Copper, Thomsonite, Prehnite, and Agates found in the Keweenaw Peninsula

I think this might have been the largest group of people to appear in any of my videos. There were quite a few of my family members as well as geologists Nat and Paul all finding agates and other fun rocks at Great Sand Bay and Veale Park in the Keweenaw Peninsula.
Learn more about geology on Dr. Nat’s channel: / drnat13
Thanks to Christina Jelinek for editing the closed captions for this video.
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[@MichiganRocks]

Learn more about geology on Dr. Nat’s channel: kzbin.infofeatured

[@oldhippie2388]

I did. I love her channel

[@CityRockhounding]

Paul's find of the summer is incredible, how cool. Everyone found amazing finds! I love hearing what Nat had to share, her knowledge is impressive! Awesome agates, awesome day, awesome beach, awesome friends and family. Nothing better than doing this with friends and family, the rocks are a bonus!

[@MichiganRocks]

You're right, being out with friends and family is the most important thing.

[@garyfritzges6710]

My daughter and I are rock hounders and are tumbling right now. Our house is full of rocks, driving my wife crazy! We look forward to,and love your videos, thank you very much.

[@MichiganRocks]

The trick is to get your wife involved and to not make too much of a mess.

[@lilalightandlove421]

Lol when Nancy said, “oh you’re going to let me hold it?” The agate at 11:40 is stunning!

[@MichiganRocks]

She's a funny one, alright.

[@JaniceBlake128]

This day would have to be the absolute this side of heaven. You have multi generational family and friends on a beach with amazing stones, beautiful water, and amazing sun to finish off this moment in time you captured on video. You all have found some true treasures.

[@MichiganRocks]

I almost never go back and watch my own videos, unless someone asks a question that requires me to. I have wondered before if ten or twenty years from now, that will change as I watch these as someone would watch old home movies.

[@angef9687]

I love that as a family you can all hang out and share a hobby! I can't believe how big your grandson has gotten and is he ever adorable!!!! Thank you for a great informative video. Have a great weekend Rob & family!!

[@MichiganRocks]

Joe is a lot of fun to play with now. We've been lucky enough to see him about every two weeks this summer.

[@pdq137]

: Great finds. Love the education to involve grandson's hands on by KZbinrs.

[@DrNat13]

Hi Rob! Thanks for letting us tag along. Your family is fantastic and we had an awesome day. Thank you!

[@MichiganRocks]

You can tag along anytime, Nat. Everyone loves the knowledge you share. Thanks for adding a lot to this video and the one you did on Lake Huron with me.

[@dawnettehunter6922]

Your group's HAPPINESS is contagious. Thank you for taking us (virtually) along.🤗

[@MichiganRocks]

You're welcome. We're a pretty happy bunch.

[@1sec2midnight]

It's great to have the geology explained, very fascinating. I'm glad there were a few agates to be found. Thanks for sharing a day at the beach with your family and Geologists friends.

[@MichiganRocks]

I like learning about geology too. I just hope people don't start to expect that from me, because I'm still very much an amateur.

[@kellyhollingsworth6100]

What a perfect day. Looks like everybody got in on the agate train.

[@SherryAustinMcginley]

Nice day for the family! Little Joseph is a joy! Congratulations on your agate!

[@MichiganRocks]

Joe is really fun.

[@margaretlynch1494]

🙋‍♀️❤🌷⚘🎈Thanks for letting us join in the beautiful day with your precious family and friends! Great agate with the Crystal ..Nancy was so funny! Joe and all those new teeth! He's Sooo cute!

[@MichiganRocks]

I did enjoy being out with my family and Nat and Paul too. Everyone got along well and seemed to be having lots of fun.

[@dancrites453]

Probably one of my favorite of all of your videos! Love the family affair with numerous Geologists. Nicely done. Joe is such a cute kid.... Thanks for sharing.

[@MichiganRocks]

I really enjoyed this day. I was happy with how the video turned out too. Unfortunately, it's not performing well at all. KZbin is really hard to figure out sometimes. I changed the thumbnail a little and the title a lot this morning trying to get a few more clicks. I'm not complaining here, but just pointing out how hard it can be to predict how a video will do on KZbin. On one hand that can make it frustrating, but on the other hand, it keeps things interesting for me.

[@dancrites453]

Do what you like to do. I've never been disappointed. You can't make everyone happy. I still think it was one of your best....

[@MichiganRocks]

@@dancrites453 Thanks, Dan.

[@largent45]

Wow nice finds for agates by the family. Love Nats knowledge, and ive never seen someone so excited about mud! Nice agate find and that thompsonite is a great find! Wow Rob, what a great agate! They are all oooww-ing and ahhh-ing. That beach has a lot of prehnite. great video. Lovely family. Good friends. And great finds! Thanks for sharing!

[@MichiganRocks]

There are a lot of things on the beaches in the Keweenaw Peninsula that I don't find in Lake Huron or in the eastern U.P. It makes it fun to travel around and check out beaches in different parts of the state.

[@80sunshine21]

What a crew! Nice friends and family! Good information. Thanks. Suzy AZ USA

[@natalieclark5819]

Great group hunt! So nice to see all the nice finds!

[@johnbaenen5386]

What a wonderful day at the beach family friends and great fines.

[@beachbum200009]

Great time on the beach with family and friends. Love the background on the rocks... thanks. Nice agate!!!

[@MichiganRocks]

Thanks!

[@teeteepalooza]

exciting day with everyone & all of their agate finds! i love hearing Nat’s explanations…she’s a natural teacher. Joe’s toothy grin is the cutest!

[@MichiganRocks]

I love Joe's smile too, but I'm pretty biased.

[@berjo77]

What a wonderful trip! I had to keep looking back to make sure I didn’t miss a thing! And the agates, amazing. Thanks for sharing your family’s fun and all the great finds!

[@MichiganRocks]

We had a very fun visit to the Keweenaw Peninsula.

[@wyomingadventures]

Dr. Nat is amazing. I like her video today about the stack. What a nice day for a family rock hunt. Three geologists. Nice rocks you all found. Joe approved. Future rock hunting buddy.

[@MichiganRocks]

I haven't seen her video from today, I'll have to go check it out.

[@heathervannatter364]

Great finds, yay!!!! ✋🤘

[@sparband]

Wow. That has got to be one of your best agate finds ever. We were all waiting for Joe’s first beach trip. I think that it wore him out. It looked like a great day.

[@MichiganRocks]

He was having a ball before he passed out.

[@laurieowen8696]

The greatest treasure found is you're all together. Bless you and your family and that kick a.. Agate you found, Rob!

[@MichiganRocks]

You're right!

[@nancyphelps4855]

What a fun video. I learn so much from all you guys!!! Thank you!!! Also that is one happy grandson!!!! And so cute too!!!!

[@MichiganRocks]

He's a little older now. He's able to identify Petoskey Stones on the beach now.

[@japhyryder66]

I have loved rocks all my life and I very badly wanted to be a geologist from a very young age. Sadly, it did not happen, but I have never lost my love of rocks and geology. Dr. Nat, you’re my hero!

[@kylaabegglen1275]

What a great rockhounding trip with family and friends! Everyone found really pretty stuff. Love all the agates, prehnite and thomsonite. The other pretty mixes of rock were also tumble worthy in my book. Thanks for sharing your trip, cool information and new beauties!✌️🤠

[@MichiganRocks]

Glad you enjoyed it Kyla. I sure enjoyed that day too.

[@gwynnfarrell1856]

David's agate with the very fine banding looked like it was covered in fingerprints. Cool! It's always a lot of fun to hear from the geologists and to see your family enjoying an outing. Joe is one adaptable little fellow, not to mention, cute as a tiny agate! 😊 Thank you for sharing your day of discoveries.

[@davidhile5363]

I was thinking fingerprints also !

[@MichiganRocks]

We thought it looked like a fingerprint on David's agate too. I couldn't see it at all with my old eyes, but under magnification, there sure are bands.

[@michiganprospectors]

Those are some very nice finds. That agate you found is awesome!! I also love the basalt with copper in it.

[@lynettepavelich7540]

Fun fam/ friends trip! Great agate too!

[@billsherry66413]

Love your rock hounding trips!

[@enricojaun2880]

Ive never heard of Thompsonite. Very cool!

[@vickygoodwin9771]

Such family fun!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

What a great day with the whole crew. Even brought some experts along for good measure. Plus you bagged a monster agate. Doesn't get much better than that.

[@MichiganRocks]

Nope, everything was just about perfect that day.

[@Kick_Rocks_]

Looks like everyone had a very fun and enjoyable day!

[@MichiganRocks]

I sure did, and I think everyone else had fun too.

[@justjulee9135]

What a great video! Joe is getting so big! He's a real cutie! It was nice seeing you and your family. The agates and thomsonite were really pretty. Thank you for sharing!

[@MichiganRocks]

He is getting big! He's so much fun to play with now.

[@kimmciver68]

Natalie is so knowledgeable and makes learning about geology and rocks fun❤ #bestguest😊

[@MichiganRocks]

She is. I'll be having them on as much as possible, but they live in Texas, so there's only a month out of the year when they're somewhat nearby.

[@LadyYoop]

FANTASTIC....I called it on Pasty..."Expect Greatness"....your agate was phenomenal...so was the Capt's....and I adore the newest picking partner. JOE! He rocks. lol

[@MichiganRocks]

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Donna. I can't take credit for it though, I owe it all to the beautiful beaches you have up there and to the people who were with me.

[@LadyYoop]

@@MichiganRocks You did the vid. YOU get the credit.....and oh how I wish I coulda jumped in! This was so fabulous, and Joe? OMG....what a dolly! That HAD to be a blast!

[@jeanettestefanik5854]

I love Dr Nat.

[@MichiganRocks]

She's great.

[@tott3457]

Rock Hounding with Family and Friends the Best!!! Looks like everyone had a wonderful day!!! Thanks for Sharing

[@beckyh1369]

Finding really cool rocks with family and friends! Heaven on earth! Great video but it ended too soon!

[@MichiganRocks]

I didn't think I should add in the hours of walking along and not finding much. You only get the highlights here.

[@multipletanksyndrome]

I love how your daughter always wears her merch.

[@MichiganRocks]

She has at least two Michigan Rocks shirts and wears them quite often. I think it's fun.

[@multipletanksyndrome]

@@MichiganRocks You can tell she's proud of her poppa.

[@agatebeauties]

Amazing finds! Fun to watch! I love the education.

[@sturvinmurvin9408]

Great video! This was fun to watch! So many neat finds in the Keweenaw and this beach seems to have plenty to find! That maggate looks like a frag.

[@MichiganRocks]

What's a frag?

[@sturvinmurvin9408]

@@MichiganRocks Fragmented Membrane LSA :)

[@davidhile5363]

So nice to see some of your family out hunting together and 3 geologists to boot. Capt. Paul’s find at 2:35 and your’s at 11:25 we’re stupendous. I’d hang on to that one it’s liable to get confiscated ! And we got some more lessons on rocks. How can you beat that ?

[@MichiganRocks]

Yep, this video had a little bit of everything. Well, no kayaking or drone shots, but lots of other fun stuff.

[@aliencat11]

The happiest place in the world!!!

[@myrightsgone]

PS the little one best part of the video KIDS are the future and they learn what they see when taught in nature can not be wrong May you and yours be Blessed ! HAPPY ROCK HOUNDING 💯

[@MichiganRocks]

I agree!

[@mitchgillilan]

"I found 2 small egg-its" 🥚🥚 🤣 the way you guys say agate makes me laugh every time I hear it! Love the Midwestern accent! Very nice finds.... Keep up the great work 👏

[@MichiganRocks]

Huh, I didn't even know I said it funny. I'm glad your'e amused rather than annoyed.

[@mitchgillilan]

@@MichiganRocks yeah I noticed all the rockhounds from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin say agate that way. Im not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you guys.... there's a difference 😉

[@MichiganRocks]

@@mitchgillilan I was a junior high math teacher for 30 years, I can take laughing with me or at me pretty well or I wouldn't have lasted that long. I do prefer that people laugh _with_ me, though. You must have enjoyed this little video: kzbin.infoMtVZIFcDMGs

[@rockprincess]

Love the geology information.

[@TarnishedViking.]

Rob scores! 🤘👍

[@donnareit866]

Wow!!! What a great outing and ROCKS!! thanks!

[@sharonbaxter9233]

another awesome video, loved seeing everyone's finds.

[@Kirkwiillams]

Great video. I could watch and listen to geologist all day. 👍👍

[@MichiganRocks]

I guess I'll have to have more geologists on in the future to get enough content to keep you busy!

[@myrightsgone]

Great place to be as long it is not Winter 💯 Lower Mich but love the U.P. try to get up there 3 times at least . 9 hour drive hurts but so worth it . HAPPY ROCK HOUNDING ✌💯

[@MichiganRocks]

It's a four hour drive for me to get to the eastern part of Lake Superior and a seven hour drive to get up to this area. Both drives are worth it, plus I enjoy driving in the U.P. much, much more than driving in the southern part of the lower peninsula.

[@jarlsoars1150]

Nice finds. Your one agate looks like a Mounds candy bar lol. The amygdaloidal basalt was interesting. I have a few chunks of the same but with different mineral inclusions.

[@MichiganRocks]

They come with all sorts of inclusions, but copper is one of my favorites.

[@adventuresamNfam]

Yay!!! I love it when you bring the geologist!!!

[@jeffholmes1362]

Looked like a great fun day, and some very nice rocks, PS I love how even a geologist calls them Stripy rocks…. Thanks for sharing

[@MichiganRocks]

That was Paul making fun of my typical descriptions. I'm not quite as technical as geologists tend to be.

[@danksmoker420]

Awesome moments with the family Rob. We tried with our two young ones. Was difficult to say the least.

[@MichiganRocks]

Luckily, there were enough people to take turns keeping Joe entertained. I have to admit, that I wasn't one of those people while we were on the beach. Too many rocks to look at and filming to do.

[@rustyrockhound]

It seems like your whole family is into rocks! Super cool

[@MichiganRocks]

Not all of them, but my sister Sally and her husband Clovis are. David is a geologist. I have six sisters and only one other is into rocks at all.

[@sharonandbillgenschaw9362]

A fun and informative video! A “Rock” lesson to enjoy! Joseph is a real sport!

[@MichiganRocks]

He hangs in there really well for outdoor activities. The next day in the mineral museum he wasn't quite as enthusiastic.

[@weathertrainsrandomniss1083]

Great to have the family join you. Also a geologists or 2 drop by as well. Some really cool finds. I guess I will have to plan a trip for that next of the woods. Watched this for a second time, did not have time to comment during lunch break. Cheers from the 920.

[@MichiganRocks]

It wasn't that long ago that I didn't know any geologists. Now I know several. Fun!

[@debispilker4392]

What a fun day! Thanks for sharing!

[@joyis9638]

Cool to have geologists there to add some extra knowledge ... All nice people ... good at finding agates

[@MichiganRocks]

This really was a great crew to have along. Everyone loves rocks and a few know a lot about them.

[@darrinwilliams5715]

Rob you always seem to catch the banger of the day. Good to see your family is well. Great video 😎😎

[@MichiganRocks]

Oh, that's not true at all. Wild Kyle has been consistently showing me up on fossils this summer. Sam usually shows me up too, although I found some nice agates when I was out with him this summer. To me, it doesn't really matter who finds what, because everyone in the group gets to admire all the finds.

[@easterazali9237]

What a nice place with lots of cool rocks ! I like the ones with eyes they’re gorgeous 🥰 jo is growing up fast he’s so sweet and adorable 💖😘

[@MichiganRocks]

Joe seems to be growing really fast. I kind of wish he'd slow down now because he's at a fun age.

[@easterazali9237]

@@MichiganRocks I’m glad you’re enjoying him now , but wait when he start talking and using these big words he’ll quickly learn then you’ll enjoy him even more 😊 grand children are truly precious gifts of God to their grandparents! 💖🙏🏻

[@MichiganRocks]

@@easterazali9237 I'm sure I'll enjoy that too.

[@easterazali9237]

@@MichiganRocks 💖🙏🏻

[@deniseview4253]

Great family time. Pretty rocks and thank you for sharing..

[@WonkaDaDonka]

Loved this episode, I love when there is explanation of what the rocks were. Last year when I was up around I believe it was Twelve Mile Beach I found an amygdaloidal basalt but just called it basalt with epidote. It's cool that now I can tell people it's amygdaloidal basalt with epidote.

[@MichiganRocks]

Amaze your friends with big geology words! Fun!

[@meMiner]

Nice video. Good fun with family. Love the agates

[@MichiganRocks]

It's fun having a whole gang along. I was pretty busy running from person to person as people found things they were interested in.

[@SeanTwyman-me2gh]

Keewenaw is the most awesome place. We have the most diverse rock anywhere in the country. Hot formed agates are a real treat! My son is better at spotting them than me lol

[@MichiganRocks]

The Keweenaw is awesome, I agree. I'm not the best agate hunter, but I find a few and I love every minute of the hunt.

[@lynettepavelich7540]

Add that to my bucket list!❤️

[@kellywion1464]

Thanks for sharing! Been years since I've been there...and we were on motorcycles so couldn't take many rocks...😁

[@MichiganRocks]

That would definitely limit your haul.

[@TheLindagdetroit]

:58 I squealed out loud, lol. Loved their commentary before!

[@markreetz1001]

I think you should call your friends agate a "MegaAgate"! fun video!

[@MichiganRocks]

I think that's a great name for it. I think I'd be jumping up and down too much to film that if I found it.

[@letitialouison7311]

Nice video 👍👍

[@MNRockHounder]

11:40 great find! The quartz looks a little purple at the top…

[@MichiganRocks]

Yes, it does. Possibly amethyst, I suppose.

[@lindaleehulsey3167]

More then a beautiful FULL DAY....OMG time goes by SOooo fast little JOE big boy adorable. Common interests everybody family & friends. SHARE supportive.....ENCOURAGING. ROCK JOY educational information. ❤💙💜💖 listening & learning. Plus great for imagination waves 🌊 & 🌳🌲 & sand. 🌞☀ That AGATE perfect size even crystals clear sparkly mix bands swirls MAGICAL. ❤💙💜💖 finding UR Channel KZbin NEW 📹just know... ALWAYS 👍....was hoping to see one today. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆

[@davidl.turner1005]

Great to get the pro analysis of the stones. Congrats on the finds. We’re heading to Great Sand Bay tomorrow- hope you left a couple agates for us! Did you get to the Gratiot River beach?

[@MichiganRocks]

I actually went to Gratiot River twice while I was up there. Once with everyone from this video minus Nat and Paul and a few days later with a few people from Michigan Rockhounds.

[@davidl.turner1005]

I found a small one there, nothing to write home about

[@greatnorthernviews3052]

Nice video I was up there recently I found a lot of that copper filled rock they are cool.

[@MichiganRocks]

It's always fun to find one with copper in it. We found several.

[@greatnorthernviews3052]

@@MichiganRocks Hey Rob do you use metal detectors? My brother and I were searching my uncles woods up near Lake Linden Michigan and found about 10 lbs of copper ore. It was a blast!!

[@MichiganRocks]

@@greatnorthernviews3052 I do, but I haven't found any large copper. I have found smaller pieces in mine tailings piles. I found a chisel chip last week.

[@greatnorthernviews3052]

We used wet sandpaper to give it a shine I let him keep most of it but I kept a little for myself. Cool stuff, I got to go up there again and look in my moms woods up there.

[@greatnorthernviews3052]

@@MichiganRocks yes I saw that I found you are better off getting off the beaten path and look for copper that’s near the surface that the glaciers carried.

[@MsSandraCGL]

Outstanding

[@mom42boys]

Well, that looked like great fun!! Some really nice finds and some fresh knowledge. Joey's quite a cutie and such a great name! ❤ (My youngest's name is Joey... :-)

[@MichiganRocks]

He's named after St. Joseph, Jesus' stepdad.

[@marianevalverde7931]

Hola cómo estás, me alegro que andes con tu familia ya en contrastes ese diamante, jajajaja bueno algún día lo tendrás en la mano, cuídate mucho bendiciones.🙏👍😀👋

[@MichiganRocks]

Gracias.

[@patriciamckean4186]

I want to find Patricianite 😂....and thomsonite. Really I do!

[@GothBoyUK]

This *really* makes me want to get back out in the field. Being made to stay at home for years on end due to disability and lockdowns make a Geologist miserable.

[@MichiganRocks]

I am lucky to live in a pretty rural area in the northern lower peninsula. Even at the beginning of this pandemic, I was able to get out rock hunting on a regular basis. I can't think of a safer place to be than all alone on a remote stretch of beach. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be to really be stuck inside. I just said a little prayer for you. I hope you're able to get out in the near future.

[@GothBoyUK]

@@MichiganRocks Thank you, I really appreciate it. I will avail to get back into nature very soon!

[@judsonedling1195]

Hey my man thanks for another cool video, I watch em all as you post them 😉...had another question, what kind of dremmel do you recommend? I've been looking online and reading reviews and they all seem so back n forth...I want a good one and the best one to use for rocks of course....appreciate you, thank you very much!

[@MichiganRocks]

I have two Dremel, I think one is a 100 and the other is a 4000. The 4000 is almost always in a Dremel drill press attachment. The 100 is mostly used for final polish of Petoskey Stones with Zam. I don't really use a Dremel for much other than those two tasks.

[@judsonedling1195]

Ok I gotcha, what brands are they?

[@MichiganRocks]

@@judsonedling1195 Dremel.

[@judsonedling1195]

Oh yea lol, I found it online thank you, gonn order the 4000 I think

[@kendramanuel1276]

I have a question: I just got done with my 3rd stage and released that I don’t have the final stage grit to shine . Is there something that I could use to shine them without using the tumbler? Wonderful video 👍🧡 Such wonderful info

[@MichiganRocks]

You could use a flat lap or a cab machine, but I doubt you would have asked that question if you had one of those. What's your third stage grit? If it's aluminum oxide, you could just let that run for about a month without opening it and it would probably get at least a little shiny. Check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npS1paenbseGqLs

[@kendramanuel1276]

@@MichiganRocks Thank you so much. Yes, it’s aluminum oxide, but I’m out.🤦‍♀️. I live in the country and don’t get to the big shops often. Someone suggested a oil or wax, but I wanted to ask you about it. I will watch the video. And thank you again.

[@MichiganRocks]

@@kendramanuel1276 I never use things like oil or wax to polish. You could just try running them with water and a little shaved Ivory soap. That's called burnishing and can bring out a shine when you don't have one. Check out this video to see what I mean. I'd let them run for about three weeks. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJyUdXinrq1rhsU

[@oldhippie2388]

I love the geologists, now if they can positively identify what kind of rocks are true black Agate….i lookedfor one of those purple ones yesterday, can’t find one.

[@MichiganRocks]

I'm going to see them this summer for a hunt on Lake Superior. That's the number one rock I hope they will identify for me.

[@oliviag932]

I was wondering if it’s ok to tumble pudding stones. I saw that you used a vibratory tumbler to polish up some in only three days. Would it be ok if I just use my rotary tumbler to cycle through a few of my pudding stones and other rocks I have came across? I’m worried the pieces will just fly off in the tumbler

[@MichiganRocks]

I have tumbled lots of puddingstones and I don't think a piece has ever fallen off. The biggest problem with them is that the matrix always ends up pitted and doesn't look nearly as good as the chunks of jasper, chert, and quartz. They still end up looking great though. Here's a video of some where I took more than three days, a lot more. They were finished in a vibratory tumbler, but you should be able to get similar results in a rotary tumbler: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6C5amCfZpWSn9E

[@dawnettehunter6922]

I don't think Joe trusts grandpa, the last time you handed him something it was a jumping frog. 🐸

[@MichiganRocks]

Oh, common, boys love surprises. Slimy surprises are even more fun.

[@gatchrocks]

Enjoying finding your videos. I am just getting into rock tumbling (from the Oregon coast/valley area) and I'm interested in oe of the LotO vibrating tumblers for quicker polishing times. Unfortunately they don't appear to be available at the current time. Is there another recommended vibrating tumbler? I see those with the plastic outsides used for metal and shell casing cleaning, but i'm worried they aren't up for the task. Do you have any experience or knowledge in using these type of tumblers? I've seen some users of the shell casing vibratory tumblers say a 'flying rock' inside can crack the plastic, but that seems more like it's a loading error as I can't imagine a well loaded device would send rocks flying. As I said, I'm new to it all and would enjoy some insight to these type of tumblers and where I should be looking if LotO ones aren't available. Thanks for the cool videos.

[@MichiganRocks]

A lot of rock tumblers are hard to get right now. I really like my Lot-O, but since I did a video about it, I have heard a lot of people saying that the more recent motors are not holding up at all. Some people are only getting a few months out of them before they go bad. I have a new Lot-O and a new motor for my old one and both have been going strong for a year or so now. Don't get a vibratory tumbler that is designed for shell casings. They will not hold up to tumbling rocks. I hear that both the motors and the bowls wear out quickly. Thumler's makes a series of tumbler called "Ultra Vibe". They make different sizes, but also make one line for shell casings and another for rocks. I hear good things about these tumblers and they'd be high on my list of tumblers to try if I ever give up on the Lot-O. The other one I'd take a look at is the Diamond Pacific Mini Sonic. It works a little differently but seems like a decent alternative to the Lot-O. Although those two tumblers would be my top two things to try, I have no experience with either of them. Good luck.

[@gatchrocks]

​@@MichiganRocks Thanks. At first I thought maybe those plastic based ones would be okay for polish grits, but none of the cheap ones seem to keep their lids on very well. I also thought about spraying some flex seal inside to give it a bit of rubber coating, but don't know if that would run into expansion issues. I'm almost come to the decision for the thumler 10, but i'm worried about noise. I have a garage and I can't hear the little rotary tumblers moving while inside. I guess 10lbs of rock in a rubber thumler is probably as quiet as a 5lb load in a plastic model. Perhaps I'll just collect some rotary tumblers and go the long route for awhile. Thanks again for the detailed info. :)

[@grokeffer6226]

👍👍👍

[@savagesquirrel9828]

Fun day. Is Clovis the child of archaeologists?

[@MichiganRocks]

No, Clovis is not the child of archeologists. I have no idea why you asked that though.

[@savagesquirrel9828]

@@MichiganRocks Clovis spear points….the Clovis culture….beautiful spear points…New Mexico area, I think.

[@DrNat13]

@@savagesquirrel9828 Clovis points are distinctive fluted points shaped by people of the Clovis culture, who inhabited North America approximately 11,000 to 12,500 years ago. The spear points are made from chert/flint (microcrystalline quartz). These were first studied at the Blackwater Draw site near Clovis, New Mexico, but Clovis points have been found all over North America. But I'm not sure how Clovis relates to the video.

[@savagesquirrel9828]

@@DrNat13 Dr. Nat you are fabulous! MR introduced one of his party as “Clovis” so I asked if the man was the son of archaeologists. MR said no. I think MR is unfamiliar with the beautiful Clovis points and I’ve never met someone named, “Clovis.”

[@MichiganRocks]

@@savagesquirrel9828 Ah, I guess I have heard of that. I forgot.

[@vance7354]

Got Banded Amethyst , Mexican Lace Agate, and Zebra Jasper. Anything I should know about tumbling these three? Also got My grits. I went for Graded Grits. Does this look like a solid 5 step tumble? I would have got 500AO but rock shed was out of stock on it. I think, I will go straight from 220 SiC to the 1000AO and Do a 4 step tumble on most things and keep the 500SiC for doing Softer Stones so I dont over cut them Or ill just do 5 steps lol. 80 SiC 5lbs 220 SiC 5lbs 500 SiC 2lbs 1000 AO 2 lbs AO Polish(about 8000 grit) 2 lbs I Decided to Go with the Tumble-Bee Rock tumbler, so I will let you know what I think of it as a Total Noob to this lol.

[@MichiganRocks]

I haven't tumbled zebra jasper, so I can't comment on that. If it's actually jasper (a lot of things are called jasper that are not actually jasper) it should tumble very well. The other two should tumble fine. The amethyst will most likely have a lot of internal fractures, but there's not much you can do about that. They're probably there already, before you even start tumbling. I would usually use 500 AO and skip the 1000 stage. Since you have 500 SiC, I'd do all five steps. I'd do all five steps on your first batch to increase your odds of having success, then maybe try eliminating either the 500 or the 1000. You could also check Kingsley North to see if they have any 500 AO. Good luck!

[@vance7354]

@@MichiganRocks Awesome thanks man! I honestly wont be going for perfectly smooth on a lot of the rocks because there for a Jewelry maker that wants to keep a lot of the natural features of the stone, she just wants them shined up a bit.

[@jocelynnebroderick2192]

Off topic but… has Nancy had her mole checked out lately? My husband had melanoma so when I see larger moles I ask. It may not be polite, but I still ask 😊

[@MichiganRocks]

Yes, she has talked to her doctor about it. I got a skin cancer check over a couple years ago and should do it again. My mom and son have red hair and I got a lot of sunburns as a kid. I'm pretty good about wearing sunblock these days.

[@jocelynnebroderick2192]

@@MichiganRocks oh I’m glad to hear that! Keep that up! :)

[@user-ws6uc3dg3k]

Pity you have bought into the billion years thing. Otherwise this could have been quite educational

[@mjoyparks]

That was fun to watch, thanks for taking us along on your family rock hunting excursion!

[@MichiganRocks]

You're welcome, Maggie!