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Post by stardiamond on Nov 21, 2022 16:49:24 GMT -5
HP has wheels on sale and I saw something on facebook for ameritech but there wasn't anything specific. You could contact them.n
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 21, 2022 16:12:07 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 18, 2022 15:26:33 GMT -5
I have zero interest in social media. Facebook has become a platform for corporate advertising and individuals selling stuff. I'm up to 11 lapidary groups I check daily.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 18, 2022 13:31:00 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 17, 2022 21:10:27 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 14, 2022 19:40:32 GMT -5
I've been buying material on facebook. A lot posters from this board sell there. A lot of people are selling cabs there as an alternative to Etsy or having their own site.
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Wheels
Nov 14, 2022 18:28:59 GMT -5
Post by stardiamond on Nov 14, 2022 18:28:59 GMT -5
My wheels arrived today. They look like wheels. I got a 3,000, 14,000 and 50,000 since those are the ones that needed to be replaced. I was sure they were charging sales tax when I checked out. I bought a 140 soft today and no tax was charged. I checked my credit card statement and no tax was charged on the previous order. The 1 1/2 six inch wheels are not an option they replaced the 2 inch width. I messaged them that they should offer a 220 soft.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 12, 2022 14:36:09 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 9, 2022 22:19:29 GMT -5
I mark all my girdles in pencil and grind to the line. Since I finish the girdles vertically, I can follow the edge as I rotate the cab when something goes wrong and I lose part of the line.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 9, 2022 13:37:07 GMT -5
When entering a cabochon making contest, the goal is a perfect girdle. I only strive to have the girdle even and don't have any idea of what the perfect angle is. Being self-taught, the main purpose of having a girdle is to avoid cutting into the face. For a long time, I struggled with even girdles, not the height but they tended to be wavy and required a lot of effort. I finally found a technique that works for me. I have the girdle wider at the top and after doming is complete, I work the stone vertically to square it off. The bottom was ground when I made the preform so I need to square the top to it.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 8, 2022 16:04:17 GMT -5
The 80 grit scares people.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 8, 2022 15:52:23 GMT -5
Yes. The real answer is don't mount a wheel when it is a tight fit. Once it was on my options were limited. I tried rotating and sliding and it wouldn't budge. I had the same problem on my 8 inch machine with a steel core wheel. The previous steel core was fine. This one wouldn't make it more than halfway on a 3-4 foot arbor. I tried emery cloth on the arbor and the hole. It was still too tight, so I gave up and bought a plastic core wheel.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 8, 2022 15:20:06 GMT -5
I use a lot of wheels on my Genie. My previous 80 grit was a Lithuanian top hex 80 grit with a steel core. The holes on wheels except dp can sometimes to be a little tight. I mounted the wheels in the wrong order so the 80 grit was farthest from where the arbor screws in. It was time to replace the wheel and it wouldn't come off the arbor. The other wheels came right off. I tapped the threaded end with a hammer and eventually got the wheel off but stripped the threaded end. I had a plumber doing major work for about a week and asked if there was anything I could do fix the arbor. It is reverse thread and aluminum instead of steel so it was out of his area of expertise, and he said it was likely that I couldn't fix it. I ordered another arbor and it arrived quickly from Diamond Pacific. I then went on to Amazon looking for a pipe thread fixer. I thought a Dremel would work better than a drill and my wife had one. The part arrived today and after a few minutes, I had the arbor fixed.
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Wheels
Nov 8, 2022 14:38:10 GMT -5
Post by stardiamond on Nov 8, 2022 14:38:10 GMT -5
One of the biggest mistakes with wheels is overuse of the 220/280 soft. Everyone wears them out because they like an aggressive soft wheel. When a 280/220 soft is only used to remove scratches from the previous, coarser wheel they will last a long time.
I use a worn 80 grit DP wheel to remove scratches from the 80 grit Lithuanian wheel and refine the shape. I use the 220 hard to remove the DP 80 scratches.
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Wheels
Nov 7, 2022 22:31:54 GMT -5
rmf likes this
Post by stardiamond on Nov 7, 2022 22:31:54 GMT -5
I'll add another comment. jadecarver 8 inch wheels are very good and less than dp. They have a plastic core. The 6 inch wheels only come in steel core. He said that the 6 inch with a plastic core weren't true. jadecarver.com/product-category/grinding-wheels/ I only used jadecarver on my 8 inch machine. My first cabbing machine was the stardiamond. It only had hard wheels. I bought a genie. I decided to retrofit the sd to have 3 more soft wheels. I thought 8 inches was the way to go. It was time to replace the 80,220 and 280 wheels. I bought them. It is a pain to change wheels on that machine and I was developing arthritis in my thumbs. The Genie has a more comfortable position for my hands, so I was only using the sd for 600 and 1200. I found that how I am grinding and aggressive 6 inch 80 will be as fast as an 8 inch. Recently my sd started to bind so I abandoned it. It can be fixed but I'm happy working on the Genie. At some point if you are interested, I have some new in box 8 inch wheels.
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Wheels
Nov 7, 2022 22:07:42 GMT -5
rmf likes this
Post by stardiamond on Nov 7, 2022 22:07:42 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 7, 2022 20:18:09 GMT -5
I could have posted this under equipment but I thought there would be more visibility here.
I like to try out different manufacturer's wheels. DP unless I snag something on ebay is too expensive. Hard wheels it's the Lithuanian TOP. For soft it has been Johnson brothers supernova with the exception of one Lithuanian REZ. I was interested in trying the Highland Park. The problem was for some reason that the 6 inch wheels were only available in 2 inch width. Since I have an extra arbor, I could deal with that. I went to their site and they are now offering 1.5 inch wheels at the same price as JB. They also have a Thanksgiving sale for 10% off. Free shipping and in stock.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 7, 2022 18:28:12 GMT -5
When I unpacked my Genie 20 years ago it came with a little bottle of water aid. I experimented with the Genie and found that the more water on the wheel and using a water additive cut faster and cleaner. For a long time, I was buying Johnson brothers lube-cool because the shipping on liquid is expensive and I would combine it with wheels or other supplies to help with the cost. I have the Genie trim saw attachment which requires an additive in greater strength than the wheels. I went through gallons of it. Recently, I have switched to the DP water aid which is cheaper than lube-cool and requires less product.
There is a huge divide between using drip and geysers. I have had no problems with recirculating water. I have Rubbermaid 1 gallon plastic bowls with a handle. I fill the bowl with water and then splash in some water aid. I change water when doing the finer grits. When I am done using the finer grits, I pour the water from the tray into the bowl and reuse it when going back to the coarser grits. Some people think that using a water additive is a waste of money, but experience has taught me that using an additive is a good idea.
A gallon of lube-cool costs $68.75 and water aid is $29.15. I buy gallons. A quart might be a lifetime supply for most people.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 6, 2022 12:49:16 GMT -5
Light was bad yesterday and not much better today but they deserve better pictures. ![](https://images2.imgbox.com/b0/27/HUleb712_o.jpg)
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 5, 2022 15:00:51 GMT -5
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