Rock tumblers are all cleaned out and ready for the next batch.
After running the rocks in the tumblers overnight in borax and water, they are clean and ready for the next step. For those that completed their polish, I normally run them through an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner for a final cleaning. But the ultrasonic can't hold them all.
After scratching my head on this, I thought that what I need is a large container that could give them a good power wash and dry them off automatically. Hmm. I do have a dishwasher. But the rocks are too small to fit in the racks. So I loaded up the silverware tray and gave it a run. It worked out beautifully!
Since this was going to be a "proof of concept" experiment, I took pictures of them before potentially ruining them in the dishwasher. I wasn't concerned about the soap or the pressure, but the drying cycle. Some stones will change color under high heat. With some the colors become more vibrant, and some it causes them to change colors. It is a technique that is often used with gemstones. Fortunately, the dishwasher doesn't get that hot.
This batch did a good job holding still for a Group Photo:
And some of the stars that turned out nice:
These are agates from Teepee Canyon. As you know from previous posts, the agates and jaspers from that area have very rich reds and fiery oranges.
These have a "window" of quartz. Shining a light in the window lights up all the quartz inside.
These are Bubblegum Agates. In the rough, they looked like chewed bubblegum. But when the rock tumbler wears away the outer husk they sometimes show some cool features:
One of my favorite stones is the Moss Agate. Many people confuse this stone with Moss Agate or call it a Tree Agate. But it is not an agate. Since light does not shine through it, it is a jasper. So here is this beautiful Tree Jasper.
