Polishing Agates - Part 2 Final Polish

In this video, we finish up the agate we started a couple videos back. The purpose of these videos are to show ways to polish stones with the tools you have. I could have easily sat in front of a $2000 cabbing machine. It would have been a wondrous event. Those are OK I guess....... It doesn't provide a starting point for someone just beginning to work with stones though.

There are many directions to go with lapidary work once you get a basic idea of how to grind, shape and polish a stone. Perhaps you want to make jewelry. Others might want to try their hand at creating sculpture.


The direction you take with your lapidary passion determines what kinds of tools to shop for. This is the main reason I suggest people spend some time trying many different kinds of lapidary work. From gathering raw materials through faceting or cabbing the gem material, new rock hounds can find out where they like to exist along that continuum.



I used a Dremel tool in this video. Any reasonably robust rotary tool of any brand should work. There are several different types of sanding bits. Each circumstance will require a different approach and maybe a different bit. I prefer using a cutting disc for my shaping work. You may prefer a grinding wheel. It's a matter of preference determined by trying different methods.