Hey folks,
I’m on the fence about trying out the fire agate presently for sale. I’m worried it won’t tumble very well—or that it might require extra steps and special polishes, stuff like that. I’ve read that the “fire” in the agate typically occurs in very thin layers that can be easily eroded away.
Has anyone here tumbled fire agate? What was your experience like? Would you recommend it?
Hey Lee,
Great question! I bought 3 lbs but haven't attempted to tumble them yet. They are pretty rough looking so if anyone has tips I'd also love to hear them! I did recently purchase some Old Miser to add to the early stages and it does seem to speed up the smoothing process in the first stage. It may be a good addition when tumbling fire agates.
Like your comment, I don't have any lapidary equipment and the thought of sandpaper and elbow grease gives me a headache! What to do with my 3 lbs of rough? If I take the plunge and throw them in a barrel I'll post an update on what comes out! 😉
I’ve only run it on one batch so far, but the results were noticeable. Less grit stubbornly stuck in thin cracks and tiny pits and so on!
I bought a (not very expensive) ultrasonic cleaner but haven't used it a lot yet. Has yours made a big difference in results?
From my understanding, you shouldn't tumble Fire Agate if you want to get the maximum potential out of them. They need to be worked individually. Slowly remove thin layers of the Chalcedony until you can see the chatoyance (not all pieces of fire agate will have chatoyance). Then you need to polish it. This all can be done with a dremel using diamond bits, a flat lap, or a cab machine.
As I said, this is my understanding of it based off of the little research that I have done so far. I have never attempted to tumble it. I also bought a 3lb lot from Meeko's, but have not messed with them yet.