![]() It is regulated by the Occupational Health and Safety Act in the US (OSHA) and is on the Hazardous Substances List. There is also limited evidence that it can cause cancer in animals. People with pneumoconiosis also have an increased chance of contracting tuberculosis. Prolonged exposure to high levels of silicon carbide can cause pneumoconiosis, a chronic lung disease that reduces lung function and causes coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Silicon carbide specifically can irritate the nose and eyes on contact. Silicates cause silicosis, a respiratory disease that frequently afflicts miners and others working with stone. Rock tumbler grit is not toxic, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t harmful. GUIDE: Rock Tumbler Accessories, Equipment & Supplies Is Rock Tumbler Grit Toxic? TIP: There are some key supplies and equipment you need to ensure your tumbled rocks come out looking smooth and shiny. It is a form of grit traditionally referred to as a polishing compound and is extremely fine. The stuff you put into the tumbler specifically to polish the rocks in the final stage is usually made of cerium oxide, tin oxide, chrome oxide, or aluminum oxide. It is widely used in lapidary work, including gem cutting and rock tumbling, and is relatively inexpensive. It breaks into angular particles when crushed, giving it an abrasive edge with sharp points that can dig into the rocks. Therefore, the silicon carbide is significantly harder than the stones in the tumbler. By contrast, many rough stones such as agates, petrified wood, and jaspers only have a hardness of around seven or less. This is extremely hard as a diamond, for instance, is a ten on the Mohs scale. Rock tumbling grit is usually made of silicon carbide, an artificial abrasive with a hardness of nine or more on the Mohs hardness scale. Rock tumbling grit is also sometimes referred to as tumbling media. It is an abrasive substance that grinds away at the surfaces and edges of the rocks in the tumbler until they are smooth and rounded. ![]() Rock tumbling grit is in the form of different-sized granules that you add to the tumbler. ![]() ![]() It comes in different levels of coarseness, just like sandpaper, and at the fine end of the spectrum resembles talcum powder in texture. Rick tumbling grit does essentially the same thing without the hard manual labor of using sandpaper. Sandpaper has many uses in the DIY sector, but its primary use is to shape and smooth rough edges and surfaces on various items made of wood, stone, or metal. When you grind and polish stone by hand, you use sandpaper with grits of different coarseness. If you are interested in checking out the best tumbling grits you can find them by clicking here (Amazon links). This information will help you get the best results from your tumbler and improve your understanding of how the tumbling process works. Here we answer crucial questions about rock tumbling grit such as what it is, what it’s made of, whether it’s toxic if you can reuse it, what kind to use, how best to dispose of it, and what alternatives there are. The grit should never be poured down the drain as it can be set like concrete. The coarsest grit is used for shaping, while the finest is used for smoothing. The best and hardest rock tumbling grit is silicon carbide. While your rock tumbler may come with some basic instructions, they are unlikely to explain much about grit. Knowing how to use it, what type to use and what substitutes are available can make your life a lot easier. Rock tumblers use various types of grit in the multiple stages of the rock tumbling process to shape, smooth, and polish the stones. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases with no additional costs for you.
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