Please pardon my presumptuous thought process. ;-)
I thought it might be a good idea to start a few 'how to' posts, as we all seem
to enjoy knowing how things are created even if we don't plan to make the
item.
Is this a good idea?
Here is my first addition for the Trash To Treasure Library. Hopefully
others will come forward and do the same with tutorials. If we try to keep the
subject lines about the same, with HOW TO in caps, they might be easier to find
for newbies or others looking for such information.
Using a rock tumbler for glass, tile and more....by Karen Manasco
(Instructions based on a small, inexpensive tumbler brand. Directions can also be used for larger tumblers. Simply adjust the contents of the barrel based on your tumbler size and barrel content limit. I am not an expert, just obsessed with tumbling things. Please feel free to alter the instructions to fit your needs)
Surely you've seen, or perhaps had one of your own. A rock tumbler. Many a youth owned the typical tumbler with a red barrel sold under the name brand of ROLLING STONES ROCK TUMBLER. Back then, the length of time it took to tumble and polish rocks seemed like eons, your tumbler ended up in the attic, the garage or a yard sale, seldom having completed the full cycles to produce beautiful rocks as shown on the packaging.
And yet today I find myself searching for these very same tumblers for use in glass and mosaic craft. Wait, don't go. It's easy! Fun, inexpensive, and best of all, you're recycling! No longer must you wait weeks on end to see results. Come on, join me, it's fun!
You will need:
A rock tumbler
Common play sand (need not sift unless you have cats. Ahem.)
Water
Vaseline or other lubricant
Broken glass, cut glass, tile, broken plates, cups, etc.
Patience
Once you've acquired a rock tumbler, the next step is to decide what you would like to tumble. Small rocks, broken or nipped pieces of tile, bits of glass, chunks of dishes, many items can go into a rock tumbler, as long as the barrel is not too full, you can tumble just about anything. I even tumbled sticks for a week one time and they turned out very smooth.
TIP: Overloading a rock tumbler can and likely will cause it's early demise. Do not fill your tumbler more than the required quantity, which is typically 2/3's full.
You may wish to use tile nippers or wheeled cutters to get a more precise shape, though it doesn't matter with regard to the edges, as even the roughest cuts or breaks will be smoothed in the tumbling process. Fill the barrel 2/3's full of material. It is advised not to mix opposing materials, such as glass with rocks with tiles, as you may not achieve the results you seek on all the items. It is better to tumble glass alone, tiles alone, rocks alone, etc.
Fill the barrel with water so the level of water is just barely above your materials. Add three to four spoonfuls of common sand. Smooth a small amount of Vaseline on the outside of the barrel, then put the lid on securely and let 'er rip. If you simply want to knock the edges from the glass for handling, you don't have to run the machine for days on end. In fact, several hours will do a good job. You can take the tumblers off at any time and check for smoothness. The longer you leave the tumblers running, the smoother and rounder the pieces will become. Alter the time according to what you would like the finished product to look like. Remember, this will likely be a noisy process. If you have a garage or a covered area outdoors, it would be best to run your tumbler(s) where they may run continuously for days without causing anyone a headache.
If you must stop the tumbling process after it has tumbled for a few days, rinse the items off and drain the water. Depending on what you choose to tumble, the mixing action can actually produce a gunk very similar to concrete, which is a pain in the butt to get clean. When tumbling broken pottery, dishes, dinnerware and other items, it is a good idea to check the tumbler after two days, sometimes rinsing and adding more sand if the mixture is too thick and producing the concrete-like gunk.
Have fun, experiment, don't be afraid to try different materials. Keep in mind that some broken dishes may lose their patterns. Designs on dinnerware in gold will rub off, as will most hand painted items. The way I figure it, if the design is still on the pieces after four days of tumbling in sand, it should be able to handle being a part of a stepping stone, mosaic item, etc.
Another fun thing to do with rock tumblers is to make cubes. If you happen to have a tile saw, try cutting plates into evenly sized squares, then tumble them. They come out a fantastic cube shape with nice soft edges, perfect for mosaics.
Remember, glass will take on a frosty look if left in the tumbler long. While I do like the frosted look, others might prefer a clear yet safe to handle glass, which can be achieved by reducing the tumbling time.
Please feel free to ask any questions, and again, remember, I'm not a professional tumbler, I just play one on the internet.
:-) Karen Marie
