I’m so excited! My early birthday present was this rock tumbler that my husband got me, along with a set of necessities like the pick, eye loop, safety goggles, etc. that I’ll need for rock hounding!

Of course, I realize that I can’t “jump right in” and start tumbling my rocks without knowing enough about the hobby, so I’m going to take this class I found on Udemy called Rock Tumbling 101: Everything you need to know about tumbling rocks, first. Additionally, it takes weeks of continuous running of the tumbler per batch to get shiny stones and gems, so I will probably wait until we get to Port Aransas to get started.

In that time, I’ll take the course, do more research and probably collect more rocks. I can also tumble sea glass…bonus!! So far I’ve read the manual and see that there are four steps involved in tumbling a batch of rocks, but the kit we bought has everything you need already included. The grit, the media, the tumbler, power source, and a tiny colander for the rinsing process in between steps. It even included a bag of rough gemstones to help you get started! I can hardly wait.

The only problem I see is that the process will have to take place in the basement of the motor home because it makes a little bit of noise and has to be run 24/7 in between steps. For example, the first step takes 3-5 days. The second step takes 5-7 days, same for step three, and the final step is 3-5 days. Each step is on a different speed so you don’t harm the rock’s you’re trying to polish. Four different types of grit, one for each step.

Even though I am going to take the class, I’d still like to talk to the local guy here that polishes the rocks he’s found to get his advice and tips. However, I still don’t know where he lives in the park. But I have several weeks to find out.

It’s a beautiful day, I may just have to get out for another nature walk and see what I can find. I hope all my peeps back home are ok after the rough night they had last night with the storms. So far, my brother and kids report no damage. It’s just normal pre-spring storms in Texas! Power outages, noisy thunderstorms and gusty wind. TGIF everyone…catch ya later!