Rock Tumbling Champion Shares His Secrets
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- Sam Cook won the Worldwide Rock Tumbling Contest and tells us exactly how he did it. If you want to be a champion rock tumbler, you should watch this!
Learn more about the contest here: www.featherriv...
For more rock tumbling tips, check out this playlist: • Rock Tumbling Tips
Thanks to Christina Jelinek for editing the closed captions for this video.
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- KINGSLEY NORTH -
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.
bit.ly/3MerxdI
This is the cabbing machine I use:
kingsleynorth....
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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.
rockshed.com
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Cool Beans Sam, Great job, procrastination is the takeaway tip from this video, I am always learning new things from Rob's videos.
Hey Matt, I noticed that you turned in all light colored rocks. Were you sent mostly light rocks or did you just think those turned out better? How similar was you method? Care to share any of your secrets?
Hey Rob, I do have a couple secrets, secret #1 watch Michigan Rocks RUclips channel and emulate everything that guy does, he is the foremost authority on rock tumbling. Secret #2 after each stage I run my rocks in an ultrasonic machine for thirty minutes to get any residual grit out of the cracks and crystal pockets.
As to the color of rocks the lighter ones just looked better to me,I will send you a picture of the ones I did not send in.
Matt,
@@Metal-Detecting-Texas That first tip is great! I'll have to look that guy up. He sounds amazing.
I have had people ask me about ultrasonic cleaners, but I have never used one. I have read that they can sometimes break rocks. Has that ever happened to you?
@@MichiganRocks not yet but we have really extra hard rocks down here in Texas.
@@Matt_Johnson I'm guessing that it's not about hardness, but more likely because of cracks that are in the rock before they go in the ultrasonic cleaner.
When Sam won he shared the news with me in the most self-effacing way possible, just "Hey" and a picture of the results... He's great: incredibly smart, friendly, and an all around stand up guy.
Of course now that he's a world champion, he requires velvet carpets and servants to open doors, but otherwise he's totally down to Earth!
Yeah, I don’t think he’ll let it go to his head. I sure won’t be opening any more doors than usual for him either!
I saw the announcement and I wondered if that was "our" Sam. Congratulations to both teacher and student. Rob, please forward to Sam for us. He did a great job!
Congratulations Sam. You did an awesome job. So glad you won. Well I gusee Rob must be an amazing teacher. I've learned a lot from him as well. You two make a great team.
Congratulations Sam💕.
So nice of u to teach him and letting him use ur machines💕
I have plenty of tumbling capacity, so sharing isn't much of a sacrifice.
@@MichiganRocks but really sweet to do so💕
For more rock tumbling tips, check out this playlist: ruclips.net/p/PLqNINgwEkm-Lyn24HlhulSV4Unc00-Cuc
Congratulations to Sam ! He had a fantastic teacher ! The rocks didn’t look all that promising in the beginning. What’s the best way to ship polished rocks ? To individually wrap them in bubble wrap ?
I wrapped each rock individually in a piece of old T-shirt. Those went into a small flat rate box with bubble wrap. I helped Sam ship his the same way. I don't know if that's the best way, but it has worked twice.
Congrats to both champion rock tumblers in the room....I tried to enter the next year..but found out they were already done taking apps for next season. Congrats Sam...who have a good teacher/ mentor
They sold out really quickly the year after this.
Congrats, and what a nice video. Someday I would like to join that contest. Keep on rockin😎!!!!!
Congratulations, Sam!
Congratulations Sam that is showing great commitment to your hobby. What a great way to showcase your work to others! Again Congratulations on winning this competition!
Whoa! Another World Champ....!!!! Pretty dang amazing Sam!! Trained him well Rob!
Yes, he did didn't he.
Congratulations Sam! You're a great teacher Rob.
Congratulations guys...
God bless ppl like this , Willing to Step in , and help the youth in the Area ( Aslong as they have good intentions , and not are Growming them , ,, im not saying This Michigan is ,, but God Bless this Channel !!! )
So cool you guys are able to share your love for the hobby. Big congrats to the WORLD CHAMPION!
Congratulations Sam! That's so awesome! And great job teaching, Rob! I had no idea that stage 1 would be that long.
That was just for the slowest rocks to get finished some rocks got done with the first stage much quicker.
@@MichiganRocks Hey Rob! Love your content! I wanted to say that my rocks come out with shine but NO WHERE NEAR what yours end up like. I hear you say that rocks get "finished" but what is finished for you? Like for the typical rock, how long do you leave in each stage? I leave mine in for roughly three or four days in Stage One and then two or three days for Stage Two through to Polish. Am I not leaving them in long enough?
Something else I'll do with a rock is, if I want a rock a certain shape or getting cracks or pits out, I'll use my Rotary Tool to grind the entire surface of the rock and immediately put it in Stage Two. What do you think of that?
Well, thank you again for great info and content on all things rock related!
@@DogofW0r I'm assuming that you're using a rotary tumbler. Did you hear Sam say that some of his rocks were in the first stage for something like four or five months? They weren't all in that long, some got done sooner and some got done later. By "done" I mean that all the holes and cracks were ground out.
If you're using a rotary tumbler for the other stages, you're not leaving them in nearly long enough. In a rotary, I run them for a week in 220 silicon carbide, ten days in 500 aluminum oxide, and two weeks in aluminum oxide polish. My goal is to get the best shine possible, so I might go a little overboard on times, but it's worth it to me. You need to go for at least a week in each of the last three stages though to have a decent shine at all.
The advantage of using a vibratory tumbler for the last three stages is that I let them run for two days, three days, and then two days, for a total of a week. It's quicker and does a better job for me.
As for pre-grinding, that's a great Idea. I still put them back in the first stage after grinding because it mellows out any flat spots or sharp corners I left behind.
So proud of Sam!!! and also Rob you are a great mentor to many of us rockhounds!!
Awesome so cool, we'll done! Great video! Congratulations.
Belated congratulations Sam! nice work on those less than ideal rocks. And good job teaching him Rob, well done!
I had no idea there was a tumbling competition! Congratulations on your success.
Yep, this is the only one that I know of.
Congratulations Sam, well done.
Congratulations Sam! Your knowledge about agates has grown quite a bit in such a short period of time. You are a born picker. Beautiful trophies by the way.
Congratulations
Awesome video! Congratulations! What a great neighbor and Mentor you are! Super encouraging video. Keep up the Great work!
Way to go, Sam! Thanks for sharing some of your secrets, so much fun to watch.
Congrats Sam! Slow and steady seems to win the rock polishing contest.
What a wonderful relationship you have. I wish I would have had a positive influence in my life like you at that age. Ridiculously wholesome content here.....❤
Sam and I get along really well considering the huge age difference. I haven't figured out if he's really mature or I'm really immature. Might be a bit of both.
@@MichiganRocks 😂 maybe both? Chemistry
@@lauriewilson4741 Could be!
Way to go Sam! Just a great job - congratulations. That was a lot of fun to watch. I'll be sending you guys a couple of Ohio State Buckeye caps you can wear on your next project 🙂
That Rob - he's a darn good teacher.
I'd say something about those caps, but this is a family channel.
Congratulations Sam!
I saw his name on their web site. I figured it had to be him. You must be proud of him. Congrats Sam.
I'm very proud of him!
Congrats to you Sam,good job! Thank you Rob, I now have some nice fossils and cool rocks from Alpena since I saw some of your work. I am 7 hours away, but worth the drive! Peace and Love to you and yours!
Ouch, that's a long drive. I'm glad you found something cool after making that trip.
@@MichiganRocks Ya, it is a long way.... So much cool stuff though! Been up 2x this year. I would go more, but work is a bit constraining. Thank you again Rob!
Congratulations! 😊
OUTSTANDING!!!! And that trophy is as much yours....what a teacher!
Congrats Sam!!
Well done Sam! You're an inspiration Sir... I'm tumbling my very first batch of river rocks from the Mason county Washington state area. YOU and your Mentor, Keep up the good work! M.
Whoop! Whoop! So genuinely excited for you Sam. Asked Santa for a vibratory tumbler this year! I guess that means I gotta be good. Hopefully I can get the candy shine some day like you guys.🥰
Remember, Santa Claus is watching you!
Congrats to all!
Congratulations young man! Super cool!!!
Way to go Sam ! You as well Coach !
Congratulations to Sam! Good job and congratulations to Matt also.
Excellent job Sam!!! I bet you were screaming for joy!! So proud of ya kiddo!! You got the best teacher!! He sure has helped me through my frustrating failures!!! 🙏🧎🏼♀️🥰
Baddass! Congrats man!!!! Great mentor!!
very cool! sam congrats! rob you’re a good mentor. i had no idea there were so many factors to consider when making polished rocks.
I don't think it's difficult to polish rocks, but there are a few variables. The biggest thing is patience.
@@MichiganRocks yes! when i heard stones are in the tumbler for months, i was shocked!
Nice, those rocks looked very appealing to the eye. Worldwide 🏆 that's awesome
I think it's mostly people in the U.S. since the rock club that puts it on is in California, but the year I won, the second place winner was from New Zealand.
i enjoy your video's and the knowledge you share, i got my son into your video's also and he has been tumbling for almost 2 months now and is enjoying it very much. so i thank you sir for great videos 👍
That's great. How old is your son? Is he a kid or adult?
@@MichiganRocks he is 17 going on 18 next month, just graduated, im hoping he goes into geology or similar to help me find me more gold and him more rocks 😁
@@GoldenSkullProspecting My son I law is a geologist. I kind of won the jackpot there!
@@MichiganRocks indeed, that is awesome, hoping i have some of that luck with my son lol
Too funny give that lad some of that Michigan Rocks whoop butt! 😝😊 You both did a fine job!
Wicked video man. Congratulations to the both of you. First time viewer and new subscriber. Super interesting and cool
Thanks, Sebastian!
Congrats to Neighbor Sam! Happy you were there to help and teach him a few things.
Sam is a good student. He was a good student in my algebra class and he's a good student of rock hunting and tumbling. He quickly surpassed me in finding agates, in fact.
@@MichiganRocks Young eyes!
Congratulations Sam! Rob you taught that young man very good! Keep up the great videos and God bless you and your family.
Thanks, Robert!
Congratulations!!
Taking many years first as an amateur now as a pro crastinator i must congratulate you and say very well done on showing the pro side of procrastination ;>)
I keep meaning to get better at procrastination, but I keep putting it off.
Congratulations Sam, on your great accomplishment, and special thanks to Rob for outstanding mentorship. Sam, we are so proud of who you are and all you are becoming.
❤️ Aunt Sharlene
He's a good one. I see why you're proud of him.
I saw his name listed as the winner sheet. Congrats sam.
Congratulations kiddo.
Congratulations Sam!!!
🎉congratulations SAM!
And this is my second video I watched after getting power and internet back after a week. Stupid Hurricane!! Congrats Sam, I was happy tied for 7th, that stuff was fun. It's amazing how different everyone's material was that I've seen. I only had one black one. I got a piece of green jasper and a quartz chunk with a couple of little smokey crystals on it in my batch. I also got several chunks of Rhyolite too. I waited too long to grind after some coarse runs, I let some stuff go 14 weeks until I did that and then did another month in coarse. I also only use 3 lb. rotary barrels, don't have a vibratory. And Rob, I think I mentioned in a comment once how I admired your bravery in using snap on lids for your grits and that I only dared to use screw tops because I'm a klutz. My entire shed just collapsed on my tumbling set up and all my grits hit a concrete floor from a 5 foot high shelf with 100 + MPH wind accelerating them. 7 varying jars, nothing broke and 2 of them had a little tiny leak that drying in the sun for an afternoon fixed after 19+ inches of rain. I stand by my claim. And again, congratulations Sam, that wasn't easy.
It's nice to hear from another contestant, Ken. I saw the three top entries and the materials all looked different. I wondered if that was the choice of the contestants or the material they were sent. Someone else also commented here on how different their material was. There's definitely an element of luck in this contest, which is a shame.
I'm sorry you were a victim of Ian, but I'm glad your grit storage system is working for you. If anything happens in my basement to mess up my grits and polishes, it will be the least of my worries. The only thing that I have in bulk is coarse grit and it doesn't matter some smaller grit gets mixed with that.
Very cool, congrats! Im fallin love with tumbling and polishing rocks. I cant wait to get a saw setup and a cab machine someday. Already have a plethora of angle grinders, but a variable speed sander or a wet polisher would be cool too.
For me, I acquired equipment slowly. I bought mostly used machines at first and it takes awhile to find them.
@@MichiganRocks Your content is fun and wholesome, 10/10. Keep it up! I just cracked my 4 barrels and am burnishing them now. How does one find these Lapidary contests? Im utterly fascinated, I wish I would have continued this hobby from my childhood onwards. Im about 6 months into this fun
@@jaredt5127 I put a link to this contest in the description of the video. It's the only one that I know of. I'm on the Rock Tumbling Hobby forums and they have had some contests in the past, but it's not a regular thing there.
🙋♀️💕🎈🎈🎈🏆🏆🏆Congratulations Sam and Matt!
Congratulations!
Congratulations Sam, great show!
Congrats to Sam... and his mentor. Awesome video!
Great job, Sam.
Great job Sam and congratulations!
You guys are excellent rock tumblers, great job guy’s!
Congratulations Sam you are on your way to a great Rock Tumbler! Thanks for sharing your experience.
How wonderful!🎉
Congrats, Sam!😊
Awesome!
That’s awesome Sam!! Huge congrats!! You must be very proud. And you have the most excellent teacher. Rob sure knows his stuff. Awesome bud, so happy for you!!
Congratulations Sam! Those rocks were very beautiful! I think the procrastination definitely helped make them extra shiny. 😍🥰😇👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I think so too!
Congratulations! Great tips!
Congratulations Sam. Very impressive, Lake Lahontan is on the way to my best Rock Spots and I've collected quite a bit of it. From a mile square area I get a really large mixture of different looking , texture and hardness rock that we call Lahontan Agate ... and it's all super difficult tumbling material to work and get a superior polish !
Your results certainly showcase your hard work and skills.
Hey Michael, would you consider this a true agate? It didn't seem at all agate like to Sam and me.
Congratulations Sam and the other winners. Way to go. Good video - enjoyed the process. I forget things a lot - perhaps I should enter this contest. 😂
Sounds like you're well suited for it!
Great color in all of them !!!!
Congratulations Sam.
I love this so much.
Thank You, I Enjoyed watching the process of the tumbling and Congratulations 🎉 🏆 it’s a good video. And Here comes the Pun. You Both Rock!
You could say we're rock stars, huh?
@@MichiganRocks indeed Rock Stars 🌟😃
How awesome, congratulations Sam! Pretty great that you've got yourself an apprentice.
Congratulations Sam! 🥰Well done. 👏🏻🥰
Nice job Sam.
Congratulations Sam. Great rocks you chose to enter
Congratulations Sam! The rocks he received looked vastly different from the material I received and apparently I misunderstood the contest rules. I will not be participating in this contest again.
were your rocks less ugly? I think you should have a go next year now that you understand the rules
What part did you misunderstand, Captain Quartez?
@@samlomb2093 I received 80% basalt.
@@RagnarRocks some basalts can be quite attractive. But it does appear there is a lot of variation within this rock type.
@@MichiganRocks if I may. I think Captain Quartez is referring to a last minute rule change. Prior to the contest the rules said you could shape the rocks during the coarse stage, as you read in the video, but the entry form I sent in said all shaping had to be done before the coarse grind. Sorry I'm at work and don't have my entry form but as I recall it said no shaping was allowed after the rocks were put in the barrel. Sam and you are certainly not at fault as the FRLMS slipped in this change at the last minute. The first week of coarse often exposes faults that should be addressed at that time so I'm in favor of shaping during the coarse cycle as this is common practice in rock tumbling but I think FRLMS needs to address this before next year's contest.
Great video Rob. So glad Sam won !!!
One of my most favourite rock tumbling videos. Because of the info but also, I remember the first time seein Sam hound with you and to see him achieve this!?!? I was wondering, do you need another neighbor??? I could use the help 🤪
Please tell Sam I said congrats! So awesome!
What a mentor!
I'd be glad to mentor you, but the commute is going to be brutal!
That's awesome Rob! I never would have guessed that 5 black ones would of made it. Boy they sure look great! Mixing Borax with Final Polish?
Yes, I (and Sam too) use borax in all the stages in the Lot-O except the 220 stage.
Congrats Sam, great job, well done…. The big lesson is stage 1 takes what it takes. When starting everyone tells you 1 to 2 weeks. But time there is king. Well done
That's for sure. The other stages can have times put on them, with some caveats, but the first stage runs for as long as it needs to.
Great to see a young person these days with patience to keep at it until the task is completed. Thumbs up for Sam. During final polishing, have you ever tried salt water? I know that sea water has slight abrasive qualities.
No, I haven't used salt water. I have never heard that it has abrasive properties. What we're doing seems to be working pretty well.
My son, who is now 23, had patience like Sam when he was young and doing this with me. He was even more fussy than I am about making sure every little flaw was out. Don't underestimate kids, they'll surprise you quite often.
@@MichiganRocks 👍🙂
congratulations! and good hunting
Really wish I could try out tumbling, but alas, no tumblers are to be sold here.Think I figured how to make one though. A exterior AC Unit with a fan...
Where do you live that you can't buy a tumbler? It's not too hard to build a simple base for a tumbler. The barrels can be more challenging to build yourself. Some people build them out of PVC pipe. They're louder than rubber, but it might be a good option if you don't have any other options.
Wonderful 👏👏👏
🍀🏈🍀🏈 My biggest passion in life is NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL!!! Great looking rocks
That's a Catholic school, so that part is good.
WHOLESOME
Tumbling rock in course grit for months , , I have to ask how often did you change out an refresh the grit ?
Once a week. I've been cleaning out barrels once a week for over ten years now. Sam has only been at it for a few years though.
@@MichiganRocks ok thx .. Great job an Congrats
@@MichiganRocks is tumbling past 7 days in the same coarse grit a waste of time?
@@okthen4820 I'm sure some grinding takes place, but it's going to be slower. So it depends on your definition of a waste of time. Personally, I'd like the grinding to go a little faster so I change the grit. Some people will keep the old slurry and just add more grit. That way the old slurry might still do a little but the new grit will do more. There's also a belief that having a thicker slurry speeds things up. This is kind of a lot of reading, but you might enjoy reading about an experiment that was done on this topic: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/68043/cleanout-recharge-experiment-final-results
Congratulations to Sam I live in southern Michigan and I’m curious to know where to look in my area for stones worthy of tumbling all your videos have such great quality rock finds where I’m not as local to Lake Michigan or superior
How about Lake Huron? There are some good rocks in the Port Huron area.
Congrats Sam! Now I want to give it a go for next year. I am curious about the rules: if you wanted to could you have used the saw and the first grinding wheel on the cabber to shape the rock into an oval, square, etc? I’m sure it wouldn’t help or hurt the score if it’s judged only on flaws and shine, but I’m just imagining it would be fun to carve a super irregular shape before tumbling and then still get it nice and shiny all over in the vibratory tumbler.
I suppose so, but they wouldn't really look like tumbled rocks in the end.
@@MichiganRocks ah well, it was just a silly thought :)
@@lindenbug I have actually had the same thought, I just haven't acted on it!
Way to go Sam!!!!
Congratulations Sam! Well done. And thank you Rob for all your videos. I'm just starting out and have found no other channel as informative as yours. I live on the Gulf coast in Alabama now but I grew up in Michigan. Spending summers in northern MI. and the U.P. was the highlight of my childhood. In late July 2023, I have a lake Superior cabin reserved in Grand Marais and am looking forward to some serious rockhounding. Any suggestions as to where I should start?
Also, I have a question regarding polishing grit. I'm assuming that the 4-part polish kit that they sell generally stops at 1200 for a final polish but you talk about going to 2 microns and then .3 microns. Can you tell me how much I should use in my 3# and 12# barals? And thanks for taking us along on your journeys.
I think you'll have a great time in Grand Marais. I go to that area every June and usually a couple other times of the year too. I have a bunch of videos showing beaches in that area. I like the Lake Superior State Forest Campground, the mouth of the Blind Sucker River, Vermillion Point, the mouth of the Two Hearted River, among others. There really isn't a bad beach in that area. It's best if you can get away from other people as much as possible.
I don't know if the .3 micron polish really makes a difference. It's not a difference I notice, but since I have some and this was a contest, we decided to use it. I almost always just stop at the 2 micron stuff. I have used AO polish from the Rock Shed and Kingsley North, both with great results. I almost always finish my rocks In a Lot-O vibratory tumbler, so that's what I'm best at. I only use 1/2 teaspoon there, but you'll need a lot more in a rotary barrel. A friend who does much more rotary tumbling tells me that he uses 3 tablespoons in a four pound barrel. So I'd use 9 tablespoons in your big barrel and about 2.5 in your small barrel.
Thanks for sharing
You're welcome.
Well done