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Post by Starguy on Jan 23, 2014 20:55:45 GMT -5
Check these things out. www.gemworld.com/SpoolPolisher.aspI've been using one of the older models with a hard rock maple wheel instead of the phenolic resin. I've heard the newer models work good but wanted a non commercial opinion. My boss wants to get a good polishing system. My wood model works great. It doesn't use much diamond grit and provides an excellent polish from 325 grit to 50,000 grit. It works exceptionally well for small cabs and does an acceptable job on cabs up to silver dollar or 30x40 size. If you haven't used one of these, you should look into it, particularly if you polish smaller size cabs. I would be really interested to hear other peoples experiences with this polishing system. Some things that seem important are ease of use, quality of polish, problems with the system and how much success you've had with larger cabs. Techniques for getting a high quality polish on larger cabs would be great too. Mine has worked exceptionally. The only thing I've had to do was replace the belt/O-ring 1 time. I think using diamond extender is the key to minimizing grit use. If you have any questions about using them, feel free to ask. Thanks in advance for your response. Brent |
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Post by radio on Jan 23, 2014 21:17:12 GMT -5
I have considered one several times but just haven't pulled the trigger yet. I do a fair amount of smaller cabs and Opal, so it would be great for that
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Post by Starguy on Jan 23, 2014 21:35:25 GMT -5
They work amazing for raw opal, doublets or triplets. I haven't tried the modern phenolic resin spools though. Hopefully somebody will chime in on how they work. My 30+ year old maple spool is getting a little bit rough. I've considered having a carpenter re-profile the spool, but I think they wouldn't be too happy with the diamond damage to their woodworking tools.
Little to no heat on opals or garnets. Very cool polishing system for small to medium sized cabs.
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller 
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,064 
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Post by gemfeller on Jan 23, 2014 22:14:43 GMT -5
I used a similar unit when I was cutting quite a bit of star garnet. I had problems with it spalling on regular wheels but found wooden spools ideal. I haven't cut any since I got my Genie and don't know how they'd work up on Novas. The machine might be a cost-effective solution for people who don't want to pay the price of a Genie or similar. I have no problem cutting opals and other small stones with my Genie.
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Post by DirtCleaner on Jan 23, 2014 23:35:07 GMT -5
Now to convince one of the spool users to post a video of it being used. Go ahead.
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Post by Starguy on Jan 24, 2014 19:28:14 GMT -5
I used a similar unit when I was cutting quite a bit of star garnet. I had problems with it spalling on regular wheels but found wooden spools ideal. I haven't cut any since I got my Genie and don't know how they'd work up on Novas. The machine might be a cost-effective solution for people who don't want to pay the price of a Genie or similar. I have no problem cutting opals and other small stones with my Genie. How do you like your genie? I was thinking about getting a Titan but the cost seems excessive. I might go with the genie instead. |
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Post by radio on Jan 24, 2014 20:49:19 GMT -5
I used a similar unit when I was cutting quite a bit of star garnet. I had problems with it spalling on regular wheels but found wooden spools ideal. I haven't cut any since I got my Genie and don't know how they'd work up on Novas. The machine might be a cost-effective solution for people who don't want to pay the price of a Genie or similar. I have no problem cutting opals and other small stones with my Genie. How do you like your genie? I was thinking about getting a Titan but the cost seems excessive. I might go with the genie instead. If you were looking at the Titan, check out the Cab King 8V. You can get it for about $1,300 less that a Titan and only a couple hundred more than the genie plus you get an extra set of 4 soft wheels for free. I ordered mine in late November and have cut a lot of cabs with it and am very impressed! |
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,064
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Post by gemfeller on Jan 25, 2014 18:21:42 GMT -5
How do you like your genie? I was thinking about getting a Titan but the cost seems excessive. I might go with the genie instead.[/quote] The Genie has been a lapidary "gold standard" for a long time now. It's completely adequate for small-scale production cutting and occupies a much smaller "footprint" than the Titan, which is pretty big. Those 8-inch replacement wheels can leave a hole in your pocketbook too. With a little thought the Genie's wheels can be set up to accommodate cutting cabs or specimens in a variety of sizes and types (and that would probably apply to newer competitors' machines too.) I use slightly different wheel arrangements for opal than for harder gems, for instance, and special Genie spindles are available for carving wheels. That said, I haven't used the CabKing or some of the other challengers to the Genie so can't comment. A very skilled cutter friend is very partial to the Graves CabMate which seems reasonably priced, and there are several other good options as well. It' a big decision -- good luck with it. Rick |
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Post by Pat on Aug 26, 2016 13:56:45 GMT -5
Happy to see this post!
Was just given the spools, but need the motor setup.
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goldslinger
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2019
Posts: 1
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Post by goldslinger on Apr 25, 2019 9:25:33 GMT -5
I also have the hard maple variety wheeled, but I’m new to the hobby and have only canned on a Genie. I’m in need of specific instructions on how to use the wood wheels, such as how to apply the diamond compound to the wheels, when do you reapply it, etc. I’m also new to this forum and just enrolled just to ask this question so I apologize if I haven’t followed the correct protocol!! Thank you all!
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 25, 2019 9:31:37 GMT -5
I also have the hard maple variety wheeled, but I’m new to the hobby and have only canned on a Genie. I’m in need of specific instructions on how to use the wood wheels, such as how to apply the diamond compound to the wheels, when do you reapply it, etc. I’m also new to this forum and just enrolled just to ask this question so I apologize if I haven’t followed the correct protocol!! Thank you all!  to the board from VA. I'm sure someone can help. |
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Post by Starguy on Apr 25, 2019 9:39:05 GMT -5
I also have the hard maple variety wheeled, but I’m new to the hobby and have only canned on a Genie. I’m in need of specific instructions on how to use the wood wheels, such as how to apply the diamond compound to the wheels, when do you reapply it, etc. I’m also new to this forum and just enrolled just to ask this question so I apologize if I haven’t followed the correct protocol!! Thank you all! I apply the diamond paste to the cab then work it into the spool. Once the spool is charged, I start using diamond extender fluid to help spread the diamond paste. The extender fluid is just a food grade mineral oil. When the spool starts getting covered in cuttings I will clean it using a paper towel with a little bit of lighter fluid on it. You shouldn’t need to apply diamond paste too often after the spool is charged. The polisher works well for small cabs. You can do larger cabs on them but it takes longer than my CabKing. I like it for my star garnets because it’s small and mobile. I can set it up in front of the TV. Welcome to the forum. You will find a lot of good advice here. |
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to the board from VA. I'm sure someone can help.
