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Post by stoner on Nov 22, 2017 12:58:37 GMT -5
Hey Lynn, yea, things are finally starting to settle down from the move. What a long strange trip it's been! Oregon has been great to us, the people, places and general atmosphere is gorgeous. We've had some beautiful sunsets over the pacific, and this is looking out our kitchen!. Have a nice Thanksgiving, I'm heading for Los Gatos in a few minutes.
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Post by stoner on Nov 22, 2017 1:09:09 GMT -5
one of the new box opened.
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Post by stoner on Nov 22, 2017 1:06:02 GMT -5
My old saw box was looking kind of ragged, so I removed the carriage and vice, rebuilt the arbor and built a new box. I had a sheet metal liner made so it won't leak. Almost finished, bought a new motor and a new MK303 blade. Let you know when it's up and running.
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Post by stoner on Feb 10, 2017 12:16:57 GMT -5
I have a friend that does some gorgeous intarsia and he has an Ameritool variable speed flat lap. He made a few jigs for making true 45 and 90 degree cuts and he says that's the only way to go.
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Post by stoner on Feb 10, 2017 12:13:05 GMT -5
I use an old Barranca Diamond 8" unit and 5 wheels on it. In the center section I have 60 and 180 sintered hard wheels and a 140 Nova, and on the right 280 and left side has a 600. The 140 has saved a lot of wear and tear on the 280 which I used to go thru fast. On some stones, I can get by with going from 140 to 600, so I don't see any problem with you going from 220 to 600. The difference between 220 and 280 isn't that much, but it will last a little longer than the 280.
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Post by stoner on Feb 2, 2017 1:16:25 GMT -5
About 9 years ago I was wondering how to back light a WWR red plume agate cab without making it look gaudy. Being a "collector of stuff" my garage is always a treasure trove for the inventive type person. Anyway, I used to work on photocopy machines and I had a few "surface" mirrors laying around and the light went on in my head. It was the perfect thing! I cut a small slab of plume and a piece of the surface mirror and glued the silver side of the mirror to the back of the slab and cabbed it like any other cab. Copier mirrors are 1/4" thick so I just ground off the glass so the mirror was about 1/8" and viola! The glass will always be there so the silver won't wear off or be eaten away by skin oils. When you look at the cab from the front, light goes in and is bounced back by the mirror. And it has a neat effect on banded agates too. Here's some samples. Plumes Brazilian Agate Tube Agate Laker
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Post by stoner on Oct 2, 2016 23:29:45 GMT -5
I've been keeping busy cutting cabs, just been AWOL from here. So…. Chrysocolla/Malachite Royal Sahara Jasper Woodward Ranch Woodward Ranch Morrisonite Morrisonite Boulder Opal Priday Plume Agate Calico Lace There's more, but I'll stop here. To be continued!
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Post by stoner on Oct 2, 2016 22:37:58 GMT -5
Gemfeller, Sent PM.
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Post by stoner on Sept 30, 2016 11:33:39 GMT -5
Thanks, these are so much fun to make. Hey OLCowboy, I plan to go to Quartzite this year, I really missed everyone last year.
Barclay, Ray sells his material in small slabs the cut's out the boules. Most are cab size, he did send me a slab from his boule of dark blue. If you have a Facebook account, look up his page and send him a message.
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Post by stoner on Sept 30, 2016 0:43:51 GMT -5
The money I make selling cabs has made it possible for me to buy rocks without thinking about it, it's paid for all my equipment and replacement wheels, I've gone on several short vacations that were paid for by my cab sales and I've maintained a 4 digit paypal account for a couple of years. And I still feel like it's a hobby, not a job.
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Post by stoner on Sept 30, 2016 0:34:53 GMT -5
Gemfeller, I might be able to get some Sunday. I saw some nice samples that will be in our club's sale.
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Post by stoner on Sept 30, 2016 0:30:47 GMT -5
Hey Tommy. I think our club is going to have a poly arbor for sale at our next sale(after the one this Sunday). Coming down for Sunday's sale?
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Post by stoner on Sept 30, 2016 0:19:52 GMT -5
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Post by stoner on Dec 26, 2015 2:19:59 GMT -5
I have been using diamond paste almost as long as I've been making cabs. After I sand with 280, 600, & 1200 Nova wheels, I start polishing with 3k, & 14k Nova wheels then move to an arbor that has an 8"x3" leather belt where I have three different grits of diamond paste, 14k, 50k, and 100k. I use the left side of the belt for the 14k, the center for the 50k and the right side of the belt for 100k. I don't have a problem with cross contamination using three grits on one belt. I haven't met a stone yet that I couldn't polish using this method. The diamond paste lasts a long time, and when it does seem like it's not doing the trick, a little spray with Silicone and it's like new again.
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Post by stoner on Dec 24, 2015 2:16:58 GMT -5
Hey Brian, just getting around to last year's score? We got that plume a little ways from Tony, and the guy said it was a new vein of Cathedral agate, same look, different colors. Merry Christmas to you and Crista
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Post by stoner on Dec 24, 2015 2:06:18 GMT -5
yep, it's Guadelupe poppy jasper. The difference between Morgan Hill and Guadelupe is the size of the poppies and the color. Guadelupe has red with white centers in the poppies and smaller poppies. Nice material.
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Post by stoner on Dec 24, 2015 1:56:08 GMT -5
Use the edge of an agate or a piece of steel and touch it to the wheel(machine on) and wear away the contaminated layer of felt. It will be like having a new wheel. Then, throw away the oxide polish and get some diamond paste and use that for your polish, you'll save the big mess of oxides.
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Post by stoner on Dec 19, 2015 2:15:27 GMT -5
My opinion is this: You shape your cab on the hard wheels, the 280, 600, and 1200 is for refining/taking flat spots out, and polish is 3000 and up. This is based on using diamond wheels. As far as heat, that only works for jade. Jade has to run hot to remove the orange peel surface. I polish all my cabs with 50k and 100k diamond paste on a leather belt, I haven't met a stone yet I couldn't polish. Diamond paste is no fuss, no muss, no wetting the belt with oxide polishes. When the polish belt doesn't seem to work anymore, I just spray it with silicone and it's like new again.
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Post by stoner on Dec 19, 2015 2:02:02 GMT -5
Very nice. I've often thought about ways to combine my love for wood with stone, and this is remarkable. Wood and stone belong together, the beauty inside each is a surprise when it's cut, and together they just blend perfectly. Well Done!
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Post by stoner on Dec 16, 2015 0:55:36 GMT -5
All flat spots should be gone after the 280 wheel. Have you switched to the Chinese sanding wheels? If you did, that's your problem. The Chinese wheels may look nice and take off material, but they are too hard and thus they leave flat spots, polished flat spots.
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