kingson
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by kingson on May 6, 2024 13:09:35 GMT -5
I'm currently making heart-shaped and teardrop-shaped cabs and despite using a stencil, I'm having a hard time getting the proper symmetry. Any advice or secrets on symmetry? Thanks.
Marc
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller 
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,488
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Post by realrockhound on May 6, 2024 13:17:22 GMT -5
Cabbing table. I can post pics later. Also.. making sure your dome is even. An uneven dome will also make it look distorted . Also.. a clean even girdle
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Post by jasoninsd on May 6, 2024 20:50:26 GMT -5
Harder rocks are easier to keep symmetrical...softer rocks are SO easy to mess up the symmetry as a little more pressure on one side completely skews the shape!
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Post by chris1956 on May 6, 2024 21:09:54 GMT -5
When I was young, I could never figure out how artists could get things so perfect. I am not sure that this is the way they do it and I am not any kind of artist but it seems to work for me when I cut things from templates and then they don't end up symetrical. Maybe it has to do with getting in the zone when you do this. I hold the item up where all I will see/concentrate on is the outline. Let your eyes/brain tell you what doesn't look right or is out of alignment. Grind that spot a little and then look at it again. Of coarse, if you grind too much you could be in deep do do. All I know is for some reason it seems to work for me. Hearts are always tough.  |
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fencejumper
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2021
Posts: 441
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Post by fencejumper on May 6, 2024 21:44:12 GMT -5
I trace my pattern on the back.
This trick i learned from someone on
The forum.
Without going into detail..
Or to much explaining
Try it out.
Using stencils?
Your cab is only as good as your stencil…
A lot of lop sided stencils out there.
( beware of the left handed ones… they’re kooky)🤣🤣🤣
Turn your girdle towards the wheel
And even it out
BEFORE you start Doming.
I usually do this on a hard 220/280
As to not chip the riock
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Post by jasoninsd on May 6, 2024 22:08:33 GMT -5
I trace my pattern on the back. This trick i learned from someone on The forum. Without going into detail.. Or to much explaining Try it out. Using stencils? Your cab is only as good as your stencil… A lot of lop sided stencils out there. ( beware of the left handed ones… they’re kooky)🤣🤣🤣 Turn your girdle towards the wheel And even it out BEFORE you start Doming. I usually do this on a hard 220/280 As to not chip the riock Good point about the stencils! I've noticed on several of my stencils I don't find them to be as symmetrical as they should be! I printed off my own template of a shield. I know the picture I printed was ever so slightly "skewed"...so I trace half the shield...flip the stencil...and use the same half to trace the second half of the outline. Seems to work! LOL |
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Post by liveoak on May 7, 2024 6:13:21 GMT -5
If you have a stencil with different sizes of the same shape, try tracing multiples on the face toward the center. I find it a great visual to see that I'm grinding the same on both sides.
Patty
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kingson
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by kingson on May 7, 2024 8:02:15 GMT -5
Harder rocks are easier to keep symmetrical...softer rocks are SO easy to mess up the symmetry as a little more pressure on one side completely skews the shape! So true Jason! |
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kingson
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by kingson on May 7, 2024 8:04:42 GMT -5
I trace my pattern on the back. This trick i learned from someone on The forum. Without going into detail.. Or to much explaining Try it out. Using stencils? Your cab is only as good as your stencil… A lot of lop sided stencils out there. ( beware of the left handed ones… they’re kooky)🤣🤣🤣 Turn your girdle towards the wheel And even it out BEFORE you start Doming. I usually do this on a hard 220/280 As to not chip the riock You mean trace on the back side of the stone? Not sure what you mean. |
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kingson
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by kingson on May 7, 2024 8:06:59 GMT -5
If you have a stencil with different sizes of the same shape, try tracing multiples on the face toward the center. I find it a great visual to see that I'm grinding the same on both sides.
Patty
So you have the different sized shapes inside of each other? |
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kingson
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2023
Posts: 54
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Post by kingson on May 7, 2024 8:07:34 GMT -5
Cabbing table. I can post pics later. Also.. making sure your dome is even. An uneven dome will also make it look distorted . Also.. a clean even girdle Sorry....what exactly is a cabbing table? Thanks. |
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Post by liveoak on May 7, 2024 9:23:30 GMT -5
If you have a stencil with different sizes of the same shape, try tracing multiples on the face toward the center. I find it a great visual to see that I'm grinding the same on both sides.
Patty
So you have the different sized shapes inside of each other? Absolutely-that's exactly it. Works for me.
Patty
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roQhound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2023
Posts: 104
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Post by roQhound on May 14, 2024 13:15:04 GMT -5
Cabbing table. I can post pics later. Also.. making sure your dome is even. An uneven dome will also make it look distorted . Also.. a clean even girdle - I'm curious about the cabbing table. Do you have pics? |
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roQhound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2023
Posts: 104
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Post by roQhound on May 14, 2024 13:19:27 GMT -5
I know what helps me keep good symetry is to leave a little material after the first wheel and then grind right to the lines on the second and sometimes third wheel. After that, If i'm still questioning the symetry, I flip the rock to view it from the other side where there's no outline. Sometimes my tracing may have been off and the lines are deceiving me, so I'll correct by sight this way.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,171
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Post by rockbrain on May 15, 2024 15:24:10 GMT -5
  A cab table or rest. A lot of them are adjustable for the angle This is the one I made for my Kingsley North machine. It helps if you have a full sheet metal shop. I just clamped this one to the sides with two vice grips when I'm using it. The first one I made for a different machine was very simple. A redwood 4x4 block cut off the end at at 12° angle so I had a sloped girdle. The block was made the right link so standing on edge. It hit the wheel right in the center. When I got ready to use it. I would just stand the block in the bottom of the pan. Set the preform on top and grind the shape. The 4x4 gave me just enough steadiness with the short height. I know some of the old machines have a different setup. I've seen them with a rod running across the front and then there's a little flat platform that clamps to the rod. You can rotate it on the rod to change the angle and move it to the different Wheels. I only use the rest for my initial grinding on the hard Wheels. |
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,488
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Post by realrockhound on May 15, 2024 16:01:22 GMT -5
A cab table or rest. A lot of them are adjustable for the angle This is the one I made for my Kingsley North machine. It helps if you have a full sheet metal shop. I just clamped this one to the sides with two vice grips when I'm using it. The first one I made for a different machine was very simple. A redwood 4x4 block cut off the end at at 12° angle so I had a sloped girdle. The block was made the right link so standing on edge. It hit the wheel right in the center. When I got ready to use it. I would just stand the block in the bottom of the pan. Set the preform on top and grind the shape. The 4x4 gave me just enough steadiness with the short height. I know some of the old machines have a different setup. I've seen them with a rod running across the front and then there's a little flat platform that clamps to the rod. You can rotate it on the rod to change the angle and move it to the different Wheels. I only use the rest for my initial grinding on the hard Wheels. The key to a perfectly sloped girdle 😉. Don’t be giving my secrets away haha Also.. I have the second setup you described |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,171
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Post by rockbrain on May 15, 2024 16:23:32 GMT -5
I'm going to start setting some cabs in my jewelry class and all my cabs have pretty straight girdles for wire wrapping. I think I'll just use a little wedge on this rest to dress up the girdle. I have some composite door shims. Not sure if those will be enough angle or not. On a side note, angle and angel are words I often have to look at twice to make sure I used the proper spelling. I saw a business the other day call Angles Massage. Some how I think they got it wrong.  |
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roQhound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2023
Posts: 104
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Post by roQhound on May 15, 2024 16:56:24 GMT -5
Oh, that's what a cab table is? I use a cab rest that I made out of Megablocks. It has helped me a lot. 
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,979
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Post by khara on May 16, 2024 6:55:31 GMT -5
I made my cab rest out of a scrap hollow aluminum 2x4 section. I cut the height to be slightly below center of my wheels so the cab itself is being ground at the wheel center and I cut it at about 12-14°. I then JB Welded on a piece of aluminum plate for the top. Works pretty well though I’d say the plastic rests for the Genie are probably a smoother surface for the cab. Aluminum doesn’t allow the cab to spin super freely but it’s not so bad that I want to re-make it.👍
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Nov 14, 2024 18:17:57 GMT -5
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Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
