A retired machinist takes rough agate from the Tucson gem show to a glassy finish with the Dan&Darci rock tumbler kit. Notes on the nine-day cycle, the noise, and the batches he ruined along the way.
A retired machinist runs the Dan&Darci rotary tumbler through a season of weekend batches: digital timer, grit stages, noise, and what actually comes out of the barrel.
Two rotary tumblers, one garage bench, four weeks of test batches. Here is which one I kept running.
A retired machinist's plain-spoken case for starting with a rotary tumbler, with the Dan&Darci kit as the example.
A retired machinist takes rough agate from the Tucson gem show to a glassy finish with the Dan&Darci rock tumbler kit. Notes on the nine-day cycle, the noise, and the batches he ruined along the way.
A patient, step-by-step routine for tumbling agate in a rotary rock tumbler: sort the rough, grind it flat, clean between stages, and polish it right.
What nobody tells you about the Dan&Darci rock tumbler before you buy it, from a guy who has run rocks in his Tucson garage for twelve years.
Twelve years of tumbling, one honest verdict on the National Geographic Grit Kit.
A straight comparison of two tumbling grit refill kits, based on twelve years of garage tumbling in Tucson.
Ten practical reasons a full four-step tumbling grit sequence beats shortcuts, from a retired machinist who ruined a lot of good agate before he learned the difference.
A retired machinist's honest notes on the batch that taught him more about tumbling than any shiny one ever did.
Four stages, honest cleaning between each one, and a little patience. A retired machinist's step-by-step routine for a glass-smooth polish.
An honest look at the National Geographic Grit and Polish Refill Kit from Blue Marble, with the practical notes nobody puts on the box.
A year of weekly batches in a Tucson garage: what the Raytech TV-5 does well, where it falls short, and who should buy one.
A retired machinist compares the Raytech TV-5 vibratory tumbler and a rotary rock tumbler after twelve years of running both on the same bench.
Why a vibratory tumbler finishes a batch in days instead of weeks, from a guy who has run both kinds in his Tucson garage for twelve years.
A retired machinist's honest notes on the Raytech TV-5 vibratory tumbler, learned over a winter of weekend batches in a Tucson garage.
A retired machinist's plain-spoken guide to getting a glossy batch in about nine days instead of six weeks, using the Raytech TV-5 vibratory tumbler.
What the product page won't tell you about the Raytech TV-5, from a year of running it in a Tucson garage.
Six batches, twelve months, one garage workbench. A retired machinist takes the long view on the UFEEL Rough Stone Mix.
Two bags of rough, one garage bench in Tucson, four weeks in the barrel each. Which mix earns a second order.
Ten practical reasons a beginner tumbler should start with a rough stone mix, from a guy who has been running barrels in his Tucson garage for twelve years.
Twelve years of tumbling, a bag of rough stone that finally behaved, and what I learned sorting it on a quiet evening in the garage.
A step by step method for sorting a bulk rough stone mix before it goes in the tumbler, from a machinist who has been doing it for twelve years.
A year of tumbling the UFEEL rough stone mix in a Tucson garage. What comes out pretty, what stays rough, and what nobody puts on the listing.
Two years of creek beds, desert washes, and backyard sorting sessions with the INCLY 15-piece rock pick hammer kit. What holds up, what does not, and who should buy it.
Two rockhounding kits, side by side. Which one earns its spot in your truck?
Ten reasons a rockhounding kit earns its spot behind the seat, from a Tucson rockhound who tumbles in his garage.
One retired machinist's honest account of the afternoon a creek bed taught him why the right field kit matters.
A field guide to finding agates, jaspers, and other tumbling rough, from a Tucson rockhound who has spent twelve years learning which stones survive the barrel.
What the product photos do not tell you about the INCLY 15-piece rock pick kit, after a season of use in the desert around Tucson.
A retired machinist runs the Dan&Darci rotary tumbler through a season of weekend batches: digital timer, grit stages, noise, and what actually comes out of the barrel.
What nobody tells you about the Dan&Darci rock tumbler before you buy it, from a guy who has run rocks in his Tucson garage for twelve years.
Twelve years of tumbling, one honest verdict on the National Geographic Grit Kit.
An honest look at the National Geographic Grit and Polish Refill Kit from Blue Marble, with the practical notes nobody puts on the box.
A year of weekly batches in a Tucson garage: what the Raytech TV-5 does well, where it falls short, and who should buy one.
What the product page won't tell you about the Raytech TV-5, from a year of running it in a Tucson garage.
Six batches, twelve months, one garage workbench. A retired machinist takes the long view on the UFEEL Rough Stone Mix.
A year of tumbling the UFEEL rough stone mix in a Tucson garage. What comes out pretty, what stays rough, and what nobody puts on the listing.
Two years of creek beds, desert washes, and backyard sorting sessions with the INCLY 15-piece rock pick hammer kit. What holds up, what does not, and who should buy it.
What the product photos do not tell you about the INCLY 15-piece rock pick kit, after a season of use in the desert around Tucson.
