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Post by perkins17 on Jul 23, 2021 14:34:32 GMT -5
I was wondering if anyone knew if you could use a metal grinder and replace the metal grinding wheels with lapidary wheels and use it to grind rocks. I would also get a drip system or some other form of keeping it wet. I know this is a funny question but I can't afford a genie or cabking and already have two metal grinders.
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Post by stardiamond on Jul 23, 2021 14:43:08 GMT -5
How do you keep water out of the arbor? Lapidary arbors are designed for that. The next question would be rpm of the motor.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 23, 2021 14:52:46 GMT -5
The 6 inch grinder says " use only wheels suitable for 3600 rpm" the smaller 4 inch grinder doesn't say anything I think.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 23, 2021 14:53:27 GMT -5
I don't think they make 4 inch grinding wheels anyways.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 23, 2021 15:23:51 GMT -5
I believe the arbor is sealed in by nuts and washers. I may try to open up the wheel area later.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 23, 2021 20:52:29 GMT -5
A standard lapidary arbor should run at 1725 RPM.
More than that and diamond wheels spin too fast and basically dry themselves, resulting in wheels wearing out quickly and the operator being exposed to breathing dust. Also rubber expanding drums will come apart at over 1725.
1725 RPM grinders exist, but may cost quite a bit more. For a budget, belt drive arbors are generally the best option.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 23, 2021 20:57:07 GMT -5
A standard lapidary arbor should run at 1725 RPM. More than that and diamond wheels spin too fast and basically dry themselves, resulting in wheels wearing out quickly and the operator being exposed to breathing dust. Also rubber expanding drums will come apart at over 1725. 1725 RPM grinders exist, but may cost quite a bit more. For a budget, belt drive arbors are generally the best option. I am going to try the smaller 5 inch grinder which will probably spin slower. It is a "newer" model ( probably early 2000s the other is probably 1960s) it has a much smaller make considering it is only 1 inch smaller wheels. I will be testing it to see if it even works sometime hopefully. |
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 23, 2021 21:02:12 GMT -5
I might just keep it soaked too. Thanks for the advice!
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 24, 2021 10:00:48 GMT -5
A standard lapidary arbor should run at 1725 RPM. More than that and diamond wheels spin too fast and basically dry themselves, resulting in wheels wearing out quickly and the operator being exposed to breathing dust. Also rubber expanding drums will come apart at over 1725. 1725 RPM grinders exist, but may cost quite a bit more. For a budget, belt drive arbors are generally the best option. I am going to try the smaller 5 inch grinder which will probably spin slower. It is a "newer" model ( probably early 2000s the other is probably 1960s) it has a much smaller make considering it is only 1 inch smaller wheels. I will be testing it to see if it even works sometime hopefully. Smaller diameter should be spinning faster to provide the surface speed needed for grinding metal. The slower speed stationary units will most likely be sold as polishers rather than grinders or sanders, the slower speeds prevent heat in metal. If you choose to attempt this, please put up adequate shielding to keep water far from the electricity, or buy a wash down rated motor. |
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Post by Rockindad on Jul 24, 2021 10:07:38 GMT -5
I was wondering if anyone knew if you could use a metal grinder and replace the metal grinding wheels with lapidary wheels and use it to grind rocks. I would also get a drip system or some other form of keeping it wet. I know this is a funny question but I can't afford a genie or cabking and already have two metal grinders. The first setup we used to make pendants was a mix of what I already had in my shop. A variable speed bench grinder and a dust collector from my wood shop. Worked awesome and with the dust collector hooked up to the integrated ports on the grinder we would not even get rock dust on our fingertips. We did dip the stones in water to cool them as needed. My son sold an awful lot of those pendants and if we stuck with only them this hobby would actually be profitable, but we really like tumbling as well. The main drawback of this system is that it was rather bulky, even when we switched to a large wet/dry vac instead of the dust collector. Speed and water has already been mentioned. For a setup like this I would probably steer clear of diamond wheels and use green SiC wheels. When the diamond wheels get too hot the bonding will fail and no more diamonds. I would be careful of how much water you introduce to a grinder not designed for it (I see you are also inquiring about a drip system in another thread you started). If you are going ahead with this at least be sure to use a GFCI. For what it is worth there are more affordable options to creating pendants/cabs than a full-fledged cabbing machine. |
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 24, 2021 11:37:37 GMT -5
Oh yep, the other options.
IMO the best and safest DIY units are the flat laps, and since diamond laps are relatively inexpensive compared to wheels, they are good in the educational sense too. A trip through the DIY forum here, and if you do FB, the DIY lapidary group there that my friend Darrell runs. Of course youtube.
The best overall option, again IMO, is if you have a lapidary shop connected to a club, community or senior center in your area and can get some machine time in to figure out what you like before investing a dime, other than shop fees.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 24, 2021 12:08:54 GMT -5
I was wondering if anyone knew if you could use a metal grinder and replace the metal grinding wheels with lapidary wheels and use it to grind rocks. I would also get a drip system or some other form of keeping it wet. I know this is a funny question but I can't afford a genie or cabking and already have two metal grinders. The first setup we used to make pendants was a mix of what I already had in my shop. A variable speed bench grinder and a dust collector from my wood shop. Worked awesome and with the dust collector hooked up to the integrated ports on the grinder we would not even get rock dust on our fingertips. We did dip the stones in water to cool them as needed. My son sold an awful lot of those pendants and if we stuck with only them this hobby would actually be profitable, but we really like tumbling as well. The main drawback of this system is that it was rather bulky, even when we switched to a large wet/dry vac instead of the dust collector. Speed and water has already been mentioned. For a setup like this I would probably steer clear of diamond wheels and use green SiC wheels. When the diamond wheels get too hot the bonding will fail and no more diamonds. I would be careful of how much water you introduce to a grinder not designed for it (I see you are also inquiring about a drip system in another thread you started). If you are going ahead with this at least be sure to use a GFCI. For what it is worth there are more affordable options to creating pendants/cabs than a full-fledged cabbing machine. That is very helpful. Thank you. I will look over it today and see if it is useable. |
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