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?!

Crystal Wisdom with Shannon Marie is my go to spot on KZfaq 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.

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!

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

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.

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!

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

I really enjoy your video's.

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

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😊

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.

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

Your so patient.

I was thinking plastic media and slower speeds?

awesome!!

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.

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…

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.☮

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

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?

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

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.

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. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fMCkhsWKzMrGd3k.html 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?

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

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!!

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!

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.

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.

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!

It looks like a beautiful moonstone

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!

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

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.

You and agate dad should do some videos together.

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!

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

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

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. 😊😊😊

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!

you sound and look happy in life im jealous

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

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?

you ever try automotive polishing compound?

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

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

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

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

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

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 ❤🤭

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

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.

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

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?

Is the ultrasonic cleaner Loud

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.

🥰👍 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..... 😲😲😍💙👌💯

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

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

What do you do with the rocks?

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

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

no borax polish?

Do a 24 hour hounding challenge please

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

Lucinda

Ok ik most if you don’t know this KZfaqr Ahpmau but she sounds like someone from Ahpmau s channel

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

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

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

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

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

@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!❤

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.

Use diamond paste

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

I say it is the quality of the stones.

Restarted my spring tumbling. Labradorite is so nice 😍

Im not sure how true this is but another video i watched mentioned not to use dish soap as it messes with the process. Maybe just giving it a tumble with only water might be better?

♥️🌟🏆🌟♥️

Why 2 weeks that's so overkill

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 😊

Is there anyway someone can help me. I came to my Favorite rock tumbler Angel Agate. I have a rock from Cleopatra beach in turkey. I’ve tried Rock App. Is there anyone who could help? Xx Agate Angel these look amazing Thank you for your beautiful videos xxxx

try again without the polish step... i thought they looked pretty good at that step

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.

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

Yeah you probably shouldn't have left them in stage 2 for an extra week. I will never understand how people get so busy that they can't do their rocks for a whole other week

So sad. Try , try again!

1 week is probably alot for a step 1 grit you should start at 1 day and no one should ever use oil on a gem that's a geologist way of cheating and making a stone look better than it is

Baby oil is just mineral oil that smells better. Sorry to disappoint you, but its not made from babies.