What else do I need to get started with rock polishing?

You will need 4 grades of tumbling grit, coarse, medium, pre polish and polish. I get all my rocks from the Jersey Shore, so they are pretty rounded and smooth to begin with. You also need a lot of patience, each of the 4 steps takes a week to complete. I am very happy with the Lortone 33b Double Barrel Tumbler.

start to finish how long does it take to do a batch of rocks

From 4 to 6 weeks. Some polish faster, others take longer. During each stage of polishing we go through each barrel after a 4-5 day period and select which rocks stay back in the barrel they came out of and which go on to the finer grit for polishing. If you take your time you can get some very beautiful rocks. We use two of the two barrel polishes so we have all 4 grades of grit going at once. Just keep moving them to the next level of polishing. After 5 weeks you should have a polished barrel of rocks each week.

Besides polishing stones, can I also frost glass to look like beach glass?

You can, but I'm not exactly sure how to do it. I have polished some rough beach glass using fine sand. (But then I have to state it is not genuine beach glass-purists don't approve of putting it on the tumbler. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/761052/ try this gentleman's siggestions -

I want to run a rock polishing machine in an outbuilding. How safe is it to leave it running unattended? How often would one need to check up on it?

Although I enjoy lapidary questions, to give a complete answer to your question I would need a bit more information such as: What style of tumbler do you have, rotary or vibratory? How large are the slabs? (Big ones should go into a vibratory tumbler; small ones can be done in a rotary) What are the materials? (Rocks need to be separated by hardness to tumble polish, as softer materials can be quickly ground away or beat up by harder materials)After you have determined the above answers, you will need some grit (generally silicon carbide, a minimum of 3 grades from coarse to fine, depending on the hardness and material type), a polishing agent (again, this will depend on the materials you are tumble polishing, usually cerium oxide works well on most materials) and a separating medium (I like plastic pellets) to keep the slabs from sticking together for a nice even finish.To tumble wet (usually in a rotary tumbler), you would place the slabs and plastic pellets into the tumbler's rubber barrel and add enough water to fill it 4/5 of the way, then add the grit (coarse first; the amount depends on the size of the barrel). Tighten the lid and turn it on for the first run. The amount of time required for each run will depend on the hardness of the stones, from a couple of days to weeks. When the first run is complete, empty the barrel (never into a sink, as the slurry can really mess up plumbing systems), and thoroughly rinse and clean the pellets and the stones. Then repeat the runs, using medium grit next, and finally the fine. When you are happy with the results, it is time for the polish.Be absolutely, positively sure that there is no grit whatsoever left in the barrel or on any of the stones, as one piece could destroy weeks of work! I have barrels just for polish. The polishing run can take less than a day, again depending on the stones. Wash your stones completely, and wrap as desired!In a vibratory tumbler, I prefer to tumble slabs dry, using the same processes as above without adding any water, as I find slabs tumble polish more quickly in a vibratory tumbler, dry. For an easier solution, you could use a spray protectant, like as an acrylic spray such as Krylon, to give your slabs a nice glossy finish; just be careful not to scratch it when wrapping.Warning: Polishing your own stones can be addicting!Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

Lortone 33B Rotary Rock Tumbler

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