How to Carve Rocks | Basic Guide to Stone Engraving 

If you like druzy quarts there's a place in cadet Missouri called haunted ridge where you can pay $30 for a 5 gallon bucket of rock, crystals that you dig up yourself. Acres upon acres of this stuff. They started this during the pandemic so I'm sure people have only scratched the surface of what's out there.

this was great, i was watching vids on how people can cut stone like the Egyptians did ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i8ZHYWle0DE.html and came across your channel. the only thing i was thinking was your mask may need to be alot higher quality. you do not want anything in your lungs.... be safe.

Fellow magpie here ☺️ I've been collecting rocks my whole life, I've got 3 rock tumblers going year round and I'm finally to a point now where I've got literal buckets of cool rocks that I need to do something with so I thought I'd carve things into them and gift them, this video was super helpful, thank you!

​​@@NormalizeNotBeingaVictimI live in Missouri and have never heard of this place, I am very excited to check it out though! I'm about 2 and a half hours away so that will be something to look forward to this summer!

Oh good! I’m glad other ppl do this. 😋

Stealing is so harsh😁WE ARE GIVING IT A REPLACEMENT HOMW❣😝❣

i think it comes from our left-over instincts. i’ll walk outside for 20 minutes and end up with a pocket full of acorns and rocks without even thinking about it

Lol watching this because I recently stole a rock I want to carve

Oooo that is good timing! I hope it goes well! You’re welcome & thank you!

That is really good advice. I will definitely be getting a better mask before I carve stone again. Thank you! Is there a kind of mask you’d recommend?

@@beththebuilder the best you can get, cartridge preferably, i wheeze and red tibe doesn't help around here so an act now will save you later in life big time.

I carve cabochons with a flexshaft..i use a mask that rates as a m35 and work in a outdoor environment only. ..wear a better mask and don't work in a enclosed area..

@@jameshurley224 you can work indoors, severe winters force it but it gas to have major ventilation, not a garden shed with the door open and even outdoors if your using a major cutting tool like grinder or in my early days stone saw then it requires plenty of water and still a mask even though water and masks don't go well for breathing.

Hey! That’s awesome! I’m glad to hear it. Rocks from trips are the BEST. Good luck with your rock projects!

Thanks so much! ❤️I’m glad you’re getting into it. It’s so fun & different. Good luck!

Its great fun to carve on stone . Make sure you get 40 60 and 80 grit for removeing the bulk fast the finner grits wont hold up to a lot of removal the dimond coating will not last long if ya get it hot.keep it wet . I set up a drip bucket with a valve on it plastic and cylicone and small fish tank type hose and valves quarter in is more than enough. If ya get blow by dust use a shop vac to suck it up as you grind. Always use a wand never get the rotory tool motor near water or wet. It will shock you.

Whoa! Thank you! I love that! 🖖😄

Wow! That’s so cool! Thanks for watching! I don’t know anything compared to you. ☺️💙

That’s awesome! I love that term, “rock hound”! Love it. YES! Chalk is the way to go. Sharpie is what I had seen recommended but it’s too dark & hard to see when you carve wet. Good luck! I hope it goes well!

Good luck! Let me know if you need any help. Maybe I can. 😋👍🏻

Hey! Thank you! I try to be helpful, otherwise what’s the point? 😜😄

Aw that’s a sad reason. But good luck! Yes steal some rocks & I hope it turns out well. ☺️

@@beththebuilder thanks. And the advice has helped. I actually did a little practice carved a snail for my girlfriend... By the time I carved the actual stone for the puppy I feel like it'll look good

Thank you thank you! ☺️😜

I'm glad to hear it! Hmm... maybe you need some different bits? I'm not sure. But rock carving is dang satisfying, especially if you're a rock collector like myself. It sounds like you are, too! :P I hope you find a use for you rotary tool. Even if it's just carving some cool rocks for yourself.

Thank you! Good luck getting into it. It’s definitely fun to mess around with.

Hey! To each their own. 😄

Thanks Spike! That’s very cool. I like taking something mundane like yea a piece of wood or rock & making creative. Or something you wouldn’t expect to find on a rock. 🙃 Keep carving! Thanks for the support!

Hi spike

Thank you Hokage! It’s an honor. 😌

🖖🖖💙💙

Thank you! That’s super nice to hear! I’ll never stop. 😋

Try burning one with that new wood burner you won! Jk don’t do that! Thanks for the support! I’m glad ya won that!

I think my chalk pencil is a “Generals Charcoal White”, it’s a craft type pencil. And I usually run my dremel on 4 for rock carving. But it depends on how hard the stones are.

Thank you! Hmmm that is a great question. I had not considered that. But what I I've been doing is using wet rags and then I rinse them out either in the sink or if I've done a ton of rock carving then I spray them down outside in the grass. I'm not sure drains would love the heavy rock dust? I'm not sure. This is a good question! I'll let you know if I come up with a better solution.

Yea! I hadn’t either though, till I wanted to carve them & then the Internet was like”WARNING!Danger!” It’s not every kind of rock. But I just wear a mask & goggles and carving them wet is the way to go anyway.

@@beththebuilder best way to stop over heating, I wanted to make a grinding/poloshing plate but wondered how I'd stop rusting, maybe if I used oil?

Retired Shipyard Safety Inspector here. In addition to asbestos-asbestosis-lung cancer illness hazards from sand blasting or grinding on rocks, concrete, glass, etc., the same dust producing operations includes silica-silicosis-lung cancer hazards. Personal protection equipment (PPE) against these asbestos & silica dust hazards in the ship-repair, ship-building industries includes mandatory, both medical & respirator fit testing. Mandatory use of a NIOSH Certified respirators when in vicinity of these hazardous dusts (N95 respirators & covid masks don`t work for this). Also required was wearing of OSHA approved, "Z87" rated Safety eye protections. Not wearing the PPE was a strict firing offense for our employees, or for sub-contractors a permanent ban from our shipyard. That's how serious this dust hazard is to our lungs. The other shipyard solution involves water blasting at ultra-high pressure (UHP). That's a whole different bag of hazards, but it eliminates dust. Your Grinding rocks while the rock & dust is wet & kept wet, should work just fine in keeping hazardous silica dusts out of your lungs. Keep wearing your eye protection. You can see if they are Safety rated if you can find a "Z87..." embossed on the frames &/or lenses or packaging. I Hope this helps in clearing up some of the confusing issues of hazardous dusts.

I think she meant silica,

Nice! Good luck beginning to carve! I’m sure you could! Agate seems a bit fragile? A bit chippy maybe. But I’d give it a go on some pieces & just see. Why not, right? 😄👍🏻

It’s a WEN rotary tool with flex shaft. I got it on Amazon & it’s pretty much the cheapest. I think there are probably better cheap ones out there but I didn’t know how invested I was in it. 🙂

@@beththebuilder ok awsum I just ordered one I'm excited to use it , love your show helpful mine goes as well lol

That is excellent advice! I never even think about that with my rotary tool more farm equipment & big giant power tools is when I would get concerned but very wise advice. I know of a lady in my area who got her hair got in some farm equipment & it ripped part of her scalp off soooo best not to mess with. Thank you!

Hello from America! Thank you! Hmm I’m not entirely sure, but I’d think good quality diamond bits with water could do it, potentially. You could try getting more aggressive heavier duty diamond bits. Or from what I’ve read, sand blasting is a technique used to cut really hard stone. But I do think the diamond bits may be able to do it. However, since I’ve never carved quartz I am not certain! Good luck! I hope you can figure it out. That’s sounds very cool!

I'm glad you like it! THANKS!

I’ve used just craft paint or gloss interior paint. Both have worked well! Craft paint is definitely thinner, so I end up doing multiple coats of that. I used just a clear gloss spray to seal them, as well. They make some cheap Dremel tools. Mines WEN brand from Amazon, and for a beginner it works fine. Nothing fancy. Maybe someday I’ll get a legit Dremel brand. Good luck! You can totally do it!

I have a WEN Rotary tool from Amazon & a Dremel flex shaft model number 225 connected.

@@beththebuilder can you post a link to it...?

My rotary tool is WEN brand from Amazon. The rotary tool is fine, but the flex shaft is cheap AF. I'd suggest getting a Dremel flex shaft which will fit on any rotary tool pre much. Good luck!

I love that so many other ppl collect rocks! It makes me feel so validated for having bags of rocks as a kid. Thank you!! ☺️

😆 Thank you! It definitely can. Ya know safety first! But not too bad. It helps having good new bits.

Dimond bits dont jump ,carbide bits grab and jump.

🤣😱 Me too!

Hello! Yes, bits will loosen over time when you’re carving a lot. I know this to be for sure to be true with lower end rotary tools. Like mine the Wen brand is cheap. So literally my bits don’t even go into the collar very far. But yes, they will loosen up. I tighten mine very regularly, because I have had one fly out. It was WILD! No one was harmed. 😜 I would maybe check that the flex shaft attachment is all installed correctly, so there isn’t EXCESS heat/vibrations from it spinning. When I first got mine it was heating up to the point where I couldn’t hold it, & it was just b/c the base of it that screws into the actual rotary tool motor, the pen flexible inside shaft wasn’t pushed all the way into the collet ring, so it was adding extra friction. Simple fix! But very annoying for just beginning. Maybe something like that is your problem? And yes! Using water is the right choice for carving rocks. It helps the diamond bits do their job, and keeps rock dust out of the air. As for the right bit for the right rock.... hmmm I’m not sure exactly what you mean. But of course certain rocks are going to be harder or softer. When I choose rocks I’m mostly avoiding rocks with dust that is toxic or hazardous to breathing in. But softer rocks will be easier to start with and won’t wear out your bits as fast. I looked up some simple guides to for testing rock hardness on the Internet. There’s a super simple scratch test to help you. Try looking something like that up! If that’s your problem anyway! 😁 I hope any of this is helpful! If you want A TON more rotary tool advice check out Jordy Johnson’s channel he focuses on wood carving but he has a ton of rotary tool advice & tips/tricks. I haven’t seen him carve rocks tho. 🤗

@@beththebuilder OmG!! Thank you so much!! 💕 This helps a lot! I will look deeper into these tips... Cause I have had done some research but then... Would end up feeling the same (if it makes sense)... And I was needing a one on one with someone who could answer better my questions... I am so wanting to work with quarts stones... But not until I get the hang on my tool... I do not want to run the risk of damaging the main tool. I appreciate your time! Thank you.

@@digipicartist I am so glad I could help! Let me know if you have any other questions. I may be able to point you in the right direction or even solve your problem strait up. You got this! Good luck!

@@beththebuilder Thank you so much!! Will do... Have a wonderful day/night. 💞

I usually run mine at about 4. I’m assuming different tools could have higher or lower settings. Mines not crazy powerful. 3-4 is where I usually sit & that’s in the middle for how high my tool will go. 🙂 Good luck!

Chalk pencil

Yes! It’s a chalk pencil. It’s super useful with rock carving since it doesn’t wash off immediately & you can still see it very well when the stones are wet & darker. ☺️

I actually just got a set of chisels for Xmas. I haven’t used them much yet. They’re wicked sharp. I like power carving a lot tho.

@@beththebuilder excellent. They are alot of fun

Thank you! 😆

@@beththebuilder lol for sure! You're a pretty cool rock hottie lol

Idk! I took them through customs soooo I guess they don’t care about rock smuggling. 😋

@@beththebuilder damn rock dealers, always getting away

Thank you! ☺️

It’s quite harmless. The abrasive is diamond powder, no comparison to a woodworking saw blade.