Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 29, 2010 17:18:03 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Been having problems keeping stones on the sticks in this cold weather lately so I was going through my box of dopping junk. Happened to stumble upon my old stick and heads for my old Tagit Industries cab crowner. I used to do all my dopping on this rig but finally quit as I was unable to find a tape that would hold the stones to the cabbing head. Having found the stick and a dozen spare heads, I went to Wal Mart to investigate what new tapes might be in the market and found the New Scotch Permanent outdoor mounting tape. The company claim is this tape is weatherproof and will pretty much stick anything to anything. Well, son of a gun, they're not telling a whopper! Took a 30 X 40 dop head, applied the double sided tape, peeled off the other side and stuck it to a large cleaned preform that had popped off with the wax. This was a big stone almost 2" by one inch. Tape worked like a dream and the stone was stuck so hard I couldn't pull it off by hand after crowning and I'm fairly strong. Had to pry it gently with a sharp knife and it peeled right off and peeled off the dop head easy too. Tape is only like $3.75 for five feet too. So now, I'm dopping all the stones this way, at least in cold weather. Problemo solved *L* Here's a pic of the tape and the dop stick from Tagit.....Mel
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mc2
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2009
Posts: 1,147
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Post by mc2 on Dec 29, 2010 17:56:16 GMT -5
Cool! Don't ya just love it when you find a good solution to a challenge?! I think you have a winner there!
Mike
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Dec 29, 2010 18:17:05 GMT -5
Just to make sure I understand...in this way, you can dop a preform without using ANY wax at all?
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 29, 2010 18:47:48 GMT -5
Yep, it takes about 30 seconds and a piece of tape. And, man does it stick hard! That's some sticky tape.....Mel
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Post by tandl on Dec 29, 2010 19:03:49 GMT -5
Wow , this is a great thing you have discovered , and just in time for me to start cabbing ;D
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Post by mohs on Dec 29, 2010 23:14:20 GMT -5
Wow Mel ! so that tagit gizmo are those heads hard rubber ? Thanks! Ed
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Dec 29, 2010 23:45:59 GMT -5
That's a cool idea Mel.... But super glue is cheaper! ;D
Nate
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bouldergal
freely admits to licking rocks
Glacier Meadow
Member since July 2007
Posts: 783
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Post by bouldergal on Dec 29, 2010 23:57:14 GMT -5
I like it! Evan here in Florida the combination of colder weather (yep, down below freezing) and cold water has my cabs popping off the sticks. I did an internet search for Tagit Industries and came up with zilch. Are they still in business?
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 30, 2010 0:10:53 GMT -5
Bouldergal: Yep, their stuff is sold by Gy-Roc lapidary supplies. I know you can buy extra heads in packets but I don't know if you can get the stick without the crowning apparatus which costs about $40.
Ed, the heads are plastic but they last a long time ( I used mine years before I put them away, with no breakage). Also you can purchase the heads separately in packets of six.
Nate I know, but with glue I always wind up sticking something or another to some part of my body I don't want stuff stuck too or getting the crap all over my shop and making a mess. And then there's the removal of the glue from the back of the stone. The tape just peels right off......Mel
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Post by mohs on Dec 30, 2010 0:16:09 GMT -5
Mel: do you think the tape would hold to a polish surface? thanks agrin Ed
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Post by Woodyrock on Dec 30, 2010 1:30:58 GMT -5
Mel: Just for laughs and giggles, get a hold of 3 ms double sided tape catalogue........in three volumes each the size of a phone book. You can find tape made to stick any thing to something else. Woody
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bouldergal
freely admits to licking rocks
Glacier Meadow
Member since July 2007
Posts: 783
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Post by bouldergal on Dec 30, 2010 10:16:50 GMT -5
Thanks Mel, Pricey, but considering the amount of time spent shaping and polishing a cab to have it go flying off the stick and breaking on a concrete floor.... ....sounds like a good investment. Thanks for the source! Susan
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Dec 30, 2010 13:04:50 GMT -5
I'm just ribbing you Mel. I don't have too many problems with the glue, but I hate waiting for it to set up. The tape is actually a fantastic idea, but I don't think it would hold well enough against the tip of a 3/8" diameter dowel.
And, Woody isn't kidding. I work at a paper finishing plant (can't call it a paper mill - we don't actually make paper, just coating/comverting it). We coat DuPont Tyvec (used for house wrap amongst other things) for products, and anyone farmiliar with it knows it's extremely slippery. The 3m tape they use to splice the tyvec on the machines will remove your skin!
Nate
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Post by rocklicker on Dec 30, 2010 13:40:11 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip Mel. I know the cold weather dop problem well. Do you think it will work on smaller or irregularly shaped stones? I don't have those cool dop heads but am of making some custom ones or using a plastic rod. Steve
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 30, 2010 14:14:32 GMT -5
Bouldergal: Yep initial investment is pretty expensive but so is dop wax which can't be reused too many times. I like the speed and ease more than anything else as wax dopping is time consuming and a giant pain.
Ed, it would probably hold better to a polished surface. This stuff holds hard!
Nate: I expect you are right as surface to surface contact area would be important and a dowell is not only porous but not much surface area either.
Steve: Yep, I've been thinking it would be fairly easy to make some plastic dops and I know several companies have made aluminum ones in the past. Don't know how efficient this would be for smaller stones due to smaller surface contact area but this is the hardest holding tape I've ever tried and I do have some small plastic dop heads so I will be trying some small stones too. I cut mainly larges stones for my collection though so for that, this system works very well...Mel
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Post by mohs on Dec 30, 2010 15:13:21 GMT -5
Thanks Mel ! Because I double dome those hearts & they are epoxied together dopping presents a problem. So this will be another option if I decide to do do-wop o & to respond to Nate do you use an accelerator with that super glue? Happy New Years !! Ed
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Dec 30, 2010 23:30:58 GMT -5
I have used baking soda to speed up the glue drying, but otherwise I dop them then go set up my equipment. I have been warming the stones recently, and that seems to expedite the glue setting up too.
Nate
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Post by mohs on Dec 31, 2010 0:44:14 GMT -5
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Post by Bejewelme on Dec 31, 2010 9:14:24 GMT -5
Bobby has some toy train accessories that are plastic I might try that, since I am dopped challenged and the last time I cabbed Tony said I was terrible this might be the answer! He is working like crazy on our shop, now he has the Genie ripped apart and is mounting it to a new board since the one I got at the sale was warped, so I am going to get this, another trip to Wally World, I swear I live there!
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Post by parfive on Jul 8, 2013 19:23:22 GMT -5
Some *fellow* on RTH got a shout-out in the new Rock & Gem [July 2013] – Shop Talk, page 18.
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