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Post by talkingstones on May 19, 2013 5:39:37 GMT -5
I'm getting a load ready for the vibe and want to drill some of the pieces for using jump rings. As I do mainly wire wrapping and grooving and have never drilled rocks, I'd like to know if I should drill before I vibe or wait till after.
Thanks,
Cathy
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foogy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2012
Posts: 26
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Post by foogy on May 19, 2013 7:37:31 GMT -5
Like you I'm new to the drilling od stones but have tried it with a couple of batches and to my cost I've come to the conclusion that its best not to drill before you start tumbling them unless you drll well away from the edge of the stone as when the stones reduce in size a bit you risk the stones breaking or wearing away at the edge of the hole, so i've tried drilling them near the end of the second stage which seems to work out ok as they arent getting the same amount of battering through the whole polishing process. I'm sure others on here will give you some better advice but thats just what works for me.
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Post by talkingstones on May 19, 2013 7:47:23 GMT -5
That's what I was wondering about. Going to give it a try right before pre polish I think.
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Post by Bikerrandy on May 19, 2013 11:58:10 GMT -5
Cathy, I can honestly wire wrap a pendant faster than I can drill one, and I never break the tip of the pendant off when wrapping!!
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foogy
starting to shine!
Member since October 2012
Posts: 26
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Post by foogy on May 19, 2013 13:39:42 GMT -5
I dont have any probs drilling stones! I use a 3mm diamond coring bit which goes through most rocks I've tried fairly easy as long as you use water to keep it cool as you drill
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blackout5783
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 248
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Post by blackout5783 on May 19, 2013 13:41:11 GMT -5
I've recently gotten quite a bit better at drilling, but I couldn't do it without a drill press. I picked up the mini one from Rio Grande. Drilling has to be done underwater or the bit is fried in approximately 0.3 seconds. That may be an exaggeration.
Mark your hole location on the finished stone (not too close to the edge) with a sharpie. I prefer the metallics because they show up on just about any stone. Start the hole with a ball shaped burr. The wire drills can jump around on the face of the stone and ruin the shine unless there's a pilot hole started. After the hole is started (just a dimple is fine) switch to the correct size wire drill for your needs. A word of warning, if you're planning on using a jump ring through the hole, you will need to drill a significantly larger hole than the gauge of the wire to account for the curvature of the jump ring.
It seems as if the rpm indicated for the wire drills is too high (at least for me). I run it at about 5000 rpm, but many say that they need to be run at twice that or more. I've found that just torches the bit faster. Drill without too much pressure and with an up and down motion (drill 2 seconds, up 1 or 2 seconds to cool the bit and clear the junk out of the hole).
In my many attempts I haven't been able to drill straight through without blowing out the back of the stone leaving ugly chips. I recently started adjusting the depth of the drill press to stop a couple millimeters BEFORE going all the way through the stone. I then dry the stone and flip it over so the back (undrilled) side is facing me and place it over a strong light. The backlighting will allow you to see the location of the hole. You can then mark it on this side and drill to meet the hole you started from the front. No chipping or blowout!
It sounds like a complicated procedure, but I can drill a piece of agate up to 1/4 in thick in less than 10 min this way. More if they're thinner or softer stone.
Good luck!
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Post by Bikerrandy on May 20, 2013 20:12:53 GMT -5
When all else fails, refer to wire wrapping tutorial ;D
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Post by talkingstones on May 20, 2013 20:37:07 GMT -5
ROTFLOL!!!!!!!! You are SERIOUSLY naughtie, Randy!!!!! Some of them will be drilled.... if for no other reason than to see if the danged thing works! LOL! blackout, thanks and I will be giving it a try!
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Jasper-hound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 208
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Post by Jasper-hound on May 25, 2013 12:54:26 GMT -5
Drllled pendants are a totally different look from wraps. I have had success with making these beads and wear a different one each day, it seems.
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Jasper-hound
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 208
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Post by Jasper-hound on May 25, 2013 12:56:20 GMT -5
I should say that I drill prior to vibbing. I also grind down and taper the back whenever it chips out. The sterling silver wire is soldered and then polished. Voila, ready to wear.
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jrtrio
has rocks in the head
With10 tumblers tumbling the sound is so delicious!Send me more of those little red fellas, please?
Member since February 2006
Posts: 535
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Post by jrtrio on May 28, 2013 15:52:57 GMT -5
I learned after many failures that drilling under water is the best way to drill. And it's mainly to save your rocks from fracturing when they get too hot. Drill bits can survive the heat if you use a syringe to spray water as you drill but the rock will still over heat and break. A lapidarist near me said you need to drill under water. So, I got some of those Glad disposable trays that are 3" deep and big enough to hold the ceramic tiles I glue my stones to. They pop off the tiles with a little coaxing and the little bits of epoxy will also chip off the same way, with just a little coaxing. I drove myself nuts trying to drill and spray water while drilling only to see the rock break while drilling or when I tried to coax them off the tile. I also use my Dreml with it's drill press. Makes life so much easier.
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