Procedure:
The first thing to do with your tumbler is to remove the barrel from its stand and open it up. A thorough cleaning of the inside of the drum needs to be done, using a baking soda paste and a toothbrush. Why? The rubber usually has a coating on it, which will cause the first tumbling to turn the water black and your jewelry pieces a gray color. So scrub the drum out thoroughly and rinse it out with clean water a couple of times.
The size of the tumbler you are using will determine the amount of stainless steel shot you will need. The stainless steel shot, that all I spoke with used, is what is referred to as a "jewelers mix" consisting of pin, oval, and elliptical shapes, which in turn ensure that all the little nooks and crannies of your work will receive a good polish.
For a small tumbler, usually you will fill about a 1/3 of the tumbler barrel with shot. You need to be absolutely sure that it is stainless steel shot and not the less expensive carbon steel shot. I made this mistake by purchasing a bag from a gun shop and my first (and last) tumbling experiment ended up with rusted and blackened items that I ended up throwing away completely. (Thank goodness they were copper items and not sterling silver!) Even the "stainless shot" was a rusted pile of pellets and went into the trash as well. Oh, and let me add, the tumbler was also not water tight, so I ended up with a large wet spot on my work bench. (Sigh, live and learn, as they say.)
Once the shot is loaded into the barrel of the tumbler, you will need to add a "burnishing compound" to it. The simplest and least expensive is Dawn dishwashing liquid. Add a couple of good drops of the detergent to the shot. This detergent works great at removing oil and grim from the surfaces of your jewelry.
Next, put in the jewelry pieces you want to clean and then add just enough water to cover the shot and jewelry. (Avoid adding too much water, as it will dilute the detergent too much.) You don't want too much water. The whole tub should not be over halfway full, as there needs to be room for the shot and the jewelry to move around freely while tumbling. Just make sure a thin layer of water covers everything inside. Check the edges of the drum and if water is beading around the opening, wipe it dry before inserting the drum lid. Depending on the model you are using, attach and tighten down any additional outer lid and slip the drum into its mounting place.
The amount of time you allow the tumbler to run can vary depending on how many pieces you have loaded and what type of stones, etc. you have wrapped. If there are no sensitive stones in you work, you could safely allow it to run for a couple of hours. From the questions I asked, most folks recommend just one hour of tumbling time. However all of them did state that if you are unsure of the hardness of any jewelry item, check it after 20-30 minutes to see how it looks. (To avoid possible disaster, I would suggest that before putting any finished piece with a questionable material into a tumbler that you take the time to experiment with an individual stone or gemstone bead to see how it looks after tumbling.)
Retrieving your items can be done several ways. If they are large enough, simply reach into the drum and remove them. If you have tumbled a variety of items, then using a small holed, plastic colander works great. To dump the drum out, take some preventive steps first. Put the sink plug in and as added protection use one of those flat, plastic drain seals over the plug. Even using a small wire strainer (found at a hardware store) over the sink opening to catch anything small, as well as any shot that gets away from you, is a good idea instead of the plastic stopper.
Now, gently pour the contents of the drum into the colander, draining out all of the water. From there, it is easy enough to set the colander on a folded towel on the countertop and begin sorting thru the shot for your jewelry. Be sure to take the time to dry off your shot too, either by rolling it up in a towel and removing the moisture or by laying it out on the towel and letting it air dry, before using it again.