pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on Nov 13, 2012 6:00:51 GMT -5
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Nov 13, 2012 8:44:00 GMT -5
Beautiful slabs there ppork. I'll bet you shine them up just fine. Good luck :-) Steve
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The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Nov 13, 2012 10:16:41 GMT -5
Really good looking Pet you got there ... i'm going to enoy seeing how it shines up.
How big are the slabs??
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cabjunky
has rocks in the head
Regency Rose Plume
Member since November 2008
Posts: 683
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Post by cabjunky on Nov 13, 2012 11:08:31 GMT -5
Nice colorful pieces of petrified wood, they should take a high polish when you lap them.
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pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on Nov 13, 2012 16:14:45 GMT -5
Thanks they are about 4 to 6 inches
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Post by gr on Nov 13, 2012 18:26:41 GMT -5
I like those pieces Bill. Good lookin wood. Done any homework on vibe lapping? I'm not necessarily the one to ask about flat lapping but, post ?'s if ya need to. would like to see you come out on top with these
gary
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Minnesota Daniel
freely admits to licking rocks
A COUPLE LAKERS
Member since August 2011
Posts: 891
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Nov 13, 2012 20:06:24 GMT -5
Wow! Can't wait to see the results.
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Post by jakesrocks on Nov 14, 2012 1:15:51 GMT -5
Beautiful wood Pork. If you haven't already done so, grind a very slight bevel all around the outer edge of your pieces before you start lapping. This allows the grit to get under the slab. Without the bevel the sharp edge of the slab will push the grit away. Start with 220 grit. Course grit is too aggressive for lapping work.
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pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on Nov 14, 2012 15:27:57 GMT -5
Thanks Don for the tip on the bevel, I imagine that will also prevent chipping I had started with 220, but I am gonna do a bunch of faces before I change my grit size
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Post by beefjello on Nov 14, 2012 19:33:11 GMT -5
Nice colorful stuff Bill! Is that Chinchilla wood? Hope your vibrolapping goes well and you post progress and results. I have one I bought about a year ago and still haven't tried yet
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pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on Nov 14, 2012 20:33:03 GMT -5
Yeh Beef with the red in it I'd say its chinchilla, though I didn't collect myself to fully know
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,314
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Post by mossyrockhound on Nov 14, 2012 20:39:47 GMT -5
I really like the look of those pieces. They should turn out fantastic. My few attempts at using a vibe lap resulted in my polishing compound going all over the place. I put a cardboard box over it, then it got really hot in the box because fresh air couldn't cool the motor. If you have a light weight cover that just covered the tray that would probably work better than the box & also keep the polishing compound where it belongs. Good luck.
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hubrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2011
Posts: 1,563
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Post by hubrocks on Nov 14, 2012 21:23:25 GMT -5
That is really good looking wood, great patterns in it!!........................Hub
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rykk
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 428
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Post by rykk on Nov 17, 2012 2:00:54 GMT -5
You might want to seal the edges of the slabs, especially in any wimpy/soft looking areas. I've done a ton of vibe lapping with my Lortone "jiggle pan" and the worst thing is when you get these corkscrew like scratches that I call "squirrelies". I used to go with the old saw about "contamination" somehow getting into the pan but almost 2 years of using mine nearly every day has shown that the bits of rock that cause these scratches are 99.9999% of the time self inflicted scratches from bits of a rock or slab rattling or chipping off and getting trapped under the rock. The scratches stop when the bit gets pulverized by the weighted slab. You gotta be careful to keep the epoxy sealer/glue from getting onto the face of the slab because, though CA epoxy isn't hard enough to scratch a rock, it can form a little ball that a lot of grit bits stick to and form its own "rock" that way. Same happens with balls of rubber that rub off of the bumper ring and with globs of duct tape glue that get into the pan. If you have spots on the face of a slab you want to seal, make very sure to sand off the excess leaving only the epoxy that is in the crack or soft area. If you don't, the grit will undercut the layer of glue and lift the whole deal out of the crack... and probably roll around under the slab until it collects enough grit to be a rock.
Pet wood is usually ok unless it's got a lot of druse holes or matrix around the edges. The absolute worst rock for jiggling I've seen, hands down is Montana agate. When it is faced or slabbed, a billion tiny cracks form all around the edges and you sometimes can't go 2 hours b4 a tiny bit breaks off and dances a screwy jig for an inch or two under the slab. Bevelling doesn't really help that problem because it just moves the edge higher. It's still a cracky edge. A good epoxy around the edges helps a lot.
An earlier poster said that bevelling (really only need just a little at 45 degrees - maybe 1/16" to allow for the slab grinding down flat) helps the grit get under the slab. Good advice. Another really important thing it does is it saves you from wearing out a polishing pad after only 2 or 3 uses. Sharp edged rocks with the usual pound or two of weight on them will actually act like a razor and "shave" the pad down in no time. You can tell by the amount of little short "hairs" you start to see in the polish slurry and especially by the big clumps of it that collect behind the bumper ring if your slabs are practicing to be "lawn mowers" when they get done - lol C-ya and good luck, Rick
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Post by Tonyterner on Nov 21, 2012 20:30:34 GMT -5
That's some really cool wood.
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