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Post by MrP on Apr 5, 2018 17:28:33 GMT -5
I have had the bearing end cap loosen and have had to tack weld it to the main housing. It gets very loud when that happens.....................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 5, 2018 17:20:23 GMT -5
Mr. jamesp , Re shaped most of the glass pendants from you and to lessen the clean up I put them in a vibrasonic with some 500 AO for a couple days. That cleaned up the scratches on the sides and light frost on the tops. I put them in with polish for two days and now can't get them back to where they were. I am using polished Lakers for media a mohs 7 from 1/4 to 1/2 in. They kept their shine on. I re cleaned them just now. The vibra Sonic rolls fast maybe slow it down? Can you PM me ? Hay buddy there are a bunch of us wanting to hear what it is going to take to fix this.........................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 4, 2018 12:22:49 GMT -5
Nice! I'm going to try this. Do you find when doing the final wrap it squeezes the wire too tight on the stone or do you actively make sure it has slack? It is easy to decide how tight you want it. Just make the first warp to see how you like it and if 'OK' wrap on. I have made I have made a couple hundred so I don't think about how I do it anymore. Some times a long neck will look good but most are on the shorter side....................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 4, 2018 9:21:24 GMT -5
Thanks James. I have found many cheap vases and other blown glass to play with. some will work with just cutting and tumbling but others will work much better if I flatten them. I think it would be much better to have an electronic control on the kiln...........................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 4, 2018 4:35:58 GMT -5
James how did the controller work for you? Is it easy to program?........................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 1, 2018 11:16:23 GMT -5
No problem.............................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 1, 2018 9:58:37 GMT -5
gmitch067. Yes it is Rhodonite. Thank you and I hope others find it useful.............................MrP
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Post by MrP on Apr 1, 2018 9:40:03 GMT -5
Sorry to hear that. Am wondering what hobby could be better then rocks. Good Luck................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 31, 2018 14:50:29 GMT -5
So I drilled a few more no problem My wire jobs needs HELP but that will take practice ![](https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180331/4e5bbad92549b5f3e443cc3239d7fbbb.jpg) MsAli I posted how I make my wire bail in the wire wrapping section. I am not saying it is the right way to do it just that it is another way...................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 31, 2018 14:46:24 GMT -5
![]() This is how I make bails for my drilled pendant. ![IMG_3940](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/873/27267929038_c01987b981_c.jpg) <script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script> 18 ga HR HH ![IMG_3937](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/806/41141456461_6bd94eb6e9_c.jpg) <script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Make 2-3 loops in the wire. ![IMG_3938](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/878/27267944928_6b8220f3dd_c.jpg) <script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Insert from the front side of the pendant, fold top wire around top of pendant, make a small hook then trim to length. ![IMG_3939](https://farm1.staticflickr.com/791/27267914058_3578c9f128_c.jpg) <script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Wrap around wires 3-4 times from top of pendant to bottom of the loop then trim to length. Spread top wires. Sterling Silver 18ga is about $1 afoot so this cost me less then $.50. I ended up having to trim about a inch from this wire because I used a wire that was too long. If the cab had been thicker it would have been almost the right length. I don't like having to scrap extra because the wire is too long but I have found if it is too short the whole piece is scrapped. I have used many pinch bails but the price went way up a few years ago and I had to carry so many styles so I said the heck with that and started using the HR wire. I usually give all the money I get from sales to charity so finding a cheaper way was better for me. Good Luck...............................MrP
<script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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Post by MrP on Mar 30, 2018 8:03:45 GMT -5
James if it was me I would square the edges after rough tumble because in the vibe they will more or less stay that way. I use a 220 hard wheel for the grind then a 280 soft to touch-up the sharp edges. Depending on how long they are in polish the edge will round very little. You are doing a great job and I love watching the progress. Can't wait to see how sales go. Good Luck................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 23, 2018 6:40:56 GMT -5
Yes that is the little guy..............................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 21, 2018 14:45:35 GMT -5
Melted in a kiln out of scrap glass chunks made by a glass blower. "Up Chuck" or "Vomit", not sure which. To be processed into cabs via melt or grind or combo. ![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4788/40047886435_08b466681e_b.jpg) ![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/786/26069603547_5a2107234a_b.jpg) ![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/791/40233803194_8854e23511_b.jpg) Make sure you save the orange bear, center picture, bottom left of center......................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 18, 2018 10:32:32 GMT -5
James I am wondering if you have found any glass that will not take a FINE polish. My wife really likes glass so I have bought a lot of glass chunks and have found a few that just will not get a brilliant shine. On some pieces I can see micro pores, not really bubble holes but just ultra fine texture. I should say that overall the pieces have a great shine but if looked at close the micro pores do show...................MrP Yep, glass varies in hardness and amount of those tiny micro pores. Same with obsidian, mahogany is one of the harder obsidians. When using the nippers to break glass into pieces some nips easily and some will test your grip. I work with soda glass mostly and it is considered soft glass. If it nips easy then it usually does not polish as well. But sort glass can have intense stress in it which can make it hard. One harder glass would be test tubes and scientific chemical containers like flasks. Easy to polish. I believe they are Pyrex or borosilicate glass with a low COE of 33 so they can be heated without expanding and shrinking with temperature. Apparently glass can be boiled and that may cause the most bubbles and micro pores. some impurities causes bubbles. The soft glass I post here starts to boil 100 to 200 degrees higher than I heat at 1500. So 1600 to 1700F to boil. The bubbles start at the bottom I believe. and can transport colored glass as they pass thru a colored glass layer. Above my skill level. Micro pores - so what, most need magnification and are not seen by average person. Yes James I know that but once I see it I can't 'unsee' it, and then it looks bigger then life! I have noticed that it takes very little to polish some glass. When I pre-shape pendants I can tell there is a great difference in the different glass. I have a block of light yellow glass that is as heavy as lead, cuts like butter but factors easily when cut as a slab..........................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 18, 2018 7:32:29 GMT -5
James I am wondering if you have found any glass that will not take a FINE polish. My wife really likes glass so I have bought a lot of glass chunks and have found a few that just will not get a brilliant shine. On some pieces I can see micro pores, not really bubble holes but just ultra fine texture. I should say that overall the pieces have a great shine but if looked at close the micro pores do show...................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 8, 2018 10:09:41 GMT -5
Lots of work invested in our cherished tumbles Yep. That may be an understatement. I think I have finished somewhere between 400 and 500 pounds of tumbles all in small 3 pound Loto batches. Chuck I'm not very good at math. Is that a lot of loads? WOW..................................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 7, 2018 8:20:42 GMT -5
Composition begins with a fine glass blower's remnants with fine patterns and colors sandwiched between clear glass. These remnants must be sawn and/or nipped to size for correct volume and color placement before melting. It is prerequisite that the color layer be sandwiched between clear glass to avoid tumbling the color layer away. Plus you will have a basic magnifier from the clear glass after tumbling it into a lens focused on the color layer. Remnants in need of grinding/nipping to proper pendant size and weight after melt: ![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4651/38606925390_1a76ba1d79_z.jpg) Finished melts ready to be tumble shaped and tumble polished. Average size 25 to 30mm. Back side is flat and bezel friendly. ![](https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4628/40373513582_08eba366b5_c.jpg) Planning on taking these to an inexpensive market. Hopefully with a sales price of $3 in small batches of 6 to 10 to start with. Maybe I can appeal to wrappers, cab drillers, glue ons in the cheaper pendant market. Most fused glass is more costly. It is done with more attention to detail and is a piece by piece craft as opposed to this being more of a mass melt and mass tumble. they build their own color or use cookie cutter colored hobby glass instead of this glass blower's glass. I am also tumbling shards of blown vases from all over the world namely Italian, Czech, Romania, Poland and Turkey for an international flare. James I have been thinking about this for awhile. I don't think you should be charging $3 a cab because they are worth more then that. Many years ago I knew a person who made fancy candle holders by turning wood. As part of the process he ended up with pieces that with very little work could be made into table napkin holders. He had very little time or money into them and they weren't a real part of his business so he tried to sell them for $.50 each. They looked much too nice to be that cheap and he sold very few. He thought maybe he over priced them so that was the reason they didn't sell. A person at the show he was at stopped by his booth looking at his display and asked him how the napkin rings were selling. The person selling said he must have them over priced because they weren't selling. The other person said they weren't selling because with the price he had put on them it gave them no perceived value. He ended raising the price to where it would be if that was what he was in the business of making and could not keep them in stock. I guess what I am saying is if you give your pendants no value that is the way they will be looked at. They will sell at $3 but that is more like the price a person expects to pay for a mass produced product. Yes you are making a large amount but each one is created on it's own. Don't sell yourself short. You are making a quality product. Don't sell so cheap that you end up a slave to the business for no $$. It is true money isn't everything and you are having fun with what you are doing but that doesn't mean you cannot charge what the product is worth. I probably shouldn't be the one giving money advice because I have given every dollar I have made from this hobby to charity....................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 6, 2018 15:40:27 GMT -5
Flippy cost $60,000/$10 hour = 6000 hours $60,000/$15 hour = 4000 hours
If burger joint open 10 hours a day 365 days a year = 3650 hours
Just over a year to pay for Flippy: Never late Always willing to work No hygiene problems No smart mouth to listen to
Do not have to worry about insurance
on and on
Be careful what you wish for.
As I was told many years ago: Automation is nothing more then simple math, what do you cost and how long will it take to pay for the machine that replaces you..........................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 6, 2018 5:29:46 GMT -5
Had an old Teel pump for many years before it finally quite. Bought a new bronze Teel pump. Long story short the impeller fell apart and the spot welds broke on the motor. Threw an old aquarium pump in the oil and been using it for 2 years...............................MrP
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Post by MrP on Mar 2, 2018 17:35:07 GMT -5
A power dip is easy, somebody hits a line or a large equipment failure to ground but it is hard for a power company to supply the type of surge needed to cause household electric equipment to fail. Sometimes if everything wrong closing a capacitor bank in can cause a surge but that is rare. Lighting is the cause of most surges. If a voltage regulator is not set right it can allow the voltage to rise above 127 volts, which light bulbs and some other equipment do not like........................MrP
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