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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2022 9:30:08 GMT -5
holajonathan My favorite cerium lap is an elk hide leather. When I first started cabbing, I used to be able to buy them online, but they're impossible to find now. Vince and I went to a leather craft show a few years ago and found a vendor selling elk hide so we bought a couple of tanned hides specifically for making polishing laps. What makes them different? More smooth? |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 30, 2022 9:44:23 GMT -5
holajonathan My favorite cerium lap is an elk hide leather. When I first started cabbing, I used to be able to buy them online, but they're impossible to find now. Vince and I went to a leather craft show a few years ago and found a vendor selling elk hide so we bought a couple of tanned hides specifically for making polishing laps. What makes them different? More smooth? Yes, they are smooth and soft and supple. After my last one finally got worn through I couldn't find a replacement and ended up using a piece of cow hide with the rough side up. It works ok, but not nearly as well as the elk. It generates more heat than the elk with the nap on the rough side. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2022 9:49:05 GMT -5
What makes them different? More smooth? Yes, they are smooth and soft and supple. After my last one finally got worn through I couldn't find a replacement and ended up using a piece of cow hide with the rough side up. It works ok, but not nearly as well as the elk. It generates more heat than the elk with the nap on the rough side. When I first set up my spin ons for diamond paste or spray, I used (artificial) felt for 50k and smooth leather for 100k. I'm not so happy with this set up and it was ill thought out, but I've been using it. The felt is now compacted. I bought another spin on leather to replace the felt, but I haven't charged it, yet. Not really sure what's best. I'd prefer something that doesn't generate as much heat as I have cracked more than a few stones with overzealous polishing. Doh! |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 30, 2022 9:55:47 GMT -5
Yes, they are smooth and soft and supple. After my last one finally got worn through I couldn't find a replacement and ended up using a piece of cow hide with the rough side up. It works ok, but not nearly as well as the elk. It generates more heat than the elk with the nap on the rough side. When I first set up my spin ons for diamond paste or spray, I used (artificial) felt for 50k and smooth leather for 100k. I'm not so happy with this set up and it was ill thought out, but I've been using it. The felt is now compacted. I bought another spin on leather to replace the felt, but I haven't charged it, yet. Not really sure what's best. I'd prefer something that doesn't generate as much heat as I have cracked more than a few stones with overzealous polishing. Doh! Tela what size do you need for the speed on? I can send you an elk hide one to try. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2022 9:59:21 GMT -5
When I first set up my spin ons for diamond paste or spray, I used (artificial) felt for 50k and smooth leather for 100k. I'm not so happy with this set up and it was ill thought out, but I've been using it. The felt is now compacted. I bought another spin on leather to replace the felt, but I haven't charged it, yet. Not really sure what's best. I'd prefer something that doesn't generate as much heat as I have cracked more than a few stones with overzealous polishing. Doh! Tela what size do you need for the speed on? I can send you an elk hide one to try. That would be awesome! Thanks!  I have a Genie spin on at 5.5 inches. How do you adhere it? |
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brybry
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Post by brybry on Jan 30, 2022 10:09:30 GMT -5
Have y'all tried buckskin for polish?
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Jan 30, 2022 10:14:24 GMT -5
rockjunquie - there are some times when only an old felt with diamond - and a fresh dose of extender - will do.
The lepidolite for Robin's pendant was flaking and just not taking a good polish until I pulled out an ancient felt/50K lap. It was all hard and dry, so I slicked it up with the fresh extender fluid and used it to finish the job. (At a really low RPM, as we've been touching on here.)
holajonathan - Thanks. I just pointed out the lap speed hoping you'd jump back in for folks who hadn't heard that before. You explain things better... .
Also - the electrical engineers on here could comment on bogging direct drive motors down. A little - or infrequently - won't kill them, obviously.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2022 10:20:36 GMT -5
rockjunquie - there are some times when only an old felt with diamond - and a fresh dose of extender - will do.
The lepidolite for Robin's pendant was flaking and just not taking a good polish until I pulled out an ancient felt/50K lap. It was all hard and dry, so I slicked it up with the fresh extender fluid and used it to finish the job. (At a really low RPM, as we've been touching on here.)
holajonathan - Thanks. I just pointed out the lap speed hoping you'd jump back in for folks who hadn't heard that before. You explain things better... .
Also - the electrical engineers on here could comment on bogging direct drive motors down. A little - or infrequently - won't kill them, obviously.
I have noticed that some things really like the felt. Rhodo comes to mind... and lepidolite. With some things, it seems to sorta undercut. |
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Post by perkins17 on Jan 30, 2022 11:28:40 GMT -5
holajonathan, those cabs look awesome. I really appreciate you sharing your polishing strategy as well. Great job on those!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 30, 2022 11:32:06 GMT -5
Tela what size do you need for the speed on? I can send you an elk hide one to try. That would be awesome! Thanks!  I have a Genie spin on at 5.5 inches. How do you adhere it? We use feathering disc adhesive and put it on a rubber pad on the backer plate. Feathering disc adhesive allows you to take it off and replace it if you need to. We will need to stretch the leather first, so it will take a few days to do that and let it dry. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2022 11:34:00 GMT -5
That would be awesome! Thanks! I have a Genie spin on at 5.5 inches. How do you adhere it? We use feathering disc adhesive and put it on a rubber pad on the backer plate. Feathering disc adhesive allows you to take it off and replace it if you need to. We will need to stretch the leather first, so it will take a few days to do that and let it dry. I was thinking that it would take that. That's what we used in the body shop to adhere sanding discs. Works great.
Can I use an old disc or do they sell blank ones? Sorry for so many questions.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 30, 2022 11:39:00 GMT -5
Have y'all tried buckskin for polish? No, we haven't. Is buckskin thinner than elk? It's probably very similar and would work the same, but if it's thinner it wouldn't hold up as well. Deer and elk skins are expensive. |
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brybry
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Post by brybry on Jan 30, 2022 13:52:43 GMT -5
It's not tanned in the same manner as leather. It's like a thick shammy, soft and pliable.
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 30, 2022 13:54:25 GMT -5
We use feathering disc adhesive and put it on a rubber pad on the backer plate. Feathering disc adhesive allows you to take it off and replace it if you need to. We will need to stretch the leather first, so it will take a few days to do that and let it dry. I was thinking that it would take that. That's what we used in the body shop to adhere sanding discs. Works great.
Can I use an old disc or do they sell blank ones? Sorry for so many questions.
This is what I use for polishing. kingsleynorth.com/spinon-polishing-heads.htmlI select the option "Plain rubber disc - LH" That option both spins onto the right hand arbor of the Genie and onto my Ameritool flat lap. This is a sturdy, hard plastic spin-on disc with 1/4" of fairly cushy rubber permanently adhered to the surface. You can glue leather, elk skin, or whatever you want to use directly to the rubber. PSA pads stick right to the rubber with feathering adhesive, but leather never works well with PSA backing since the leather will expand and contract as it gets wet and then dries, which will make it peel off. A more supple and flexible leather like buck skin or elkskin would be a better option for that reason as well. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 30, 2022 13:58:30 GMT -5
holajonathan My favorite cerium lap is an elk hide leather. When I first started cabbing, I used to be able to buy them online, but they're impossible to find now. Vince and I went to a leather craft show a few years ago and found a vendor selling elk hide so we bought a couple of tanned hides specifically for making polishing laps. Robin, maybe you need to start a side business buying elk hides and creating polishing discs. I'll be your first customer. I am familiar with buck skin and elk hide because I have winter gloves made from both. They are both superior to cowhide in every way except durability. I can see why both would be excellent for polishing. Now you've got me searching for bulk elk hide. DO you polish with he smooth side (the hair side) or the inner (almost sueded) side? |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2022 14:04:24 GMT -5
I was thinking that it would take that. That's what we used in the body shop to adhere sanding discs. Works great.
Can I use an old disc or do they sell blank ones? Sorry for so many questions.
This is what I use for polishing. kingsleynorth.com/spinon-polishing-heads.htmlI select the option "Plain rubber disc - LH" That option both spins onto the right hand arbor of the Genie and onto my Ameritool flat lap. This is a sturdy, hard plastic spin-on disc with 1/4" of fairly cushy rubber permanently adhered to the surface. You can glue leather, elk skin, or whatever you want to use directly to the rubber. PSA pads stick right to the rubber with feathering adhesive, but leather never works well with PSA backing since the leather will expand and contract as it gets wet and then dries, which will make it peel off. A more supple and flexible leather like buck skin or elkskin would be a better option for that reason as well. Thanks, Jonathan. Those are 6". I have 5.5". Should it matter? Just checking. |
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fencejumper
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Post by fencejumper on Jan 30, 2022 14:41:00 GMT -5
1. Amethyst Sage Agate. High dome + high polish makes reflections a big problem. This lilac / bronze colored Amy Sage is perhaps the most "gemmy" variety of this material.    2. Sage Agate. No Amethyst, but lots of dendrites.   3. More Sage Agate. I meant meant to cab the other side of this preform, which does have amethyst. I screwed up, but it turned out ok. Soft, druzy area on the top left didn't polish perfectly, but there's plenty going on elsewhere to distract the eye.   Not impressed.  4. Green mossy jasper / agate from the Cady Mountains area of California. The entire cab displays some translucency. Green appears to be thick moss. White spots are white specs of rock, not undercutting. This cab is a bit of an ugly duckling, but I like the material for some reason. 
5. Crazy lace agate from Mexico. No one seems to like my crazy lace cabs as much as I like making them (and that's ok!), but this one's got pink sagenite tubes, for god's sake.    6. Red Lightning Agate from Mexico. This has a very low dome because much of the agate banding was about to disappear if I went any lower. The back is 75% quartz. Minor undercutting in the red moss which could be fixed, but it's not very noticeable in person.   the guy who mines it calls the purple stuff “ grape jelly” Those are killer That stuff is in my top 5 for sure |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 30, 2022 15:01:24 GMT -5
the guy who mines it calls the purple stuff “ grape jelly” Those are killer That stuff is in my top 5 for sure Thanks, Paul. Grape jelly sounds about right for the color. I recall seeing some of your nice Amy Sage cabs as well. One with black leafy dendrites comes to mind. It sounds like you would agree with me that it scores high in terms of quality vs. availability. I just finished slabbing about 20 pounds of Blue Mountain Jasper and Imperial Jasper (the vein material). I got some decent smaller slabs, but a lot of duds, garbage, and boring slabs, even from $50 a pound un-windowed fist size BMJ nodules... Just bad luck, I suppose. It was a good reminder of how low yielding some materials can be, and it makes me appreciate rocks like Amy Sage even more. I've cut into a number of big chunks of Amy Sage, and if it looks good on the outside, it is almost always good on the inside. Just a very solid material with few bad surprises. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 30, 2022 15:04:23 GMT -5
This is what I use for polishing. kingsleynorth.com/spinon-polishing-heads.htmlI select the option "Plain rubber disc - LH" That option both spins onto the right hand arbor of the Genie and onto my Ameritool flat lap. This is a sturdy, hard plastic spin-on disc with 1/4" of fairly cushy rubber permanently adhered to the surface. You can glue leather, elk skin, or whatever you want to use directly to the rubber. PSA pads stick right to the rubber with feathering adhesive, but leather never works well with PSA backing since the leather will expand and contract as it gets wet and then dries, which will make it peel off. A more supple and flexible leather like buck skin or elkskin would be a better option for that reason as well. Thanks, Jonathan. Those are 6". I have 5.5". Should it matter? Just checking. Doesn't matter if you spin on, use, and spin off when not in use. If you want to keep it on the Genie all the time (not sure why you would), if will stick out and get in the way when you are using the 3000 grit resin wheel. Other than that, no problem with the 6". |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 30, 2022 21:19:42 GMT -5
We use feathering disc adhesive and put it on a rubber pad on the backer plate. Feathering disc adhesive allows you to take it off and replace it if you need to. We will need to stretch the leather first, so it will take a few days to do that and let it dry. I was thinking that it would take that. That's what we used in the body shop to adhere sanding discs. Works great.
Can I use an old disc or do they sell blank ones? Sorry for so many questions.
I don't see why not. I reuse mine. Just clean them with some alcohol first. |
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I have a Genie spin on at 5.5 inches. How do you adhere it?
I have a Genie spin on at 5.5 inches. How do you adhere it?
Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
