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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!
Steps
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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] X Research source
- Any mild dish detergent or other mild liquid soap will work fine to clean the rocks off.
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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] X Research source
- You can stir the rocks around gently with your hands to help loosen the dirt even more.
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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] X Research source
- You can use any other kind of bristled brush, or even a scouring pad, if you don't have an old toothbrush to use.
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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] X Research source
- Once the rocks dry, you can see if you missed any dirty spots and give them a second scrub if needed.
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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] X Research source
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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] X Research source
- You can find all the necessary protective gear at a home improvement store.
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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] X Research source
- 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.
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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] X Research source
- 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.
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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] X Research source
- Use just the tip of the grinding bit to give the rock a really smooth final finish.
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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] X Research source
- 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.
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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] X Research source
- You can get rock polishing compound online or in a specialty rock shop if there is one in your area.
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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] X Research source
- 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.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat is another way to polish rocks?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.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.Thanks
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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
References
- ↑ https://www.rocksforkids.com/how-to-polish-rocks-with-a-dremel
- ↑ https://sciencing.com/polish-rocks-gems-rock-tumbler-8164627.html
- ↑ https://www.rocksforkids.com/how-to-polish-rocks-with-a-dremel
- ↑ https://sciencing.com/polish-rocks-gems-rock-tumbler-8164627.html
- ↑ https://www.rocksforkids.com/how-to-polish-rocks-with-a-dremel
- ↑ https://sciencing.com/polish-rocks-gems-rock-tumbler-8164627.html
- ↑ https://www.rocksforkids.com/how-to-polish-rocks-with-a-dremel
- ↑ https://www.rocksforkids.com/how-to-polish-rocks-with-a-dremel
- ↑ https://www.rocksforkids.com/how-to-polish-rocks-with-a-dremel
About This Article
Article Summary
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To polish a rock with a Dremel tool, first soak it in hot, soapy water and scrub it with a toothbrush to clean it. Let it air dry completely. Then, place the rock in a vice clamp attached to a flat work surface, and put on gloves, safety glasses, and a face mask to protect yourself from dust and injury. Place a Dremel sanding attachment on your Dremel tool and slide a low-grit sandpaper band onto it. Grind the exposed surface of the rock, then rotate the rock in the clamp and grind the rest. Next, switch to a medium-grit sanding band and grind the entire rock again. Grind the rock one more time with a fine-grit sanding band. Replace the sanding attachment on your Dremel tool with a polishing wheel, then turn the Dremel on and dip the wheel in some rock polishing compound so it’s fully coated. Finally, polish the whole rock with the compound until it shines.
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