mwv
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2011
Posts: 18
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Post by mwv on Mar 3, 2011 21:44:31 GMT -5
Hi All,
I am having a weird issue with my green dop wax. I have it in an Inland DopStation and it seems to be melted and ready, but it ends up being very stringy. I've never had that issue before when using green dop wax at my local lapidary club. So I don't know if I am just not leaving it heat up for long enough, or maybe I have a bad quality wax? I am still able to use it and it holds well on my materials, it's just more of an inconvenience more than anything else. Any ideas?
MWV
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auntierocks
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Member since July 2009
Posts: 33
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Post by auntierocks on Mar 3, 2011 22:12:24 GMT -5
I have the same problems with my Inland. I think their wax is a bit suspect as I have many adhesion problems with their specific wax supplied with that pot.
I take a fat 7/8" or 1" diameter dop and push the cooler center of the hot wax down to the bottom of the pot. This forces the hotter more liquid stuff up to the top around the edges which I use for dopping. It is still a bit stringy but works up a bit nicer.
I think the wax is not getting hot enough and am stumped as to how I can make it warmer by about 5 degrees. I've taken the wax temperature with a candy thermometer after about an hour's warming at a maximum of 153 degrees.
The pots at the club are much more fluid, though I've not checked their temperatures. Their wax holds better, too.
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 3, 2011 22:36:27 GMT -5
If the wax is stringy, it's not getting hot enough. I suspect that the Inland pots don't reach a high enough temperature. Unless Inland is producing their own dop wax, I doubt that the wax is the problem. Are you pre-heating the stones before attaching the stick ? Except for heat sensitive stones, your stones should be at or near the same temp as the wax. Don
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Post by stonesthatrock on Mar 3, 2011 23:22:43 GMT -5
Ralph uses that all the time, everyday and its just fine. He lets it heat up and preheats the stones. I works great. mary ann
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Mar 4, 2011 8:26:13 GMT -5
Is the room cooling off the dop pot? Enclose the base with some insulation to hold the heat in and direct it up to the pot.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
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Post by stefan on Mar 4, 2011 11:45:22 GMT -5
Generally you want your wax at about 160°. 153 is pretty close and still should be workable (probably the cause of the stringies!) if you can find a way to get a little more heat into the wax (insulating the pot is a great idea!) I think your strings will be gone!
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auntierocks
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Member since July 2009
Posts: 33
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Post by auntierocks on Mar 6, 2011 3:51:17 GMT -5
I have two of these pots, one filled with wax, one filled up with stones. Fished out waaayyy too many stones knocked off the rim into the hot wax.
I think the room is cooling off the wax surface. When full, the center of the surface too far from the heating elements making me think the pot diameter is too large. The consistency is marginally better when the pot is half full. A lid maybe?
Might insulation around the pot cause the entire thing to overheat to the point of starting a fire? Maybe wrap it with aluminum foil? Prolly still a fire hazard.
Who manufactures all this dopping wax, anyways?
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Mar 6, 2011 8:40:39 GMT -5
Well... a fire would get the wax hotter ;D
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Post by tkrueger3 on Mar 7, 2011 0:26:23 GMT -5
I also have the Inland, and use the green wax. What I've discovered is that when the wax in the pot contains too much used wax, from old dop sticks, it starts to get stringy. When I use fresh wax, I don't have the problem.
Tom
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meta99
has rocks in the head
Ohio Flint Ridge flint
Member since October 2010
Posts: 540
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Post by meta99 on Mar 7, 2011 6:45:48 GMT -5
I'm new to the hobby and new to the dop station, but I've found that if I put in too much wax (new/old....doesn't matter) it seems to overload it. I think the (meager) directions say to use only 1/2 a stick of wax...I do find that the dopping at the end of the pot (when there is less wax) seems very wet, less stringy, and holds tight. Just my experience....
Sue
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Post by phil on Mar 7, 2011 13:50:24 GMT -5
Yep. Too much wax.
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mwv
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2011
Posts: 18
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Post by mwv on Mar 7, 2011 14:45:52 GMT -5
Thanks everybody!! I think I put a whole stick in, so that could be part of the problem and I do have my workshop in the basement of our house so cooling could be an issue too. I always heat the stones on the rim (haven't had any fall in yet, but now you got me thinking about adding a second unit I admit).
I will try these suggestions and hopefully that will help! Thank you again to everyone!!
MWV
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Post by phil on Mar 7, 2011 16:44:04 GMT -5
Cool! Just lift out a bunch of wax on a large dop and set it aside for the next time!
For heating my stones prior to dopping, I use an old iron I got at the thrift store for a couple bucks and hammered together a few pieces of waste wood so it would lay flat upside down. Adjustable temperature, lots of room to heat lots of cabs, dirt cheap, and easy to cover the "shoe" with alum foil to keep it clean in case I get sloppy with the wax or something those few times I set an already dopped stone on there to warm up for re-centering or whatever.
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oldgrouchy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2006
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Post by oldgrouchy on Mar 8, 2011 11:17:48 GMT -5
Just my $0.02 worth, but I find it cheaper and better to build a dop station than use the manufactured ones! I take a 100 watt incandescent bulb and put a dimmer switch in the circuit to control the heat applied. A large soup can over the bulb holds a 1/4 cup measuring cup with the handle removed for the pot. The surface of the can outside what the pot takes up is for heating stones to be dopped. I plug it into a gfci circuit and it is GREAT. Being able to control the heat for different waxes is a BIG plus to me. I do not often use the green wax, preferring the brown or black faceting grade instead. I sam not saying this is the only way to go, just the best for me. I do have a Raytech dopping pot that is gathering dust.
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Mar 13, 2011 16:17:55 GMT -5
I saw a thread somewhere where someone said they had to take apart their dop pot & tweak some electric part to make it work properly. Perhaps the quality control of the Inland dop pot isn't good.
Like others, I took a gift tin from a thrift store & mounted a 100 watt bulb in it for heating my stones. I bought an old iron & inverted it to use for melting wax. It has a variable heat control, so I can get exactly the right temp. after all of this, I still have stones pop off the stick, so I've switched to thick super glue. I'll be real happy when I finally design & make a vacuum dop system. Lynn
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juzwuz
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2010
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Post by juzwuz on Mar 13, 2011 21:48:04 GMT -5
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bob64
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Member since January 2010
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Post by bob64 on Apr 8, 2011 8:12:35 GMT -5
I love auntierocks suggestion of having two dop stations. I knocked two hot rocks off the rim and into the wax last week. A second pot to warm stones sounds like a plan. As for the stringy wax, like several others have said, I have found that limiting the amount of wax to a third of a stick at a time gives me good consistency all of the time.
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Post by rockmanken on Apr 8, 2011 11:57:14 GMT -5
guess I need to bring this up about every 2 months for the newbies. MAKE YOUR OWN FOR PENNIES(don't that sound like the commercials?) ;D ;D Here is a picture of one I built and it has served for several DECADES. It has a switch on the back of the socket and I use a 100w(can't get one anymore because of the stupid gov't. people) bulb. I used flue tin and bent it and made a removable top to change the bulb. Left the back open to relieve excess heat. When I get thru dopping 5-8 stones(placed around an indention in the top for wax) I turn it off and don't let it overheat. Ken
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Post by phil on Apr 8, 2011 12:37:32 GMT -5
I can still get 100 watt bulbs at the local dollar store. You might check there... If not, how many you want
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Post by phil on Apr 8, 2011 12:41:27 GMT -5
I bought an old iron at the local thrift store, hammered together some wood scraps to hold it upside down, and then I set my stones on there to heat up and a cleaned tuna can for the wax. heats up in about 5 minutes, variable temp control (I use the steam setting) and I learned to cover the iron with aluminum foil so that when I get messy, it's easy to replace the foil to keep my cabs and etc clean. Been using it for years. Cept it's packed away right now till I can set up shop again. Hope that helps! Phil
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