Tumbling with sand?

i have checked the archives, but didn’t find what i was looking for,
so please accept my apologies if this topic has been covered.

i occassionally tumble rocks and i live near the beach. can one can
use sand instead of commercial grit to tumble stones? has anyone
tried it? if not, i think i will.

thanks in advance,
jocelyn
Jocelyn Broyles
Designer/President
www.jocelynbroyles.com
Costa Rica ph(011 506) 376.6417
U.S. fax (253) 669.1679

Jocelyn

I have never used sand for tumbling rocks but have for tumbling old
pennies etc. It works well on the pennies…not too abrasive bu does
the job. Remember, sand is mostly quartz and therefore is about a 7
on Mohs scale. Therefore, it would only work on stones softer than 7.
I have seen stones and shells on some beaches tumbled by the sand
that were as shiny as any produced by a tumbler. Unfortunately, we
must talk in geologic time as to the time it takes to get the job
done. Probably 2 to 4 times that necessary to do it with Si2 grit.

Good luck. Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL
where simple elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2