rocknrob
has rocks in the head
If Costco only sold slabs in bulk...
Member since May 2024
Posts: 655
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Post by rocknrob on Sept 28, 2024 18:24:02 GMT -5
I've got a good dremel set up but my hands aren't as steady as I would like for drilling holes in my cabs without support. I could theoretically just glue the darn cabochon to a piece of wood and drill through that way but that just feels so unrefined  . Do folks have any recommendations for a vise to use for cab drilling to attach jewelry fittings? Here is what I currently have available to me. - Harbor freight grey "trigger style" clamps. They're crap on wood but I'm hoping they work better on rock.
- C clamps
- Spring loaded clamps
Is there a guide to rigging up some kind of jig for this to use on a drill press?
- Rob
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Post by chris1956 on Sept 28, 2024 19:09:11 GMT -5
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Post by chris1956 on Sept 28, 2024 19:10:38 GMT -5
You used to be able to get these from Kingsley North or the Rock Shed but I didn't see them when I looked a minute ago.
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Post by chris1956 on Sept 28, 2024 19:12:40 GMT -5
If I could only thing of everything in one post I would be good. I also bought one of those flexible hose & nozzels and a tray so that I can aim a water stream right where I am drilling. I have it set up with a bypass and valve so I can easily turn the water on or off.
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rocknrob
has rocks in the head
If Costco only sold slabs in bulk...
Member since May 2024
Posts: 655
Member is Online
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Post by rocknrob on Sept 28, 2024 20:12:00 GMT -5
If I could only thing of everything in one post I would be good. I also bought one of those flexible hose & nozzels and a tray so that I can aim a water stream right where I am drilling. I have it set up with a bypass and valve so I can easily turn the water on or off. I never know what to call those things when I think about getting them. Flexible drip nozzle? Flexible line? I've got half a mind to get one of those cheapo aquarium/pond pumps and then put a nozzle at the end while utilizing a 1 gallon container for circulating water but that requires a bit more patience on my part. Thanks for the thoughts, even spread out it's helpful . - Rob |
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Sept 28, 2024 20:13:40 GMT -5
Hi, I also used a Dremel drill press for quite some time! The best working fix I came up with was to hot glue my rocks to a square of wood, it just takes 5 minutes and it had two purposes, the one was to hold the rock more steady, and the other was to help prevent blowout at the back. It worked better if you did it after the 280 grit sanding, if you waited until final polish, sometimes the hot glue would not hold the rock well enough! But that was good anyway, as then when you progress through the rest of the grits after drilling your hole, the edges of the drilled hole would look better too! And to get the rock off, usually it would just twist off, sometimes you would have to use a box cutter to cut the edges of the glue loose. I did have a lot less blow-out!
You do have to build up the hot glue a bit around the stone to hold it!
I have a suspicion, now that I am typing this, that maybe putting the lot into boiled water would also loosen the hot glue enough for it to then just pop off, no idea why I did not think of it at the time..... :-)
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Post by opalpyrexia on Oct 1, 2024 12:24:34 GMT -5
I like whalecottagedesigns ' gluing to wood method, but I would substitute super glue. Assuming your cab's back is flat, 4 or 5 drops will secure the cab and, when done drilling, just drop it in very hot water. The super glue will fail in an hour or two, or overnight if you used a little more glue than needed. |
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 1, 2024 13:14:52 GMT -5
If I could only thing of everything in one post I would be good. I also bought one of those flexible hose & nozzels and a tray so that I can aim a water stream right where I am drilling. I have it set up with a bypass and valve so I can easily turn the water on or off. I never know what to call those things when I think about getting them. Flexible drip nozzle? Flexible line? I've got half a mind to get one of those cheapo aquarium/pond pumps and then put a nozzle at the end while utilizing a 1 gallon container for circulating water but that requires a bit more patience on my part. Thanks for the thoughts, even spread out it's helpful . - Rob Kingsley North calls them a flex cooler. kingsleynorth.com/flex-cooler-w-o-pump.html |
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 1, 2024 13:17:49 GMT -5
Here are some pics with the vice I have using wood pieces around what you are drilling. I have done this for rounded Petoskey stones and it works as long as the wood is somewhat soft.   |
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rocknrob
has rocks in the head
If Costco only sold slabs in bulk...
Member since May 2024
Posts: 655
Member is Online
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Post by rocknrob on Oct 1, 2024 14:07:00 GMT -5
Here are some pics with the vice I have using wood pieces around what you are drilling. I have done this for rounded Petoskey stones and it works as long as the wood is somewhat soft. Nice! I like how it comes with a good length of 1/4 inch tubing. I had a heck of a time reducing my coolant for the drop saw I have from 3/4 OD to 1/4 OD so it can fit into the coolant system they had built in. In fact, I'm just going to have a wee chat in the rock cutting forum about that. - Rob |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,198
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Post by rockbrain on Oct 1, 2024 16:16:32 GMT -5
Here are some pics with the vice I have using wood pieces around what you are drilling. I have done this for rounded Petoskey stones and it works as long as the wood is somewhat soft. I'll have to try this method. I have a similar vice but it doesn't hold all that well. I don't use a drip. I just use a container and make the water deep enough so that I'm am drilling just under the surface. |
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 1, 2024 18:41:31 GMT -5
I like whalecottagedesigns ' gluing to wood method, but I would substitute super glue. Assuming your cab's back is flat, 4 or 5 drops will secure the cab and, when done drilling, just drop it in very hot water. The super glue will fail in an hour or two, or overnight if you used a little more glue than needed. Hmmmmm.... now I like your method better too! You will have to wait a little longer before continuing cabbing, but this way is sure to prevent blowout at the back as the superglue will be more solid at the back than the hot glue, which has a bit of give, and you will still get a little blowout every now and then with the hot glue method... |
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 1, 2024 18:55:59 GMT -5
Here are some pics with the vice I have using wood pieces around what you are drilling. I have done this for rounded Petoskey stones and it works as long as the wood is somewhat soft. I'll have to try this method. I have a similar vice but it doesn't hold all that well. I don't use a drip. I just use a container and make the water deep enough so that I'm am drilling just under the surface. I tried that when I first started but my vision isn't great to start with and add to that the refraction going from air to water, it was tough for me to be accurate. |
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