ladysavvy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2015
Posts: 28
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Post by ladysavvy on Aug 17, 2016 12:05:01 GMT -5
I have been lurking on these boards for a while and have seen lots of good advice so I thought now is a good time to post and get much needed answers. I bought a Hitech Slant Cabber last year and have been teaching myself to cab. I am loving it and getting better as I go so I decided it was time to step it up a notch and look at either the 6" CabKing or the Diamond Pacific Genie. I am leaning towards the Cabking and was hoping to find a good used one that I could refurb (That's half the fun) but no luck there, Either they are no existent in my area (South Carolina) or they are priced so high for used ones that it makes more sense to just buy a new one. I am hesitant to pull the trigger and buy it as the price is high but ultimately I will bite the bullet and do it. I also plan on selling my Slant Cabber to help defray the costs so I am not sweating it too bad. The big question is which is better, the Cabking or the Diamond Pacific? I know it all opinions but I would like to hear what everyone has to say. Also if anyone knows of a decent used one, even if its just the motor and frame as I can buy any needed wheels, then I am willing to look at buying that and refurbing it. Also, I like the slant cabber as it doesn't spray alot of water around so I don't come away from it soaking wet. Is that the case with the Genie or Cabking or are they much splashier? Thanks for any advice. I am hooked on the hobby and this year for Christmas, Santa is buying me a Cab machine for sure, the question is just which one
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Aug 18, 2016 10:26:30 GMT -5
I've never used a cab king or a genie, so no opinion there. BUT, I have a flat lap and a 6 wheel grinder (both homemade). I have a gravity feed water system on both machines and the grinder is much drier than the flat lap. Depending on how much water I have dripping on the wheels, I may just have damp hands from it.
If I may add, building a machine is fairly straightforward. If you or a friend/SO is mechanically inclined whatsoever, I suggest building tour own machine and save a ton of $.
Good luck!
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 18, 2016 11:10:48 GMT -5
I have a genie (whom I call Gene). It doesn't make too much of a mess. Nothing a towel over my shoulder can't help. It's mostly just the hard wheels that give off some spray. I have never used a cab king, but I am terribly pleased with Gene. I have a flat lap, too. Not the slant, but flat- can't remember the name right now- a name brand. It is messier. Being on the east coast myself, I find it difficult to find local lapidary deals.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,622
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 18, 2016 14:54:15 GMT -5
I live in North Carolina and have bought and sold many old collections and have yet to run across a used CabKing machine. I don't think that they have been out on the market enough years that there's many used ones coming up for sale. I have had four or five Genies which usually brought in the $700-$800 range after being cleaned up and repaired. The most common issues with used Genies are the air pump gaskets for the water spritzers being dried out and the pump having to be disassembled, cleaned and the gaskets re-oiled or replaced. And the worst is the aluminum arbor sleeve on the right side shaft being oxidized to the point that it is froze onto the steel arbor shaft. These can be a real pain to get off. Two of the units I had, the aluminum sleeve was so badly oxidized to the steal arbor shaft that I had to cut the aluminum sleeve off and replace it with a new one. So those are two things you want to check on when buying a used Genie. Also if it is an older machine that has been sitting idle for a long time check and make sure that the rubber on the Nova wheels hasn't dried out to the point that they have lost their sponginess. If they have then expect to be replacing those wheels before long. And if the machine won't power on it is usually a bad toggle switch or starting capacitor. Both of which are simple to replace. And in addition to Nate's suggestion of building a machine there is also the option of buying an older traditional cabbing arbor and upgrading it with modern wheels which is what I did with an old 8" Highland Park machine. Here is a link to a previous discussion about that. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/post/797913/threadNote that this prices mentioned in upgrading the new wheels in that previous post was for using 8" wheels. This same machine could have been outfitted with new 6" wheels with the savings of several hundred more dollars and still come out much cheaper than a new Genie and for about the price of what a used Genie with used wheels sells for now. Hope this helps. Larry C.
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ladysavvy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2015
Posts: 28
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Post by ladysavvy on Aug 18, 2016 15:16:38 GMT -5
I've never used a cab king or a genie, so no opinion there. BUT, I have a flat lap and a 6 wheel grinder (both homemade). I have a gravity feed water system on both machines and the grinder is much drier than the flat lap. Depending on how much water I have dripping on the wheels, I may just have damp hands from it. If I may add, building a machine is fairly straightforward. If you or a friend/SO is mechanically inclined whatsoever, I suggest building tour own machine and save a ton of $. Good luck! I am pretty handy as I build computers and such so building my own is not an issue. I looked into it in the past but would be starting from scratch and didn't think the savings would be that good. I may need to revisit the idea. I'm glad to hear from several of you that splashing is not a big issue as I was afraid i was going to really mess up my craft area with alot of dirty water. It's off the main house but I like to keep it semi clean and it sounds like a Cabking is no worse than my flat lap
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Post by roy on Aug 19, 2016 10:34:26 GMT -5
i have both flat lap and genie and titan have converted all to fresh water systems you will get some spray no matter what but its not that messy as for the cab king i know of a few people that use those and love them a new 6' cab king sells at 1399.00 so its a savings over the genie however the genie has better quality wheels on it so if compairing apples to apples the genie is better in that department
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 19, 2016 12:07:01 GMT -5
I got a used genie recently and the price was right so that's what I'm using. If I was buying new I would get a Lortone stainless steel 6 wheel belt driven arbor or the Sphereproducts aluminum arbor for a lot less money and less expense to own. Building from scratch can cost less if you're a savvy shopper for the building materials, but the labor time to build it is a huge loss. If you want to make things from rock, building machines just takes all the time you could have spent cabbing with your plug and play unit.
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Post by Starguy on Aug 19, 2016 21:38:59 GMT -5
ladysavvyI have been cabbing for 30+ years and have always made do with used equipment. So far all of my equipment has been 6". Beside cabs, I do a lot of pre-forming for the tumbler. That being said, I would kill for a cabKing 8v1. Decent price. The only downside is they take a lot of room. Clean water coolant feed is a big benefit of the cabkings. If you have room for an 8" unit you will be amazed how much faster you can shape cabs. They truly are professional equipment, (thus the price difference). If you go with 6", get an 80 grit coarse wheel. They do stock removal considerably faster than a 100 grit wheel. You need to spend a little more time on the 220 grit wheel but it's worth it. Hope this helps, Later Brent.
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 21, 2016 19:06:16 GMT -5
The biggest expense in a cabber is the wheels. I have a Genie and an old stardiamond that I added 5 8" wheels. I have no problem with recirculating water as long as it is changed when you move from grind to 600 and to polishing wheels. I prefer the 8" wheels.
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ladysavvy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2015
Posts: 28
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Post by ladysavvy on Aug 31, 2016 11:25:26 GMT -5
After researching the issue I have decided to go with the Cabking. I debated building one but as I am starting from scratch, I felt the savings wouldn't warrant the time involved to build one.I have been eyeballing a few used Genies on eBay and they seem fine but I was still leaning towards the Cabking. I wrote both Cabking and Diamond Pacific Customer Service and asked them to convince me as to why I should buy their product. Cabking responded the next day with a long list of very valid points (Improved water system, Cost is lower, etc). Diamond Pacific just responded a few minutes ago and it was a very short, nondescript response so I feel that Cabking has the better Customer Service at this point. I haven't found a used Cabking anywhere so I am looking at biting the bullet soon and just buying one so my question is, who is a reputable dealer to buy from? There seem to be quite a few out there and I am sure most are fine but who would you guys recommend? I am currently selling my Slant Cabber on eBay with extra disks to help defray the cost and I may buy the Cabking before I sell the Slant Cabber but part of me is thinking of holding out until the sale of the Slant Cabber as the Cabking is such a big expense.I also am not sure if I should purchase the 6" Cabking or really go all in and get the 8". I really like cabbing and plan on doing it long term but is the 8" that much better? I sell some cabs on Etsy and eBay but its still a hobby and nothing I plan on making a living at.Any advice is appreciated
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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 Aug 31, 2016 12:28:30 GMT -5
I would put in my 2 cents for the EZ Cabber referenced in the link in QuailRiver's post above. It's cheaper than an 8" CabKing, but has so much more going for it. Stainless Steel, 2" wide soft wheels (everyone else has 1.5"), 2-speed motor, Fresh water drip system. Check it out: www.simpleelegancerockshop.com/machine.htmLynn
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Erich
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2015
Posts: 411
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Post by Erich on Aug 31, 2016 13:17:24 GMT -5
I went with the 8" CabKing and so far I really like it. I just recently started to experiment with it and compared to the 2 old HP E10 combo units I used(They're for sale,btw.)it's a dream and very tidy as far as water supply to wheels and splashing.
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 31, 2016 20:17:14 GMT -5
I like 6 inch better because I like to make cabs with inside curves on the perimeter and when you try that with 8 inch wheels it looks like you just screwed up a straight line.
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ladysavvy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2015
Posts: 28
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Post by ladysavvy on Aug 31, 2016 21:49:39 GMT -5
I like 6 inch better because I like to make cabs with inside curves on the perimeter and when you try that with 8 inch wheels it looks like you just screwed up a straight line. That's good info as I was debating between the 6" or 8" but plan on doing alot of curves, freeform, etc. I would like to do hearts as well and am not sure if 6" or 8" is better for that or if it matters. Have you tried hearts on yours? The one thing I am wondering with the 6" is because of spacing between wheels versus the 8", is it easier to accidentally bump the next wheel and mess up the smoothing\polishing process or sand my fingers\knuckles? I occasionally got too close to the 100 grit disc on my Slant cabber and sanded my fingers. Not the end of the world but uncomfortable for a few days until it heals
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 31, 2016 22:54:31 GMT -5
Don't know about the Cabking, but the genie has adapter shafts that can be changed in a couple minutes. I run 4 wheels instead of 6 and I have 3 right side adaptors that I swap out to have additional grits. With 2 wheels on each side there's lots of room.
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ladysavvy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2015
Posts: 28
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Post by ladysavvy on Sept 5, 2016 16:51:57 GMT -5
Decided to bite the bullet and buy a 6" Cabking. It should be here by he end of the week or beginning of next. I am very excited but wondering how much of a learning curve I will have as I have only ever used a Slant Cabber. Has anyone here transitioned from a Flat Lap to a CabKing or Genie and if so, Any tips? I plan to try it out with a few expendable stones first but any tips\advice are appreciated. Thanks
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Post by manofglass on Sept 5, 2016 18:12:24 GMT -5
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ladysavvy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2015
Posts: 28
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Post by ladysavvy on Sept 5, 2016 18:32:34 GMT -5
Awesome, thanks. I will check it out before I dive in
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Post by rockjunquie on Sept 5, 2016 18:55:16 GMT -5
That's a great video by a great cabber, but it doesn't show the shaping and doming of the cab. When I first started that was the mystery. I have never really found any good videos, though. If it wasn't for seeing it in person with Randy, I don't know how I would have managed. Does anyone know any other videos with shaping included? Or, does anyone care to make a quick one? ladysavvy One thing I can tell you, which is VERY important for the life of your wheels, is to work towards the bottom of the wheels and always make sure that the wheel is not coming down against an edge. You want the wheel to roll down the face of the stone. The stone and wheel should never be perpendicular, because then you may be using the edge of the stone to wear off the diamonds on your wheel. It can also rip the stone down and out of your hands. I hope I explained it right.... I don't want to scare you or anything. After a few runs at the wheel you will likely start to get a feel for it. Also, the soft wheels are meant to use some pressure on them. Each wheel should totally remove the scratches from the previous wheel before. You will be getting new wheels. They need to be broken in. Do many, like 5, agates before you try any softer stones. This will create an even wear and prevent undercutting. Wheels are expensive. Use a water conditioner if your cabber came with any. Make sure you rotate your wheels when you start to get a lot of wear- but that's down the line- you can ask about that later. Hope that helps....
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Post by johnjsgems on Sept 5, 2016 19:03:48 GMT -5
My friend Jim Barzee makes a very good tutorial video on cabbing. I don't know cost anymore but well done. Available through "Marzee Tutorials" and advertised in Rock & Gem magazine (www.marzeetutorials.com). On the video he goes step by step and then actually cuts a cab in real time. You feel like you are in his shop looking over his shoulder.
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