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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 6:10:31 GMT -5
ok, so just keep my fingers crossed... got it  Thanks pup __________________________________If anyone is interested, I got some epoxy yesterday and pulled out the ruby in the picture. Doc said that I should warm the rock up before putting the stone into the epoxy so that the glue gets soaked into all the pores as the ruby cools down (he mentioned that I could use a light bulb to warm it). So Last night I scrubbed it, let it dry off, and then placed it next to a light bulb. I was going to mix up the epoxy and put the stone in the glue last night before I went to bed, but I fell asleep early and didn't do it. So I'll be doing it later on this morning. |
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Aug 17, 2005 9:18:41 GMT -5
What epoxy did you use? I could have sworn doc also mentioned crazy glue for this
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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 10:40:42 GMT -5
Stefan, here's what Doc wrote
Here's the reply I got when I asked him if I could use a different glue (like weldbond):
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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 10:42:59 GMT -5
oh, I forgot to mention, I used 90 minute epoxy (I couldn't find any 2 hour stuff). Packaging says that it's good for stone, brick, ceramics, and some other stuff.
It's #11 Epoxy
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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 10:55:40 GMT -5
I just checked on the ruby that's been sitting in the epoxy for about 2 hours.
I used a molded piece of plastic to sit in in (the clear plastic you see on toy packaging) because I couldn't figure out how I would get the glue and stone out of a shot glass once it had cured.
The ruby doesn't look much different. I can still see fractures etc... But It doesn't matter to me. I think it's pretty even with the fractures.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Aug 17, 2005 12:00:15 GMT -5
I'm so confused here....do you now have a ruby embedded in several ounces of epoxy?  ...or do you take it out before the epoxy hardens onto the ruby??? |
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Aug 17, 2005 12:07:05 GMT -5
you have it embedded in a block of epoxy! then you just tumble the block away! Alice I don't think it will heal the fractures (you will still see em) but the should be solid (filled with epoxy) rather than hairline airspaces- does that make sense?
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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 12:51:43 GMT -5
makes perfect sense Stefan.
my "block" of epoxy is hard enough to take it out of it's "container" (good thing it was somewhat thin flexible plastic that I could easily peel away). It's still tacky, but you can handle it.
I think I'll give it a week before I stick it back in the tumbler. make sure it's hard in the center.
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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 12:55:04 GMT -5
rolling stone,
yes, it's a small block of epoxy.
The rock is not very big (About the size of my thumb nail), and the little "cup" I had it in was somewhat rounded at the bottom. I'd say there's about 2 or 3 mm of epoxy all the way around the ruby.
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 17, 2005 17:12:27 GMT -5
I think you fill it up so the grit & polish can't find it,s way into the cracks, it's probably not meant to make the cracks dissapear, just make them less likely to gather material & make it worse
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Post by Alice on Aug 17, 2005 19:24:49 GMT -5
Tweetie, your right about the epoxy.
doc told me to warm up the rock before I put it into the epoxy.
he didn't go into deep specifics as to why it should be warm, but warming things up does make things expand (makes the cracks wider, pores bigger, etc...), and putting the stone in while it's warm, lets the epoxy seep as far as it can go into those cracks. And as it cools, the fractures start to close acting like a clamp to squeeze out any excess, and sealing those fractures shut.
any epoxy that's on the outside of the rock will come off during tumbling. As soon as there's a layer of water between the epoxy and the stone, it'll probably peel right off
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Post by xenaswolf on Aug 19, 2005 11:43:42 GMT -5
Just one more question about your ruby. I know you are running it in coarse. Is it only rubies in the barrel or do you have other stuff in there too?
I know that rubies are second only to diamonds in the MOH scale. So, that tells me that the rubies would help with other rocks to a point, but what would help with them besides other rubies?
Right now I have a few of the small ones in with a batch of mixed stuff and the one ruby I worked with the dremel. So, I'm guessing the rubies will help the other stuff but not vice versa. I'm wondering if I should just put the other stuff aside for now and just do the rubies?
I think on payday I'm gonna go get a dual barrell tumbler so I can work on the rubies by their selves and have two other barrells working at the same time.
Let me know if this is logical or if I need to rethink this, I really want to get this batch of rubies going.
Also, how much stone did you lose in the process?
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 12:05:03 GMT -5
Xena, I have it rolling with other types of rocks.
I just don't have the patience to tumble JUST rubies and/or sapphires. (Both rubies and Sapphires are the same on the MOH scale).
You have to have the patience to run a barrel of rubies for 7 +++ months in coarse... there's nothing other then diamonds that will help them go along faster.
The rubies that you have in your batch right now, will help the other rocks go along faster, but the other rocks won't help your rubies go faster.
When your other rocks are done with coarse, your rubies will more then likely look cleaner then when you first put them in, but will appear to be untouched. You have to keep tumbling them, and tumbling them in coarse until you get a decent shape (which takes a VERY long time).
This ruby, has been in 4 or 5 different batches since I've started it. I just keep putting it in with rocks that are in coarse.
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 12:08:19 GMT -5
I really don't know how much is gone (I didn't measure or weigh it before I started it), but it's pretty much the same size as when I started it. It didn't shrink much.
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Post by xenaswolf on Aug 19, 2005 12:33:51 GMT -5
Thanks Alice!
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Post by creativeminded on Aug 22, 2005 9:14:24 GMT -5
That is beautiful, I would send it on through the other stages now, like the others suggested.
Tami
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Post by Alice on Aug 23, 2005 18:22:23 GMT -5
thanks Tami
I'll be sending it to 120/220 when the batch it's rolling with is ready.
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...or do you take it out before the epoxy hardens onto the ruby???
