Reddit reviews Thumler's Tumbler Rock Polisher Accessories, 24 oz. Grit Pack # 302, 8 oz. Coarse, 8 oz. Fine, 4 oz Polish, and 4 oz Prepolish

I think it was u/purplepiratecrab that asked to know how the tumbling was going. Well, I think I’ve had good results with my first couple of test piece. One is an Axiom Tetra Bead-blasted Stainless Steel.

The spinner has good weight and balance, but I never cared for the bead-blasted finish. It was too rough and all the points and corners were far too “hot” for my taste. As it was my first foray into tumbling I threw all manner of media at it - Grits, SS Shot, Ceramic, Dish Soap, Baking Soda, and Polishes. There is plenty of advise online for tumbling stones, but surprisingly little instruction on metal (jewelry) tumbling. But I consumed what I could find.

I am using a Harbor Freight Chicago single-drum tumbler. I had gathered that the rubberized drum that comes with the tumbler was not ideal for metals like Stainless Steel (turns them black). So, following after a YouTube video, I assembled my own PVC drum. You do need to add baffles inside the drum. Otherwise, everything simply clumps at the bottom and nothing actually tumbles.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/08Yoc5CX4Il2v081JWrErA94A

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0NUNMe7gag16MZl6OG4FaAgzA

I ordered 1 lbs of Stainless Steel shot and 1 lbs of Small Ceramic Media from Amazon. Harbor Freight has Grit / Polish packs as well. Add water and a drop of Dawn dish soap and you’re ready to go.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017WQV6UM/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_HZNpDbEB0T5MA

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DY7PSBT/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_cYNpDbC80MBHD

https://www.amazon.com/Thumlers-Tumbler-Polisher-Accessories-Prepolish/dp/B000BUW610

While rock tumbling can takes weeks, metal tumbling over hours or days can get good results. If you simply want to knock off “hot” spots, 6 hours with some SS shot works great. I did that with a Brass Spinetic Micro-X which had super “hot” corners on it. Quite comfortable after that.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0EthP9bf8BLlK-E1OPfdYFYoA

The last round with the Tetra involved 7 hours with Ceramic Media, 6 hours with Shot and Pre-Polish, overnight with Shot and Polish, and then 6 hours with Shot and Baking Soda. Even without the rubberized drum you are going to get a lot of black dust in the polishing stage so the soda really cleans that off of SS and cleans your Shot at the same time (otherwise you’re left with gray dull shot at the end).

The results are very satisfactory for a piece with a lot of edges like the Tetra. The photos above don’t really do it justice, but what I ended up with was something very close to UQH’s Fine Stone-Washed effect - smooth slightly soapy feel. Much better than the rough, hot finish it had before. I then sanded and polished the flats on both sides for a nice contrast. The Vortex Buttons from UQHs really makes this a unique piece - far more fondalable than it had been originally.

You do need a bit of patience and willingness to experiment with various combinations to appreciate the varying results. I want to try adding plastic media for cushioning. And If you want truly mirror polished pieces then further sanding and a polishing wheel would be necessary. Definitely more experimentation and learning is in my future. Hope this has been informative. Cheers!