11/15/2023 0 Comments Red jasper tumbleThis can work well if your small rough meets two requirements: 1) the small pieces of rough must be blocky or rounded in shape to produce a good tumbling action - thin or flaky pieces will break up quickly and might not produce a smooth tumbling action 2) the small pieces of rough must have a hardness that is equal to or greater than the rough that they are tumbled with - if they are softer they will tumble into mud before their job has been done.Ĭoarse Grit Step: Fill your tumbler barrel 2/3 full of rough and media (we use about 25% media and 75% rough). Using Small-Size Rough Instead of Media: Some people use small pieces of rough instead of media. The small pieces of media also deliver grit to all surfaces of the rough. The cylindrical shape of the ceramic media acts like a roller bearing and gives the rocks a smooth tumbling action in the barrel. For that reason, we add about 25% ceramic media to fill the voids between the larger pieces of rough. We suggest doing a clean-up at the end of two weeks, then decide if your Red Jasper needs more time in coarse grit to attain a nice shape and surface or if it is ready to begin the medium grit step.Ģ) Media Needed: This material is in pieces that range between 1/2" and 2" in size. However, in small tumblers of two or three pounds capacity, three or four weeks might be needed. In six, twelve and fifteen pound capacity barrels two weeks might be enough to shape the rough to your satisfaction. When tumbling this red jasper two things should be considered:ġ) More Time: Although this Red Jasper is a little softer than most agates and shapes nicely, it is in large pieces that will require more time in coarse grit than beginner's tumbling roughs. Shown here are some of the red jasper that we polished using the recipe below. These will produce nice chunky tumbled stones. Most pieces in the bag will measure between 1/2 inch and 1 3/4 inches in size (if measured along their maximum dimension). This red jasper is sold in two-pound bags. The rough in the photo above was photographed wet to show its full color. The hematite suggests that this material was deposited in association with a banded iron formation. Rare pieces contain a tiny streak or a few specks of gray to silver hematite. It produces beautiful tumbled stones with a few interesting quartz veins. This jasper is bright red in color and is nicely marked with a few veins and pockets of white to gray translucent quartz. Because the pieces are mostly 1/2 to 2 inches in size, it is also a good rough to use when learning about ceramic media. We recommend it as a great tumbling rough for beginners. That makes this rough easy and enjoyable to tumble. Why? Here are four reasons: 1) it accepts an awesome polish 2) it has a spectacular red color 3) it shapes nicely and, 4) it is tough enough that bruising rarely occurs in the tumbler. This red jasper from South Africa is one of our long-time favorite tumbling roughs.
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