randy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2008
Posts: 117
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Post by randy on Mar 30, 2009 19:51:11 GMT -5
I am fairly new to cabbing, but I have a used Genie and a dop pot that I made from a Hamilton_Beach iron that I bought at the local Goodwill. I have noticed that the wax seems to be OK for several heatings, but before too long it won't even melt down. I scrape out the wax. Replace with a couple of chunks (about 1/2 of a stick), and everything melts down nicely again. I don't know what I can be doing wrong. It is wax, not some exotic substance? Any ideas? Thanks in advance folks. Randy
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Post by Tweetiepy on Mar 30, 2009 20:34:22 GMT -5
There are different types of dop wax (they melt at different temperatures) there's green & black and I think red too.
Maybe you're heating the wax too hot? I used to heat mine on the stove in a tin can on a pie plate - it seemed to go okay for the first while then it too took a while to heat up - but now I have a dop pot and that same wax (I think) seems okay.
Maybe try melting and keeping it at a lower temp? At my rock club they used a warming plate with a tuna can for the wax - the warming plate was great too for heating the stones.
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 30, 2009 21:25:26 GMT -5
Dop wax has a shellac content to give it strength. Overheating is the biggest culprit in ruining it. Every time it is heated it loses a little strength also. The best thing to do is get everything ready. Dop as many stones as needed (heating stones also). Dop. Turn off heater. A lot of people leave the heater on and dop a little, grind a little. Your wax will last a lot longer if you don't. The different colors are different temperatures. Green is the standard for lapidary. Black is a little hotter so used for faceting. Brown is actually colder but stickier so used for faceting heat sensitive stones. Temperatures are green 150, black 170, brown 145. I've heard of red but never seen it.
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Mar 30, 2009 22:13:56 GMT -5
I goofed the other day and left the dop pot on for a couple of days and had to throw that wax out
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