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Post by perkins17 on Jul 26, 2021 11:34:23 GMT -5
I was thinking of at some point purchasing some sort of lapidary equipment and was told that a flat laps would be a good affordable option. I have tried my local rock club's lap and I never got a good polish and aluminum chunks came off every time you bumped the middle. Does anyone have a good experience with flat laps? Thanks!
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 26, 2021 12:12:51 GMT -5
Sorry, forgot to mention that I mean the spinning ones not the vibrating ones.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jul 26, 2021 13:18:33 GMT -5
All I can say is I never really got the hang of it after starting on wheels. BUT, slews of people use them with no troubles, including my son who has mine.
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
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Post by rewdownunder on Jul 26, 2021 15:00:54 GMT -5
Which kind? the old ones that use SC grit or the new ones with diamond polishing pads. Our club has a 24" with diamond pads that is great for big flats. Clean and fast but WOW $$. They also make an 8" that is at a 45 degree slant that I have used once but I think they are still about $1000.00 by the time you get everything you need. The diamond ones are a much higher RPM so they cut quickly.
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,978
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Post by victor1941 on Jul 26, 2021 15:09:19 GMT -5
I have used an Ameritool 8 inch flat lap for a number of years and had good results. The flat lap is used to shape the stone or small slab and a UV-18 vibe is used for all other steps. I started on the circular wheels and can tell you your arm/wrist position will be different, I also sometimes do heavy rock removal with a flat lap connected to the end of the circular units because I can exert heavy pressure and not damage the unit. The Ameritool unit should not be used this way because you will damage the bearing and void the warranty.
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Post by perkins17 on Jul 26, 2021 16:56:25 GMT -5
Thank you! I had a lot of trouble with my club's because (I think) the plates might have been worn out. I will start to explore that as a more affordable option.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jul 28, 2021 9:45:47 GMT -5
Some basic tutorials, if you have a few minutes.
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