Plastic tumbler bead

I run a large (3’ diameter x 8’ long drum) tumbler in Vermont, where
I grind and polish stone carvings. Can you advise me regarding a
supplier of small (1/8" diameter) tough plastic beads for the polish
cycles? Need large quantity to replace dwindling supply. Thank you,
Joseph Wheelwright

Hi,

Try an Industrial Plastics supply place - they sell them as the
filling for “bean bag” chairs. They are a lot less expensive then
buying them at a lapidary supply. Typically the more you buy - the
cheaper they get - also they are available in quantities of 20 # plus.

Happy tumbling,

Cameron Speedie
Island Gem and Rock

Be sure when you are inquiring about tumbling pellets that you ask if
they ‘float’. Many craft pellets do not and being able to float your
pellets out of the slurry is fairly important. We purchased 50 lbs. of
’craft’ pellets a number of years ago and discovered that there is
indeed a difference (had to sell ‘craft’ pellets as opposed to ones
for tumblers – took a long time to get rid of them!).

Jan MacLellan
Mountain Gems Ltd.
Burnaby, BC Canada
1-888-593-1888