Nathan Doak
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Nathan Doak
@ndoak.com
40 followers 61 following 180 posts
Father of three, software developer, and general average guy. I like rock tumbling, using Linux, and trying not to succumb to burn-out.
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Last post for the day, here are the results from two weeks of 8000 grit aluminium oxide on the central WA batch. Many look nice but I was hoping more would have a better luster.

#RockTumbling
A set of rocks on a towel. A set of various rocks in front of a mossy tree and fern.
November 15, 2025 at 7:58 PM
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Been busy these last few weeks. Short update on the rocks this week. This first photo has a set of rocks going in for stage 1. These are some Batswana agates, fancy desert jasper, green moss agate and some misc carnelian.

#RockTumbling
Misc rocks on an off-white towel.
November 15, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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This next barrel, I didn't picture last week, unfortunately. This one was working on stage three of miscellaneous rocks that I've collected. It will be running them in stage four this week.

#RockTumbling
A collection of very smooth stones on a blue towel in dim lighting. A close-up of a translucent stone being lit by a jade light.
November 2, 2025 at 1:00 AM
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Trying something new this week. My stage 1 barrel was tasked with stage 2. And as a birthday gift the stones will get ultrasonic cleanings in the latter stages. Continuing from last week there are the mossy agates and the river collections.

#RockTumbling
A decent collection of stones on a blue towel with even lighting. These are smooth and tumbled to stage two. A close-up of several stones held in hand. The top left is a vibrant red jasper. The top middle is a varied red jasper. The top right appears to be a blue grey chert. The bottom left is one of the green moss agates. The bottom middle is a piece of unidentified jasper. It is blue and white and very pretty. The bottom right is a nice piece of epidote and quartz. A close up of another three stones, the leftmost stone is one of the river rocks collected earlier this year. The middle stone is some sort of conglomerate and it was collected locally. The rightmost stone is a blue gray banded agate of some kind that was donated to the local rock and mineral society.
November 1, 2025 at 11:32 PM
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This batch of rocks was collected from Eastern Washington over the summer. I don't know what all of these stones are. Many of them seem to have a lot of quartz. Others seem to be ryolite or andestite. But all of them are very nice. Hopefully they'll polish well.

#Rockhounding #Rocktumbling
A wide collection of various stones on a very green towel illuminated by an artificial light because it is incredibly dark and stormy outside today.. A close up some of the stones. They have white bands, green colors, some are speckled. The one at the very far right has a very interesting coppery sheen.
October 25, 2025 at 11:24 PM
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Time for Rock Saturday starting with stage one. I put in too many large stones last week, so there aren't very many rocks to show. Still processing the skokomish river rocks, moss agate, rock and mineral society donations, and an Eastern Washington straggler.

#RockTumbling
A collection of stones and stage 1 polish on a green towel with even lighting. Several miscellaneous stones held in hand. This includes a blue-gray agate. Some various the rhyolites and two green moss agates. A close-up of the blue gray agate.
October 25, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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#Caturday Misty enjoying her paper nest over one of the heating vents this morning. She has had enough of my bs already.
Misty, my pretty gray cat, curled up in a nest made from brown packing paper.
October 25, 2025 at 4:27 PM
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Here's week two of the softer stones. They don't look very different, but they feel very different. They now feel smooth, almost a little slimy and kind of velvety, it's hard to describe. They've finished up with their pre-polish. Now they will be going in for 8,000 grit polish.

#RockTumbling
Soft opals, aventurine, and amazonite, in water, in a white tub with even lighting.
October 18, 2025 at 9:38 PM
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Saturday again! Take a short break to recharge with pretty rocks. Stage one this week has some of the green Moss agate more of the river run material and one or two pieces that were donated to the local Rock and Mineral Club.

#RockTumbling
A collection of rocks haphazardly placed on a green towel in subdued, even lighting. He set of three rocks held in hand in front of some vibrant red organ fire bush. The rightmost stone is one of the green mossy agate from the rock shed. The middle stone is a blue gray agate with faint banding. The leftmost stone is a red mossy agate or Jasper picked up from the skokomish river. Three more examples of the green mossy agate from the rock shed held in front of a red Oregon fire bush.
October 18, 2025 at 8:43 PM
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Here's the second barrel of the day. It was running stage 3 on softer stones. If I remember correctly, there's aventurine, amazonite, and some common opal. The common opal is being re-run through the system to have more soft bulk. The third barrel is going into week 2 of polish.

#RockTumbling
October 11, 2025 at 11:03 PM
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It's Saturday, Rock Clean Out Day. Here's another batch at stage one. This run has some more of the river pound rock as well as green moss agate from the rock shed.

#RockTumbling
A collection of rocks, red and green and white on a green towel with subdued even lighting. Three stones held in hand. The first is a green mossy agate. The other two are locally found red mossy agate.
October 11, 2025 at 5:24 PM
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Found some fun stones out and about today. #Rockhounding
October 10, 2025 at 12:14 AM
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And finally, the last barrel, tumbling stage four. All these stones will be going into the fifth 8,000 grit polish. I am concerned because they are not showing the normal luster even while submerged. Hopefully 2 weeks in high polish will work.

#RockTumbling
A group of very colorful stones submerged in water in a white tub.
October 4, 2025 at 6:39 PM
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Now for the second barrel, this is running stage 2 again and it has a couple of interesting rocks, some from Eastern Washington, a couple of others from various places, including that wonderful poppy Jasper from the river.

#RockTumbling
A collection of various stones on a green towel with even lighting. There are a large number of very small agates from Oregon that were found in gravel piles. There are also a few stones that were holdovers from Eastern Washington travels and a couple of pieces of the jaspers that were purchased at a local rock show. A close up of four stones, the top left is a mossy agate that has red jasper in it. Then, on the top right, a stone of some kind from eastern Washington that has nice green and white banding. On the bottom left, the poppy jasper mentioned earlier, and finally, the bottom right is the piece of purchased jasper. That is very blue and white. The close up of two stones. One is a silica rich, mossy agate. The other appears to be a green serpentine.
October 4, 2025 at 5:39 PM
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Another week, another barrel clean out. This week continues a set of rocks from the river and a few collected from around the area. I'll be adding a few more river run rocks plus a few green mossy agates purchased from the rock shed.

#RockTumbling #RockHounding
A collection of stones on a light green towel, shocker, and this is lit by a nice artificial LED light. The wonderful misty cat watching at the outside for squirrels as I deal with my human stuff. A close up of three stones held in hand. There is a nice blue grey chert, a jasper of some kind with a little bit of bright green epidote, and then a quartz and green jasper mix. A close-up of a bright green quartz epitdote and a red jasper or some kind of red mossy agate.
October 4, 2025 at 4:35 PM
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#caturday Misty enjoying the autumn sun.
A large grey american shorthair cat enjoying the full autumn sunlight.
September 27, 2025 at 8:30 PM
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This is the final barrel for this week. These are all at stage 3. It's a mess of lots of different stuff. I keep everything after stage 3 submerged as much as possible until complete with final polish.
A collection of various stones submerged underwater in a white tub with bright sunlight. A close-up of a very interesting igneous rock that has striking purple and green colorations. A close up of a light orange and blue teal stone of some unknown type. A close up of an interesting, brechiated stone that has been filled in with pale blue agate.
September 27, 2025 at 6:34 PM
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Here is the clean out from my Stage 2 barrel. It contains some interesting items, a few chips of old stock biggs jasper, a blue white jasper, local sandstone, and more material from Eastern Washington. Also, a small piece of local poppy jasper.
A collection of various stones on a blue towel with even lighting. A closeup of two small chips of old stock biggs jasper and an unidentified blue white jasper. These were purchased at a local rock show in early summer. A close-up of some local sandstones, I do not know their hardness, but they seem to tumble well. In close-up of several stones. At the top, the poppy jasper mentioned in the post. In the lower right is a small red mossy agate. In the lower left a jaspagate from Oregon.
September 27, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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Here is the set of rocks that I hope to get into stage one this week. Most are from the River Excursion from a few weeks ago. Some are from Eastern Washington.
A collection of jaspers and quartz on a blue towel with even lighting.
September 27, 2025 at 4:50 PM
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Clean out report for this week. Here is the stage 1 barrel's rocks. It has been a few weeks so I'll put up some more images in comments. But this batch is a mix of stones from central Wa, North West OR, and North West Wa.
A collection of various stones on a blue towel. A close up of a stone that is comprised of green jasper and quartz. Close up of red mossy agate where the agate is a pale blue color. Close up of a stone that has blue coloration with red veining and bright green epidote.
September 27, 2025 at 4:33 PM
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Here is some more of the brighter greens. Epidote and quartz, this stuff tumbles up excellently.
September 7, 2025 at 9:05 PM
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Here is a set of jaspers that have gone through the tumblers over the years. Jasper rainbow!
#Rocktumbling
A set of jasper stones arranged in a rainbow like pattern starting at the top with red followed by maroon, blue, green, and finally yellow
September 7, 2025 at 1:25 AM
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Took a wonderful opportunity to go #rockhounding with the Shelton Rock and Mineral Society. We were given access to some private land along the Skokomish river to look for jasper, epidote, and other minerals. Brought some nice rocks home. And my prize find, a small poppy jasper.
A large collection of stones ranging from deep reds to greens and blues. Lots of red jasper and epidote as well as some misc unknowns. A closeup of the largest stone, the picture does not capture the size well. It is the size of a football. A very pretty jasper with blues reds and a vein of olivine or something neon to emerald green. A close up of the single poppy jasper.
September 7, 2025 at 1:13 AM
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I think it did. it's hard to say without a control running the same stone in both cases, but these are among the most lustrous stones I've polished. However, I forgot ceramic filler and shows. The other common brecciated jaspers are noticeably bruised, but they usually start pretty beat up.
Ruddy brown red jasper showing a dull finish on the edges indicating bruising.
August 31, 2025 at 4:36 AM
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Here are the latest to come through polish. This time they had 1 week in some 1000 grit aluminium oxide, then two weeks of 8000 grit.
A collection of polished stones on a small blue hand towel. Some have high Polish. A red carnelian agate with a high polish. A palm size red jasper with a high polish. A small white ghostly agate, also with high gloss.
August 31, 2025 at 2:11 AM