highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 4, 2009 14:03:33 GMT -5
Materials (where to buy; Cost):1. Acetone (I buy nail polish remover at Rite-Aid; $0.99) 2. Flux brush (eBay; $5 for 25) 3. 5-10 carats Diamond Powder - Ni plated for lower grits (eBay; $20 for 25 carats) 4. Hughes Associates Epoxy 220 (eBay; $3.25 for 1 oz. kit; Will do four 6" wheels) 5. Rubber gloves, dowel/pipe, some wood blocks,toothbrush Procedure: 1. Clean the wheel with warm water and soap (I use a toothbrush). It's importnat to get it as clean as possible. Let dry. 2. Wipe down the wheel with acetone (I use a rag and scrub it; ensure good ventilation). If you can't get acetone use rubbing alcohol. 3. Suspend wheel on a dowel. (Image 1 below) 4. Move to well ventilated area and put on rubber gloves. In a small container mix about a tsp each of both resin and hardener. Mix Well. (Image 2 below;I used a plastic bottle lid) 5. Mix in 5-10 carats of diamond powder in the resin. Mix Well (Image 3 below) 6. Paint onto wheel with flux brush. Take your time and get as uniform a coating as possible. The epoxy takes over an hour to harden. Slow brush strokes work better as the resin is quite viscous. (Image 4 below) 7. Allow to cure for 24 hours. For the first hour, spin wheel to check it. Smooth out any high spots with slow brush strokes of the flux brush. Image 1.  Image 2.  Image 3.  Image 4.  Image 5.  HPD
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,315
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Post by mossyrockhound on Jan 4, 2009 17:31:08 GMT -5
Awesome post HPD! I did a similar procedure using a different (waterproof/underwater epoxy), but wasn't satisfied with the "gloss" finish. I will be trying this new method out soon with the epoxy 220. Thanks much!
mr
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Post by akansan on Jan 5, 2009 9:09:31 GMT -5
Very nice post! We've talked about it being possible, but I don't think anyone here has tried it before. Great tip!
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Post by Titania on Jan 5, 2009 11:50:04 GMT -5
THANKS for posting this!!!
How do you spin the wheel during that first hour cure time? Are you just spinning by hand once in a while? Is it a constant slow spin by hand for an hour?
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Post by akansan on Jan 5, 2009 12:03:51 GMT -5
Just out of curiousity, how long do these replacements tend to last you? Is the life expectancy shorter than the original lifespan, and if so, by how much? I'm curious if the texture of the original Nova wheels has something to do with the cutting ability and lifespan. These would seem to me more similar to a diamond belt's lifespan, correct?
(And yes, I realize you can get about 8-12 wheels (4 wheels, 2-3 sets of grits) for less than the price of 1 Nova using this method.)
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Post by texaswoodie on Jan 5, 2009 18:31:13 GMT -5
I don't suppose this would work on hard wheels?
Curt
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jan 6, 2009 21:58:53 GMT -5
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 7, 2009 10:45:39 GMT -5
THANKS for posting this!!! How do you spin the wheel during that first hour cure time? Are you just spinning by hand once in a while? Is it a constant slow spin by hand for an hour? The resin is extremely viscous and it only needs turned occasionally to keep it from "drooping." On one of the wheels I did, I applied a much thinner coat and it didn't need turned at all. I think the thinner coat will give a bteer result. HPD |
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 7, 2009 10:48:22 GMT -5
Just out of curiousity, how long do these replacements tend to last you? Is the life expectancy shorter than the original lifespan, and if so, by how much? I'm curious if the texture of the original Nova wheels has something to do with the cutting ability and lifespan. These would seem to me more similar to a diamond belt's lifespan, correct? (And yes, I realize you can get about 8-12 wheels (4 wheels, 2-3 sets of grits) for less than the price of 1 Nova using this method.) I'm not sure about durability yet. I just started using the first wheels I did last month. They are holding up well. I suppose the durability also depends on what you're cutting and how kind you are to the wheels. HPD |
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 7, 2009 10:51:00 GMT -5
I don't suppose this would work on hard wheels? Curt I think it might work on hard wheels. The resin will bond well to metals. However, you would probably want to treat the coated wheel like a resin wheel, i.e., no leading edges into the wheel. HPD |
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 7, 2009 11:02:55 GMT -5
The epoxy does not rub into the rock and the wheels are holding up well. Some diamond powder and resin does dislodge when you first begin using them, so water pan cleanliness is important to avoid scratches in subsequent wheels. To test the wheels, I cut a Bruneau jasper cab. The porcelain jaspers really test your set-up due to the high hardness. The cab came out great with a polish indistinguishable from new Nova wheels. Like I said though, pan cleanliness is important for those using geysers. I've been cabbing in sets of 10 or more stones and cleaning the pan before moving the set on. Since I cut a lot of very hard stones, I wanted to try this to keep costs down. The Nova wheels are extremely expensive to me. Another strategy I had was to sell my used/nearly worn out Nova wheels to opal cutters on eBay. HPD |
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Post by akansan on Jan 7, 2009 11:20:49 GMT -5
Thanks! That answers my questions nicely.
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Post by texaswoodie on Jan 8, 2009 18:23:44 GMT -5
Thanks! I think I'll try it on a worn out hard wheel.
Curt
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jan 9, 2009 11:07:28 GMT -5
I think we found a use for that old BBQ rotisserie and part of a windshield (windscreen for our UK friends ;D) wiper blade...
Dr Joe
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 9, 2009 13:57:53 GMT -5
Another note to add to the technique is to keep the coating very thin and try to avoid high spots. If you want to load more diamond on, I suggest multiple coats. HPD
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Jan 10, 2009 9:26:23 GMT -5
Have you tried multiple layers and did they bond well to each other?
Dr Joe
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 10, 2009 23:13:14 GMT -5
I have refurbished 4 wheels so far. I used an old 280 grit wheel and applied 2 thin coats of 325 Ni-plated grit; I also redid a 600 grit with two thin coats of 600. These wheels are working great so far (~50 cabs).
I first tried the technique with 1200 and 3000 grit wheels and I used a relatively thin coat on the 1200 (but thicker than the two above) and a thicker coat on the 3000. The 1200 wheel works great, but the 3000 has started to occasionally give scratches. I've used these two for over 100 cabs of agate/jasper. From my research, the smaller diamond grits like 3000 tend to aggregate and form some type of vacuum between particles. If I start seeing scratches, I work a hard agate cab through with force and it goes away. I suspect the aggregation will be minimized by thorough mixing and application of thinner layer(s).
HPD
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,315
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Post by mossyrockhound on Jan 23, 2009 22:10:35 GMT -5
I just finished coating my four 6" diameter Nova wheels. I used the method described by HPD with a couple of minor modifications and tried 3 cabs. They turned out great! The only problem I notice is that the re-coated wheels are more noisy than before, probably because the glue used to re-coat the wheels is harder than the OEM glue.
My technique was:
1. Clean worn-out wheels as described by HPD. Make a dowl stand to hold the wheels as described by HPD.
2. Cut a small (about 4" square) piece of plate glass. I have lots of scrap glass, so getting some glass for this was no problem.
3. Mix the diamond ( I weighed out 10 carats per wheel) with the Hughes 220 epoxy as described by HPD. I used a little less glue than first stated, due to the later posts recommending less. I used a broad-blade Exacto knife for mixing and applying the mixture to the wheels because I am really stingy with my diamond. I figured I could get 99+% of what I mixed up onto the wheels using glass & Exacto knife.
4. I started with the 14,000 grit wheel, then 1200, then 600, then 220 grit. Reason: I didn't want to "ultra clean" everything between grits and I didn't mind getting a little of the finer grits on the subsequent courser wheels. If you do this in reverse order, you've had it - Reason: A little course grit embedded on your finer wheels will wreck them and you will have to start over because you'll get scratches on your cabs that will never come out.
I didn't have any Ni-plated diamond, so I just used the straight grit on all wheels. Time will tell if the non-coated diamond will last.
Anyway, I'm happy for now. I recommend this process to anybody wanting to re-coat their Nova wheels. Thanks HPD!
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highplainsdrifter
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,266
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Post by highplainsdrifter on Jan 23, 2009 22:21:31 GMT -5
I just finished coating my four 6" diameter Nova wheels. I used the method described by HPD with a couple of minor modifications and tried 3 cabs. They turned out great! The only problem I notice is that the re-coated wheels are more noisy than before, probably because the glue used to re-coat the wheels is harder than the OEM glue. My technique was: 1. Clean worn-out wheels as described by HPD. Make a dowl stand to hold the wheels as described by HPD. 2. Cut a small (about 4" square) piece of plate glass. I have lots of scrap glass, so getting some glass for this was no problem. 3. Mix the diamond ( I weighed out 10 carats per wheel) with the Hughes 220 epoxy as described by HPD. I used a little less glue than first stated, due to the later posts recommending less. I used a broad-blade Exacto knife for mixing and applying the mixture to the wheels because I am really stingy with my diamond. I figured I could get 99+% of what I mixed up onto the wheels using glass & Exacto knife. 4. I started with the 14,000 grit wheel, then 1200, then 600, then 220 grit. Reason: I didn't want to "ultra clean" everything between grits and I didn't mind getting a little of the finer grits on the subsequent courser wheels. If you do this in reverse order, you've had it - Reason: A little course grit embedded on your finer wheels will wreck them and you will have to start over because you'll get scratches on your cabs that will never come out. I didn't have any Ni-plated diamond, so I just used the straight grit on all wheels. Time will tell if the non-coated diamond will last. Anyway, I'm happy for now. I recommend this process to anybody wanting to re-coat their Nova wheels. Thanks HPD! Awesome! I'm glad it worked for you. Mine are still holding up pretty well. The exacto knife and glass is a great idea. |
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Jan 24, 2009 2:31:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the tutorial on recharging
But most of all thanks for the tip on getting Acetone I hadnt realised it was so available.
I will "borrow " My daughters nail polish remover !!
Jack
Yorkshire uk
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