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Post by HankRocks on Sept 8, 2018 9:28:35 GMT -5
This thread is really handy, and thank you, miket , for posting the question. I'm really curious about this, too -- but money is tight for any supply these days, and, naturally, the classes offered by the local(ish) place are filled up for this year on proper cabbing. (And of course their one added class they just emailed about was when I'm going to be in Florida. Right? Pfft.) They have open shop days for after you take the classes, but that's a bit of a hike and still would be roughly a year before I could start experimenting. I'm a big chicken about cutting myself, since I am art project accident prone. (I'm that person who almost lost a finger to yarn, people, I'm so not kidding!) Things like 'get a saw' would be my next step, but I'm leery of tile saws since I've heard they run differently than the actual lapidary saws, which will graze, while the tile saws are more prone to cutting you, for instance -- speed difference or something? So there's a pile-o-cash of difference there because I'm a giant chicken, even if there are reasons for it! That said, I'm keeping an eye on this, since this looks like making preforms might not be a bad place to start in the year or so before I can look at taking a proper class somewhere. I would suggest a small tile saw, 7" blade. You can get a decent one new for less than $100. Diamond Blades are relatively safe as they require friction to work so they generally cannot cut skin, fingernails are another matter. That and I would not press my finger against a running blade asthey can burn. Safety Glasses are strongly recommended. I also use ear protection. They are messy with water and I would not use it inside. Use mine just outside the garage and throw down an old tablecloth to catch slurry and rock chips(see Safety Glasses) I am hoping to begin doing some Cab's in the future. Good luck |
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surreality
starting to spend too much on rocks
is picking up too many rocks at the beach again
Member since January 2012
Posts: 217
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Post by surreality on Sept 8, 2018 9:31:21 GMT -5
Tile saw, trim saw- either one are pretty safe. It's actually kinda difficult to slice your finger off. You can touch the blade while it's running. I started with a skilsaw tilesaw for under 100 and got a dewalt porcelain blade for it. It does 90% of my cutting. Never been cut yet. This is really helpful to know. I get all the side-eye when I meander through that section of Lowe's.  Once you accumulate yarn injuries, welp, even when we picked up the recent dremel I use, there was a worried glance between my husband and my mother as he quietly insisted that our insurance was up to date. Most of the stuff I have is small, anyway, and I'd really like to see what's inside some of it, dangit! The local Home Depot even has a fellow rock addict who was talking to me about the one he uses, which made them extra nervous. It was a small and inexpensive one, though, too, so I might have to meander back there after our show in November to pick his brain about it again. I swear I was just there to buy tile! But we started chatting about the rock tile and... well, y'all know how that conversation went, I'm sure! He cuts small pieces and his wife makes mosaics from them or incorporates them in stained glass, which I thought was pretty dang cool.  |
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Post by fernwood on Sept 8, 2018 9:36:59 GMT -5
I use a Dremel to shape the edges of pre-forms prior to tumbling. Then start in medium grit. Use polished pea gravel in this stage. Plastic filler in pre-polish and polish. I have a dremel but I don't have a flex shaft. Would dipping the rock in water frequently be enough? I do not have a flex either. Set up a water drip system using aquarium supplies. Works great. Also use a vice to hold the Dremel. Kind of my hillbilly cabbing machine for now. Found that frequent dipping in water was not enough. I also use safety glasses and a mask when using this set up. One can never be to careful. |
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Post by stardiamond on Sept 8, 2018 10:41:45 GMT -5
The guy I bought my stardiamond machine from had some unusual methods. Used a wet sponge for his trim saw and a spray bottle for his Nova wheel. I used a spray bottle when I polished with tin oxide and when I use a lap on the end of my genie.
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Post by miket on Sept 8, 2018 17:38:46 GMT -5
I have a dremel but I don't have a flex shaft. Would dipping the rock in water frequently be enough? I do not have a flex either. Set up a water drip system using aquarium supplies. Works great. Also use a vice to hold the Dremel. Kind of my hillbilly cabbing machine for now. Found that frequent dipping in water was not enough. I also use safety glasses and a mask when using this set up. One can never be to careful. Sounds perfect. Hillbilly methods fit right in around here, nothing wrong with that! Thanks |
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Post by grumpybill on Sept 8, 2018 17:49:13 GMT -5
surrealityCheck out tool rental places for a tile saw. You might be able to get a good, well maintained used saw for low dollars. Blades with a continuous rim are very safe. The same isn't always true of segmented blades. The gaps between the segments can rip you up.
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Post by grumpybill on Sept 8, 2018 18:11:16 GMT -5
miketI do something in-between preforms and cabs. After I've cut the shape with the tile saw, I use the side of the blade to bevel the edges of the face. Similar to what a faceter would call an "emerald cut", only further onto the face. Then I use a small diamond wheel on a flex tool to touch things up a bit. A single cycle of course in a rotary usually is all it takes to round things off before I move the pendants into a Lot-O for the next stages. As has already been mentioned, use lots of small stuff to keep the flats from sticking together. Keeping the slurry a bit on the thin side helps, too...at least in a vibe...don't know about a rotary.
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Once you accumulate yarn injuries, welp, even when we picked up the recent dremel I use, there was a worried glance between my husband and my mother as he quietly insisted that our insurance was up to date. Most of the stuff I have is small, anyway, and I'd really like to see what's inside some of it, dangit!
