Rock Tumbling Lapis Lazuli – 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 Lapis Lazuli! Lapis is a vary popular gemstone that is Royal Blue with flashy bits of Pyrite. Lapis has been revered for centuries and was a Holy stone to the Ancient Egyptians. This stone is challenging, because it is a softer stone comprised of three different minerals: lazurite, calcite and pyrite. Each mineral has a different hardness, so they will grind away at different speeds. Due to the risk of undercutting and the difficulty to get a final polished shine – Lapis Lazuli is an Intermediate level project.
Check out the video below to watch my entire process and see the final shine of this flashy Lapis!
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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