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Post by Peruano on Nov 7, 2021 15:24:16 GMT -5
Hey bargains are bargains, and we all know someone who got one. Should we hold up Rockoonz as an example? However when you want a truly quality machine with the design and features you want (especially of vintage stock), you sometimes have to decide whether you will let 1. time; 2. miles driven; or 3. $$ separate you from achieving your desire. A machine is worth what the first person with an acceptable amount of cash offers within the sellers tolerance of time. As a person with 3 slab saws, I paused with the $2900 tag, but if I was hot to get a big saw and had no other options, I'd sure try to justify that amount or keep looking. The price under discussion is within the range that Cigarbox would charge (mas o menos), and yes they offer a thorough rebuild that does not exist in most off the classified list saws. Every year a few more of these classic saws die or disappear and that just might contribute to their value until the next generation takes over and we are all in the nursing homes sans equipment.
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Post by Peruano on Nov 4, 2021 6:27:10 GMT -5
I've only wandered around the rock shop in Marfa on one occasion but the color and dispersal of the plumes look like Marfa Agate to my unsophisticated eye. Whether there are limb casts expected there is not clear.
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Post by Peruano on Nov 3, 2021 15:27:22 GMT -5
My experience is for the dark brown material to be extremely soft. It might not like to tumble.
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Post by Peruano on Nov 3, 2021 10:00:09 GMT -5
Outback Jasper can be really variable. The photo has more or less the right colors, but until you make something pretty from it, . . . its just a rock. On with the process.
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Post by Peruano on Nov 3, 2021 9:02:58 GMT -5
Bienvenido de Nuevo Mexico.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 28, 2021 15:36:44 GMT -5
Bingo. The power of the web and interested folks.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 28, 2021 9:39:59 GMT -5
Why not describe it for us. Photos can only do so much. To me it looks like a bivalve stuck inside a larger shell and both are erroded badly whether fossilized or merely preserved recent material that has decalcified or been attacked by other organisms.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 28, 2021 8:55:32 GMT -5
great discussion here but a photo of a Great Western slab saw may add fuel to the interpretation that it could be used to swage a blade (too!) www.threeriversgemandjewelry.com/greatwesternlapidaryequipmentco Scroll down a couple of rows of photos to see the bearing over the blade. Above is the blade dressing/blade sharpener bearing. Jon Hall said the bearing on the hinge was to dress the blade, and be less wear on the blade then cutting through grinding wheels. After cutting a lot of stone slabs, the blade dulls, the machine runs harder, and cuts slower. Usually you have to cut through a dressing stick, or grinding wheel to remove a thin layer of metal to expose diamonds in the rim. The bearing is attached with a bolt onto a piece of metal behind the blade on a hinge. I haven't used one because mine is missing the bearing, and 1 other part. The ad in Lapidary Journal from the 60's & 70's said it sharpens while slabbing, so you don't have to do another step. If you have info on how often you use this against the blade, please send an email to threeriversgems@hotmail.com Dec. 2016 Thanks to Joel McConnell of Julian,CA for this photo! Perhaps HP was so smart the designed a part with two functions. I was researching Great Western Equipment because I recently traded for a GW cab machine with some unique (in my eyes) features. More on that later.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 26, 2021 17:39:14 GMT -5
Its always dangerous to ask what would you pay for this. You don't know the size of the respondents wallet, the bias of their taste, the size of the stash of that item that they have, and a myriad of other factors that will influence their decision versus yours. If you like it and the price is right without the kids going without shoes then the price is right. We all know someone who has bought a bargain and someone who has passed on wonderful opportunities. Bumble Bee is pretty - I just stood in a booth at a rock show here in Albuquerque and watched hundreds of people fondle the BB cabs while equally desirable cabs of other materials went less fondled. Its nice and there are a couple of distinct intensities of yellows in the material that influence price and marketability. Hey they're just rocks, but people love them..
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Post by Peruano on Oct 26, 2021 6:09:44 GMT -5
Yes, a vibe is ideally suited for processing beach stones. Because you are inclined to pickup pieces that have a shape that is appealing to you, there is no need for the rotary tumbler that shapes more aggressively. Also, ideally you are selecting rocks that are not extremely pitted or rough you don't need the aggressive rotary. I have polished many batches of beach stones and even tho they are relatively smooth, I still let them start in what most people would call a coarse grit 100 or at the very least 220 for one or two days. If I start in 100 (or 60/90), the second step would be the 220, then 500 or 600, maybe an 800, and polish. All of these would be one or two day runs although you could run for more days. I add a dollop of liquid dishwashing soap to each load before the grit (it carries the grit in the vibe action). Your makeup of stones will influence your exact schedule, but as long as you have the right mix of sizes, control the amount of water and grit used, you should have great results in your vibe. Good luck.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 22, 2021 14:52:15 GMT -5
amygduleMy machine appears to be numbered 6721 so perhaps a later vintage than yours. The invoice is dated November 1996. The machine appears to still be in production with few mods evident from an advert I stumbled upon a year or so ago. Your query caused me to get out my accessories and install the drill chuck on the end of the arbor for polishing the crevices on some chalcedony bots and clusters I'm going to use bamboo chopsticks to carry the silicone carbide grits and the two speed motor should do the deed.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 22, 2021 14:03:03 GMT -5
Hey hand pick your own. Everytime I've been to the Gold Mine rock shop out side of Canon City, CO they've had a large pallet of crazy lace. Much better to fondle the rocks you are going to pay money for than to let someone else select for you. Take a drive.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 22, 2021 13:59:55 GMT -5
Its no secret and material is scattered over a broad area of the hills and ravines around the Rio Puerco; mostly collected between 1-40 and south until the Rio Puerco crosses I-25. Site 35 (Pg 86) in the revised edition of Gem Trails of New Mexico will get you in the ball park. Seek and you shall find.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 21, 2021 18:43:06 GMT -5
You can try coating the cab surface with the super thin super glue to deter the stringy phenomenon. Thin sand and polish
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Post by Peruano on Oct 21, 2021 16:43:31 GMT -5
All it takes is for a large rock to be lodged so that it can't move relative to the barrel and it will begin to chew its way out in an undesired way. This can happen with two rocks spanning the width of the barrel, but is most likely when the large rock can lock in place as a solid unit obstacle.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 21, 2021 13:30:12 GMT -5
Or move it to a warm spot when the shop is bitterly cold; or slide it in the cargo bay of the RV on the trip to Quartzite.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 21, 2021 10:17:05 GMT -5
I have no experience cutting copper with a diamond blade but would expect it to coat (foul) the diamond and thus require more frequent dressing or better yet a cheaper metal blade.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 21, 2021 10:14:03 GMT -5
We talk a lot about entry level equipment and combo machines that combine saws and one or more wheels get offered up with some frequency, but rarely is the Cabmate machine mentioned. In my eyes it has several merits and in ways surpasses other combo machines. This is not a sales pitch; I don't have one to sell; don't work for Graves, nor am I limited to this machine in my own shop. I do own one and just happen to see its merits. 1. It has a small foot print, a redeeming feature if space is limited or portability will be desired. 2. It is versatile so you need not run a saw when you are preforming cabs or vice versa. Yes you have to attach or remove various accessory parts to switch functions but this is within the abilities of anyone doing lapidary. Most attachments are wing nuts and only the main arbor involves a wrench. 3. Everything is accessible so you are not reaching into obscure corners or performing unique yoga positions. 4. This is the quietest running machine I have in my shop. 5. The main arbor shaft can accept: a. a 6" saw blade (I have a very thin one and a more rigorous thicker one); b. six inch wheels (I have not tried to install an expando but believe it would be possible); c. vertical polishing pads can be screwed onto the end of the arbor shaft. d. a chuck for lathe or micropollishing work; and e. even a preformer guide (which I do not have) 6. It has a two speed motor which is handy for special grinding or polishing situations. Splatter is largely contained by a removable plexiglass plate attached on the side of the wheel when mounted. A small blade table and rudimentary vice clamp can be used in conjunction with the saw blade function. Unlike too much lapidary equipment, this machine is built from solid heavy metal so vibration is non-existent. The bottom tray is either heavy enamel coated or heavy plastic (I don't recall). It has a small drip water supply easily controled with a valve and moved for the different functions; clean up from the drip pan is via a drain or simple sponge-out. New, its expensive if supplied with the diamond wheels etc. but I have seen the rudimentary saw with varying attachments on the used outlets for $250-300. Like any used machine purchase you are like to have to buy a new wheel (s), but six inch wheels and belts are inexpensive compared to 8" analogs. So if space is limited or you envision special situations where a compact 6" machine would meet your needs, give some thought to the Cabmate. Its not a Pixie, but I can see advantages and disadvantages.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 19, 2021 5:59:42 GMT -5
If I understand your situation, you have no threads on the end of the shaft that you want to secure the new wheel to. You can buy bushings (flange washers) at Graingers or which have set screws to secure them to the shaft (to place on each side of your new wheel). In order the get it tight enough that your new wheel does not move freely on the shaft you can use a bit of contact cement against the washers, and or drill a hole and install your own set screw in the hub of the wheel. Don't count on the set screw alone to hold the wheel on the shaft though. That takes the two other bushings from Grainger. There may be a better name for them. Edit: I just stumbled across a photo that shows the set screw coller that I used on each side of the wheel that I added to the unthreaded end of the HP arbor shaft. You can't see the set screw in the coller but trust me it is what keeps it in place.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 18, 2021 13:54:18 GMT -5
Its much more likely to have a bad bearing than a bad shaft. It is also much cheaper to replace a bearing than a shaft. Take the path of least resistance and (cost).
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