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Post by broseph82 on Dec 4, 2014 16:07:28 GMT -5
Here's a scenario: say I slab a couple pieces and don't want it shaped in any way. Can I toss the pieces into a vibe with a polish and it polish it up nicely or will I have to do the 120/200+/pre polish? The pieces I'm concerned about will already have a specific shaped that I won't want altered (or rounded because they will already be a rounded shape). Will the lower grits help take off trim/slab saw marks? After I round these out a little bit closer to the line, could I toss them in a vibe to get a nice polish? Please let me know any and all of your thoughts on this. I don't have anything above a 600 SiC so I'm thinking an alternative route for polishing that'll give it a better polish than what I'm currently giving on my expandos.
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Post by broseph82 on Dec 4, 2014 16:26:26 GMT -5
I may not be conveying what I'm thinking properly. I may have a lip on these pieces that I don't want smoothed down/rounded more that what I have.
If I take my piece to the 120, 220, 320 on cabbing unit what grit do I start with on vibe?
If there are some minor scratches from the 220-320 that I didn't get out will the vibe take care of it with a lower grit?
And... Sorry it seems like so much, but if I just wanted to vibe tumble these two pieces what would I put as a filler if anything?
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Post by captbob on Dec 4, 2014 16:30:36 GMT -5
Others will have to comment on going straight to polish. My comment would be hoping the stone isn't porous. If that ink soaked in a bit, you will have to remove more than just the surface to remove those marks.
Edited to add: You posted post 2 while I was replying so I didn't see that you were going to work the stone(s) in a cabbing machine for the initial grit steps.
Gonna let the vibe masters handle this one!
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Post by broseph82 on Dec 4, 2014 16:39:51 GMT -5
Others will have to comment on going straight to polish. My comment would be hoping the stone isn't porous. If that ink soaked in a bit, you will have to remove more than just the surface to remove those marks. Edited to add: You posted post 2 while I was replying so I didn't see that you were going to work the stone(s) in a cabbing machine for the initial grit steps. Gonna let the vibe masters handle this one! I'll grind my template marks off.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Dec 4, 2014 17:10:50 GMT -5
Many members that produce beautiful cabochons on disks or wheels finish the final grind and polish in a vibe. Typically, the cabochon is finished on a 600 disk or wheel. The vibe process would then start with a 500 or 600 grit and follow through with a 1000 pre-polish, then final polish. When you do this, you want the vibe essentially full of ceramic media with a dozen, or two cabs in the mix. The idea is that cabs should not contact cabs to reduce the possibility of chips or fractures on your finished pieces. Of course, there will be many variations on this that you will likely hear about.
If you use 120/220 in your vide, and don't cushion with ceramic media, you will get some rounding of the side edge, which may or may not be what you are after.
Circular disks, no dome, no bevel on the side. I bet you are working on some ear plugs. OUCH!
Good luck. Hope this helps.
Darryl.
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Post by broseph82 on Dec 5, 2014 0:14:17 GMT -5
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Dec 5, 2014 7:38:10 GMT -5
If its a nice hard agate or jasper the edges will not round off too bad but I am picky when I wire wrap and like a nice sharp girdle line so after vibe tumbling my cabs I go back to the genie and clean up the girdle starting at the 120 wheel and finishing at 8000. I just posted these a couple days ago. There are a few preforms in this batch with zero dome and those will show you how much rounding to expect on the edges. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/68676/shiny-after-500-gritchuck
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azgnoinc
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 484
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Post by azgnoinc on Dec 5, 2014 10:55:28 GMT -5
I would say it's best to start answering your question by asking a question - what exactly is the material in question? I think that may have a good bit to do with what stage you would want to start them at in the vibe, if it's softer material you'd want to start higher to minimize the rounding, if it's harder (jasper/agate) then what follow what Chuck said- he knows how to make'em SHINY!!
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Dec 5, 2014 11:08:59 GMT -5
Hard to tell from that picture but almost looks like blue lace agate? I always start with my 120/220 but I let the load run a while before tossing in the cabs to let the grit break down some first. When I toss them in depends on what the material is. some cabs go in after 12 hours and some wait a full 24 hours. I consider 500 a pre-polish and I do not count on the 500 to remove any cabbing scratches. Lots of trial and error to come up with what works best. My example might not work the same for others just because they use more/less grit, more/less water, different brand of vibe etc....
Chuck
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Post by broseph82 on Dec 6, 2014 11:37:52 GMT -5
Hard to tell from that picture but almost looks like blue lace agate? I always start with my 120/220 but I let the load run a while before tossing in the cabs to let the grit break down some first. When I toss them in depends on what the material is. some cabs go in after 12 hours and some wait a full 24 hours. I consider 500 a pre-polish and I do not count on the 500 to remove any cabbing scratches. Lots of trial and error to come up with what works best. My example might not work the same for others just because they use more/less grit, more/less water, different brand of vibe etc.... Chuck Thanks Chuck. From what I see on here you know what you're talking about unless there's another chuck. And you're correct that is blue lace in the pic. I don't have a vibe just yet, but I plan on getting ahead in my head and on paper before I even start. I'm pretty sure I'll get frustrated a time or two before I get down the process.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Dec 7, 2014 0:35:00 GMT -5
I'll try the question no one else tackled. As to removing saw marks in the vibe, depends on how deep they are, material type, etc. For the most part, I have almost always had my hopes dashed when I made this assumption., especially on flats, as you mentioned. I have a whole container of slabbettes that I slabbed by hand, w/ saw marks. Otherwise they're ready for finishing. I have a like butter cutting auto 12" Lortone now, so saw marks are pretty much a thing of the past for me.
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