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Post by Peruano on Oct 18, 2021 13:49:23 GMT -5
Actually you don't need much beyond a. that pocket knife; to cut up the apple for lunch; b. a heavy duty shopping bag to carry the rocks; and c. a gps to record the exact location of the stone that is sensational but too large to carry at the present moment. I often mark the spots where good finds are made so that I can return or recommend them to "friends". Since I was often (until recently) rock hounding on a motorcycle, I left the beer belt at home to provide refreshment when the rocks were sort, fondled, and washed. I tend to collect in alluvial deposits and hence have no need for a rock hammer in the field. My knife will pry loose almost anything I can see exposed on the ground surface.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 14, 2021 12:00:13 GMT -5
You want simple! For some people, agates are translucent; and jaspers are colorful and opaque. But if you want to know more thequartzpage.de www.quartzpage.de/ will tell it all at all levels of terminology.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 14, 2021 7:09:52 GMT -5
In my view and admitting to be a primarily vibe used, filler has several potential functions. 1. To increase the volume/weight to the necessary level. 2. To provide moving material of a variety of sizes to reach all surfaces. 3. To carry grit to all surfaces. 4. To disperse the grit from aggregating in one level where it is less effective. It must be a be "not too big" and "not to small"; actually I like a mix of sizes (usually scrap from the trim saw, pretumbled quartz pieces and yes never plastic which floats and hence does a good job of not accomplishing No. 2, 3, and 4 above as well as potentially carrying grit from any previous usage.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 14, 2021 6:59:50 GMT -5
Sometimes you just have to give it your best and go for it. Congratulations on spectacular slabs.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 12, 2021 6:37:15 GMT -5
Great narration; good results. I'm glad it worked out for you. Hey the snake was just volunteering to watch the ranch while you were away. I rescued a 14/16" Highland Park saw from a nearly equally isolated situation near Tres Piedras. When you go back to Holbrook, its Jim Grey's Petrified Wood that you want to visit. I can't go nearby without hand picking $20 -50 worth of small wood rough from the yard, but at $2/lb its cheap form of gambling for beautiful slabs or rainbow wood. Its a huge store and worth the visit even if you are going through for other reasons.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 11, 2021 6:37:56 GMT -5
You have some pretty and pretty unusual patterns there. Congratulations on a good selection of base material and a good run.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 10, 2021 14:01:08 GMT -5
Hey, he who has not made some of these mistakes, has a new tumbler that they are afraid to use. Lets be honest, vibratory tumblers are made for smooth rocks. I have polished dozens of loads of stones in my vibe but always starting with preforms, or beach stones (already rounded somewhat), and specially selected stones (on basis of shape, lack of divets, and suitability for taking a polish). The one time I started with rough chalcedony pieces, I could tell they were going to lock together and not move right so I corrected the mix right away. I've destroyed a couple of bowls, one when a large rock became lodged in the bottom (between the wall of the bowl and the center pillor) and decided to eat its way out through the side, and once when I used so much water that all of the grit stayed near the bottom and wore a ring all the way around the barrel (solution not so much water and soap to disperse the grit in the soap foam). If you had to follow the instructions completely you would not have near as much fun or learn as much.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 9, 2021 19:06:14 GMT -5
I think they are cool. You have solid material, lots of contrast, and a complex pattern that can be further developed with a cab machine or tumbler. You are on your way into a new depth of the art. Onward and upward.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 8, 2021 13:17:30 GMT -5
Expando drunks are common but not very useful in lapidary shop. They tend to go to sleep. You may want a 280 nova between your hard 220 and the 600 nova.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 6, 2021 15:31:39 GMT -5
I do not mean to discourage anyone from using Sic wheels; work was done on them for years but . . . people did get injured occasionally. Never use one that appear to be out of balance (i.e. has a major chip out of the side or circumference. Be religious about making sure they are not water logged (the water sinks to the bottom when they are not rotating and causes a significant imbalance. SIC belts are cheap and together with the appropriate sized expando wheels are worthwhile alternatives for economy shops. The soft foundation of an expando can get scratches that even a Nova wheel will take longer for. But thats a different story.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 6, 2021 15:05:03 GMT -5
I'm hoping grandpa always tucked his shirt in because he had to stand fairly close to a rotating belt to look in the side window if the saw was running. The vice is well done but having a jaw closure mechanism that is entirely threaded prevents quick adjustment from large to small or vice versa in terms of rock size to be secured. The ratchet wrench is a good partial solution to that one. It appears the cover opens (is hinged) from the side, but much of the business end of the saw is yes at the end (not side). That said its a cool saw. Cut on!
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Post by Peruano on Oct 6, 2021 14:54:23 GMT -5
Out of round can be out of balance, and I've heard too many stories of Sic wheels exploding with serious injuries to the person standing in front of them. 1. Always spin them after the water is turned off to get rid of surplus water; 2. Make sure that water is turned off; 3. Never stand in front of one when its first fired up to a normal spin speed. Diamond lasts a long time if used with some skill and adequate water. JMHO.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 6, 2021 14:49:55 GMT -5
If it was me with your goal, I'd do a it of clean up on the outside of the stones with a diamond or sic wheel, and then toss them into a vibratory tumbler or minisonic. In my experience a lot of crystals that I expected to go away, survived the much gentler treatment of a vibe. It goes to figure, 7 - 9 days in a vibe is much gentler than weeks/months in a rotary.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 5, 2021 5:46:52 GMT -5
It all makes sense; you have thought and fought it through and are doing what works for you. My old homemade saw has some carriage slack and if I'm careful about a special rock, I make sure to pull the carriage/vice into the position it will slip to once it has pressure against the rock. Again, seems to work so what the hey? Continue cutting.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 4, 2021 17:01:46 GMT -5
I'm not sure why you expect the blade to slide when it addresses a curved vs perpendicular face of the rock at the start of the cut. Yes. I know it can happen and the traditional way to to avoid deflection is to let the blade contact just a brief period then stop and pull back and let it come back again. However, it seems to me that if your sled (vice) speed of advancing toward the blade is slow enough your blade should make its own working groove without being pushed aside by any nonperpendicular surface. So . . . my question is. Are you using the slowest speed for your feed mechanism. I have a 14" HP with an MK303 blade that I use the slowest of three speed options on. I have an ancient 12" with a very old blade which you might expect to balk at a curve surface; and I have an old Covington 20" with a belt driven feed (no separate motor) and I have no problems feeding them a curved initial surface. I've always assumed that the brief cut of a notch and then restarting the cut would do it if I did (in point of fact I do this always when hand feeding my trim saw}. Does any of this make sense??
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Post by Peruano on Oct 2, 2021 6:42:07 GMT -5
The 303 will work fine.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 1, 2021 20:08:26 GMT -5
Don is not available to respond, but I'd say a drill press, a good mask and various sand paper grits in disk form would set you on your way. Fabricating a flat lap is no easy task but it can be done. Check the DIY lapidary equipment section if you want to explore.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 1, 2021 5:33:10 GMT -5
I scored a yellow bowling ball bag at a yard sale that works great ( high visibility; large enough capacity, and tough construction), but believe it or not I have a heavy canvas bag that says Macys across it that is my daily driver. It makes me feel stylish in the rough. Ironically the Macys bag is an almost identical knockoff of the classic LLBean marine canvas bag and a really good collecting bag.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 17, 2021 7:12:16 GMT -5
let's be sure we are using the same terminology. The bushing is a flat washer like disc that has the inside diameter of the arbor shaft. The outside diameter is the same as the hole in the blade. Bushings are to my knowledge always flat. The flange washers are the discs that are placed on each side of the blade to steady it and keep it true. The hole in the flange washer is an exact fit for the arbor shaft. The flange washer is almost always concave so that the outer margins is in true contact with the blade body, the center area is not necessarily in contact (I think this insures that the widest area is in contact and flat. Normally the flange washer has to be of a certain size depending on the size of the blade. A large blade with small flange washers would be easy to distort and one with a larger sized flange washer would be sturdier. A bushing that does not exactly fit the arbor or the hole in the blade could twist or tilt slightly which could allow the blade to shift slightly. Only you can decide what your problem might have been and how to rectify it. I hope this off the top of my head view is of value. Lapidary shops can sell good stuff and can sell not so good stuff. The fit is the key.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 16, 2021 17:08:16 GMT -5
There are bushings at Lowes that a pennies apiece; and there are bushings from machinists that cost real money. I suspect the latter have much closer specs. That said, I would try for a bushing (we are talking about the disk in the center of the blade) would best be as thick or thicker than the body of the blade. Anything less (depending on how tight the bushing fit on the arbor) might allow it to twist. Being a bit thicker should not be an issue because we almost always use a concave flange washer that would accommodate a thicker bushing. The purpose of the flange washer and yes it must be flat on its perimeter area is to hold the blade straight on the arbor (reduce flexing and any twisting on the bushing arbor axis. I've only bushed and installed a few blades but thats my simplistic thinking on the factors involved. A bad bushing and or a bad flange washer can defeat any good blade. I think the bushing that I used on my 12" MK 225 blade to get it down to 3/4 cost on the order of $13 for two. Several years later, the blade is still running and I consider my $13 well spent.
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