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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 11, 2017 9:39:51 GMT -5
Yesterday I finished polishing a large piece of Kona dolomite with my wet grinder. I picked this rock up at the quarry in Marquette, MI several years ago. It's way too big for my saw, but I've always liked it because it shows how much variety there is in this material. It's a rock that I tend to pull out if someone visits my shop who hasn't heard of Kona dolomite, but I always have to squirt it with water to show the colors. Being soft, I thought it would be a good candidate for polishing with my new grinder. Here are some before pictures. Dry  Wet  After Polishing:  |
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Post by wigglinrocks on Aug 11, 2017 11:14:10 GMT -5
Wow , that shined up a lot better than I ever heard it would . Have a few chunks that will be heading to the saw .
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Post by manofglass on Aug 11, 2017 11:36:48 GMT -5
Wigglinrocks don't you have firewood to
Cut work first play latter
Walt
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Post by fernwood on Aug 11, 2017 11:49:51 GMT -5
VEry nice material and polish.
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Post by aDave on Aug 11, 2017 12:43:44 GMT -5
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Aug 12, 2017 6:39:18 GMT -5
That is a great job Rob. Flat surfaces are easy with those hand polishers, not easy to catch all the contours like that.
was you wrist worn out ? were you soaked ? Not a Michigan winter project ?
the rubber hose makes those grinders a bit awkward. Or did you remove the center feed hose and spray water on the rock ?
They do have rechargeable angle grinders with no wire connected for ease of moving the grinder. no wire and no hose would make the job easier.
With the low voltage you could apply heavy mist, but those pads need lots of water, preferably fed from the center of the pad.
that Kona is fine looking, got a piece you sent me. Beautiful stone.
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Post by orrum on Aug 12, 2017 6:52:40 GMT -5
Rob you have the touch! Great job!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 12, 2017 6:53:24 GMT -5
I was going to hook up a small diameter plastic hose, but the fitting on the grinder was metric, so I couldn't find a replacement. The guy at the hardware store suggested one of those flat, cloth hoses instead. I haven't found it a problem, but draining and coiling the hose is a pain, it kinks easily. I didn't do the rock all in one day, so it want that bad. I was soaked, and no, it's not a cold weather toy.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Aug 12, 2017 7:14:53 GMT -5
It's actually a story of sacrifice. That poor rock has lived it's life being dragged out of it's warm confines and rudely sprayed with water at random intervals. Rob steps up, takes a couple near drownings for the sake of his beloved rock and the dear dolomite never has to be wet again. Congrats on that project, Jugglerguy! That's a cool piece, thanks for sharing. |
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 12, 2017 7:19:14 GMT -5
It's actually a story of sacrifice. That poor rock has lived it's life being dragged out of it's warm confines and rudely sprayed with water at random intervals. Rob steps up, takes a couple near drownings for the sake of his beloved rock and the dear dolomite never has to be wet again. Congrats on that project, Jugglerguy! That's a cool piece, thanks for sharing. Huh, I really hadn't thought of myself as a hero, but you're right, I am! |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Aug 12, 2017 8:55:33 GMT -5
I was going to hook up a small diameter plastic hose, but the fitting on the grinder was metric, so I couldn't find a replacement. The guy at the hardware store suggested one of those flat, cloth hoses instead. I haven't found it a problem, but draining and coiling the hose is a pain, it kinks easily. I didn't do the rock all in one day, so it want that bad. I was soaked, and no, it's not a cold weather toy. Interesting that you have focused on the hose. Yes, fitting conversion a pain. I got frustrated handling the angle grinder and mounted 100-200-400-800-1500-3000 pads on faceplates on cheap Walmart bench grinders for the very reason of man handling the angle grinder. But they have no flexibility and scratch curved surfaces. But holding a flat rock to the fixed diamond pads works great for polishing flat surfaces. |
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 12, 2017 9:03:41 GMT -5
I was going to hook up a small diameter plastic hose, but the fitting on the grinder was metric, so I couldn't find a replacement. The guy at the hardware store suggested one of those flat, cloth hoses instead. I haven't found it a problem, but draining and coiling the hose is a pain, it kinks easily. I didn't do the rock all in one day, so it want that bad. I was soaked, and no, it's not a cold weather toy. Interesting that you have focused on the hose. Yes, fitting conversion a pain. I got frustrated handling the angle grinder and mounted 100-200-400-800-1500-3000 pads on faceplates on cheap Walmart bench grinders for the very reason of man handling the angle grinder. But they have no flexibility and scratch curved surfaces. But holding a flat rock to the fixed diamond pads works great for polishing flat surfaces. I read up on the grinder before buying it and in some comments people suggested changing the hose to something more flexible. Many used hose clamps, but I didn't like the messy look. I saw one person who seemed to do it right, but the directions he gave didn't work. He suggested sizes that were not metric, so I don't know how that could have worked for him. My hose really isn't a problem at all. I'd much rather hold the grinder than hold the rocks I've been working with. Rocks are heavy! I really like my setup, it's just time consuming. I wear in ear headphones and listen to podcasts. Ear protection with entertainment. |
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Post by wigglinrocks on Aug 12, 2017 9:10:13 GMT -5
Roughly how big is that rock ?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 12, 2017 9:45:01 GMT -5
Roughly how big is that rock ? 17 inches.  Or the size of a very heavy baby.  |
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Post by wigglinrocks on Aug 12, 2017 9:59:34 GMT -5
Roughly how big is that rock ? 17 inches. Or the size of a very heavy baby. That really is a beautiful specimen . Makes the pieces we have look like pebbles . I like the different colors , especially the black streaks running through it . The ones we have are nice looking but just varying shades of pink . Wanna trade ?  |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Aug 12, 2017 10:07:24 GMT -5
Fine looking rock....however the beholder...
Rock is way way bigger than I imagined. So holding grinder makes perfect sense.
Matter of fact, was stunned at size of rock. And wow.
Hose a non-issue with rocks that size.
Liking the pod cast ear protection, high tech Rob at it again.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 12, 2017 10:34:50 GMT -5
Fine looking rock....however the beholder... Rock is way way bigger than I imagined. So holding grinder makes perfect sense. Matter of fact, was stunned at size of rock. And wow. Hose a non-issue with rocks that size. Liking the pod cast ear protection, high tech Rob at it again. So you're saying that I didn't enhance it with my rugged good looks? |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Aug 12, 2017 12:13:30 GMT -5
Fine looking rock....however the beholder... Rock is way way bigger than I imagined. So holding grinder makes perfect sense. Matter of fact, was stunned at size of rock. And wow. Hose a non-issue with rocks that size. Liking the pod cast ear protection, high tech Rob at it again. So you're saying that I didn't enhance it with my rugged good looks? Two paragraphs of tiny pixel sized words including photos: |
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