Can anyone help with rock identification and if they can be put in the rock tumbler? I'm still learning :) also what do people do after the first stage and the second stage is not as full because the rocks grounded down?

Bloodstone Rotary stage 1 Vibe 180 2 days

500 ao 2 days Micro alumina 1 day

Buddy at had to acquiesce to his wife's "request" (lol!) to get rid of his albeit small, rock collection... guess who scored!!! Variety city!!!

And then my wife surprised me me with a bag of Charleviox!

Sweet!

These are the ones ready to move on to stage 2!

This is from my first batch after 2 weeks in stage 1. I know it’s very smooth for only 2 weeks, but it started as a pretty smooth beach rock. Found on a beach in New Hampshire- so I’m guessing it’s a type of quartz maybe?

My question is - is the “crackly” look just the way the rock looks, or did I bruise it? I included what I’m pretty sure was the before picture.

I got LOTS of good feedback and advice on my previous post - and well… yeah… it does work better when you do it the right way😂

This was a batch i had rolling in S2 when I posted the other one, so i’ve been able to use the advise I got!

Much better results, not all of them are perfect but definitely a lot more shiny ✨

Edit: These are all beach finds!

I ran another batch of mostly agates for stage 2-4 in the vibratory tumbler. The carnelian was stunning!

I also have a pile of tiny agate chips that I decided to polish too.

All and all these turned out pretty darn good!

These are the first rocks to come out of my DIY tumbler. They have been going for around 12 days so far in 20 grit silicon carbide.

I know the grit is more aggressive than what is typically used for stage 1, but it's what I had and I figured it would only only help to do the initial material removal quicker.

I do now have a more typical range of grits ready to cover stage 1-4.

Some I think are ready to move on, particularly the pink quartz and jade. But I am not sure on the others. Would you carry these on for a while longer?

I’m just going to useI found this at the creek today and I’m curious if it would do well in the tumbler. What’s got me unsure is its “crystal looking wall.” (New to tumbling here) Parts of it is smooth but other parts are jagged and I’m wondering if the grit will just continue to chip away at it instead of smoothing it out. 🤷‍♂️ Hopefully y’all are able to understand what I’m trying to say. It can be frustrating trying to discuss a subject you’re just getting into because you don’t know all the correct terms or names for everything yet.🫤

It's pretty small but it's so cool

I think I like leaving them with a few imperfections.

These coastal Maine finds are moving on to be polished! I’m excited for this batch as there are a couple of little agates I drove a ways to collect!