brizzonator
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2020
Posts: 23
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Post by brizzonator on Aug 13, 2021 9:46:37 GMT -5
Hello, right now I only tumble, but am planning on getting a flat lap machine eventually. My question is, assuming enough size, is there anything that would prevent me from taking a stone that I had already tumbled in the past and slicing it then polishing it back up again to create a cabachon for jewelry? Reprocessing it, in other words. Thanks for any answers.
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Post by Rockindad on Aug 13, 2021 11:08:24 GMT -5
We do this on a regular basis. As of now we are tumblers first and pendant makers second, moving into proper cabbing in the next year. Often we comb through our stock of finished batches and find stones that need minimal work to make nice pendants, sometimes we are lucky and they are perfect the way they are. Most of the time though we will intercept the best candidates during the tumbling process, usually during the coarse stage, and refine them at that point.
For the ones that are picked out of finished batches the hardest part is holding onto a rock with a gloss finish while getting a good cut. If it only needs a bit of grinding it is not too bad. Can look into dopping, etc. to get a grip. Occasionally we will send slabs through the vibe all the way through polish and then determine size/shapes of the pendants we want to cut. Sometimes my boy takes them for his display case and that’s that. Might be there for a lifetime or he’ll decide to cut it next week. No right or wrong way.
LOTS of good info on cabbing throughout the forum!
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 13, 2021 13:56:16 GMT -5
My concern is how nice the pattern is. When the material is difficult to find and the pattern is nice, I will work on it. I have bought tumbled Owyhee, Willow Creek and Morrisonite tumbled slabs and rough. Slabs typically have knife edges and need to be trimmed to get the edges square. Rough needs to be converted to slabs using a trip saw.
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brizzonator
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2020
Posts: 23
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Post by brizzonator on Aug 13, 2021 14:24:04 GMT -5
Thanks all!!
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller 
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,061 
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Post by gemfeller on Aug 13, 2021 19:08:34 GMT -5
Old-time tumbled stones from the 60s and later on often are better quality material than much rough being offered today. I've cut many quality cabs from such tumbles. Technically they're easy to cut if you have a saw and cabbing eqiuipment.
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 13, 2021 19:47:40 GMT -5
I got two parcels of tumbled Owyhee slabs. Some I recut as cabs. I didn't want to touch this one and sold it as made.  |
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brizzonator
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2020
Posts: 23
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Post by brizzonator on Aug 20, 2021 10:37:55 GMT -5
"I got two parcels of tumbled Owyhee slabs. Some I recut as cabs. I didn't want to touch this one and sold it as made." Wow! Gorgeous!! |
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