drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Oct 13, 2010 20:28:34 GMT -5
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 13, 2010 23:03:23 GMT -5
This is off topic, I guess but here goes. When I got into the hobby I couldn't wait to geta cab machine,tumbler, sphere machine, facetor, etc. A very wise man told me to pick one and get really good at it before going into another. He has been gone to the big rock pile for years now. Funny thing was, he was the only one I ever met that was truly expert at just about every field of lapidary. You sound a little like I did.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 13, 2010 23:48:00 GMT -5
Not so far off topic John. I started out with a basket case 10" Star Diamond saw, and a 2 wheel cabber that I built out of a $15.00 yard sale bench grinder. Still don't have the big sphere machine I want, and too old to be investing in faceting equipment. Just shows that you don't have to be rich, or have the best equipment available to have fun cutting cabs.
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 14, 2010 13:02:10 GMT -5
What I have ordered is going to have to last me a long time, unless I find a way to get real handy and build my own stuff. Besides I suspect making a good cab is not as easy the books make it out to be.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 14, 2010 13:37:43 GMT -5
The first cab is always the worst one. With just a little bit of practice, you'll be cutting beautiful cabs in no time at all. Just start out with the cheapest practice material you can find. I've taught Cub & Boy Scouts to cut cabs in a single day, and have offered to do the same with our local Girl Scout troop. If kids can do it, so can you. Remember, if you run into a problem, there's a whole load of folks on here willing to explain things and help. I wish sites like this had been around when I first started. Heck, when I started, they didn't even have FM radio stations yet. TV was still black and white, and except for saw blades there were no diamond lapidary tools to make the job easy.
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 14, 2010 14:06:32 GMT -5
I wish I would have started out a long time ago. I still remember the days of no FM radio stations and black and white TV as well. One of the things that triggered me into lapidary was the memory of some old folks that my mom and dad used to take me to visit back in the 50's, they showed me polished rocks, their tumbler and a cut geode. When I started to collect on the Lake Michigan Shores in Wisconsin this past spring I had no idea about lapidary, but since then I think I have come a long way. I am excited about it and I hope that I might be able to pass it on to my grand kids when they get old enough.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 14, 2010 14:21:58 GMT -5
I don't know how old your grand kids are, but I'll bet they're old enough to go on short collecting trips with grandpa. All kids like pretty rocks. Get them started early, and there should be no problem passing it on to them.
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 14, 2010 14:25:41 GMT -5
Two and three. Hannah who is 3 goes to a preschool/babysitter and she has already painted a rock for me and picked one up and gave it to my wife for her birthday. Hannah always comes in and sees me at work with my Dremel.
Bob
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 14, 2010 15:09:57 GMT -5
Three is an ideal age to start teaching them about rocks. Their pretty rocks may not be your idea of cutting material, but you can start teaching them at that age. Just let them have their own rock collection, and if you happen to see a good one in there, tell them grandpa is going to make something pretty out of it for them. They'll soon learn which rocks grandpa likes to work with.
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Post by roy on Oct 18, 2010 23:13:15 GMT -5
i use a hi-tech diamon 8 imch and it works well i got it used for 75 .00 i also started out with a ameritool trim saw that i bought new for 300 that all you'll need to be in cab heaven
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 19, 2010 12:52:53 GMT -5
I still haven't received my cab mate but I have been thinking about it the last couple of days. It seems to me that at 180 grit diamond wheel might not be a bit slow on the rough grinding and the wheel might wear excessively if I do not trim up my cabs sufficiently before I start. I've also been told to use oil for lubrication when cutting rough for cabs? I wonder how I will do that with my cab mate.
After the rough grind it then goes to a 600 grit thin disc. Isn't this a big jump between that and the 180? It would also appear that this is the step where I have to get all of the scratches out, because the next step is 3 pads for diamond compounds 325, 1200, 50,000.
Regardless, all of this being said I am out of money so there won't be an upgrade for equipment anytime soon. I just hope that all of this lasts for a while. I will be treating it like it is a piece of very expensive fine china.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 19, 2010 13:22:40 GMT -5
When money permits, I'd get 80 and 260 grit disks for it. The 80 grit will Remove material much quicker than your 180 grit. Doesn't that machine also come with a grinding wheel ? If so, that's where you'll do all of your heavy grinding, and start to form the dome. On that machine, with a 6" saw you can use water to cool the blade. You might want to add Tool Cool, or Diamond Pacific Water Aid to the water. It will help your blade to last longer. Don't use oil in this machine. You'll have a hard time cleaning the machine before switching over to the wheel or discs. And if there is any spray from the machine, you'll find an oil film all over your work area.
Don
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 19, 2010 13:49:10 GMT -5
Yeah, the grinding wheel is 180 grit. That's why I got to thinking. Perhaps, the scale for the grit is different? I just pulled out John Sinkankas - Gem Cutting A Lapidary's Manual. It doesn't say what 180 grit is used for, but it has to fall somewhere betwee Rough lapping, grinding and tumbling to Fine grinding, lapping and tumbling. It says that the 600 grit is for very fine lapping. The next step he mentions is 1200 which he specifies as Very fine lapping, prepolish. I figured that oil would make a mess of the machine. I will have to use just plain water for now. When I get money, I will probably going with wheels where I just change the belts. Actually I was just wondering if I could do that now with the wheel that is coming with the machine?
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 19, 2010 14:16:23 GMT -5
The 180 will be a diamond wheel, no belts involved. You can buy a 1 1/2" drum later for belts. If you decide 180 is too mild either add an 80 or 100 or wait until you wear it out and buy an 80 or 100 and a 220. Definitely use water with that unit.
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 19, 2010 14:59:44 GMT -5
I guess I am showing my ignorance of equipment here. I realize that the 180 is a diamond wheel. I guess what I was wondering is, will the 180 be coarse enough for rough grinding? Then...just wondering....wouldn't be able to do it now anyway.....could you put a belt on that wheel? I will certainly wait until the wheel wears out before doing anything anyway. For all I know a belt won't fit over it anyway.
Then...I was trying to figure out is, isn't going from a 180 grit down to 600 a big jump, and how well would I be able to get the scratches out at 600 disc? The next step being a disc charged with 325 diamond compound.
It just seems to me that the 180 wheel will wear out quickly as well as the 600 disc. The guy at Graves told me this machine would last for somewhere around 5 years, but did he mean that the wheel, the discs, and the pads would last that long. Seeing as I haven't found a job yet I will probably be making cabs everyday.
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Post by rockmanken on Oct 20, 2010 7:02:11 GMT -5
Bob, you can NOT put a belt on the 180 grinding wheel. QUIT WORRYING. The 180 will grind anything you can put on it. It will just be slower than on a 80 or 100. Be sure to move the stone over the width of the wheel and not in the same place all the time. You will move to the 325 pad next and then to the 600. In that order. Then to the 1200 and finally the 50k polish. NEVER USE OIL with this machine. Oil is for 10" and larger SAWS. Ken
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 20, 2010 11:35:51 GMT -5
Thanks Ken, maybe I got a little out of hand but you did answer my questions. I still don't have my machine.
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 20, 2010 18:36:28 GMT -5
Hey John, thanks for the tip on the Dremel stand. I finally got around to putting mine together this afternoon and I think that it's great. I will still need the flex shaft once in a while but the hanger on that stand will come in very hand when I need to use the flex shaft.
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bgast1
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2010
Posts: 1,076
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Post by bgast1 on Oct 21, 2010 9:40:33 GMT -5
Got ticked off at Graves because they haven't shipped my Cab Mate yet so I canceled the order and turned around and ordered the Ameritool 8" from John. Then will go get my 7" tile saw. A lot cheaper in the long run too.
Anybody know whether the Craftsman 7" tile saw is any good?
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 21, 2010 10:33:43 GMT -5
You shouldn't have ordered direct from the Mfg. They take care of their distributors orders first. If you had ordered from someone like Kingsley North, or another distributor, you'd already have the machine. You probably would have gotten a better price on it too. Check the Graves catalog price against the Kingsley catalog, and you'll see what I mean. Same goes for Covington. Don
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