My New Sorting Container for Stones at Different Stages of Tumble Polishing

Often I need to store stones at different stages in the tumble polishing process. This is because of the “sorting” I do between stages. After each stage, I look at each stone to decide whether it is able to proceed to the next stage, needs to repeat the same stage, or maybe even go back a stage. Often, then, I may not have enough for a barrel load for the next stage. A plastic container, like a two-litre ice cream container, is useful to store together stones destined for a particular stage. But if I am trying to keep track of stones from different beaches, or different types of stones, it is more efficient to have a multi-compartment container.

On the beach, I use plastic backs like these when collecting stones. I then consolidate them like this to get them home in my suitcase. From here (on the floor at home), they move to the shed where my tumblers are.

Close-up of some of the stones brought home in May 2019.

In the shed, I often store rough stones (and others) in two litre ice cream containers, writing identification on the side of the container.

For a while now, I have been using a four-compartment “Sistema”-brand plastic tray that I bought from the Warehouse in New Zealand. However, this tray is no longer produced, it also has its limitations, and I needed a replacement. Its limitations involve the number of its compartments and its overall size. Regarding the number of compartments: I dedicated the four compartments to stones to go to 100 grit tumble, to 220 grit tumble, to 320 grit tumble, and to pre-polish tumble. This meant I had no compartment for stones to go to pro-polish tumble, needing to keep them separately.  In hindsight, it would have been better to replace the 100 grit compartment with a pro-polish one, keeping the rough stones in a separate container.

Sistema storage/sorting tray. My loupe/magnifying glass is in the bottom middle compartment

Sistema storage/sorting tray

Regarding the overall size of the tray: it is just a bit too big to place on the work bench I use when loading tumblers (it is 47 cms long, 29 cms wide and 8 cms deep). And when over two-thirds full, the tray can be quite heavy to move around, and the weight also puts strain on the centre-placed carry handle. Recently, I have been working with more stones than previously, and I need another way of storing them.

I looked around at different shops for an alternative container, and found a very useful one at the Warehouse – the “Taurus” set. This consists of a large tray, larger than the previous Sistema one, that does not have compartments (it is 57 cms long, 39 cms wide and 10 cms deep). I also bought a number of separate containers (“trays”) that can be placed within it. The medium-sized tray is 22 cms long, 15 cms wide and 5.5 cms deep. The small-sized tray is half that size – 15 cms long, 11 cms wide and 5.5 cms deep. The cost of these is very reasonable.

Larger container with no compartments.

Comparison of container sizes, old (below) with new (top)

The new container

The medium internal container/tray.

The beginning of one arrangement – three medium trays along the top

The small internal container/tray.

Two small trays fit in one medium tray.

This provides much greater flexibility. Trays can be labelled as I wish – I can have a number for one particular stage, if I choose. I use a “permanent” marker to write the next tumbling stage on the trays. Methylated spirits can be used to remove this writing, when desired. And I can carry just the relevant tray of stones over to the work bench when filling a tumbler barrel, no need to bring the whole large container. Compared with the previous container, it is easier to move this one, even when it is heavy with stones, because there is a sturdy handle on each end. The handles allow me to move the container on and off a storage shelf with more confidence. The container also fits nicely on the arms of a “director chair” which can be moved about the shed next to wherever the stones are being worked on.

Three medium trays and three small trays fit neatly into the large container

One configuration of trays

Each individual tray is easy to take out if I want to work with the stones somewhere else

A container fits nicely on the arms of a “director chair”

The markers I use to write on the trays

Author: tumblestoneblog

Retired Academic, male, living in the New Zealand countryside near Whanganui with his wife as well as Jasper the dog, Fluffy the cat, Dancer and Penny, the horses, and a shed half-full of stones. Email john.tumblestone@gmail.com. View all posts by tumblestoneblog