up way too high (highest setting!!!) and the times they tumbled were way too long and inconsistent, all because I didnt do my research. I found your account after sort of losing motivation to try again and this video inspired me to start TOMORROW using all of these tips and tricks.
I think you'll have much better luck doing what I did here. I did a review of this tumbler and as part of that, I tumbled the rocks that came with it using their directions. I've never had such a failure of a batch as that one. I knew that was going to happen, but I did it anyway just to make a point. If it would make you feel better to see my failure, it's in this video: ruclips.net/video/G71XbZTlQwM/видео.html Skip right to the end if you just want to see my tiny, not shiny rocks.
Thank You !!! I haven't watched the first one with this machine. I am going to right now. I would love to see you do another where you run this on high and do a SPEED TUMBLING, see if you can move forward after just one or two days?????
I'm more into the slow and steady type of tumbling. You might be interested in seeing what's going on inside this tumbler at various speeds: ruclips.net/video/MjBtZ4-JheA/видео.html
1:00 Hi again Rob. I just finished my first tumble with a Nat Geo professional tumbler. I followed what you taught in this video. The stones turned out very shiny. However, there are a few chips and cracks that are in some of them. Probably because I am impatient and didn't keep them in phase one long enough. A lesson learned. I am already wanting to purchase another tumbler! Thanks for your great videos.
It was either not leaving them in the first stage long enough or the chips were caused by the fast tumbler. I'm glad you had success though. Congrats!
I'm only half way, literally 17 min, into the video, before I understood the time and effort it took to complete this one video. multiple recordings, over months, to have a truncated version for the viewer's, gotta have it now, 5 second attention span, show. thank you very much. awesome video
Yes, these videos take a long time. I don't know any other way to show a process like this though.
Omg rocks are so beautiful just amazes me...how the question always pops into my head! I want a tumbler!
Get one! They're fun.
I just received the same tumbler for my recent birthday, wish me luck 😆 this will be my second go-round tumbling though. Two years ago I had purchased the really small "toy-like" tumbler and was actually able to get a decent shine by researching grit compounds, media filler ect ect but the so so results sadly killed the poor tumbler's motor.... rip lil one😆 🤣 soo this time around i feel much more confident and once again from your help and advice 🙏🏻 👍🏻 thank you again!
Good luck! With the right polish and technique, this machine will do the job.
@MichiganRocks agreed, I believe alot of it Is just trail/error, documenting to really zero in to make it a craft work. I also feel like these companies may actually lead newcomers astray international with the hopes of upsetting their "1,2 3" portions 😆 oh well if it didn't work out just buy these handy smaller boxes with a few crushed rock and grit.... keeping them in a never ending loop. Iv found, experimenting with diffrent loads, diffrent grits measurements, more or less water, regular filler media vs unconventional filler has helped me dial on a rock solid foundation of knowledge. Thanks again, iv watched some of your content for over two years now, soo I apologize that I just now subscribed 🤦🏻♂️ 👍🏻 better late then never 😆
Wish I would have seen your videos sooner! Got the nat geo 3lb tumbler. Needless to say I'll be watching more of your videos.
I thought so too. It was nice to have knowledgeable guests. Actually, I felt more like the guest that day. Paul and Nat were great hosts.
Thanks for this. My gf bought this tumbler but i bought her some 3xtra grit and ceramic beans to go with it. Really appreciate your "how to" on making this work.
I'm glad I could help, Andy.
@@MichiganRocks definitely thanks 🙂
This works!!! Thank you. I just redid my 1st batch ever and now they're exactly what I got into this for! We newbies cant know what we don't know without people like you.
Glad to help, Joe.
@@MichiganRocks it's more than help. Its teaching me to think see, and be patient. There are so many nuances that we new to the field dont know what we dont know. Knowing the why, grit types, helps a lot too. I have a great learning adventure ahead and am grateful to have your wisdom and experience so readily available. You make the results practically Joe proof!!!
@@joejandacek2263 I'm glad to help. I'm a newly retired teacher, so I guess it's just in my blood by this point to explain things to others when I can. I learned most everything I know about rocks and lapidary stuff on a forum called "Rock Tumbling Hobby. You might enjoy that too. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com
Bought my daughter this tumbler because she's interested in geology. Thanks for your videos, you definitely saved us some early mistakes
Glad I could help!
I bought a National Geographic beginner rock tumbler , it only has one speed. I followed the directions, used the grit it came with and wasn't really happy. After watching your video I will try the different grits you suggested. Thank you
You're welcome. I hope they turn out great next time!
I am trying to decide between a Lortane and this NG tumbler. I just watched your first review and clicked on your videos hoping to find this! Thank you. I've subscribed and am now watching this one. I think I have decided to go with a double barrel Lortane 33 so my 9 year old son can get the gem bug and be tumbling along side me! 😍💎 Thank you!
The Lortones are pretty hard to find right now, but I'd definitely recommend that over the National Geographic tumblers. The Rock Shed usually has the best prices. rockshed.com
For me my favorite tumble is no cracks but smooth bumps and holes are my favorite because it reminds me of a gold nuggets texture but polished, sometimes I’ll even manually shape my rocks with a diamond tip dremel to look like gold nuggets by making smooth bubble shaped holes. Only problem is if you have too small of a hole it can become problematic for grit contamination by having a plastic pellet trap grit inside the hole causing a seal from round 2 and only knew this because I found a darker pellet in round 3 and it was a single pellet so it is so important to check your rocks like he does in his videos as it’ll save so much hassle and bring you a more fun tumble experience. Although if your starting out I recommend using smaller rocks as they chip and break less easily as they aren’t usually that heavy like 1 to 10 grams for each gemstone tumbled gems are a lot easier to manage.
Thanks for the input. You have interesting taste in the texture of your tumbled rocks. Do you find that the bubble shaped holes don't shine up inside? I find any concave areas hard to get a good shine on.
I bought one of these and have used it consistently, and when I found the chip on one of the wheels was causing the rubber to file down quickly they sent me multiple wheels and belts. I also think they should provide more grit, I bought big bags of my own, I feel the bags they give you aren't even enough for one cycle.
Great video! I'd love to expand to bigger tumblers down the line. :D
Everything I've heard about their customer service is excellent. I'll give them credit for that.
I got this as a gift and I was terrified to put certain rocks in it just because they are delicater lol this was really helpful. I threw some Mn agates in there but I just wasn't happy especially those foam things--totally po'd. I bought new grits and I may as well get the ceramic. Before this my buddy at his family lapidary would tumble for me so I had a little familiarity going in. But that shine just wasn't there either. Questions answered and hunches validated! Thanks!
I hope you get some better results now. It still turns way too fast in my opinion, but it’s possible to shine rocks with it too.
Great videos thank you, I’m doing this for my 5 year old son and your videos have been amazing. Thank you.
You're welcome. I got started in this through my son, too, but he was about twelve at the time.
Hey Rob. I'm watching from the UK. I was introduced to rock tumbling by a little boy I see in my therapy work. I'd never heard of it before. Just recently I was trying to think of a hobby I could do with my son that would help my son's patience and focus. He's 6. I think rock tumbling would be an amazing hobby to help his development. Funny thing... I was was so impulsive and nearly brought the first one I saw on Amazon. (Maybe I need to develop my focus and patience 🤣🤣🤣🤦🏼♀️) I then thought I'd see if there were any reviews on RUclips. And here we are!!! I've been watching for about an hour and a half tonight and sooooo excited to buy a kit and get going. Thank you so much for your time and patience 🤣 You're a great role model for these qualities. Gina
I'm glad you found my video useful, Gina. I just released another video using this tumbler last night. I tumbled beach rocks. Collecting your own rocks makes the hobby that much more enjoyable. I know it's not a great time of the year to be out looking for rocks, but if you and your son could get out and get your own rocks to tumble, that would be great.
Tumbling Beach Rocks: ruclips.net/video/_Vmm24Fc7j4/видео.html
@@MichiganRocks thank you for your reply. That was a nice surprise. RUclips and social media platforms still amaze me how easy it is to connect.
Yes, I think the beach rocks would be sooo cool to find and tumble. I'm not sure who's going to be more excited me or my son. 👍👍👍
Just one question... Can you tumble glass found on the beach?
@@ArchiveTwo Have fun!
@@ArchiveTwo Yes, but beach glass is what people usually value. It's that frosted look that makes it so unique. If you're going to tumble glass, I wouldn't use beach glass, I'd use colorful bottles or something. Here's a video where I tried to make fake beach glass: ruclips.net/video/yAt1Y5cGfWI/видео.html
You are a joy to watch! A wealth of information as well as you have a sense of houmor I appreciate …..Thank you for making this less scary and confusing then it was. I love your Rocks! Rocks, Rock!💕
I'm glad you found it helpful. This hobby is much more fun when the rocks actually come out shiny.
@@MichiganRocks how would you find dawn dish soap instead of borax?
@@rhondasquires7770 Sometimes I use dish detergent between stages to clean the rocks. It works fine. I have heard some people say that it's bad for the rubber barrels, but I don't know if that's true.
Thanks so much for this video. We got this tumbler for Christmas and have been learning all we can. I ended up putting a bunch of quartz-y stuff from my gravel in and after about 3 3-day runs with coarse grit, I decided to fill it in to about 80% with ceramics. When I took it off day 3 again, it was still gritty! I was already getting a lot of fracturing when I decided to add the ceramics. These are barely curated gravel rocks after all. Without your video, I wouldn’t have known what to do about it! They’re starting to look very nice, btw. Our gravel is TX Llano River Rock, which is more interesting than your average gravel.
If you put in too much ceramic media, it can actually hinder grinding. I'd shoot for about 30% ceramic. Don't use ceramic in the first stage because it just wears it down too fast. I've seen some Texas river rock, and you're right about it being way above average.
@@ShatteredFlint Yep.
Thank you very much a had this rock tumbler for a Christmas a long time ago and I followed the instructions and got the same Result as you and I stoped using it but know I’m thinking of getting another one but doing it the right way
I wonder how many people quit after one try like you did. It's a shame that they don't include decent polish and instructions. Seems like they'd sell more that way.
Thanks rob, you did a great job describing the steps. I bought this tumbler and just started but made some mistakes, too fast , bad grit (that came with this kit) and just not knowing how long to tumble. I bought different grit like you said and I'm going to try again. Looking forward to walking Rogers City shoreline now that I finally have the time. GO BLUE! I'm a BIG Michigan fan too. Gary from Trenton
Good luck with your next batch. At least we both know it's possible now.
I have learned so much from your videos. Thank you very much. 👍🏼🇨🇦
You're welcome, David.
I'm glad I found this video :) I used the link to get the aluminum oxide grit and polish so hopefully it doesn't take too long to get here!
The Rock Shed usually ships quickly, so you shouldn't have to wait too long. The waiting will happen after it goes in the tumbler.
Picked up some great tips. I bought that tumbler, found out from watching your video, I haven't been using nearly enough grit. Thanks....
You're welcome. I'm glad I could help.
I just took out the rocks from this new batch. They already look better than the first batch. I cleaned them thoroughly, added another 3 tbsps of #1 grit and put them back on for another 3 days. I think they are going to look great, but I'm going to rewatch your video to make sure I don't miss anything.
I hope they turn out great, Terry.
@@MichiganRocks The color looks really good. I've gotten several stones that look good to hold out for the next stage. I also watched your beginner video for the Lortone 33B tumbler. I am assuming the 7 day time period for this tumbler as opposed to 3 days for the Nat Geo is because the later spins so much faster than the Lortone.
@@terrywessling6842 Yes, the National Geographic tumbler works about twice as fast, but the downside is more chipped rocks. I might be able to empty the Lortone after five or six days, but I like keeping the clean out day on the same day of the week because it's easier to keep track of.
Great videos Rob, I have the plastic barrel version of this tumbler, I thought that it spun really fast as well. I just used a 8.4V power supply instead of the 12V that it comes with. It rotates about 2/3 the original speed. I'm working on my first set of rocks in it. I had the same problem with the rocks not being polished so I bought some ALOX polish well see how they go!
Make sure your aluminum oxide polish is fine enough. You'll get a better shine from that than with the silicon carbide that comes with this tumbler, but you'll do better with some really good polish. I buy mine from Kingsley North or the Rock Shed. It's cheap and works great. Links to both places are in the description.
The imperfect rocks are by far my favorite. Especially the footing rock having only a few perfectly polished spots . Magnificent. New to tumbling and have the Nat. GEO TUMBLER. Will take your advice on polish and filler. Only on the second cycle.
Good luck! The best part about doing them yourself is that you can do them however you like. You're going to have a lot of fun, I think.
I just finished my first batch of mixed jasper and other misc. stones using these techniques, grit and polish referenced in my Nat Geo. It's the red one, with a single speed (fast), a up to 7 day setting and a power switch. I am please with the appearance of all of the stone, especially the tiger's eye. I wanted to include of picture for you but I don't know how to do that. Thank you again.
I'm glad you have had some success with this method. You can post a link to a picture here or just send me a picture on Instagram.
Thank you for the thorough and informative video!
You're welcome.
Amazing video! So informative and clear. Thank you for taking the time to make this :)
I'm glad you liked it. So many people have trouble with this tumbler, that I thought it was the perfect video to make.
Thanks for filling in the video. Cheers and smiles.
It kind of needed to be done. I’ll try to be more careful in the future.
@@MichiganRocks even if you didn't come back and fill in the gaps it still worked as a nice instructional video on rock polishing. Thanks for taking the time out of you life to share. 😊
They all came out so beautifully! I want them all, lol, even the rejects, lol.
You must be able to tell this is my first run at polishing rocks! So many questions lol,? So you find the National Geographic one. Those two quickly 😮 that I bought. Just got it today , so my last question is ,what would you recommend a first time hobbiest(. (Gosh , is that a word) lol purchase ! Around the same price if possible. ! Thank you
I like Lortone tumblers. The 3A or 33B are nice ones to start with. I like the 33B because you get two barrels for less than twice the price of one barrel. The Rock Shed or Kingsley North are good places to buy. They're both really well run businesses and both have good prices. There are links in the descriptions of all my videos. They also both sell quality grits and polishes. The polish that comes with the National Geographic tumbler would never actually polish a rock. Most of the stuff available on Amazon sold as polish is actually more like a pre-polish and usually costs more. The polish to get from the Rock Shed is "aluminum oxide polish". Kingsley North sells it as "micro alumina". It's the same thing.
Thanks for doing this, I have struggled badly with my Nat Geo tumbler.
You’re welcome!
@@MichiganRocks I would love to send you a couple of pounds of Quartz mix rocks I have by the ton. I would like to see your tumble on them.
@@kellyhollingsworth6100 I have a lot of people who want to send me rocks, and most of them want to see what they look like polished. That's very hard to keep everyone's rocks separated because of the way I tumble. The rocks don't all get done at the same time, so by the end I have to mix them with other rocks to fill the barrel. Besides that, I have more rocks than I'm able to tumble as it is.
Here are a couple videos of tumbled quartz that you might like to see though:
Michigan Quartz: ruclips.net/video/zQPteZc6h8c/видео.html
Other Quartz: ruclips.net/video/cYfU35kjDfo/видео.html
I have the exact one, and find that 9 days on each of the 4 grits, plus the polishing little black sponges, produces very shiny rocks depending on rock hardness
Do you use the little sponges just by themselves, no grit?
Yes, it’s a National Geographic final stage product called GemFoam
I’m sure it’s a “beginner’s” type thing but it puts an amazing shine.
Btw
I use 9 days on each of the 4 stages/grits, then use the GemFoam.
This is the video I've been waiting for!!
I bought the hobby tumbler which seems to go at speed 2 of the ''professional'' tumbler all the time which is really fast but I'm trying your method with some actual agates I picked up which is gonna be easier than trying it on quartz as a second run.
this hobby tumbler doesn't stop if it's overloaded so at least im not limited on that part. I'm less afraid about puting 3/4 in and over loading it.
So right now it's been running for a day, and i've got the timer on it to stop after three days just to check the slurry. And I'll change the grit after then since im pretty sure the slurry will be too fine to work.
I'm planning on doing the first step a lot more times than what Nat geo tells us to do. Until my rocks become what i want them to be.
that will give me enough time for the things i ordered to arrive. Which is new polish (1200grit aluminum oxide polish) and some ceramic media to help the rocks run smoother in the last stages.
you've thought me a lot of stuff here and i can't wait to see what other videos you have for us!
It sounds like you have a plan. Hopefully my method works for you. I publish two videos a week and there's lots of stuff from the past two years that should still be interesting if you haven't seen them. Let me know if you need any help along the way with your second batch of rocks.
Love the video, so very helpful. And love your shirts. Go blue!
Go blue!
This has been very informative. My 6 yr old and I have started tumbling rocks as a friend gave him a Nat Geo tumbler kit as a christmas gift. They got him the hobby kit so the tumbler is a bit different than the one you reviewed and in this video, the hobby one only has one speed. But I feel the knowledge i have learned between the 2 videos will help us get some better turn out on the rocks. Unfortunately I found this after we just started the 2nd stage but I found a local hobby place where I am from and going to get some better supplies for our next runs. Thanks for this I will be watching more and more of these videos.
I'm glad I could help, Nicholas. Make sure you're getting some good polish. It should be aluminum oxide and somewhere around 2 micron or smaller. That's over 10,000 grit.
Great video! You are very meticulous. It was fun to see the process again .😍🥰😇👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I wasn’t meticulous enough to actually watch this video and catch my errors before posting it the first time.
@@MichiganRocks That's ok, everyone makes mistakes sometimes, but I've never seen rocks more shiny than those Bahia agates.😍🥰😇👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
You have no idea how you have just helped me! I learned so much! Thanks a million! =D
You're welcome! I'm glad to help.
I don't tumble or collect rocks but a tumbler came up in advertising and I didn't know what it was so searched RUclips and yours was the first video I watched, very interesting and entertaining, loved watching this, can you add a potentiometer to the motor wire and mount it on the side to slow it down
Thanks. There have been several suggestions here on how to slow it down.
Always enjoy your videos. I have the 33b Lortone and a Hobby and a Pro National Geographic. I'm getting better with getting a shine on my rocks, but my goal is to have my rocks look like your beauties.
I'll keep making videos until you get the hang of it.
Just started watching your videos.
I always wanted to try and do this but never knew where to buy the machine or the grits!
I buy my stuff from the Rock Shed. They usually have the best prices and have high quality tumbling grit. rockshed.com