Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 15,641 times. Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Adult supervision is needed for children involved in sanding and polishing. You can find them along the sandy beaches, inland in gravel deposits, and sold in gift stores throughout the state. Also may be that you are … Apply the finishing polish to the stones and gems. Our kits include everything you need to take a raw tumbled Petoskey stone and finish with a matte finished specimen. Copyright © 2008 - 2021 Prism Publications, Northern Michigan Guides & Resources, Tips For Rock Hunting In Northern Michigan, Top 10 Best Petoskey Stone Souvenir Shops, 6 Tips For Finding Morel Mushrooms in Northern Michigan, Some like to give their stones a bit of rounding off, so first, you can, Apply a small amount of polishing powder or compound to your piece of corduroy or velvet, then use the fabric to. Don't worry about getting rid of the scratches. The materials required for polishing Petoskey Stones are sandpaper (220 grit, 400 grit, and 600 grit), a soft cloth, polishing powder or heavy duty rubbing compound, and a file. Container of water. But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. To polish a Petoskey stone by hand, start with a file to smooth the stone or do any other rough shaping. [1] The higher the number, the finer the grain or grit. Petoskey stone, three inches or less in diameter. wikiHow's. WHAT YOU NEED TO POLISH THE STONES: Petoskey stone Sandpaper (220, 400, or 600 grit) A thick towel or newspaper A piece of corduroy or velvet Polishing powder Water. However, if scratches appear, start from the beginning with the 220 grit paper to remove them! You will need a piece of velvet or corduroy cloth, a piece of sandpaper, newspaper or thick towels, sandpaper, polishing powder, and some water. The Petoskey Stone Materials to polish a Petoskey stone Fun Facts Materials Petoskey Stone 220 grit sandpaper 400 grit sandpaper 600 grit sandpaper Polishing powder Small piece of leather Water Sedimentary rocks Fossilized rock Means "Rising Sun" or "Rays of Dawn In 1965 it … Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. When you have the shape you want, sand with a 220 grit. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. By using our site, you agree to our. Marbrofin X, 1 Quart (2.2 Lb) Green-Colored Polishing Powder for Marble and Other Natural Stones. With the right polish, you might be able to … WHAT YOU NEED TO POLISH THE STONES: Petoskey stone Sandpaper (220, 400, or 600 grit) A thick towel or newspaper A piece of corduroy or velvet Polishing powder Water Official website for the State of Michigan Depending on the roughness of your stones, using other grit paper types, such as 150 or 800, may work fine. References. Gently rub the powder into the rock until it’s polished to your satisfaction. Here's a chance for you to polish you very own Petoskey in one easy to use kit! They were named after the city of Petoskey, Michigan. Make sure to sand every square inch of the stone smooth. Polishing powder can be used after your Petoskey Stone is cut, shaped, and scratch free, but even after you apply the polishing powder you might find a few scratches that you missed. Once you have found the stone you want to polish, sand it down with the 220 the sandpaper mentioned above. [2] X Research source Don't worry about getting rid of the scratches. Please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Allow them to dry. Here’s how to polish Petoskey stones. We've been helping billions of people around the world continue to learn, adapt, grow, and thrive for over a decade. If your stones have been rounded by running water from glaciers or waves on the beach, a lot of your initial shaping may already be complete. Then to polish your stone, just put your stone to the Grab some stones and make a day of it (really, you’ll need the whole day). Grit refers to the size of grains on a sandpaper. MyNorth.com is the online home of Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine, the flagship publication of MyNorth Media, a Traverse City, Michigan company dedicated to sharing stories and photos about vacations, restaurants, wineries, the outdoors and more from Traverse City to Sleeping Bear Dunes and up to Mackinac Island. A short, rotating rubbing will polish the stone. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. Polish your stone to a high gloss by sprinkling polishing powder on a soft fabric and working it in with short, rotating movements. Polishing powder. State of Michigan Start by sanding the stones with various types of grit paper. Make sure the newspaper is placed directly under your Petoskey stones before you sand them. This allows you to maintain patterns as you sand. The internet recommends two stick polishes--first with Dico Products Emery (P/N 531-E5) and second with Dico PBC-Blue (P/N 531-PBC)--these can be found at Ace Hardware Stores. The Petoskey stone are actually made up of calcite that makes them a great stone for hand polishing. Tagged Beaches, Kids, Outdoors. The objective is to remove any relatively small bumps and create an even shape. Apply a small amount of polishing powder to a dampened piece of velvet or corduroy. Calcite is soft and dense enough to make a nice polish. File around the entirety of your stones until satisfied. When you have the shape you want, sand with a 220 grit. General Polishing Petoskey Stones. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. As it turns out, the Petoskey stone is a very soft stone and prone to breaking apart, therefore a rock tumbler may not be the best bet for shinning your stone. Used as Step-3 in our 4-Steps tumbling grit Kit. Get the motor going, then rub the buffing compound onto the buffs and then just polish the stone, holding it up to the buffs… continue to add the compound as needed. You will receive with each kit. You’ll need a piece of corduroy or velvet cloth –a piece of newspaper, sandpaper, some water, polishing powder, thick towels, and sandpaper. See any scratches? Use a piece of corduroy, velvet, or any other smooth, hard-surfaced polishing base. If the stone is beach polished, or lightly tumbled using only sand and gravel as grit, the work will go faster. After rubbing, rinse the stone down and dry it off. I would also like to add that the Petoskey Stone is composed of a fossilized skeleton of coral which lived in the salt water that covered Michigan during the Devonia Period, about 350 million years ago. The materials required for polishing Petoskey Stones are sandpaper (220 grit, 400 grit and 600 grit), a soft cloth, a little car rubbing compound, and possibly a file. ... your problem seems to be that you have too much stones and too few carrier for the polishing powder in your tumbler. For stone specimens you don't want to grind, many clear finishes can bring out their patterns. Polishing Powder for Petoskey Stones. Now you have your own, hand polished Petoskey stone! 1. Examine the rock carefully; if you find there are still scratches then you can go back to step 5 under the previous... 4. If you notice new scratches showing up on the stone, go back to the sanding stage until they’ve been removed. **Keep in mind, it’s illegal to take stones from national parks or lakeshores such as Sleeping Bear Dunes and Pictured Rocks. The calcite is dense and soft enough in making a nice polish. Go to source. When the stone has been shaped and smoothed completely using 220 grit, then wet sand again with a 600-grit sanding belt. Return to the 400 grit paper, and repeat the sanding process. Take your time, watch the progress, don't overcut, use a generous water spray to reduce dust. 4.0 out of 5 stars131. Calcite is soft enough so that it can be easily worked, but dense enough to take a nice polish. You can buff and polish stones by hand-using a Dremel tool. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Sprinkle the damp corduroy or velvet with polishing powder. 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