The Hardest Rock Tumble I've Ever Done

[@AgateAriel]

Thank you all so much for watching! Be sure to like, comment, and subscribe-it helps so much! 😊🙌 What do you want to see next?!

[@koreyhayden1368]

Maybe a nice batch of beautiful rose and/or black quartz?

[@isaaclawson3126]

I'd be happy to see random beach finds, unikite, chalcedony, banded chert, or just stuff you thought would be cool. I've been wanting to get up to the U.P. and find some stromatolites and see what happens with them. Starting to get cold now though. Pray for an Indian summer with a bag packed lol .

[@briancurtis6022]

Have you worked with petrified wood? The grain adds some real variety to the stones.

[@koreyhayden1368]

@briancurtis6022 I second that! I have 2 huge pieces, one weighs around 12lb and the other around 3lb. Have always wanted to break chunks off and tumble then but....they are so perty as is, been afraid to chip pieces off!

[@AgateAriel]

@@briancurtis6022I have! It is really beautiful stuff!

[@DaSoulmann]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this before, but measuring the grit by weight, not volume, will give you far more consistent results.☮

[@jimbroekemeier7168]

Crystal Wisdom with Shannon Marie is my go to spot on KZbin when I need information on tumbling certain rocks. She has tumbled just about every rock and has a segment for each rock from start to finish. Her tumbling videos are a wealth of information.

[@ElaAngelic]

Thank you! I'm new to this hobby and need all the help I can get ❤

[@AgateAriel]

That’s awesome! I will check her out!

[@jimbroekemeier7168]

She has a lot of videos you have to scroll down to 3 years ago to get into the tumbling videos

[@whygowegabusch120]

Thanks for the reference!

[@whygowegabusch120]

I went to her page, and she has a Playlist of her rock tumbling videos. Then you don't have to do all that scrolling.

[@shaewilson4503]

When I tumble lab I like to put some chippies or pea gravel into stage 1 so it distributes the grit and smoothed all of those crevices.. I can’t believe how much better the baby oil made them look! Good job!

[@AgateAriel]

Great tip! Yes baby oil really helps!

[@edwardbelcher8612]

A couple of suggestions might help, first: barrel was under loaded a bit. need to be about 3/4 inch from the top for softer stuff. I would also use plastic media instead of ceramics with this and see if that helps (it's a pain I know since you can't pass it on into the next stage) and also try adding some borax to every stage. That will help stop all of that material sticking to the bottom like that. If the tumbler you used has a speed setting, try using the slowest speed. That will help keep the stones from banging together so violently and could cut back on the fractures.

[@Rockn-UV]

I've read that the barrel should be 2/3 to 3/4 full with rocks and the water should be about 1 inch below the top of the rocks.

[@AgateAriel]

Thank you so much for the advice! I will definitely have to try it out if I do labradorite again!

[@philstover2422]

Thank you for doing this video. I didn’t know it was difficult to tumble.

[@kathybrandt6060]

I’ve been watching your channel for about the last three weeks. And I really am enjoying it tremendously. All the info you’re giving us, and all the gorgeous rocks you come up with. Let’s just say I look forward to every single installment now. I might even get myself a rock Tumblr, thank you so much

[@AgateAriel]

That is so awesome! Thank you so much!!

[@aliciaebert7885]

Me too!

[@Skirliegirl]

I'm new to this hobby, so please forgive my ignorance! I bought a piece of lab with one smooth surface and I just stuck it in with a load of random rocks. I put it on to polish yesterday and despite it shrinking considerably, it looked beautiful....hope the polish doesn't bugger it up. Also a wee tip; I chop up a magic sponge into 1-2cm cubes and stick that in for a couple of days at the end and have had great results.

[@ratherrandombella]

When do you add the magic sponge? at the end for a polishing step?

[@Skirliegirl]

@@ratherrandombella Yes, as a final step.

[@michaeltrudell9356]

You do know how to bring out the beauty in the rocks 🙂

[@butchgarner3911]

ok, i am at step two and got a question...when I add the mint chocolate chip, is that scoop a regular ice cream scoop? Thanks! awesome video, thanks for sharing!

[@greatnorthernviews3052]

That’s a tough one I luck out sometimes. I don’t tumble it often. Some induct. But the potential is worth it when it works out😊

[@briancurtis6022]

This video (below) from Shannon Marie suggests that labradorite can actually be "over-tumbled," especially by leaving the later stages running too long, leading to fractures. She uses a vibratory tumbler (instead of rotary) for the later stages to minimize this effect. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fIvXhJWPnMmVfac She also adds sugar to the vibratory mix to thicken the slurry and slow/soften the impacts even further; she didn't mention if that would work in a rotary tumbler. So maybe labradorite is an exception to the general "more tumbling time = better" rule?

[@stoogeslap]

I wonder if you can take these to a flat lap wheel and grind off the cracked surface (I do not know how deep the cracks go), then use additional wheels to polish the surfaces. If you have access yo one, might be worth the hassle if you were to wire wrap any of these specimens.

[@koreyhayden1368]

Ya I use polly plastics brand tumbling stuff too! I gave up on set time frames though, I just go by look. Stage one for a week, then check every day after a week and move to stage 2 when "im happy" haha

[@CarlottaHall]

When i was a kid in the 1970's, my grandparents filled some plant beds with bags of river rocks. We used to sort through them trying to find cool colors or shapes. I am positive that i picked out what i know now as Labradorite and Dragons Blood. The river rock was tumbled to between 1-2 stages but i remember when certain rocks were wet you could see that blue glow within. I wish now that Id kept some of those stones.

[@drakemorley7204]

I really like the blue rock your working on love it and that's a good I idea with the ultra sonic cleaner🙂

[@drakemorley7204]

Cheer up ok still like blue rock and all of them

[@koreyhayden1368]

I've never heard of labradorite. I hope I spelled correctly, but that one at 3:28, after stage 1....is GORGEOUS! I'm gonna hafta see if I can find some online to buy!

[@AgateAriel]

Right! Some of them shift so beautifully!

[@koreyhayden1368]

@@AgateAriel Absolutely! Gorgeous! Rocks are very pretty too....hahaha. When is your new(est) little one gonna start tumbling or rock hounding!? Gotta get the whole fam involved in this AWESOME hobby! Have a great weekend Ariel!!

[@zeroaquatics6531]

I was thinking plastic media and slower speeds?

[@Tactility]

Hai, I have tried several times, and have had about the same result. Please keep trying. Thank you for sharing.

[@roman11469]

I have 5lbs of rough that have been sitting in my garage for 2 years…I always make an excuse to tumble easier rocks 😂. I have seen people dry polish their labradorite with corn cob and AO in the rotary with ok results but I think I need another 2 years to develop an effective strategy…

[@theodoreyoung7946]

I've been toying with the idea of tumbling rocks. But I first want a saw to cut rocks, and a polisher setup.too!

[@captainhornswoggle]

Thanks that was fun. I bought the Nat Geo gemstone advent calendar this year instead of my usual coffee or wine one because of this channel.

[@themama3633]

As a new subscriber , I’m seeing the rocks from eyes of most. Before the baby oil they’re beautiful. I wouldn’t notice anything but.. For those who know what they’re supposed to look like may would be disappointed. You’re very patient and do a great job. Love watching you videos and enjoy how you explain things.

[@staceysakkinen1270]

Very nice rocks. I have had rocks that did the same as these, with sticking to the bottom and having surface cracks.( with quartz by the way) I find Vaseline very helpful.

[@AgateAriel]

That's a great idea!

[@andrewhardage6561]

Maybe try adding some mineral oil at stage one to loosen up the grit and rocks so it don't stick to the bottom of the tumbler. I guess I'll try that on my next batch of rocks.

[@claybowser698]

My last few tumbles have been stressful. I only tumble rocks I find on my property and lately it seems all my rocks have stinking fractures and bruises. I have alot of red jasper and that jasper here is hard to find ones without crumbly fractures. Booo on that! Makes me wish I had a flat lapping machine, a saw, and a cabbing machine. I feel I could get way better tumbling results if I could grind out the fractures before I do my tumbling. Funny I was looking through the catalog for rock work machines and poof I could easily blow through 50,000 bucks without a single hiccup except that, of course, I don't have 50,000 bucks!

[@jneihart2]

How long do you have your tumbler sitting upright before you open and do your wash? This is what is causing the rocks to settle into the slurry at the bottom of the tumbler!

[@richardlasky7894]

🥰👍 I love your Content. 🥰👍 ;, Just as a suggestion:: Maybe get a dremmel set and Dimond disc... Annnd Surface cut all the cracks out of them you could even shape them before the tumbling..... 😲😲😍💙👌💯

[@Adamadam-pz3cz]

I use pastasio shells instead of ceramics and have awesome results with tougher tumbling stones.

[@ryunag2976]

Very fun and i got understand how to polish. May i ask you only one question. The final polish using aluminm oxide,then what grit one did you use?

[@randydawson9692]

You have a soothing voice. Is it weird that I listen to you do this stuff and fall asleep?

[@Tracy-qv8if]

These rocks were beautiful! My favorite so far.

[@sharptooth117]

Do you change the media in every stage? Can you use the same media over and over?

[@ancientsoul8118]

I really enjoy your video's.

[@colesonafrank5329]

My guess is that the rocks are falling and banging against each other rather than rolling and rubbing. That's possibly because the barrel is way too empty, needing to be more like 3/4 full for soft rocks. Apparently (though I haven't tried it yet) adding something (a tablespoon of sugar supposedly works) to make the slurry more viscous also helps. Thanks for sharing!

[@AgateAriel]

Oh good to know! I normally tumble harder stones that don’t need as much cushion!

[@koreyhayden1368]

Ariel uses the ceramic media to make up for the lack of rocks between stages....the way she does it is spot on. The cracks In this labradorite are because it's a rock on the softer side and really takes some trial and error to dial in

[@beetsbeautifulbeets2553]

I like the surface cracks; I think the texture is more interesting than a plain high-gloss shiny finish...

[@Feaverkf75]

I notice you use an ultrasonic cleaner between stages. Does that make a big difference in the final product. Great videos. Keep up the great work.

[@AgateAriel]

I think it does!

[@alessiaavalone6396]

You are lovely! I randomly got recommended your Temu video despite not knowing the tumbling hobby existed. Since then I have watched a bunch more videos and am now considering delving into tumbling myself. Where oh where to start? 🤯 Thanks for the great videos 😊

[@Grandmasrockin]

I think that was a valiant try. Good job!

[@jg5930]

I think maybe more rocks and use plastic media for more cushioning. 🤷‍♀️ It’s a learning curve. Thanks for sharing 😊.

[@nicolagraynewzealandrockho8976]

Enjoyed the video, they really look like a challenging stone to tumble. Maybe try the plastic beads, they might be softer??? And add some borax to each stage, it might thicken up the slurry. Also maybe shorter times in each stage. 😊😊😊

[@FredJones-b9j]

I will try to do that stone ,they are pretty cool.

[@dawnminard218]

😱😱😱😱😱 those are just simply gorgeous that is so beautiful❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@seth1371]

You and agate dad should do some videos together.

[@CoachRudi1]

Plot Twist: Agate Dad is her brother!! 😊😊😉

[@raisingbrahmer373]

@@CoachRudi1 Is he really? they have the same ah hoo hoo! sound when they get excited. :)

[@ckoch93]

Maybe use plastic media instead of ceramic media. Might help prevent the cracking

[@sandmaker]

Wow, that really was hard to tumble. Yikes! I have never tumbled labradorite and I think I will put it on the back burner for now. Keep having fun and don't let those pesky rocks get you down. See ya next time.

[@SilentPokéTuber]

you sound and look happy in life im jealous

[@williamproctor4388]

Your so patient.

[@DJNitreBlue]

JooltoolUSA channel shows how to use a power tool buffer thing to great effect. Completely negates any chance to crack the stones but is way more physically demanding. I wonder if you might use micro mesh to polish them, works great on hardwoods. The mohs is 6 to 6.5, so not really a soft stone, just doesn't seem to like the water tumbling.

[@jojobobo6661]

you ever try automotive polishing compound?

[@steveooooo4423]

You are awesome, ive just discovered you, wow 😮, whats ur favourite stone and do you sit and hold and feel energy , i wish we were neighbours 😮we ❤🤭

[@LadyinPNW]

I had this issue tumbling rainbow obsidian. I found tumbling less time prevents it

[@katrinthorsdottir7514]

Do you have to have an ultrasonic bath in order to clean them?

[@KZ-np8fz]

Lapidary's struggle to polish labradorite too... sometimes they have a piece with excellent color, but polish too much and remove the layers with color. As with many arts, you have to know when to stop. Painters often struggle with when to call a painting finished... labradorite polishing is similar. If you tumble/ polish it too much, aside from the cracks that can be an issue, you will remove too much material and lose the color sometimes.

[@lancesundquist6359]

Crystal Wisdom with Shannon Marie has a video explaining issues with over tumbling of Laboridorite.

[@goh2499]

Was it perhaps the ultra sonic cleaner? Or maybe using round ceramic beads instead of the cylinders?

[@AgateAriel]

That could be! So many different variables

[@koreyhayden1368]

Honestly the ultrasonic cleaner is a great idea for cleaning in between stages. It won't cause any cracking or anything and cleans them nice. Imma hafta get me one!

[@RoryBrooksWulf-sz2rv]

I tried tumbling my rocks in water and turtle wax liquid carwax not a bad shine

[@kcrazyandie74]

One of the techniques I found recently for soft stones is to add either sugar or corn syrup (same measurement as suggested grit per pound ) and use plastic media or plastic tile spacers, and for stage 1 do I scoop stage 1 grit and the rest stage 2 grit. Going to be experimenting with the next empty barrel I have.

[@richcoffing2105]

@everyone Yes. This is a very hard stone to polish. Definitely not impossible. 1. Scource stones from your countertop supplier/installers. You'll get higher quality stones that most likely have been "Treated". Preasure infused with epoxy to make the more stable. 2. Do not use basic house oils to sell them. 2 weeks later, I have a dirty stone that barely looks like when I bought it. 😢 3. You can soak them in some finishing oils such as Tung oil or other natural wood finishes. But you always end up with the same results as you have here. Just takes more time to show the flaws. In your polishing process, less rocks, less ceramic, more clean water and more attention will almost always give you better results. Hope all this helps!❤

[@AsherJohnson-k1i]

Right now I'm tumbling a rock in a jar by hand to see if it works 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@ricky.888]

If it makes you feel better all of the labradorite I have purchased already-polished looks similar. It is just a very "crunchy" stone lol

[@Kingdomall]

7:50 I'm literally eating salted caramel truffle talenti gelato as you say that haha

[@r.awilliams9815]

Some things to try...because labradorite is soft, some people skip the coarse grit and go straight to 120-220 grit. It won't wear the stone away so fast and gives you more control of the process. To prevent battering of the stones, fill your barrel to at least 75% and use 50% by weight of ceramic media per load. The grit sticking to the bottom of the barrel...I only ever had that problem with the 3A tumbler. When I switched to a QT-6 tumbler, it never happened again. And lastly, you'll get a better finish and use much less grit/polish with a vibratory tumbler. I use and highly recommend the Diamond Pacific Mini-Sonic. I know, two new tumblers is expensive...but a certain holiday is coming up, no?

[@AgateAriel]

Thank you so much for the tips! I might have to look into those tumblers too!

[@dawnminard218]

It looks like a beautiful moonstone

[@yarnking3401]

I know this was posted months ago but I thought I'd share. Both are in the same stone family! It's the feldspar in both that make it shimmer.

[@Mudguaard]

Thank You!

[@Failandy]

Maybe a vibratory tumbler instead of a rotary. It may reduce the impacts as its more of a "scrubbing" action rather than a crashing.

[@patriciamckean4186]

I love that flash.

[@CacklingChick]

That was a fun experiment! Where did you get the rocks? Rock Shed or...? Also, I think the fractures are from too much room to bang around in the barrel. Interesting what some others said about lowering the tumbler speed. Great save with the baby oil!!

[@isaaclawson3126]

Mine came out just like that. I figured it was because I was a newb. Could it be a stone quality issue too?

[@AgateAriel]

It definitely could be! Many in the bag didn’t seem fit for tumbling!

[@koreyhayden1368]

I agree with Ariel. These are on the softer side, so its a whole new ballgame tumbling. I separate all my rocks into respective "hardness" groups before actually tumbling.

[@isaaclawson3126]

@@koreyhayden1368 that's a good idea, I do sort mine but not all of them. Fossils to be exact, I tumble them only with other fossils. I should probably do that with most stones.

[@Nemnar7]

Was this tumble before you found out aquarium gravel makes a good substitute for ceramic media?

[@AgateAriel]

Yes around half way through! I already had some ceramics in so I figured I’d just finish with them!

[@crazyjimheath]

awesome!!

[@FredJones-b9j]

After final stage it looked beat up,,,7 days to long,will try shorter tumble.

[@angeleyeszarai]

It was perfect the 1st & 2nd tumble. After that, I think it was just processed too much. They were really beautiful tho. Still did a good job. 👍

[@Rockn-UV]

Is the sonic water bath used to remove grit in between stages? Do you add anything to the water bath in addition to the water?

[@Skewerz9]

I know this is a year late but...would it be better to move to a smaller barrel on the later stages instead of adding so much ceramic?

[@stormblest]

I like tumbled rocks and just got into tumbling, but what do we do with all the tumbled rock?

[@SandersChicken]

I always keep my barrels on their side to prevent the grit from cementing to the bottom. Not sure if this actually helps but I keep doing that!

[@AgateAriel]

That’s a great idea! I am going to have to start doing that!

[@koreyhayden1368]

The barrels are always on their side when tumbling???? Like Ariel said, if rocks are sticking between stages it's from to much grit.....Not from tumbling vertically, cuz no one does that

[@raven5ism]

no borax polish?

[@nongrataz]

Rocks sticking to the bottom isn't a problem. This doesn't happen during tumbling, it happens when you take the barrel off the tumbler. It's just the slurry settling at the bottom. If this had happened during tumbling you would expect rocks also sticking to the top and the sides. If you let the rocks dry up after the first step, you can inspect them for fractures. Running the later steps is pointless if the rocks are too fractured after the first. The finer grits will not take out deep fractures.

[@FCUK-]

Apparently you are not supposed to let the rocks dry in between tumbles.

[@AgateAriel]

Good to know thank you!

[@koreyhayden1368]

What? So you're saying in the time of removing the barrel, setting it aside, taking lid off and dumping the rocks....avg of about 10mins max....the slurry sets up like super sticky putty??? Haha ya no, it's caused from too much media for the type of rock you are tumbling

[@CacklingChick]

​@@koreyhayden1368Totally agree. I had this happen with obsidian, another tough one to tumble!

[@koreyhayden1368]

@@CacklingChick ya obsidian is a rough rock to master as well!!

[@robertjackson7971]

Is the ultrasonic cleaner Loud

[@jameshurley224]

Your underloaded, way underloaded.. you should add media...lots more media

[@armeliahughes4300]

Is that grit expensive?

[@pietjebell-qo3mw]

Dont you use poly props? Im just asking..🙈

[@ScottinWV-bg2ij]

Black shoe polish might have worked to hide the cracks also.

[@Noyouhangup]

What is your favorite rock tumbler? I’m looking for a reliable one I’m not wanting to buy National Geographic! Thank you 😀

[@zikisbirdbuddies1495]

What do you do with the rocks?

[@ero1347]

Do you have a single place where you like to buy tumbling stones from, such as these?

[@mariemccann5895]

Good work, but I hope you find a way without the oil. I feel using oil is kind of like polluting the rocks, but that is just me.

[@ejd2901]

Do a 24 hour hounding challenge please

[@josiecrochets]

Lucinda

[@donnacanada522]

Just for fun, add soap to your polish stage. 😊

[@RoryBrooksWulf-sz2rv]

Only for one day though the wax may ruin a rubber tumbler

[@chasecarlson4900]

Make sure to research the gem before using the ultra sonic. Some will get damaged while others won’t

[@edclaytor1873]

Doing a batch now, running into same problem with silting at the bottom? hum..........

[@Paul-kd3ui]

Use diamond paste

[@Crow_Smith]

So - probably something awful to suggest - I'm not up on the community for rock tumbling but If you're not intending to sell them [or if you are and it's cool to do so] perhaps filling the cracks with resin? Could gently paint over the rocks while using gloves and just fill in the cracks. If using a UV resin it could cure in 2 minutes and allow you to coat them all on one side, cure, then flip and cure. Only suggested this because I've seen people do other projects and fill in deep gashes or cracks that come from the process with resin as a "it's still there but it's smooth now and won't fill with dirt/debris." step.

[@WizardKitty723]

Ultrasonic cleaners aren’t safe for animals gems other than traditional gems like diamonds and sapphires and such

[@MagosOfTheLuminary]

Young miss your rocks are sticking to the bottom because you are leaving them to long after removing them from the tumbler(witch allows the sediment to settle and stick) remove from tumble and immediately open and rinse.

[@richcoffing2105]

Yes

[@Rick-if5zb]

Actually, Baby Oil is a type of mineral oil and for your intended purpose it can be considered the same.

[@highlander5161]

To me it looked like you should have had more material in the barrel. As i understand it 3/4 full is pretty much the standard. Some say 2/3 but i've seen a transparent barrel operation which was fone to show you how too much or too little in the barrel can effect how the stones tumble. Too little and they fall onto each other creating the kind of marks you got at the end. If you imagine when 3/4 full there is less room for the crashing from a hight inside the barrel as imthe stones are taken up over and eventually fall over. Have too little in barrel creates a larger fall distance, whereas 3/4 is a lesser fall and more cushioned in effect. I hope that makes sense. Also, i think because you had so much grit without the material and therefor the means to keep that grit in motion is perhaps why it sludged on the base. Tbough to be honest, the fact it accumulated on the base kinda confuses me. Them's my thought anyway. Lovely blue colour on that one you pointed out just before tumbling. Is gotta be one of the coolest hobbies 😊

[@Sheporter]

Thank you so much for making it make sense! 🌞

[@highlander5161]

@@Sheporter Your very welcome ☺️ You reply made me re-read my own comment and i think you did well if you understood my explanation given the amount of typing errors i made. I'm using a mobile phone in that message as i am with this one, but sometimes my clumbsey fingers hit wrong keys. So after reading my original comment again i actually think my explanation is rather hard to make sense of, in part! The marks on the stones i was referring too comes from the barrel not having enough material in it. When the barrel goes around, the stones are taken upwards with it until they have no choice but to fall, and if there are not enough stones then the distance inside the barrel that those stones fall can create enough momentum to create little impact marks on the stones upon which they land. In other words, the more stones then the less of an impact upon each other as the stones tumble. I hope i managed to make that part of my original comment a little clearer to understand and easier to imagine. 🙏

[@Sheporter]

​ @highlander5161 I'm not a native English speaker, I don't have eyes for typos 😁 This part of your comment clicked with me: "If you imagine when 3/4 full there is less room for the crashing from a hight inside the barrel". Thanks again, also for explaining again! You rock!

[@highlander5161]

@@Sheporter I appreciate your appreciation. Thanks for being a Gem. 🤗 🙏

[@Sheporter]

@@highlander5161 Awe! 🥰🙏