Rotary Rock Tumbling Lepidolite – Process & Techniques
This is one in a series of Rock Tumbling “How-To” videos that I have been posting on YouTube. This video features me tumbling Lepidolite! Lepidolite is a lovely light purple mica that has a glittery sparkle. This stone was actually my most difficult tumble so far. The challenge with Lepidolite is its mix oh Moh 3 hardness Mica with Mohs7 hardness Quartz. This combination makes it very suspectible to undercutting (the soft part of the stone grinds away faster than the harder portion leaving a pitted or cracked looking surface). Tumbling Lepidolite is an Advanced level project.
Check out the video below to watch my entire process and see the eventual finish this batch of Lepidolite!
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My Rock Tumbling Equipment List:
- Rotary Rock Tumblers
- Lortone 3A – https://amzn.to/2XUzlLY
- Lortone 33B – https://amzn.to/2XRIHYJ
- Lortone QT6 – https://amzn.to/32DZSMf
- Lortone QT66 – https://amzn.to/2LxLQX3 (My Favorite!!)
- Lortone 45C – https://amzn.to/2LwVlpE
- Thumler AR-2 – https://amzn.to/2XRJYit
- Grits & Polish
- 60/90 Silicon Carbide Course Grit – https://amzn.to/2JTB7TB
- 120/200 Silicon Carbide Medium Grit – https://amzn.to/2JTB9uH
- 500 Aluminum Oxide Fine Grit – https://amzn.to/2JVST8I
- 1000 Aluminum Oxide Extra-Fine Grit – https://amzn.to/2JSbPoV
- Aluminum Oxide Polish – https://amzn.to/2xVCmfu
- Tin Oxide Polish – https://amzn.to/2LtYmH7
- Grit & Polish Combo Pack – https://amzn.to/2JQZd1i
- Tumbling Media
- Large Ceramic Media – https://amzn.to/2JRt7T1
- Small Ceramic Media – https://amzn.to/2Ly9Qtm
- Plastic Pellets – https://amzn.to/2xYA5Ao
- Burnishing
- 20 Mule Team Borax – https://amzn.to/2SynwoQ
- Dreft Detergent – https://amzn.to/2XULSPq
- Books
- “Modern Rock Tumbling”by Steve Hart (The BEST tumbling book out there!) – https://amzn.to/2XUMepe
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