Description
Rough sodalite for grinding and polishing
This bag contains approximately 1 kilogram of rough sodalite. The stone is recognisable by its blue colour with white, grey and sometimes darker areas. Every batch of natural stone is different: colour, pattern, shape and size may therefore vary from bag to bag and from stone to stone.
Sodalite can develop a beautiful smooth shine in a rock tumbler, but it requires a slightly different approach from the harder stones that are often tumbled. Its hardness is approximately 5.5–6 on the Mohs scale.
Why tumble sodalite separately?
Agate, jasper, rock crystal, rose quartz and aventurine usually have a hardness of around 6.5–7. If you tumble sodalite together with such harder stones, the sodalite may wear down faster, become damaged or polish less evenly. It is therefore best to use a barrel filled entirely with sodalite, possibly supplemented with other stones of a similar hardness.
What is this sodalite suitable for?
- For grinding and polishing in a rotary rock tumbler.
- For a separate batch of sodalite or stones of roughly the same hardness.
- For sawing, shaping, cabochons and other lapidary applications.
- For decorative and creative uses with rough natural stone.
What is this sodalite less suitable for?
- Not intended to be put, without sorting, through a mixed batch of hard quartz stones.
- Less suitable for a barrel that is not filled sufficiently; too much free fall can cause damage.
- Not suitable if you expect identical stones or fully uniform colour: this is a natural product.
Tips for tumbling sodalite
- Check the stones a little more often at each stage than you would with agate or jasper.
- Do not automatically leave a grinding stage running longer if the stones are already smooth enough.
- Make sure the barrel is filled properly. Soft plastic pellets can help fill and cushion the load if needed.
- Clean the stones, barrel and lid very thoroughly between the different grit sizes.
- Do not reuse plastic pellets in a finer grinding or polishing stage if they have previously been used with a coarser grit.
- Never rinse grinding sludge down the sink.
Product details
- Stone type: sodalite
- Contents: approximately 1 kg
- Hardness: approx. 5.5–6 Mohs
- Condition: rough and unprocessed
- Application: tumbling, grinding, polishing and creative use
The product photo is an example. You will receive a similar bag from the same batch, but the individual stones may differ in colour, pattern, shape and size.
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