Groove wraps

Thanks, jasoninsd. I gravitate towards the plainer wraps but some of these need a little something. Plus, I'm not the one buying or wearing them! The front wire on the birdseye is hammered a bit.

Those came out great! I love the bird's eye rhyolite.

Great job. The rhyolite and copper ore next to it are my favorites.

Those are amazing!  Like that the wraps aren't overdone.  

Nice ones! Do you end up making your groove before doming and polishing the cab or after?

Thanks gunsil.  The new machine is great.  Really helped me speed things up.  The new work area is just as good.  It was over 100 deg this weekend and I was able to work comfortably while sitting and listening to music.  I had been standing outdoors.

Thanks rockjunquie.  I've had some other birdseye but have been trying to stabilize it.  This is some I got from Brian at Lapidary Central.  He's offered chunks here.  It's some old stock stuff that's very silicated and it's really hard and takes a great shine. 

Thanks, khara.  I think mushroom rhyolite is similar.  I don't remember for sure what the green blue on is but it's some mix of copper ore stuff.  Maybe azurite, chrysocolla I think it has a little malachite in it.


Thanks vegasjames.  Those are my favorites too.  I did have one spot on the copper stuff that wouldn't shine but I guess that's not unusual.
Thanks liveoak.  I'm getting pretty fast at the groove wraps now that I've done a couple.  I finally figured out ear rings too and have a couple of sets coming with a wrap that I'm real happy with.  They sure take a lot less silver wire with one wrap around the stone instead of three or four!

Thanks chris1956.  My wife and I both gravitate toward the simpler stuff that lets the stone take center stage, or even the entire stage.

Thank  you, hummingbirdstones.  I've got another birdseye cab done that came out really nice.

Thanks agatewhisperer.  I cut the preform, grind to shape, cut the groove, then mark the dome and cab it.  I actually have a set I'm working on  that I chipped the top of the earring.  I was able to go back and regrind with the wire in place.  It also gave me the opportunity to try grinding down and portions of the wire that are proud on the side of the stone.  It worked great and was so much quicker than doing it by hand.

Yes jasoninsd.  Like I said above I girdle it, cut the groove and then dome.  I have had to go back and make some grooves deeper when I'm done and that gets a little tricky. My grooving backstop is under the blade so I can't always go low enough.  I groove with the cab upside down.

This is one that I'm working on for a set. Now that I've done the picture I've seen, I'm missing a chip off the top of it!





And I included a picture of this one again, just because I really like it. Chapinite Jasper. I have a big chunk of it most of its brown. I really like all of it. It makes great cabs but the stuff with the blue is really pretty. Somehow my group pictured him do several of these justice. The bumblebee also looks a lot better in real life than my picture

You’re right that group shot did not do that one justice it looks amazing!

Thanks for the info vegasjames. I've been using Zam and actually used it on that cab but I've been loading up the buffer wheel. I'll try a new wheel and back off the amount.