Rock tumbling and jewelry making (Not RC related)

[Velodromed]

I saw this one when I was browsing the other night.

I found where the maker, Extreme Tumblers, sells it for $279 on Amazon.
Here’s why I like it- It has sealed heavy duty bearings for the rollers while the other upper end tumblers have bushings. It’s supposed to be much quieter compared to others. It has powder coated paint. The thumb screws used to secure the barrel lid are big plastic knobs, good for my achy hands. The replacement parts are better priced than other upper end brands and all are easily available. It has a 5 year warranty on the barrel and liner! 1 year for the motor and 3 years for the rest, which is much better then other brands. The 17lb barrel is 2lbs larger then other comparable tumblers. It comes in black only which is AWSOME.
Yeah, this is what I want for my bday (wife already knows lol)
Extreme Tumblers Rebel 17 Ammo Reloading Tumbler https://a.co/d/9Ndn0nP

 

[N.Mango]

Box of rocks almost full and ready to send @Velodromed

 

[Doom!]

It's Kryptonite!

 

[Velodromed]

Box of rocks almost full and ready to send @Velodromed

Can’t wait man!!

 

[Velodromed]

*I actually put these rocks in the tumbler 10 days ago but forgot to post the ‘before’ pictures. I’m opening the tumbler to see the first course run results here shortly, so those pics will follow soon.

These particularly interesting rocks the kid and I found while exploring. They stand out way more than the hundreds of others we’ve collected over the last year, so I figured y’all could follow along while we polish them.

The first round swirly rock I think is petrified wood. It’s hard to tell but yeah, it has to be a jasperized wood. A course run or two will let us know. It’s really different looking if it is petrified wood. Once the putter coating is tumbled off we should know.

The second kind of triangular rock I’m pretty sure is a metamorphic rock (sedimentary rock transformed under high pressure and heat) with some distinct layering. Thinking it’s a combination of chalcedony, quartz, chert and maybe even Jasper layers.

The third kidney shaped dark red rock I’m not sure about. It is one of the most unique rocks I’ve found. It’s a dark red Jasper for sure with some tan chert mixed in. The unique swirls and lines lead me to think its petrified wood, a chunk that’s tumbled in streams or rivers for many thousands of years. But it’s hard to tell. This rock intrigues me the most of them all.

The 4th rock with a pinkish hue is different. I have yet to find one like this. It’s a chart and Jasper combo, I think, but the pink is throwing me off. It’s almost translucent, which would make it agatized or a maybe a chalcedony (the base rock that agates, quartz, Jasper and chert are made from). It’s a weird rock that we haven’t seen before. Can’t wait to see what happens while it tumbled.

The 5th and final squarish rock with all the layers is another metamorphic rock. The distinct layering will be beautiful, I think. There are several colors in it like tan, grey, rust and even blue. I have high hopes for this one.

 

[Velodromed]

Here they are. These rocks are hard! Not much has changed after 8 days in course grit. But that’s to be expected with Chalcedony rocks (quartz, Jasper, cherts, agate). But I can see more of the colors and patterns starting to emerge. They are on hold for a week or so while I run all those rocks I mentioned previously through stage 2 (only a single run). After that they go to the vibratory tumbler and these will be back on track.

I only chose the four rocks initially because I saw something special in them. They are part of a larger run though, about 5lbs total. A couple others have now caught my attention big time (pictures front and back below). The fugly one is a really interesting, I can see colors in the opaque depths that I’m not used to seeing. The other was a rather plain looking black piece of petrified wood, then one side suddenly showed it’s colors. The whole batch of Texas rocks is looking cool.

 

[Doom!]

@Velodromed Keep adding rocks and your going to have to get a mini rock crawler soon.

 

[Velodromed]

We live in limestone country (san antonio, TX) and we find some interesting rocks that are covered with it along with calcite. So I got some 45% vinegar with the hope it’ll eat away the limestone/calcite to find out what’s undershirt. I diluted it 3 to 1 so it’s hella strong.

These strange sponge like rocks we find occasionally. I don’t think they are made of limestone or calcite, just covered with it and we can’t wait to see what’s underneath and I’m an hoping it’s an agate lace type thing. Then there’s a strange sand covered rock and something that looks like a weird rock castle. The white one with holes I think is petrified palm wood covered with calcite. Then the dinosaur egg, as Belle calls it, which I’m hoping is calcite covered agate because it’s pretty heavy. Then a slew of different rocks. I didn’t picture them all. They should be done in a few hours, once the bubbling stops. Nasty looking ain’t it? Vinegar this strong is seriously intense smelling also

 

[Doom!]

Just toss in some noodles and chicken, then season to taste. Some neat looking stuff.

We live in limestone country (san antonio, TX) and we find some interesting rocks that are covered with it along with calcite. So I got some 45% vinegar with the hope it’ll eat away the limestone/calcite to find out what’s undershirt. I diluted it 3 to 1 so it’s hella strong.

These strange sponge like rocks we find occasionally. I don’t think they are made of limestone or calcite, just covered with it and we can’t wait to see what’s underneath and I’m an hoping it’s an agate lace type thing. Then there’s a strange sand covered rock and something that looks like a weird rock castle. The white one with holes I think is petrified palm wood covered with calcite. Then the dinosaur egg, as Belle calls it, which I’m hoping is calcite covered agate because it’s pretty heavy. Then a slew of different rocks. I didn’t picture them all. They should be done in a few hours, once the bubbling stops. Nasty looking ain’t it? Vinegar this strong is seriously intense smelling also

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[joshludden]

I've been following along intently, very fascinating!! Not gonna lie tho, now you have me staring @ the ground, looking for interesting looking rocks wherever I go! I realize the geology here in Iowa could differ greatly from yours, so I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've picked a few up & brought them home to wash. Just wanting to know if any of these specimens interests you @ all? There's a shell fossil in the big one. I would collect more if I knew the ones I'm picking up may be used in something you make. Or should I just add them to my box of "war rocks"?

 

[Velodromed]

I've been following along intently, very fascinating!! Not gonna lie tho, now you have me staring @ the ground, looking for interesting looking rocks wherever I go! I realize the geology here in Iowa could differ greatly from yours, so I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. I've picked a few up & brought them home to wash. Just wanting to know if any of these specimens interests you @ all? There's a shell fossil in the big one. I would collect more if I knew the ones I'm picking up may be used in something you make. Or should I just add them to my box of "war rocks"?

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Very nice! What’s interesting is those are some of the same plentiful rocks I find in this area. The top gray and tan rocks are chert. The two on the right are red quartzite with quartz veins running through. The top center grey one may have small agate nodules on the top part in the picture. Definitely throw them in your war chest. Any rock that is interesting is worth keeping far as I’m concerned. If you ever run across anything different, send me a picture! Grab it if it’s cool.

 

[Smilinbri]

Let me know if any of these types aren't typically found in your area/collection. I'll start looking when we start hiking again this summer/fall.

 

[RadioHacktive]

I'd be curious to see Serpentine all rolled and shaken up.

 

[Velodromed]

Let me know if any of these types aren't typically found in your area/collection. I'll start looking when we start hiking again this summer/fall. View attachment 282442

Serpentine!! That’s one I’d love to get ahold of!! I’ve heard it tumbles beautifully and makes good slabs. Of course I love petrified wood most of all. I’d love to see some from there…
@joshludden
Hey buddy, here are some of the cherts and jaspers we have here. Jasper is simply chert with iron oxide in it, making it red. Notice how sharp it breaks off in larger sliver like pieces. Good arrowhead and tool rock. Flint is a common black chert. Most are normal and a bit plain but these have color in them and will look good polished. Keep your eye open cause I bet they have good ones around there also. Sometime you have to take a hammer or saw to them. Tile saws work fine with a cheap $15 diamond rock blade.

 

[Smilinbri]

Serpentine!! That’s one I’d love to get ahold of!! I’ve heard it tumbles beautifully and makes good slabs. Of course I love petrified wood most of all. I’d love to see some from there…

I'll try and find some for ya this year!

 

[Velodromed]

The vinegar really worked on some rocks and not at all with others. It did clean all of them them nicely. The best are this agate seam from a chunk of limestone. I need to soak it in CLR (calcium lime rust remover) and it’ll be really nice. I want to keep the natural shape, so I’ll use a Dremel and soft polishing heads to make it shine. Also this ‘fairy village’ piece, I finally realized it is petrified palm wood that had formed in a strange, broken way. It’s amazing. I’ll also dip it in CLR to finish cleaning.

 

[Doom!]

I really like that palm wood. Great lookin' piece.

 

[Smilinbri]

I really like that palm wood. Great lookin' piece.

"Palm wood".......hehehehehe

 

[joshludden]

"Palm wood".......hehehehehe

Ya got some of that do ya?

 

[Doom!]

"Palm wood".......hehehehehe

Get a grip man!