I Tumbled for Days, and I Didn't Even Get Dizzy! Trivia Game | Hobbies

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. You have decided to embark on the hobby of tumbling rocks or gemstones for jewelry that you would like to make. What type of store would you visit to learn about the hobby and buy equipment and supplies?

Answer: Lapidary supply store

You would visit an aviary supply store if your hobby was caring for birds. If you are a beekeeper, you would visit an apiary supply store. Topiary supplies would be purchased at a nursery or landscape garden store.

2. You have decided to purchase a rotary tumbler, as it is the most common type of tumbler for the beginner. It consists of a rotating barrel which uses water and an abrasive to shape and polish stones. When in use, what natural process does a rotary tumbler mimic to shape the material in the barrel?

Answer: Erosion

When using a rotary tumbler, water, an abrasive, and the material being worked on, is placed into the tumbling barrel for processing. Abrasives that are used are most commonly particles of silicon carbide, which are much harder than the material being tumbled. Material is ground due to the action of the flowing water, the abrasive, and the grinding of the material within the tumbling barrel.

This most closely resembles the action of water and abrasives, in an eroding fashion, which occurs in the ocean and river bottoms.

3. You have placed your material inside of the tumbling barrel; you have added sufficient amounts of water and abrasive material as well. You place the barrel on the tumbler and watch it rotate slowly. Approximately how long will it take to complete the tumbling process of starting with rough material to obtaining a polished, final product?

Answer: Around four weeks

There are four, generally recognized stages for tumbling material (Shaping, Smoothing, Prepolish, Polish), and it takes at least one week to complete each stage of the tumbling process. If starting with "rough" material (rocks that have not been preprocessed in the "shaping" stage), you will need to complete all four stages before obtaining a final product - this translates to the process taking approximately four weeks.

4. You have loaded (charged) the barrel of the tumbler to begin the first stage in the process. How full should the barrel be with material to allow for adequate tumbling?

Answer: 1/2 to 3/4

The amount of tumbling material inside of the barrel, for the first grind, should fill, at least, 1/2 of the barrel. In addition, the amount should be no more than 3/4 of the barrel. Amounts above or below these levels will hinder the actual tumbling of the material, and it will not be shaped properly during the first grind.

The shaping stage of the material is the most important step in the entire process, as it is used to smooth rough surfaces and round sharp edges - in preparation for the subsequent stages.

5. When selecting material to be placed within the tumbler, all of the material should be the same, as listed on the Mohs Scale. What does the Mohs Scale denote?

Answer: Hardness of a material

The Mohs scale is used for identifying hardness of a material - in this case, minerals, rocks, or gemstones. Values on the scale range from one to ten (1-10) with 10 representing the hardest material (diamond). Material placed inside of the tumbling barrel should be of the same hardness to avoid excessive wear or scratching of softer materials during the tumbling process.

When learning how to tumble material, the beginner should start with rocks or gemstones, such as agates, jaspers, and petrified wood, which are approximately 6.5 - 7 on the Mohs scale.

These materials generally produce very good results for those first stepping into the hobby. Softer materials are much more difficult to work with and usually break down too much due to their softness.

6. You have started the first grind of your material. During the first 72 hours, you should open the barrel every 24 hours to alleviate any buildup of pressure inside. During the first stage of the tumbling process, what causes the buildup of pressure within the barrel?

Answer: Gas buildup from organic compounds on the material being processed

During the first grind (first stage) the removal of remaining organic material on the rocks causes pressure to build within the sealed tumbling barrel. This occurs during the initial phase of the first step of tumbling. The barrel should be opened every 24 hours during the first three days to alleviate any pressure buildup. Not doing so could cause leaks to occur.

7. During all phases of tumbling the material, a slurry results which consists of abrasive and ground material. Where should you best discard the slurry when a tumbling phase is completed?

Answer: Disposable liquid containers

Do not; do not; do not pour the slurry into any drain for indoor plumbing. If it settles and hardens, it is like having cement in your plumbing system. Pouring it out over any paved or unpaved surface is almost certain to leave behind ugly stains. The slurry is best poured into a container that can be appropriately discarded.

8. You have completed your first grind, which resulted in reducing the amount of material within the barrel, since the rocks have been rounded and reduced in size. Now, you have less material than what is optimal for proper tumbling. What is typically added to the barrel to get the material to fill to the proper amount?

Answer: Plastic pellets

After the first grind, approximately 15-20% of the material may be removed which causes a reduction in the volume of material being tumbled. Plastic pellets are commonly used to add to the material volume if it is too low after the first grind. Adding more water does more harm, as it may hinder the tumbling action within the barrel.

There is certainly no need to start over - just add pellets.

9. The final step in processing the material is polishing it. And, you would need the appropriate abrasive to complete the process. How would you expect your polishing abrasive to be, in terms of coarseness, as opposed to the abrasives in the preceding steps?

Answer: The polishing abrasive is the most fine

The polishing abrasive is the most fine abrasive in all of the steps. The entire tumbling process consists of using less abrasive material in each step to achieve the final result. The first grind, which is used for shaping, uses the most coarse abrasive in the process, and subsequent steps use finer abrasive materials.

10. While it is generally accepted that there are four tumbling steps in the process of achieving a finished product, there is actually a fifth optional step -- burnishing -- which can be used after the polishing step. Why is burnishing done?

Answer: To remove any remaining film on the tumbling material

After the polishing stage, there may be a slight haze or film that developed on the material that was tumbled. Burnishing removes the film. However, instead of an abrasive being used, Dove soap flakes and water are tumbled which cleans the film from the material.

Source: Author ArsonDave

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ozzz2002 before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

I Tumbled for Days, and I Didn't Even Get Dizzy! Quiz

You've seen beautifully polished rocks before and have probably wondered, "How'd they do that?" Here's a quiz about tumbling rocks for crafts, jewelry, and other projects.

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