solidtom
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 1
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Post by solidtom on Oct 23, 2011 21:09:47 GMT -5
:help:
I was wondering if anyone knew of any way to make perfect rock spheres? I've seen others attempt this, but the pictures they post are obviously imperfect. :nono:
I can't seem to find anything on the internet.... only information on how to polish stones which almost seems to be the easy part.
By perfect I mean the same shape as marbles... They don't have to be the exact same size though... in fact variable sizes would be best. Is there a cheap and simple way of doing this?
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 23, 2011 21:47:17 GMT -5
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Oct 23, 2011 23:46:35 GMT -5
I had the pleasure today of meeting the owner of Highland Park Lapidary who is a master of the spheres. He is a friend of a friend of mine who lives here but spends most of his time overseas. His sphere machines start about $800 and go up. His collection includes spheres of every stone you can imagine! He even makes them with different stones bonded together to create a special effect with them. A set of heads for them run about $120 for 2 1/4 in. size he told me today. You ought to see the Ocean Jasper sphere he made. I swear that you can see 2 inches deep into the approx. 8 in. globe! He has also developed a new epoxy better than the usual CA glues. I bought a kit today from him. It is excellent for stabilizing stones and filling flaws and cavities in rocks. But the big difference is instead of an instant bond you have about a 6 hour window to work with it so you don`t end up losing material because it hardened before you used up what was mixed. I`ll be trying it out soon. I snagged some beautiful turquoise from Az. and China and a Morrocan agate from his private collection today as well as other rough. Check out his website at www.HPlapidary.com |
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Oct 26, 2011 9:47:41 GMT -5
Since I'm a sphere BUYER rather than a sphere cutter, let me insert one small comment from the point of view of the buyers. Jspencer, before you get too deep into this, let me suggest as an outsider that it's scary that your friend has brought the concept of stabilization/epoxy into your upcoming sphere-making projects. Stabilized stones/epoxy is one of the reasons I cut back A LOT on buying and working stones. I can get plastic anywhere and so can my buyers. A sphere that is made of real stone is awesome. A sphere that is made of poor grade fractured reconstituted material held together by epoxy has no place in my collection. I used to buy or have made many spheres every year, and I doubt I'm the only buyer of spheres that got pushed away by the use of epoxy/stabilization. Where there's a lot of fakes, there's a lot of doubt. Where there's a lot of doubt, especially in a tight economy, people close their wallets.
Rather than buying stones that need to be stabilized -- might I humbly suggest that one starts by buying or hounding solid, fracture-free rough in the first place? Even when a person is honest and upfront about the fact that they are using stabilizers, fillers, etc. I don't want to buy that person's products. Do you really want to go down that road? Or maybe I'm the only buyer out there who demands that my stone spheres be, you know, made of stone? And it's even worse when I'm in a shop, booth, etc. and I pick up something and suddenly realize that this person is selling stabilized/reconstituted stones and he hasn't even acknowledged what he's doing. It creates fear, uncertainty, doubt -- the classic FUD that makes me walk out the door and not buy anything at all from anyone that day.
I hope I do not offend but I have to comment because I see nothing positive about more and more people going down the epoxy highway to heck. It takes the sense of awe and wonder of nature's creations right out of the hobby. I already know people can make all kinds of fabulous artificial things. I want to know what nature can do.
Making genuine spheres the cheat-free way is admittedly tough. My sphere-maker passed away almost 15 years ago and I still haven't found another guy. Sigh. But I would rather stop adding to my collection than have "stabilized" stuff in there...just one possible person's opinion, to consider or disregard as you please.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Oct 26, 2011 23:35:45 GMT -5
First off I totally agree about passing off flawed stones as natural. An opinion shared by John also who had the epoxy developed. I did not mean that the epoxy had anything to do with spheres but was rather just adding to the conversation. He imports tons of rock annually to the US and travels the world in search of these stones. He imported most of what I have bought over the year or so at my local outlets. And quite possibly what is available to your town in imported stone. I appreciate a perfect sphere as well as a good epoxy when I need one. Settle down those ruffled feathers. And if it is better than any other product at stabilizing turquoise and other like stones than what is now available I`m sure others besides me will be trying it out. Optic-Bond is the name of it.
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 28, 2011 16:31:08 GMT -5
John Rowland has been selling his "Bond Optic" for quite a few years. It is a fracture sealer much like Opticon but formulated to cure slower and never yellow like most clear epoxies do over time. Any AZ wood for one example will be fractured as is a lot of dino bone and other interesting materials for making spheres. To say a sphere with a sealed fracture is no longer a real rock seams a little excessive to me. Not in the same category as the bricks of reconstituted turquoise in my humble opinion.
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Post by deb193redux on Oct 31, 2011 15:17:04 GMT -5
If you want small, consider an inexpensive marble mill. I got a homemade looking one on ebay for about $120.
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aloda
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2011
Posts: 1
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Post by aloda on Oct 31, 2011 16:30:27 GMT -5
we are looking for machine to make a sphere between 1 mm till 25 mm
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 31, 2011 21:39:52 GMT -5
Covington sells a sphere machine that will make 1/4" to 1" spheres.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Nov 6, 2011 17:48:10 GMT -5
Yeah, it's just my personal opinion but to me, the whole sport of the sphere is the sense of wonder of creating a perfect sphere from stone. The fact that some materials are highly fractured makes it more marvelous when I find a perfect sphere of that material...but not if that sphere has been treated somehow and, upon closer inspection, I realize there is after all a fracture in the creation that was treated in hopes that I wouldn't notice it in the hubbub of the gem show...
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Nov 7, 2011 15:50:51 GMT -5
Johnjsgems have you used the Optic-Bond before? I bought some but haven`t used it yet. John Rowland is a very nice person who is willing to get into the mechanics of lapidary machines and thier designs because of his love for engineering. I talked with him quite a bit about the sphere machines and the ease of making one. It`s not hard at all to build one once the proper motors are attained for it.
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juzwuz
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2010
Posts: 526
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Post by juzwuz on Nov 16, 2011 15:26:28 GMT -5
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Post by johnjsgems on Nov 16, 2011 15:59:09 GMT -5
I have not used it (Bond Optic) myself but have customers that swear by it. John Rowland is a very interesting guy to talk to. I know him only to talk to at the Texas and other shows when we run into him. He is very well respected by customers looking for custom sphere cutting. His sphere machines run very fast compared to other brands and his diamond cups look like core drills rather than typical tapered diamond cups. I've seen his spheres at many shows so as they say, the proof is in the pudding.
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