
Rotary Rock Tumbling Moonstone – 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 Moonstone! Moonstone is a beautiful gemstone that comes in many different colors. It can have a shimmery effect in the light that is called ‘adularescence.’ This cat’s eye effect makes the moonstone a pleasure to watch and look for the shimmer of the stones between each tumbling stage. The challenge with Moonstone is its perfect cleavage that makes the stone a little fragile and prone to chipping during tumbling. Making sure you have enough cushioning media in the tumbler is key! Tumbling Moonstone is an Intermediate level project.
Check out the video below to watch my entire process and see the gorgeous multi-colored batch of Moonstone!
Want to Learn to Tumble Gemstones??
Check out my new Online Course – “Rock Tumbling 101”
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