Help identifying rocks? Can I use a tumbler on these?

[rocknoobie]

I visited a mine and museum in New Hampshire roughly 3 years ago. I collected these rocks and I would like to use them as bookends or put them on display on a bookshelf, but I don't want to scratch the wood. Are these rocks turnable? Can someone help me identify them for me?

 

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[kcm]

It's difficult to give definite rock/mineral ID's from pics. You're asking about 26 different rocks. Someone more knowledgeable than I may ID some of them for you, but as far as tumbling questions, there's a TON of info here:
RockTumbler.com: Everything you need for rock tumbling :-)

Scroll down slightly and look in the far right column for "Tumbling Articles and Resources".

In a nutshell, most rocks can be tumbled successfully. If the rock fractures easily or has cracks, tumbling might not be the best idea. Cracked pieces can be broken apart ahead of time and run separately, according to size.

A lot also depends on the type of tumbler. A vibratory polisher can polish just about anything, but doesn't shape the rocks as nicely as a conventional tumbler, IMO.

 

[rocknoobie]

You can at least help me identify some of them. I need to know what types of rocks they are before I can tumble them.

Will the vibratory polisher work for the really large rocks, because I see videos on youtube with a lot of small items in these vibratory polishers?

 

[4Strokes1Pick&Poke]

You need better pictures for one. Some granite, some quarts mix, maybe a basalt, shale, sandstone, pyrite on a couple maybe? You can't tell from the picture if it's the flash or what. Download a mineral identifier in your App Store or playstore on your device.

 

[kcm]

You can at least help me identify some of them.
First of all, people help out here because they want to; not because they have to. Nobody gets paid here. At best, you can get our best guess. Most people only ask about one or two rocks to be identified - you're asking for 26. That's considerable.

I need to know what types of rocks they are before I can tumble them.
A simple test is to take each rock, one at a time, and rub it against a piece of cement block, first lightly, then slowly getting harder. As soon as you see the rock start chipping off pieces, set it in a pile according to how much pressure you were using. One pile for "light" pressure, one pile for "medium", one pile for "hard" pressure, and the last pile for "very hard rock/will not chip apart". You now have an idea of which rocks can be safely grouped together in a tumbler.

Will the vibratory polisher work for the really large rocks, because I see videos on youtube with a lot of small items in these vibratory polishers?
Ah, I see you haven't read the site yet. Most of what I know, I read there. Vibratory polishers can polish larger rocks, up to the size listed for given machine. In a vibratory machine, you can work just a single rock. You can place a single rock in a tumbler as well, but somehow it's just not the same - the ends of the rock don't get worked as well. ...Anything I could say would be MUCH better worded and more clear on the short articles on the tumbling site.