mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 7, 2012 15:00:52 GMT -5
I get good results from my 20" vibrating lap, which is used only for final polish. I use green dop wax to hold flat pieces of lead to the thin (less than 3/4") slabs, then use a heat gun to remove the weight and wax after polish.
But this is somewhat time consuming considering the number of slabs I have to polish. I have tried sticking the piece in the freezer ("And it'll pop right off!")- right. I think that is an old wives tale.
The lap I use seems somewhat "agressive"- I have found nothing but this wax will hold the weight on for a 12 hour run. Any ideas? Has anyone tried candle wax instead of the dop stuff?
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Post by sheltie on Oct 7, 2012 16:17:13 GMT -5
We use double sided tape and it works very nicely.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Oct 7, 2012 16:28:12 GMT -5
I think that candle wax would be extremely weak.
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 7, 2012 16:46:59 GMT -5
sheltie, what brand and size tape do you use?
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Post by kap on Oct 7, 2012 17:15:04 GMT -5
I used molding putty(clay) and it worked fine never had a problem coming of.
Keith
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428 
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Post by rykk on Oct 8, 2012 0:27:19 GMT -5
I just use good ol' duct tape for everything on my 20". The tape stays on all the way from 120 to 220 to 600 grit and then I replace it b4 putting them in the polish pan so as not to contaminate it. The main trick is to wrap the edges 2 or 3 times around and then lay down strips of tape on the top of the slab and then wrap a strip around your weight b4 sticking it down. This gives the doubled up duct tape or double sided tape a very good surface on both sides to stick to.Duct tape loves to stick top itself. Then a couple of straps side-to-side across the top down to the slab, followed by a strip around the edge of the slab spanning the gap between the weight and the rock. Covering the gaps is really important as it keeps water off of the areas where the tape is bonding to. And it also saves you a heckuva lot of grit or polish since they splash up and collect in any gaps. You can lose a good 2 tablespoons of grit in a full pan if you don't close the gaps. On big slabs, I actually double the tape over lengthwise and make a wall around the edge of the slab to keep most of the grit or polish from collecting on the tops of the slabs. Makes 'em look like boats spinning around in the pan - lol. Here be pix:  TOP - Actually, it would be better to also put a half strip across the top to close it up and keep water out. I'll do that b4 it goes into the pan. This one doesn't have a wrap around the weight since it is all gummy on the bottom from the piece that was on it for a good while before it started to fray from pulling the other tape off and I just yanked it off the weight. That's a 1.5lb lead ingot riding on a thin piece of veneer wood to spread out the weight on top of the slab. I've got 2 and 3+ pounders, too, but this slab is only like 1/8" thick and the big weights I use on big "slabzillas" or on the polish phase of 1/4" or more thick slabs.  Bottom - (a Bruneau I call "God Emperor of Dune") You can see the multiple wraps around the edge of the slab. I usually fold over a thin bit along the edge after the first orbit around the slab so as to double the thickness. On thick slabs or nodules, you can wrap a wide rubber band around the edge to give more cushion and then cover it with tape to keep it from moving. Can be a bit time consuming at first but you get really fast at it soon enough. C-ya, Rick |
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Post by sheltie on Oct 8, 2012 8:16:37 GMT -5
sheltie, what brand and size tape do you use? It's double sided duct tape, about 1 1/2" wide and is blue. I imagine that it comes in several colors but that's what we have now. We got it a WalMart. |
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mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by mikeinsjc on Oct 8, 2012 19:26:23 GMT -5
rykk, that looks like way more work than the system I use now!
I have to find something quick, because of the volume of slabs I have to polish.
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428
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Post by rykk on Oct 13, 2012 0:15:52 GMT -5
Yeah, it can be tedious but the weights almost never come off and you can use the same weight/tape for all the grind and pre-polish phases. Though, for 1000/1200 grit you do have to make sure to really spray them off good around the edges of the tape. You do get really fast at it with repetition. I haven't found a better way to do it, especially when it comes to being able to save grit or polish and keeping the stuff off of the rinds of nodules. You just spray the medium off the slick sides of the tape and back into the pan.
Wish I could figure something easier, though. I've thought of sectioning the pan off into compartments with something strong but soft, but that seems like it would drastically reduce the number of rocks you could do at once and also constrict their movement too much.
Rick
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