"Do You Dop?" and "Polish How-to's"

Sweet, Let us know what you think of the Covington after a bit of use. I would like to get me one of those Im thinking.

dops; you're on ball. YOu can use them for everything, and in shapes like ovals, it helps because of the surface cutting action. your goal is to get an even cut, so you have no ridges on a dome cabochon. And they do help when the stones is small, or for matching pairs.

I use dops maybe 20% of the time. and only for stones under a nickel in size. 99% of my cabs are dome cabochons. ideally low domes most of the time.

I have seen the tool, and supposed Graves company carried it, but i just looked over their site and couldn’t find it. the cab grabber is what i saw it labeled as in rock and gem mag. I will look over back issues to see if i can find the add. it was in 2005 so it should still be around.

Well, the first tip i can give is the most important, cross contamination can happen very easily on grinders. Unless you use a different unit per stage. Once i finished re-furbin my old grinder, i will set that unit up for coarse and heavy sanding only. Then use my current grinder for fine sanding and finishing.

What is your process or technique?
This is how i do it, which if others want to add their steps to this thread. that would be very cool to see. hint. hint.

*from preform; 100grit metal diamond wheel- give shape, bezel and dome. i make sure i knock all heavy edges or ridges down on this stage for hard stones. I do this by moving the cab very fast all over the cutting surface of the wheel.

refining shape; 220 metal diamond wheel will get the same treatment as above. However never rush this stage because it can really take care of allot of nasty starches the 100 grit leaves, which if not hit hard, can wreck your time in the latter stages. I also cut the bezel and refine it as true as possible on this wheel, both vertically and horizontally. i use an air bubbler and a heavy flap on the wheel to keep water mist down and on the wheel. Always making sure there’s enough water by adding some more when needed if at any point the wheels or belts get dry and show buildup for cutting the stone.

sanding; new 220 silicon carbide belt on expano drum. I dont always use a new belt here, but for arguments sake, its the best and fastest way to get a guaranteed result. continue with sil belts till 1200. My 1200 is a well worn 600 belt. ive used it for over 3 years now.

pre-polishing; 1200 diamond paste on resin belt. Continue up to 50,000 grit d-paste on all well worn resin belts, each grit has its own belt. I get the best results for well worn belts just because on newer resin belts. it can fell like it hurts the stone because it gets hotter faster. I use a little water on resin belts, but always in a clean pan and with clean water. never a bubbler or water feed for pre-polishing. simple dip you cab in a bowl of clean water before or during cutting to keep it cool. A good tip for doing multiple stones types, not knowing really how they react to heat until you play. As some stones polish much better if you use heat. However neither Onyx or Obsidian would be one. Jade is probably the best example. But having clean water you can throw a cab in if you feel its gets to hot. Plus that’s also helps when not using dops, because there are allot of stones that chip and craze or blister so easy with heat.

i also wipe each cab in-between grits during pre-polishing, and make sure they stay on a clear paper towel. Watching and cleaning any cross contamination as it happens. and in some cases if i plan to finish the batch when such a slip happens. by setting it or dropping it on my exposed work table. I would put it aside until the next batch just so i wouldnt ruin any polish.

then depending on the stone type, the last stage is on leather or a resin belt using cerium compound to polish. but allot of stones like fine agates and jaspers look finished by the 8000 grit stage. However stones like Blue mt really take flight when hit by a cerium on the end. So does this plomosa plume when the jasper is yellow. go figure.

So you really have to play with technique to get what works for you. Just remember like tumbling, dont rush stages. YOu can really get fine works of art fast, but under control.

Welcome to grinding! I just started a couple of months ago so I'm just learning but BAZ, you are gonna love this!

You guys are awesome! ;D

I was worried about cross-contamination Shain and I think that is a big culprit.

All great tips from great guys thanks again and I will check out that site Ed. Now I have to get ready to head to Cali though.

Darn! Just got my new toy and now I won't be able to play with it for a week!

Ginding is COOL! As for me, I dop.

Green wax, and wooden dowels. I mdae some small tube dops like KD's. Aluminum ones, I use them for small precious gemstone cabs.