einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 12, 2020 11:04:57 GMT -5
So I have a Lortone Lu6x-130 combo unit, a dremel with a flex shaft, a small HF rotory tumbler that's been running without stop for a year, and my fairly new Raytech TV-5. Now that I'm financially better off than when I bought it, I'm looking to pick up the sanding belts, pads, and a new 80 grit wheel for the combo unit. I'm looking for suggestions for all of the above and whatever else I might need to start seriously cabbing.
My current 80 grit wheel has a deep groove in the center, reading other threads tells me that is not a good thing.
As far as the expando wheel goes, I'm not ready to drop serious money on solid wheels until I can start making enough to pay for the equipment.
I'm pretty sure the combo unit has a half inch arbor.
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einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 12, 2020 11:38:14 GMT -5
Does anyone have experience with AO grinding wheels? I've used them to sharpen steel and would expect them to wear out quickly on the harder stones, but they usually wear evenly and are relatively inexpensive.
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Post by knave on Feb 12, 2020 12:12:39 GMT -5
The saw blade is 1/2” but the wheels are 5/8” I think. You’ll will likely get all needed bushings with your new wheel. Honestly your 80 grit wheel will get the most use with shaping etc. I would definitely go diamond and probably see if you can find a sintered one. SiC is mohs 9+ Alum oxide is softer like 8+
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 12, 2020 12:37:33 GMT -5
The grinding wheel is on a section of shaft that is 3/4 inch in diameter. Lortone Lux6-130 instructions and parts list
The sanding drum is on a 1/2 inch section. There's absolutely nothing wrong with an expanding drum setup. It makes perfect sense for the Lux6-130 machine.
Kingsley North has a 6x1 inch silicon carbide 100 grit wheel for $25. A 6x1 diamond 80 grit wheel is $56. Either of those would be a great option depending on your budget.
Aluminum Oxide has a mohs hardness of 9, so it'll grind any material you'd reasonably be working with, but so will Silicon Carbide, and I don't see any AO wheels for sale.
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 12, 2020 18:44:35 GMT -5
I bought one of these and have been extremely pleased: top80
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Post by knave on Feb 12, 2020 18:51:41 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 12, 2020 19:24:18 GMT -5
The only way to evaluate a wheel is use it for some time. I've used Diamond Pacific, Crystallite, Jadecarver and the TOP. My preferred wheel is Jadecarver but the 6 inch wheel only comes with a steel core. The 8 inch comes with a plastic or steel core. I've used both. Jadecarver says that he doesn't sell the plastic 6 inch because they are not well balanced. When I am motivated, I'll take apart my 8 inch stardiamond machine and put in new jadecarver 80 and 220 hard wheels. The TOP 80 works so well, I'm doing all the work on my Genie with the exception of the 600 and 1200 soft on the startdiamond. A person could shop and find more than a dozen different 80 grit hard wheels. Some will be good and some will be junk.
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 12, 2020 20:04:49 GMT -5
Not sure if the 1.5 inch wide wheels will work on that model Lortone.
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Post by knave on Feb 12, 2020 20:12:32 GMT -5
Not sure if the 1.5 inch wide wheels will work on that model Lortone. Yes I have that mode lortone and it works.
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einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 12, 2020 20:14:03 GMT -5
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 12, 2020 20:19:02 GMT -5
knave, it’s nice to have that extra real estate when shaping.
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Post by knave on Feb 12, 2020 20:20:20 GMT -5
Gotcha. Makes sense. Yes the factory one is 1” or so. Maybe 7/8 SiC. I really like my 1.5” and I shaped wisconsin
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,158
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Post by jamesp on Feb 13, 2020 6:48:29 GMT -5
einholt - Yes, don't waste your time on AO wheels on all rocks except the very softest. joshuamcduffie knaveBest to use silicon carbide wheels over aluminum oxide for removing material on rocks like agate jasper even obsidian. Both are hard but SiC has much sharper particles are continually exposing sharp edges.. AO particles wear to smooth and become less aggressive. SiC wheels are harder to find than AO wheels. Grinding wheels at Home Depot/Walmart/etc are about all alum ox. I had a bucket of AO 46. Tried it in the rotary. It was a joke, barely did anything to agates. I tried the AO 46 in the vibe. Look what it did to this rock. The 46 particles looked like tiny polished balls when I did the clean out. After 6 long days in the vibe with AO 46: It polished this rock because the AO 46 rounds off to very smooth. I asked the Washington Mills salesman how they made the AO 22 and AO 46 that he had given samples of to me. He said they often crush poorly shaped AO ceramic media and the screened it to 22 and 46. Same thing, AO 46 in the vibe for 6 days Virgin fused AO 22 on 1/4" lines. Starts out sharp. aluminum oxide rarely shatters leaving sharp edges like silicon carbide. Because AO is tough, resilient to fracturing. Like ceramic media.: Beware that nothing cuts rocks like sintered diamond wheels. Especially if the wheel looks like this(30 grit diamonds) sintered high. grrrrr
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Post by joshuamcduffie on Feb 13, 2020 8:14:05 GMT -5
jamesp those rocks look amazingly glassy. Good info on the grinding wheels. I wasn't seeing any AO wheels in the Kingsley North catalog, maybe that's why. I've been lucky enough to work pretty much exclusively with diamond wheels and belts at our club, and of course SiC grit at home with the tumblers.
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einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 15, 2020 10:36:31 GMT -5
Before I finish my order, how long do 80 grit diamond wheels tend to last? For a while, I'll be cabbing beginner jasper, agate, and maybe the odd bit of quartz.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 15, 2020 10:41:08 GMT -5
It really depends on how much you use them. I don't cab everyday and my 80 wheels last me a few years at least. You should get plenty of use out of them before you need a new one. Production cutters, on the other hand, would be better served with sintered wheels.
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einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 15, 2020 10:46:00 GMT -5
In that case, I'll probably order the 80 dollar diamond wheel instead of replacing with another silicon carbide wheel.
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Post by Rockoonz on Feb 15, 2020 11:17:40 GMT -5
einholt, under no circumstances should you consider AO wheels ever for lapidary. They are not designed for wet use and could be prone to come apart when in use. I have a scar on my jawbone from an exploded AO wheel I used for an entirely inappropriate use at work many years ago, wasn't pleasant.
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einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 15, 2020 11:56:14 GMT -5
Good to know. I've used them on steel and figured I'd ask if anyone had experience with them.
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einholt
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since May 2019
Posts: 95
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Post by einholt on Feb 29, 2020 9:18:54 GMT -5
Ended up ordering the 1.5" 80 grit diamond wheel from Kingsley North (along with a few pounds of grit for the tumbler). Should arrive in the next couple of days. Waiting until the next paycheck before ordering the sanding belts
Thanks for the help!
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