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Post by Rockindad on Apr 29, 2019 19:03:31 GMT -5
These are most of the "pendants" my son A.J. has been working on for a while now. He is planning on selling them at an Arts & Crafts Fair put on by his school in a couple of weeks. This is our first attempt at doing something like this and I've got to say it is damn fun! He has done most of the work (cutting, grinding, tumbling, drilling) with heavy safety supervision by me. I would jump in if I felt things were just too dangerous (fingers getting too close to the grinder, etc.). These were done "Caveman" style and not meant to be on par with the works of art we see here daily, but it has been a great learning experience. You've got to start somewhere and he is already talking about the next batch. There is nothing like doing something yourself to get a lot of "Aha, that's what they were talking about" moments. How these were done: -Slabs marked and rough cut on tile saw -Rough grind on tile saw blade -Used bench grinder with heavy duty dust collection to shape, round edges and "dome" most -Vibratory tumbler for sanding and polishing -Drilling- just started this He has also started to make some simple wire wrap bails for the pendants as he is going to provide a cord necklace with each pendant. A sincere thanks for all of the help, knowledge and inspiration we have received here. Al   Some personal favorites:  |
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 29, 2019 19:20:32 GMT -5
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Post by vegasjames on Apr 29, 2019 19:31:13 GMT -5
They came out really nice. Hope you do great at the sale.
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Apr 29, 2019 19:55:52 GMT -5
I agree, lots of nice pieces!
But the icing on the cake is spending time together. Making memories is priceless!
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romo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2018
Posts: 104
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Post by romo on Apr 29, 2019 20:01:32 GMT -5
Those are fantastic! Wishing him great success!
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 29, 2019 20:23:16 GMT -5
Good job Dad! And what a great job your son did. I'd say you make a fine team.  I hope he does well at the crafts fair. How old is he? He is probably going to impress some girls.  |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 29, 2019 20:31:13 GMT -5
Wow, great job on those cabs! I'm impressed. Hope your son sells lots of those pretties to pretty girls.  |
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Post by MsAli on Apr 29, 2019 20:31:22 GMT -5
Really great job! Wish him lots of sales!
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Post by stephan on Apr 29, 2019 20:32:10 GMT -5
Nice work. Your son seems to be a natural, and better at symmetrical cabs than I am.  I'm glad you were able to enjoy this time together. It takes me back.... I still have all the gifts my son gave me. Dry grinding concerns me as well. Hopefully, your dust collection system is sufficient and/or you were wearing a mask. The other concern is that the stones heat up quickly, and can get quite uncomfortable to handle. A less than tight grip can lead to launched stones. Also, on a more practical bent... agates, jaspers and the like are prone to cracking or shattering if they get too hot. |
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on Apr 29, 2019 20:42:25 GMT -5
Really nicely done
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 29, 2019 20:45:24 GMT -5
Good job Dad! And what a great job your son did. I'd say you make a fine team. I hope he does well at the crafts fair. How old is he? He is probably going to impress some girls. A.J. is 10 and gets bashful around the ladies, I'm sure he'll get over it soon enough  Al |
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 29, 2019 20:48:27 GMT -5
Wow, great job on those cabs! I'm impressed. Hope your son sells lots of those pretties to pretty girls. I told him that he could always give some to some cuties free of charge, he said he would rather make the sale! We'll have to see how long that lasts Al |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 29, 2019 20:55:34 GMT -5
Wow, great job on those cabs! I'm impressed. Hope your son sells lots of those pretties to pretty girls. I told him that he could always give some to some cuties free of charge, he said he would rather make the sale! We'll have to see how long that lasts Al Give him another year or two. It'll start sooner than you want it to. |
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 29, 2019 21:24:00 GMT -5
stardiamond & stephanThanks for mentioning the dry grinding, I knew there was something else I wanted to mention but couldn't remember what it was. While I feel 100% confident in the safety of our setup (I wouldn't let me son near it if I didn't) I am not necessarily recommending anyone else do it this way. Firstly, our equipment is more "industrial" than a lot of people probably have. We have my dust collector from my woodworking shop (this can handle many pieces of machinery running concurrently) hooked up to the grinder which has integrated dust chutes. The grinder itself is variable speed so that it can be dialed in perfectly in tune with the dust collector to eliminate any dust. The variable speed also helps a lot with any heat buildup in the stones. Lastly, we were continuously dipping them in water to get a better look at them and check progress. The other advantage I have is 26 years in the HVAC industry specializing in air distribution and quality control (clean rooms, etc.) Air quality is literally my business. All that being said, if A.J. sticks with this, and it looks like he will, we will be looking at a dedicated cabbing machine in one form or another as we would like to be able to do it in our basement shop year round. Gets mighty cold out there during the winter! Really though, thanks for bringing this up. I feel better having this addressed for future readers of this thread. Al
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 29, 2019 21:48:15 GMT -5
I told him that he could always give some to some cuties free of charge, he said he would rather make the sale! We'll have to see how long that lasts Al Give him another year or two. It'll start sooner than you want it to. I am afraid you are quite right. Al |
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Post by fernwood on Apr 29, 2019 22:16:49 GMT -5
Nice work. Hope your son sells lots of them.
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 30, 2019 7:14:20 GMT -5
I agree, lots of nice pieces! But the icing on the cake is spending time together. Making memories is priceless! Yep, doing this together has been great and certainly as much fun for me as for him. With all of the different avenues to take in this hobby I look forward to many years of this. Al |
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721 
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Post by julieooly on Apr 30, 2019 9:15:14 GMT -5
I didn't see pics of your set up but is there any way you can create a simple drip (container with small hole) onto a the stone and a collection tray (tupperware) underneath? It can be super basic, gravity does all the work.
Agreed on the quality time with your son. One of the reasons I started lapidary was because I hope I can teach it all to my girls or their kids someday.
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Post by miket on Apr 30, 2019 9:48:52 GMT -5
Wow, those are great! You guys are already way ahead of me...
Nice job.
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Post by Rockindad on Apr 30, 2019 12:54:30 GMT -5
I didn't see pics of your set up but is there any way you can create a simple drip (container with small hole) onto a the stone and a collection tray (tupperware) underneath? It can be super basic, gravity does all the work. Agreed on the quality time with your son. One of the reasons I started lapidary was because I hope I can teach it all to my girls or their kids someday. Was going to do this but the dust collector was so effective it was not necessary. Al |
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I hope he does well at the crafts fair. How old is he? He is probably going to impress some girls. 
