Flowerstone is relatively rare on east coast Vancouver Island beaches, with just a few pieces expected to be found per trip. But I headed inland on a hunch and stumbled on a large deposit of the aptly named porphyry.
Stumbling on Flowerstone
Tag: tumbled stones
Glad to be a lonely rockhound
I went back to a local beach in Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, this morning for a quick rockhound before the heat got too serious. I wasn’t the only one out there, and not even the only one after rocks.
Vancouver Island beach rocks
Had a weird sleep schedule this weekend and couldn’t help myself but get up at the crack of dawn today to pick up some tumbling material at a local beach.
Vibrating to the finish line – Part 2
My batch of Dallasite and other beach stones from Vancouver Island is now 75% of the way finished, with just one more session in my vibratory rock tumbler to go.
Pits, cracks and undercutting: the sad side of rock tumbling
It’s painful to go through your freshly tumbled rocks and hold your breath when you see a great one and then inspect for problems. Sadly, some of my best-looking pieces have suffered from undercutting during the rock tumbling process.
Petrified Wood update, getting the beauty out
Along Lower Mainland river basins I find a lot of what I assume is petrified wood, with the odd piece from the ocean. Some look perfectly like wood and are very striking, but many look quite dull and are harder to positively identify. But tumbling stones can bring out the beauty in them.
Vibrating to the finish line
My Thumler UV10 Rock Tumbler has seen the light of day and I’ve completed the second phase (of at least four) of rock tumbling.
Another rockhound day at the beach
I woke up early yesterday with only a few hours of sleep. It’s summer in British Columbia and the sun’s up before 6am and it’s hot not long after, so I decided to make the most of the morning and go down to my favourite local beach for some rockhounding.
Setting the rock tumblers
My wheels of industry are cranking – both my Lortone rotary rock tumblers and my Thumler vibratory rock tumbler are set and going to work on some of my BC rocks.
Opening a rock tumbler is like Christmas
Finding rocks is the first Christmas, and then taking them out of your rock tumbler is the second.