How to Polish Rocks with a Dremel

Polishing rocks is just one of the many ways you can use a Dremel rotary tool . Clean off the rocks you want to polish with soap and water before you get to work. Select one rock to polish at a time, secure it in a vice clamp, and grind it down with progressively finer sandpaper and a sanding attachment on your Dremel. Finish polishing the rocks with a polishing wheel attachment and a polishing compound before you put them proudly on display in your rock collection!

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Cleaning the Rocks

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1
Fill a container with hot soapy water. Get a container big enough to submerge all the rocks you want to clean in. Put in a few drops of dish detergent in the hot water. ^{[1]
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- Any mild dish detergent or other mild liquid soap will work fine to clean the rocks off.
2
Place the rocks you want to polish in the container and let them soak. Make sure the rocks are fully submerged. Let them sit for a few minutes to loosen up the dirt before you scrub them clean. ^{[2]
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- You can stir the rocks around gently with your hands to help loosen the dirt even more.
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3
Use a toothbrush to scrub dirt off of the rocks. Get into all the cracks and crevices with the bristles of the brush. Rinse the rocks off in the soapy water as you go until you have removed as much dirt as you can. ^{[3]
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- You can use any other kind of bristled brush, or even a scouring pad, if you don't have an old toothbrush to use.
4
Pat the rocks dry with a towel and let them air dry completely. Dry off the rocks with a clean towel as much as you can. Let them sit out in the open, on the towel or on a rack, to air dry completely. ^{[4]
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- Once the rocks dry, you can see if you missed any dirty spots and give them a second scrub if needed.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Sanding the Rocks

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1
Place a rock in a vice clamp to secure it for grinding. Attach a vice clamp to a flat work surface. Put a rock you want to polish in it with the largest area exposed to start sanding there.
- You can get small clamp-on vices that you can attach to any kind of flat surface at a home improvement store or online. ^{[5]
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2
Put on a face mask, protective glasses, and gloves. Use this protective gear to keep you from breathing in rock dust or getting an injury. Rock dust is very harmful if breathed in, and one slip with the Dremel tool could cause injury to your fingers. ^{[6]
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- You can find all the necessary protective gear at a home improvement store.
3
Grind the whole rock with low-grit sandpaper and a Dremel sanding attachment. Change the bit on your Dremel tool to a sanding attachment and slide a low-grit, like 600-grit, sandpaper band on it. Grind the first exposed surface of the rock, then rotate it in the vice clamp to expose another side and grind that surface. ^{[7]
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- Keep rotating the rock and grinding each new exposed surface until you have gone over it all. This first round of sanding doesn't need to be perfect. You will perfect the finish with increasingly fine sanding attachments.
4
Switch to a medium-grit sanding band and grind the whole rock again. Change the sanding band on the Dremel to a medium-grit, such as 800-grit, sanding band. Repeat the process of rotating the rock around in the vice to expose each surface and grind it all over. ^{[8]
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- Pay attention to areas with sharp edges or crevices. Spend extra time sanding these areas down before you move on to fine-grit sandpaper. Angle the bit as flat to the surface of the rock as possible to grind down these parts evenly.
5
Grind the whole rock a last time with fine-grit sandpaper until it starts to shine. Change the sandpaper on the Dremel tool to a 1000- or 1200-grit sandpaper. Sand all over the rock until it has a completely smooth finish and starts to look shiny. ^{[9]
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- Use just the tip of the grinding bit to give the rock a really smooth final finish.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Polishing the Rocks

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1
Switch the Dremel bit to a polishing wheel. Choose a polishing wheel that is small enough to reach all areas of the rock you are polishing. Take out the sanding attachment from your Dremel tool and replace it with the polishing wheel. ^{[10]
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- Polishing wheel attachments are soft, felt bits that are used to buff different materials and make them shiny. You can get different Dremel bits at a tool store, home improvement center, or online.
2
Dip the polishing wheel in rock polishing compound. Turn the Dremel on and dip it gently into some rock polishing compound. Remove it after a few seconds when you have coated the wheel with the polish. ^{[11]
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- You can get rock polishing compound online or in a specialty rock shop if there is one in your area.
3
Buff the compound into each surface of the rock until it is shiny. Keep the rock in the vice and buff the polish into one exposed surface at a time with the polishing wheel. Rotate the rock when you have made the exposed surface you are working on shiny and work on the next area. ^{[12]
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- You should notice the rock starting to reveal its natural luster after a few minutes of buffing. Keep going until you achieve the look you want.
- You can give the rock a final polish by hand with a piece of fabric like denim.

Expert Q&A

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Question

What is another way to polish rocks?

Kennon Young
Master Gemologist Appraiser
Kennon Young is a Master Gemologist Appraiser and the Owner of Vermont Gemological Laboratory in Burlington, Vermont. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Kennon and his team specialize in handmade engagement rings, wedding bands, and custom jewelry. He attended the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, the Gemological Institute of America, and the Rhode Island School of Design Extension. He is a Jewelers of America (JA) Certified Bench Jeweler Technician and received the highest credential in the jewelry appraisal industry, the ASA Master Gemologist Appraiser, in 2016.

Kennon Young

Master Gemologist Appraiser

Expert Answer

If the rocks are of relatively the same hardness, you can put them in what's called a Tumbler which tumbles the rocks to a polished state.

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Warnings

Always wear protective eyewear, a facemask, and work gloves when you are polishing rocks with a Dremel tool. The rock dust is harmful if you breathe it in or get it in your eyes, and slipping with the Dremel tool could cause injury to your fingers and hands.

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Things You'll Need

Container
Soap and water
Towel
Dremel tool
Dremel sanding bit
Various sanding bands
Dremel polishing wheel
Rock polishing compound
Vice clamp
Rocks
Protective gear

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How to Polish Rocks with a Dremel

Steps

Cleaning the Rocks

Sanding the Rocks

Polishing the Rocks

Expert Q&A

Video

Tips

Warnings

Things You'll Need

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