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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 4, 2016 18:21:17 GMT -5
I'm super frustrated right now. I bought my wife a Pandora bracelet for her birthday in June. I made her ten beads out of a local black fossil and Kona dolomite. They were both soft, so I finished them by hand. Now I'm trying to make more beads out of a really nice unakite and red jasper. I shaped them and then threw the in the Lot-O. The problem is that small ceramics keep getting wedged in the holes. I drilled a hole in a board and have been pounding them out with a finish nail and hammer. I just chipped five of the twelve beads that just came out of 500 grit. They're not completely destroyed, but I'll have to reshape them and then start them over in 220 grit again. Chances are I'll chip them again. There's also I'll chip the others that have survived so far because I need to put them through two more tumbling stages.
So, is there some way to avoid the holes getting filled with small ceramics? I could just use large ceramics, but I'm not sure what effect that will have on the tumbling operation. I have also thought about filling the holes with wax, but I'm not sure how to get wax in the holes. I'm not sure if putting it in hot water will completely remove the wax. I need to glue silver grommets in, so I can't have wax residue left behind. I also thought about hot glue. Any ideas?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 4, 2016 19:21:07 GMT -5
Wax melts below the boiling point if water.
And floats on water.
It will work!
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agatemaggot
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2006
Posts: 2,195
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Post by agatemaggot on Dec 4, 2016 19:26:04 GMT -5
Try super gluing a metal wire in there, it can be removed by heating the wire with a small torch. Try one that is chipped and see how it works out,hold hot wire with a pliers and strip off bead between the tines of an old fork ! Copper wire would probably work the best because the heat will transfer up the wire much faster.
Leave about a half inch stick out one end.
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Dec 4, 2016 19:33:44 GMT -5
Rob, I probably am using a bit larger ceramic media and so I don't get too many plugs in my beads. But when I do, I have been successful in: 1) first I try to gently coax them out with a metal bodkin. if not successful then I 2)try to drill them with a smaller drill than the real hole. Usually with just a little drilling on the plug it pops loose. If the plug is fully inside the hole then I just wait until all polishing is done before I take them out as they don't hurt. The other option is to drill at the end of the bead making process, but this has it's own risks/problems and you have to hand polish the edges. I think some bigger media is he best bet though for you. Hope this helps, Mark
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,562
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Post by jamesp on Dec 4, 2016 20:08:41 GMT -5
Could you cut some tiny plugs out of a rubber band with a razor and push them in the hole at each end with a dull needle ? Cut them off so they protrude a bit.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 4, 2016 22:05:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the ideas. I'm going to start with using just large ceramics since it's the simplest. I have some new ceramics breaking in right now. If that fails, then I'll try some of the other ideas. Thanks again everyone.
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Post by captbob on Dec 4, 2016 22:20:28 GMT -5
The hole on a Pandora style "bead" is much larger than what most are probably thinking. How about putting something like a pipe cleaner through the hole and twisting it like a bread tie to stay in place. Or even a wire (zip) tie. Lots of options with a hole that big that I wouldn't think would affect the tumbling process.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Dec 4, 2016 22:36:58 GMT -5
Good thinking captbob. I like the zip tie idea. I think some ceramics will still wedge in the hole but pulling the zip tie out should dislodge them Some pipe cleaners have a metal center and I would avoid anything with metal. Hole diameter is probably 5mm or 3/16. Good luck Rob. Sorry to hear about the chipping, especially on a gift for your wife. Chuck
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 4, 2016 22:38:29 GMT -5
Good thinking captbob. I like the zip tie idea. I think some ceramics will still wedge in the hole but pulling the zip tie out should dislodge them Some pipe cleaners have a metal center and I would avoid anything with metal. Hole diameter is probably 5mm or 3/16. Good luck Rob. Sorry to hear about the chipping, especially on a gift for your wife. Chuck I already have them reground and ready to go again. I just needed to find a new method before I ground them away to nothing.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Dec 4, 2016 22:45:48 GMT -5
I have only made them in pudding stone and petoskey stone and neither of those tumble great so I have always had to cab them on the genie. How did you do your rosary beads? Maybe those holes were just small enough to not be an issue.
Chuck
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 5, 2016 6:33:32 GMT -5
I have never figured out how to make rosary beads. I haven't tried too hard. I think a bead mill would be the way to go, but the beads still might be a bit large. The closest I have done would be the pudding stone beads I've made for the Wilbergs. Those have one mm holes, so the ceramics aren't a problem at all.
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huskeric
spending too much on rocks
Member since May 2016
Posts: 353
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Post by huskeric on Dec 8, 2016 22:45:25 GMT -5
Toothpicks. Like the stripped screw hole trick. Jam two of them in so that the wedge together and snap them off with just enough wood to grab with needle-nose pliers when you're through.
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
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Post by quartz on Dec 8, 2016 23:39:29 GMT -5
I've had good luck filling druzy filled holes in geodes with bar soap scraped into pieces with a cheese grater. Easy to wash out too.
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Post by captbob on Dec 8, 2016 23:44:38 GMT -5
The hole on a Pandora style "bead" is much larger than what most are probably thinking. Like stick a 22 bullet in the hole big.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 9, 2016 11:52:35 GMT -5
I've got them tumbling in just large ceramics right now. It was a fun activity separating the large ones from the small. I'll let everyone know how it works. I have lots of ideas from you guys if it doesn't work!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 15, 2016 15:32:08 GMT -5
The beads turned out well using just large ceramics. I did not end up filling the hole.
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