mirkaba
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2006
Posts: 321
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Post by mirkaba on Nov 24, 2006 5:08:00 GMT -5
Howdy! I am sorta new here.(Been a lurker for a while). I Have an old 8 inch crown grinder/polisher. It is sweet and a real work horse but I have a serious opal addiction and those 8 inch wheels can be pretty aggressive on those little tiny small ones. So I built a spool polisher out of parts from the dump and was really amazed at how well it works. A friend turned the spool down out of a broken Louisville slugger baseball bat  It is the first attempt without a modelto work from so it is a little rough looking. Actual cash outlay is 3.00 for nuts and bolts and 42.00 for diamond paste....Bob "http://quick.imgfree.net/131701" |
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Post by Tweetiepy on Nov 24, 2006 8:07:48 GMT -5
Welcome mirkaba!
Nice job, not sure what I'm looking at... are you saying that you polish your opals on the "colored" parts of the spool?
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Post by Bikerrandy on Nov 24, 2006 9:04:14 GMT -5
Diamond paste and a wooden spool, that's a cool idea! Make sure to post some of the work that you turn out, I may have to build one of these myself.
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Post by deb193 on Nov 24, 2006 9:13:30 GMT -5
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Nov 24, 2006 11:14:51 GMT -5
Ok, that is just damn nifty, nice work!
What grit sizes are you using?
Any cross-contamination problems?
Have you tried anything besides opal? I hear jade that tends to orange-peel responds well to diamond on maple.
Thanks for posting that; another example that lapidary equipment can be super cheap and simple!
SirRoxalot
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mirkaba
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2006
Posts: 321
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Post by mirkaba on Nov 24, 2006 13:27:47 GMT -5
I am building a bigger one now. I charge the 5 depressions in the spool with diamond paste. From left to right 220, 600, 1200, 20,000 and 50,000 grit. So far I have had no contamination problems but I am careful about washing the stones with hot water and dawn soap between grits. I tried a small dryhead cab. I actually used it to work the diamond into the wood (ash) and it didn't polish so well as the opal. The next one will have a longer thicker spool. The inside diameter of the sealed, cushioned pillow blocks is 11/16". I had not anticipated turning the ends of the spool down to fit the bearings......which worked really well but ate up one of my grit sizes:) I have been preforming the cabs on the 220 and 400 grit silicon carbide belts, depending on the opals hardness. I will post some pics after I do a few more stones including lapis and malachite........................Bob
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Post by sandsman1 on Nov 24, 2006 21:32:58 GMT -5
hey bob dam nice polisher i like it --- and i like that at one time it was hittin home runs hahaha
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spikeict
fully equipped rock polisher
Alba gu bra! In Promptu
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,413
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Post by spikeict on Dec 3, 2006 20:53:33 GMT -5
Would a varied width unfinished table leg chucked into a lathe also work? I understand about speed control, and as I remember there is one on the unit I am thinking about, but if not there are heavy duty router speed controls out there.
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mirkaba
spending too much on rocks
Member since August 2006
Posts: 321
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Post by mirkaba on Dec 10, 2006 13:12:00 GMT -5
I dont see why not. Usually you can vary the speed on the lathe by switching the belts around on the pullys..
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It is the first attempt without a modelto work from so it is a little rough looking. Actual cash outlay is 3.00 for nuts and bolts and 42.00 for diamond paste....Bob
