NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on May 3, 2019 10:12:45 GMT -5
Good day, I have 2 of these Crystalite wheels that came with the cabbing machine I bought. I was looking for help with them.  They go on the end of the machine, and look like they might be for polishing. Right now, I am adding water to them, and using them to polish a rock. I notice that when I have less water on there, that it grips really hard, and it might not be right to use them dry?  There aren't any numbers or model #'s or grit level, or anything with these. They both feel very similar. I don't know if they are glued on to the plastic part, or one assembly? I read about using polishing compounds (like in syringes or tubes), but I don't know if that is required for these? If anyone has experience with them, that would be helpful. Thank you. |
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julieooly
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721 
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Post by julieooly on May 3, 2019 10:58:17 GMT -5
Have you tried contacting the seller? that's your best bet for the first step. Oh and yes, they're called flat laps as opposed to wheels, and there are many types for grinding and polishing.
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Post by stardiamond on May 3, 2019 11:17:42 GMT -5
Those look like laps. I bought a few of them; one more coarse for flattening the bottom of uneven preforms and one for sanding the backs.
I dug out a crystallite cleaned it and looked for a grit stamp on the back and couldn't find one probably because they are a generic backing plate for the attached disc. When I used them on the end of my machine I would hold the cab in one hand and a spray bottle of water in the other.
I got proficient doing the same tasks on a wheel doing a figure 8 and don't sue them anymore.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on May 3, 2019 11:31:59 GMT -5
Thank you for the nice answer stardiamond. It tells me what they are, how they are used, and that water is required with them too. I've spent hours searching for information, before reluctantly asking the forum. So, I appreciate the help. |
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Post by rockpickerforever on May 3, 2019 11:43:55 GMT -5
You do need to use them wet. I use an 8 inch Ameritool flat lap. I have purchased diamond toppers from different manufacturers, it appears the color coding is consistent across brands. Red is 600 grit, blue is 1200. There are others. Only the syringes of diamond paste vary. I have seen white, yellow and red represent different grits. I second that about NOT using them dry. It will ruin the disk. ETA - Here's a link to Ameritool's sanding disks. You peel off the backing of the PSA, and stick them to a lap. What you have pictured would screw onto the end of a unit. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 3, 2019 19:00:01 GMT -5
NevadaBill they are sanding discs for the Ameritool flat lap. rockpickerforever is correct. They need to be used wet. The blue is 600 and the red is 1200 grit diamond. You can use a spray bottle to spray water on the disc and then give it a spritz every time it starts to dry out.
Judy has an Ameritool flat lap, so I'm sure that's what they used on those side laps. I use the same laps on my flat lap.
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Post by rockpickerforever on May 3, 2019 20:50:04 GMT -5
You have it backwards - red is 600, blue is 1200.  At least, that is Ameritool's color coding. |
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Post by stardiamond on May 3, 2019 20:58:53 GMT -5
My laps were metal colored.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on May 3, 2019 21:02:46 GMT -5
You have it backwards - red is 600, blue is 1200. At least, that is Ameritool's color coding. Yep, dyslexia strikes again! Thanks for the catch. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on May 3, 2019 23:40:19 GMT -5
Crystalite used to, and maybe still does, make some pre-polishing and polishing pads that if I remember correctly had pressure sensitive adhesive on the backs. They were called Crystalpads and Polypads. One of which was blue, one tan, and one black. And maybe one white but I can't remember for sure. These were to be used with Crystalites diamond paste (bort) and Crystalube. But I do not recall them ever making a red one.
If your pads are pre-charged pads, generally speaking of all lapidary products, red is usually used for 600gt diamond and blue for 1200 grit diamond. Its possible in your items' case that someone may have mounted Ameritool diamond discs(or some similar product) to one or both of your Crystalite rubber backing discs.
Larry C.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on May 7, 2019 9:51:50 GMT -5
Thank you all. I haven't been on in a few days, so this response is late. After posting here and having an idea they were "flat lap", I called Crystalite and spent the next 30 minutes with 2 support people, looking through catalogs to try to identify what I had. We found a product page for the polishing laps & pads page, and Miracle Lap, Crystpad and Polypad could be found (exactly, QuailRiver , you kind of nailed it). Unfortunately nobody knew how to use them. On the product page though, it mentions they should be used with diamond compound 1200 or courser (exactly, rockpickerforever). It also mentioned a Crystalube lubricant. After some research, there are two companies that still sell the Crystalube ( link: www.lapidarymart.com/products/crystalite-crystalube-silicone-oil-extender-fluid-lubricant?variant=26685555016 ), which turns out to be an "extender", used to be mixed with the diamond paste, and Graves makes the other one (although they sell them in HUGE quantities). Armed with that knowledge, I found 1 whole video on all of Youtube, where someone had a similar application, demonstrated how these two products are applied to the discs ( link: ) Until the products arrive, I have been using them (as stardiamond and hummingbirdstones suggest), with a spray bottle, keeping the surfaces wet, and kind of using them to apply a polish. Yes, they absolutely do not like to be used dry, in any fashion. Thanks to EVERYONE who chimed in above, as I think I am getting somewhere now. I wouldn't be very far without your help. Hopefully the collective information recorded on this page can help someone else someday. |
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on May 7, 2019 9:53:41 GMT -5
You do need to use them wet. I use an 8 inch Ameritool flat lap. I have purchased diamond toppers from different manufacturers, it appears the color coding is consistent across brands. Red is 600 grit, blue is 1200. There are others. Only the syringes of diamond paste vary. I have seen white, yellow and red represent different grits. I second that about NOT using them dry. It will ruin the disk. ETA - Here's a link to Ameritool's sanding disks. You peel off the backing of the PSA, and stick them to a lap. What you have pictured would screw onto the end of a unit. Thank you for the link to the Ameritool site where I can find sanding pads and diamond compound! |
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Post by stardiamond on May 7, 2019 10:35:44 GMT -5
From the pictures, I thought there were laps. Since they are pads, I don't think they should be used with water.
I have two pads that I applied diamond paste to; 50,000 and 100,000. I use them dry and very briefly on cab so the stone doesn't get too hot. At one time I had a can of silicone spray that I would put on the pad before using.
I don't know the color coding on diamond paste. I have an old pad with 50,000 which is beige and a new pad that is yellow. Both the old an new pad with 100,000 are beige.
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