stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Apr 20, 2021 17:58:14 GMT -5
I tired Onyx way back when the Lace onyx was all the rage. Uggh. I used a tile saw to cut and it cuts like butter. I would Woody about oil possibly staining it so If you can get away with water do it. I never got any to polish to a high shine. It grinds way to fast so skip the course hard wheel. It is amazing how quickly it will heat up so keep the water flow really strong (also help keep the wheels from mudding up with waste). No idea how to get this stuff to shine (14K diamond paste put a matte finish, 50K put a bit of a shine but still kinda dull)
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 20, 2021 18:00:10 GMT -5
I think I've made a few. Takes a good polish. I have one picture and I know I made one with a swirling pattern.  |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 20, 2021 18:32:45 GMT -5
Holy crap! 
Tagging rockjunquie because she loves this stuff and has cut it. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 20, 2021 18:38:43 GMT -5
Thanks, Robin. 
I have never slabbed it, but I have cabbed several. They seemed to soak up water. I wouldn't use an oil saw. It worked like onyx would- and a lot like marble to me. Takes a great polish.
That's an awesome stash!
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Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 20, 2021 19:13:44 GMT -5
Thanks, Robin.
I have never slabbed it, but I have cabbed several. They seemed to soak up water. I wouldn't use an oil saw. It worked like onyx would- and a lot like marble to me. Takes a great polish.
That's an awesome stash!
What I was gonna say. Never use oil on a soft/porous or light colored stone. Onyx qualifies as such. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 20, 2021 19:31:24 GMT -5
stefan thanks for the tips! I have the capability to cut small slabs with water, and hard wheels up to 600 grit, so I should be good there! Bummer the silver lace didn’t shine up well, that’s another one I have no experience with. stardiamond nice cab, can you give me any tips based on your cabbing experience? Thanks hummingbirdstones thanks! I searched the forum and noticed that rockjunquie had cut and wrapped some beautiful cabs, thank’s for tagging her in this thread. rockjunquie did you use a polishing compound? I have no experience with onyx or marble, thanks. Just diamond wheels. |
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Apr 21, 2021 17:15:23 GMT -5
Assuming it’s calcite, I think you’ll find it cuts quickly, grinds easily, and will polish beautifully with aluminum oxide. Bear in mind that it’s not a durable stone. Not suitable for daily worn rings, easily dinged and dulled.
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Post by stephan on Apr 22, 2021 21:44:21 GMT -5
A couple of thoughts:
Cave onyx is an “onyx” (calcite), not an onyx (agate). Much like other “onyx” (i.e. silver lace...), it is quite soft, so the 80 grit wheel is not needed. All cutting can be at 220, even 280. A light touch is helpful, and worn wheels can help.
I’ve slabbed with oil, and it wasn’t a problem. Kitty litter, followed by a soak in soapy water took care of it.
That is quite a bit of Kokoweef material.
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Post by stephan on Apr 22, 2021 23:51:48 GMT -5
A couple of thoughts: Cave onyx is an “onyx” (calcite), not an onyx (agate). Much like other “onyx” (i.e. silver lace...), it is quite soft, so the 80 grit wheel is not needed. All cutting can be at 220, even 280. A light touch is helpful, and worn wheels can help. I’ve slabbed with oil, and it wasn’t a problem. Kitty litter, followed by a soak in soapy water took care of it. That is quite a bit of Kokoweef material. Thanks for the advice. I’ve cut some soft stones with oil followed by an immediate cleaning in soapy water, and I didn’t see any negative affect. I’ll give it a try on a piece and follow up on how it goes. Yeah, when I was a member of the club, all the large saws had oil. Water was just in the trim saws. Dawn does a great job with oil, especially with warm water and a good, long soak. |
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 23, 2021 16:18:52 GMT -5
I polish everything with diamond paste and it takes a nice polish. This is one I made some years ago. Soft material and I wasn't ready for it. It also has some freckles.   |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 23, 2021 16:53:14 GMT -5
Sorry for the short responses. I've been wanting to show some pics but I just got to it.
I've cut quite a bit and use a genie and all diamonds. I have 50 and 100k paste. I did have a few that got darker until it dried out. The paste didn't seem to bother it. It takes a nice polish, even though it is quite soft. A lot of it is pitty, so you wantta watch the paste.
You have a nice haul and should get some fabulous cabs from it. I really enjoy working with it. I can't exactly remember, but I probably used an 80/60 wheel to start, as I do it with just about everything, but it will cut ok on 220 to start, too. I don't think it is challenging to cut, but it is probably going to be a challenge to slab. It's a bit of a challenge to get a lay out on a slab for a cab. You'll see when you cut some what I mean.
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,061 
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 23, 2021 21:21:45 GMT -5
Thanks, Robin. I have never slabbed it, but I have cabbed several. They seemed to soak up water. I wouldn't use an oil saw. It worked like onyx would- and a lot like marble to me. Takes a great polish. That's an awesome stash!
A thought: I've cut soft, porous material with oil, and this is worth an experiment. Soak the rough in water for a week or so before slabbing, to fill porous areas and keep oil from penetrating. It works very well with howlite. |
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Post by rmf on Apr 24, 2021 8:31:56 GMT -5
Depending on what you have for equipment and wheels I have two recipes. These days if you have all diamond then grind as you are comfortable given the softer material but get it down to 8000 on diamond and it has a great polish. If you are using SiC the grind down to 600 and use a mix of Tin Oxide and Olixic acid. My mix is probably 2 tbl spoons in a freezer pint with about a half cup of Tin Oxide and water. work wet then slowly dry being careful not to heat the stone works with Muslin and/or leather.
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