timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Feb 28, 2013 16:22:12 GMT -5
Here's a picture of some cabs I've finished. Also a question on dop wax. Messy stuff. Anything good for cleaning it off stones? I *love* labradorite. Wow. wow. wow.
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Post by orrum on Feb 28, 2013 18:02:24 GMT -5
What is the one with the streak going down thru it? They r all grest!
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timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Feb 28, 2013 18:33:20 GMT -5
Thanks! The one with a streak is petrified wood, the green is epidosite and the white is agate
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timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Feb 28, 2013 18:40:10 GMT -5
here's the wood:
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catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
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Post by catskillrocks on Feb 28, 2013 18:41:08 GMT -5
I don't know about the dop was question, but I do know that those cabs rock!
Don
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Post by Tony W on Feb 28, 2013 18:52:11 GMT -5
Yeah, thats what I said looking at your set....I love the lab NIce. Use super glue gel, avoids the wax, and you can chip the glue off with a utility knife Or soak it in acetone. T
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on Feb 28, 2013 19:04:39 GMT -5
Yeah, thats what I said looking at your set....I love the lab NIce. Use super glue gel, avoids the wax, and you can chip the glue off with a utility knife Or soak it in acetone. T I do the same thing. Never tried the wax, it just seems like too much of a pain in the butt to me. Call me lazy, but I want to work on the cab, not attaching it to the dop stick! One thing I did learn, do NOT use the Loctite GO2 glue. Thought it was a good idea at the time, but it doesn't hold as well as a CA gel, and it doesn't come off with acetone! Its a silicone based glue, so it turns into a rubbery mess in acetone.
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timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Feb 28, 2013 20:13:13 GMT -5
So when you use super glue gel, are you using a wood dowel? I've seen some metal dop sticks out there. Does one work better?
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Rock Guy 275
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2011
Posts: 66
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Post by Rock Guy 275 on Feb 28, 2013 20:49:26 GMT -5
Try soaking your cabs in 99% rubbing alcohol, it will disolve the wax off in about 20 minutes, very clean, very easy if you can stand the smell.
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petronek
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2012
Posts: 11
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Post by petronek on Feb 28, 2013 22:23:42 GMT -5
put cab in the freezer for a few min then the cab will fall right off the dop stick
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Post by talkingstones on Feb 28, 2013 22:32:50 GMT -5
Stick them in the freezer for 10 minutes, pop the stick off...a lot of the wax will come with it. Take a pen knife... I prefer my Case knife, and scrape off the back. Take it to the machines and grind off the residue and finish the back.
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Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Feb 28, 2013 22:33:38 GMT -5
I use a flat head screw in a dowel then hot stuff glue. When done use a torch to heat the screw or nail (if you prefer) and the cab drops off. Then use a knife to take it off. Works real good.
Tom
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Mar 1, 2013 11:03:38 GMT -5
I use dop wax with the freezer method, and a non-serrated butter knife to push off the residue (hardly ever any residue to speak of if I dop it correctly).
But to answer your question, Denatured Alcohol dissolves dop wax.
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 1, 2013 11:28:55 GMT -5
If you place them in the freezer and the wax (or glue) doesn't come off the cabs, then please try soaking them in acetone or fingernail polish (100% acetone) for a few minutes.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 1, 2013 14:17:42 GMT -5
I use dop wax all the time with no trouble. It took getting used to, but I got the hang of it. After the freezer, I use a q-tip with pure acetone to remove the remaining wax and residue. Works easily and very well.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Mar 1, 2013 14:34:50 GMT -5
Nice cabs! My advice is the same as others. I freeze them for about 15 minutes then if there is any remaining wax I just scrape it with a pocket knife while still cold and it comes right off. I have never had to use acetone or alcohol and all your dop wax goes right back in the pot. I have not tried other dop methods but I have been cabbing for about a year and have never had the wax fail yet so I have had no reason to switch.
getting the wax off the stick to re-use it is a whole different process. I actually break off what I can by hand then lay the sticks on a board and with the wax still frozen a tap around with my rock hammer and it busts it away from the stick without damaging the sticks and all that goes in the pot too.
Chuck
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Post by Tony W on Mar 1, 2013 21:27:53 GMT -5
I use roofing nails as the head is big enough to get a good glue hold. For the small ones I use Mel's 3m tape idea on carpentry nails of whatever size I need. Tony
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Jasper-hound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 208
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Post by Jasper-hound on Mar 1, 2013 23:15:54 GMT -5
I do what has been suggested above. Use super glue on a screw head put into the end of a dowel handle. You will need to make a pilot hole in the dowel for the screw. When done cabbing, soak for 45 minutes in a small jelly jar with acetone in it. The acetone won't hurt the rocks. It is not good to breath the fumes from heated cyanoacrylate, which is why I oppose using heat. This system has me off dopping wax for life. My chief complaint with wax is that it wears out and also does not function well if the water is too cold. I love super glue. It is especially great for cutting opal.
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Post by frane on Mar 2, 2013 7:47:50 GMT -5
First off, love your cabs! With dop wax, I have found for me to freeze them for 10 minutes seems to work perfect. Much longer, you deep freeze the cab onto the nail, dop or stick and they won't budge for a while so you kind of defeat yourself. Usually, if cabs have not fallen off, a slight tug will remove them when you pull them out of the freezer. I have used glue and freezer seems to work with that also but seems a little harder to remove the cab from the dop. I just got the 3M double sided outdoor tape and cut tiny squares of it to put on nail heads for my earring size cabs. Have only done a couple and so far, it works great! they were not staying with the wax so I sure hope it works through the whole process.
Fran
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timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Mar 2, 2013 11:19:12 GMT -5
thanks for the tips! I think part of my problem is I'm maybe using too much wax, when I freeze it, it pops off with a bunch still stuck to the stone. I've been heating it and melting it off but it's a messy thing for sure. Going to try the alcohol thing first, then acetone.
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