Getting Started
Rock Tumbling for Beginners: How to Tumble Rocks Step by Step
A beginner's guide to rock tumbling: what you need, choosing rocks, the four grit stages, cleaning between stages and how long it takes to get shiny stones.
Rock tumbling guides
Practical guides for rock tumbling. Rocks, grit, schedules and fixing dull stones, explained without the fluff.
Free tool
Open Tumbling PlannerPlan your next tumbling run
Enter your barrel size and start date and get the grit for each stage and the date each stage finishes.
Latest guides
Grit & Stages
Rock Tumbler Grit Schedule: How Long to Run Each Stage
How long to tumble rocks in each stage: coarse, medium, fine and polish timings for rotary tumblers, when to extend a stage, and how vibratory tumblers differ.
Rocks to Tumble
Best Rocks to Tumble (and Which Ones to Avoid)
Which rocks are best for rock tumbling: agate, jasper, quartz and more, why Mohs hardness matters, and which stones are too soft, brittle or porous to tumble.
Troubleshooting
Why Aren't My Tumbled Rocks Shiny? 7 Causes and Fixes
Tumbled rocks dull, hazy or scratched after polishing? The 7 most common causes, from a rushed coarse stage to grit contamination, and how to fix each one.
Grit & Stages
How to Load a Rock Tumbler: Rocks, Grit, Water and Media
How full to fill a rock tumbler, how much grit per pound, how much water to add, when to use ceramic media, and how to avoid leaks and bruised stones.