I tumble stuff anywhere from four hours to five days. I stop the tumbler, open the barrel, reach in and check out one piece to see how it's going. I like to tumble stained glass for five days to get a beach glass look and feel. But some things such as nipped plates I only tumble for a few hours just to take off the sharp edges.

oh no, don't tell me I need another piece of equipment - a tumbler - I better start reading the FAQ section myself. Thx for the heads up lynnich as I am a very newbie too. Welcome.

For glass, I just tumble a half hour or so, just to take the sharpness off. Just glass and water. For plates, if I want a smoother look I tumble for 4-8 hours with a little coarse grit.

Harbor freight tools has some great tumblers for under 40 dollars.

when you guys do plate shards, does it chip the finishes?

Not so far NT. I got a nice rounded finish. Some I left in there longer for that. I've tried 3 or four different plates and broke up a plain blue ceramic tile..no chips.

Cool, thanks

I forgot, though, one plate I tried, the pattern faded (pretty uniformly). I think checking them often is the key to get the look you want

Be aware that gold trim and anything iridescent will be taken off by tumbling - - unless you tumble for a very short time.