zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 30, 2020 14:11:57 GMT -5
Our life this Spring has been different than any other. We are getting more yard work done. Connecting with each other in our little family. Getting some structure and order going. Gaining weight also . With nice weather arriving, it’s hard to find jumbo marshmallows etc. jamesp is selling fire pits like hot-cakes. The ATV trail past our place is very busy. Spoke to service damager about work, when the girls school is finished on May 8, I can return to work and start getting the PPP full wage vs the .67 I make as a teacher. I hear Eau Claire (bigger town near us) will not be enforcing the lock down any longer. Lots to process. My cousin in ID who has 6 chilluns, whole family likely has COVID. Says it hurts to breathe. Overall, I have learned things about what is important in life, I really value time at home more now. #randomthoughts... I'm not sure if service damager is a typo or your view of your boss. When I was a night guard, I told people I was an Obscurity Guard! Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 29, 2020 0:24:33 GMT -5
Round cabs are hard for me to get the shape perfect. You've got it down! Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 28, 2020 10:31:44 GMT -5
royI've bought a few wheels from Hans. I had a contaminated 3,000 grit soft wheel. He sent a replacement right away. I had a hard 280 grit wheel with a small bare spot (no grit). He replaced it right away. Sorry you didn't have a good response. Lynn maybe he just got the point ! i tried his stuff when he first hit the seen My replacements were back in 2012 - 14. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 27, 2020 13:50:28 GMT -5
royI've bought a few wheels from Hans. I had a contaminated 3,000 grit soft wheel. He sent a replacement right away. I had a hard 280 grit wheel with a small bare spot (no grit). He replaced it right away. Sorry you didn't have a good response. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 23, 2020 17:19:15 GMT -5
2 seconds!
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 23, 2020 10:30:31 GMT -5
Great Montana Moss agate! Thanks for showing it off. That's the stone that got me hooked at the age of 8. MMA is one of the easiest stones to cab because of its consistent hardness. So why do I always cut lots of fractured material? I can't help it. They're so beautiful! Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 18, 2020 16:08:26 GMT -5
Kingsley North has a sale on sintered wheels. Get one & you will probably never have to buy another of that grit again. Get it one grit coarser than you are used to with plated wheels. I got 60 grit instead of 80. If you're used to 100 grit, get 80. Edit: I see that they don't have 60 grit. kingsleynorth.com/heirloom-sintered-diamond-wheels.htmlLynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 18, 2020 10:58:18 GMT -5
wpotterw Hey, another Tull fan here. If you make a cab of that, I hope the pattern doesn't change too much. Tull was my second concert. Oakland Coliseum, 1973. Passion Play tour. Steeleye Span opened for them. Can't say that I ever saw the Osmonds, but I sat in front of Donny & his wife at a play at the Osmond's studio in 1982. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 17, 2020 23:54:28 GMT -5
I have a 6" Beacon Star 6 wheel arbor that I disassembled a few years ago. It's time to put it back together.
I'm trying to figure out the wiring of the motor & speed control to AC. I'm pretty sure that the red & black from the controller goes to the same colors on the motor. I think the blue & gray go to AC. The pink has a crimped cap. I'd love to know if anyone is familiar with this setup, or understands electricity. If these pictures are not enough, I can take more. I don't want to fry anything!
Thanks in advance.
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 17, 2020 23:39:18 GMT -5
Is it opalized? Hard to tell, but it looks like it may be from the photo. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 14, 2020 12:07:50 GMT -5
Pink Ripple
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 13, 2020 20:06:04 GMT -5
stardiamondHxtal will let you save much of that. Lots of what I cut has fractures like yours. Hxtal & a heatlamp is my friend! Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 10, 2020 12:10:36 GMT -5
Your blade looks like it has plenty of diamond left. The ripples on the slab look like there is some side-to-side play somewhere, probably in the carriage or vise. Even though you say the carriage is solid, I think it could be the culprit. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 8, 2020 12:39:49 GMT -5
I've been buying those for the past 2 years. At first I thought I'd cut them and make cabs, but the colors don't reach past about 2-3mm. They're heat treated. Someone said they probably use iron in an acid solution in the process. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Apr 5, 2020 22:16:45 GMT -5
herb Is that some Burro Creek material in the vise? It looks like some we collected last year. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Mar 31, 2020 17:57:36 GMT -5
In addition to making your own tools, used lapidary equipment is how many of us got our start. Several of us here have lapidary equip for sale. Look at Facebook local sales groups, craigslist, any popular selling site.
A useful tool is a flex shaft. Harbor Freight has one that goes for about $40 with their ubiquitous coupons. Good luck! Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Mar 29, 2020 17:23:23 GMT -5
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Mar 29, 2020 17:16:21 GMT -5
I cut a strip of rubber sheeting the width of the drum & as long as the circumference of the drum. I fitted it around the drum before I slipped the belt on. It takes up the space so the belt doesn't slip.
I use diamond belts and have a drum for each belt, so I'm not swapping belts often. If you swap belts, you could glue the rubber sheeting to the drum with temporary rubber cement (like Borden's in a brown bottle).
You may need more than a single layer.
Home Depot sells as pond liner by the foot. A friend re-roofed his RV with rubber sheet that was similar to pond liner. Lynn
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Mar 3, 2020 11:46:37 GMT -5
|
|
zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
|
Post by zarguy on Mar 2, 2020 10:36:23 GMT -5
I use a 100w incandescent light bulb in a draftsman's lamp. The bulb ends up about 1 1/2 - 2" away from the stone. I set the rock on a 1/4" steel plate. That absorbs heat & heats the bottom of the stone. I heat it up for about an hour before I apply Hxtal. Then afterwards, I put the lamp back on for 2 - 4 hours. I've thought about using a toaster oven, but haven't with Hxtal. My batches are small enough that I just use the heatlamp. I use a toaster oven for curing Cactus Juice that's been infused in a vacuum chamber. I heat that to 225 degrees. Lynn
|
|