zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Nov 25, 2016 0:10:46 GMT -5
Fair enough answer.
I was thinking of a 6 gallon reservoir. Ultimately I'd like to make myself a centrifugal cleaning machine. I can cast it out of aluminum and lathe it into the right shape. It doesn't look very complicated at all to make.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Nov 24, 2016 22:01:25 GMT -5
I'll see if I can save up for the blade. That might be several months away since I still need to construct the entire body of the saw.
So 15 gallons of oil is roughly the correct size for a 24" blade? I had read in the Lorton 18" saw manual they said to use 3 gallons of oil as coolant and keep 1/2" to 3/4" covered.
Is more oil necessary for some reason or just to ensure you have the right depth?
Also, when designing the bottom of the saw box I am trying to figure out if I can narrow the bottom down so that I don't need more oil than necessary. If I make the base narrow, say 5-6 inches wide and 50" long will that be enough room for the sediment to settle out? Or does the sediment in the oil need a wide bottom around the blade to settle down?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Nov 19, 2016 2:00:40 GMT -5
How many gallons of mineral oil do I need for a 24" blade?
Does it matter if the pan is shallow and wide or deep and narrow? In other words does the shape of the oil pan under the blade matter? I'm thinking of the rock sludge building up in a narrow deep pan vs a shallow wide one.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Nov 6, 2016 0:17:27 GMT -5
How did you manage to cut the stone part to match the curvature of the bracelet? Do you have photos of the process?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Nov 1, 2016 22:48:58 GMT -5
I bought a set of diamond paste which should arrive by the 7th.
In the mean time I tried out some silicon carbide sand paper as you suggested and it does scratch the garnet, but for some reason I didn't get a good finish from that either. There were still tiny pits in the final polish, perhaps more than I had originally. I'm not sure why. Perhaps the diamond paste will work better.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Oct 30, 2016 20:36:51 GMT -5
Any decent source for diamond sand paper? The stuff I saw on ebay was crazy expensive per sheet. Or is that normal?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Oct 30, 2016 20:24:45 GMT -5
I am trying to polish a garnet cabochon. I have cut it into the shape I like and ground it into shape with rough sandpaper and diamond wheels.
The issue I'm having is that the finer grades of sandpaper (400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, and 2000 grit) which are black in color (aluminum oxide?) do not affect the stone at all. I think they are not hard enough to cut the surface.
I would like to hear what sandpaper brands you use when polishing harder stones so that I can order some.
Thanks.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 28, 2016 22:54:13 GMT -5
Oh boy... now I have another machine to add to my list of things to DIY build. Centrifugal oil purification system here I come!
And what a neat controller system for the feed screw. I just bought a 2 RPM gear motor and two 3" pulleys, so my saw will only have 1 speed for now. I suppose I can always upgrade in the future and buy a controller just like your one if needed. Though I need to do some more reading on controlling an AC motor since I am only familiar with DC controllers.
...off to google up some plans.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 26, 2016 0:58:29 GMT -5
Really nice job. Can you tell us a bit more about your oil filtering system?
I'd also love to see pics of the inside of the saw, how the apron slides on the rails and the seals for the feed screw. How did you manage speed control of the feed shaft?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 15, 2016 22:52:40 GMT -5
Thanks I'll check in with him and find out what he has in the next few days.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 14, 2016 7:39:49 GMT -5
Interesting. Thanks for the lead. I downloaded their PDF and read the saw recommendations, they are very helpful from a design point of view.
The price of the 24" blade on their catalog is $777. This is a little bit more than I had wanted to spend. Are there other blades that you have tried in the past that did an ok job that cost a bit less?
I'm glad you replied to my thread because I don't know if this is one of those areas where I have a choice between a good quality item that works or complete junk blades that break after a few uses with nothing in between or if there is a more graded range of blades from low end to high end. Is the difference between a $150 blade vs a ~$800 blade durability, safety, quality of cut, or something else?
I don't plan on using the blade every day, just a few times a year so longevity might not be that much of an issue for me.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 13, 2016 23:40:58 GMT -5
I see. So .100" is what I should shoot for when buying a blade.
What about crimped blades? I saw several on eaby for about 200 dollars but the crimped edges with embedded diamonds didn't look very high quality to me, compared with the embedded diamonds in metal continuous rim kind.
And segmented blades? Do they work, or chatter on stone? Are they suitable at all for lapidary work or just too thick & rough cutting?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 13, 2016 19:48:02 GMT -5
What diamond blade should I get for the saw I'm making? I have seen segmented, continuous, and crimped edge kinds. I do not know what each one is best at cutting. Which of these kinds should I buy and do you know of a decent & reasonably priced blade? Blade thickness considerations? I found this one on highland park's site for $150 which seems to be one of the cheapest blades of this size I've found. www.hplapidary.com/p/1027/greenline-24-inch-diamond-blade-160-inch-width-1-inch-arbor Would this be a good blade to buy?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 11, 2016 23:46:16 GMT -5
Bump.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 7, 2016 23:21:06 GMT -5
I'll check the lid again tomorrow for corrosion but it has a plastic coating over the lid to protect it from the salty pickle juice so that might be buying me some time. I've also got it in a plastic tub incase of spills. The solution was water clear as of about 4 pm today, but I'll keep an eye out for yellowing. I certainly wouldn't want to redeposit the iron. That would be most unfortunate especially since it is starting to look so good.
Is there any technique I can use to fill in cracks in quartz crystals that you guys know of?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 7, 2016 23:11:57 GMT -5
Thanks guys. I see it is better to make 1 pass to reduce scratching. What about this question? Can I use a 1 " axle for a 24" blade or do I need to go with a 1 inch, 3/8" thick axle like highland park? Getting much closer to finalizing my design now. I am curious. I see some factory made saws use rather large axles, for a 24" saw one company used a 1 & 3/8" thick axle to run the 24" blade with a 1 inch bore. Is this enormously thick axle necessary? Would a 1 inch thick axle work instead or would it bend and wobble over time?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 7, 2016 17:31:01 GMT -5
The super iron out is working well. I have it in a pickle jar with the lid on in the back of my car. It heats up during the day and as I drive around to work and back the liquid is jostled back and forth which has helped clean out most of the iron in the cracks. There is still a bit left to go but I'm hoping it should be completely cleared out by the end of the week.
Will post some photos when I'm done.
Does anyone know if it is possible to seal the cracks in some way? I know that they do this with gemstones somehow (lead glass?). Is this an easy process that you guys have used in the past or is it essentially impossible at the hobbyist level?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 7, 2016 17:26:20 GMT -5
Getting much closer to finalizing my design now.
I am curious. I see some factory made saws use rather large axles, for a 24" saw one company used a 1 & 3/8" thick axle to run the 24" blade with a 1 inch bore. Is this enormously thick axle necessary? Would a 1 inch thick axle work instead or would it bend and wobble over time?
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 5, 2016 22:26:00 GMT -5
How do you filter your mineral oil coolant and reuse it? Descriptions would be good, but photos of your setup would be great!
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Sept 3, 2016 2:08:17 GMT -5
Well I had the rocks in some CLR for about a week. It dissolved out the calcite that was stuck onto the quartz in a few places and cleaned the crystals up little. But the rust colored brown stains are still stuck in the cracks. I bathed the rocks in distilled water for a few hours to remove the CLR and then sealed them into a pickle jar with super iron out & some distilled water. Not sure what all the reviews on amazon are talking about "fumes & vapors," I didn't smell any and no gas was released from the pickle jar either. Just to be safe I put it outside. I'll check on it tomorrow, hopefully nobody steals the rocks. I wonder how long it will take to get rid of the stains (if they are iron stains at all?). I have battery acid (sulfuric acid) I can try that out next. A bit stronger than citric acid
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