How
to Polish Rocks with just a Dremel.
Maybe you found a nice
rock and wonder is there a way to shine this up with out having to buy some
fancy lapidary equipment? (Lapidary is relating
to stone and gems and the work involved in engraving, cutting, or polishing) Or
maybe you are a rockhound and mineral collector and may even have access to
lapidary equipment, but are looking for other options and tips? Well no matter
what side of the spectrum you are, we intend to give you some great information
to help you shine those rocks.
Polishing
rocks is basically a matter of grinding off the surface of your rock with
something that is a harder substance than your rock. Also, you do this grinding
in stages were the grinding material is more course at the first stage and then
the next stage of grinding will be a bit finer grit and continues finer and
finer until the last step of polishing is ready. Typically, this is done with
grinding wheels or belts also grit is sometimes sprinkled on a flat wheel
called a flat lap. But we will investigate using the handy dandy Dremel to
polish our rocks today, so that we don’t have to use all these larger machines.
And the best part is we can achieve just as shinny gems with are Dremel as the
big guys can.
I will assume you already know basically what a Dremel
is, and we will discuss its capabilities a bit further. A Dremel can be handheld
or a flexible cable will allow for the Dremel motor to be hung on an elevated
support so that you only have the handheld working part of the tool, which is
lighter to handle. The Dremel can also be held in place in a cradle to keep it
stationary, so there are several ways to use the Dremel. Also, Dremel’s may be
battery powered or have a permanent power cord. No matter the way you chose to
set up your Dremel it will do a fine job polishing your rocks. Your Dremel works
on high speed rather that torque, as opposed to the larger lapidary equipment.
You have many choices for tools to attach to your Dremel to cut grind and polish
your rocks. There are drill
bits, polish pads and disks, cleaning pads and disks, grinding bits, stones and
disks, carving tools, of a huge variety of shapes styles and grits that will
enable you to polish, sharpen, drill carve, grind, sand or engrave your rocks
or materials.
Things you will need
First you will need a Dremel if you don’t
already have one
Second you will want a
good variety of sanding and polishing grits between 600 to 1200 at a minimum. Most sandpaper is made of flint or garnet. For
a large or harder rock, try and find sandpaper made of carbide or diamond. (I will link grits and tools at the bottom of
the page)
A clamp is good to
have as well. You will need polishing compound and a polishing cloth. A bucket
of water to cool the rock as your working on it, a spray bottle of water as
well.
Safety is a must. Eye
protection and a good mask to filter out the rock dust, rock dust can be very
dangerous, silica poisoning and types of poising is possible depending on the
materials within your rock, so make sure it is a fitted air mask that will
protect you. you can easily
acquire a terminal lung illness known as grinder's consumption. A spray bottle can help at some stages to keep
dust down also good ventilation is needed. Gloves may be used as well.
Let’s Polish your
rocks with the Dremel
First
let’s clean our rocks, a small amount of mild soap with a scrub brush will usually
be good. Now let’s clamp the stone into our clamp. A clamp that doesn’t have
soft jaws can be had by using thin strips of wood, wood shims are sold at
hardware stores usually in the lumber area if you don’t have a wood saw to make
your own. This will help protect the stone from cracking, breaking or chipping
in the jaws of your clamp. Make sure the stone is secured, and check by giving
it a little wiggle or pull, readjust if needed and re-secure. Time to put on
your protective gear. Now for
the Dremel, attach the sanding with the most course grit and plug in the drill.
Grind the whole surface of the stone using the grinding tip. To avoid lengthy
scratches, utilize only the top half of the grinding bit. Aim to work at a flat
angle against the stone as much as you can to grind the rough edges well. Polish
the rock's surface to get a great shine using a polishing cloth and a compound
for polishing. It's important to wash off dirt from rocks prior to polishing
them to avoid clogging up your sandpaper or tool with debris, also the rocks
won't get properly polished.
Buff
this compound into the rock's surface for a few minutes. This will bring out
the natural shine of the stone. You can always go over it again, but patients are
the key to awesome results.
Polishing bigger rocks
This can be a lot of work, especially if it
has contours and such. Rocks can be shaped with a hammer and chisel, or diamond
bits can also be used to smooth out the hard lines of a contour, again follow
the steps as above. Larger tools will usually make more sense for larger
stones. The Barranca wet polisher/grinder has been a favorite of lapidary folks
for some time.
What to do with that polished rock?
Now that your rock is now a dazzling polished
gemstone what do you do with it? You could just enjoy it as it is. Some other
options are to wire wrap it so that it can be used as a necklace or other
jewelry. Or you could drill a hole through it with a Diamond bit in your Dremel,
keep it cool as you drill with your spray bottle keep the hole wet as well. when
you almost just get through the other side drill the other side to keep from
chipping out. Chipping out will likely happen if you just drill straight
through all the way. If you follow this basic guide and learn as you go you
will be on your way to polishing as many gems as you like.
“Remember
Rockhounds don’t Die They petrify”
Join me on the
Radical Rocks Podcast, our Blog or social media below, also
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