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Shop Tips

Some of the best polishing pad material you can buy is actually just marine upholstery, and can be had at any fabric store or fabric supply. This is plastic naugahyde-like material with a woven cloth backing. The plastic side goes to the wheel, thats where the adhesive is sprayed, and the cloth faces upward to accept the abrasive. Do not get the newer foam types, and look for a closely woven and thick backing, that will be your best polishing pad. Save big bux as this type of polishing pad can be had for around 2-3.00$ for a 3 foot by 3 foot piece. Its easy to cut your own polishing pads by adhering the wheel to the materials and then just cutting around the wheels edge with a pair of scissors.

Broken or worn out grinding wheels should not be discarded. if put in a cloth (Burlap) sack and cushed with a hammer they make great abrasives for the tumbler or giant rock saw, or can be used to recondition (Sharpen) diamond blades whose metal has “Smeared” over the diamond surfaces.

Many times heat during a polishing process will actually add to a polishes shine. If you keep your wheel wet all the time, try letting it dry out a little toward the end of the polishing procedure. You may be surprised. WARNING: this of course will make it easier for the wheel to “Grab” your stone and throw it, and also, if the stone is dopped, excess heat will melt the wax quickly. I have gotten much higher polishes using some heat towards the end though.


Click Here For A Free Planset Photo Presentation On Building A KILLER Sandblasting Unit!




Click here to see the best way to make cheap flap wheels for sanding.

Click here to visit Danny Lopackis site for a free bead making tutorial of HIGH QUALITY. Danny is owner of Lopacki Diamond Tooling Company, and Guild Master of the stone beads category for the World Bead Makers Guild. A very valuable resource.

Click Here then go to the bottom of the page, to see free instructions with photos on building your own metal casting furnace.

Drilling Glass is generally an onerous and thankless task, but can be accomplished easily with some abrasive paste (Valve Compound) and a regular dome headed bolt of about three inches.  The bolt is inserted into the drill bit so that the domed and slotted head of the bolt becomes the bit.  By lightly pressing and going slowly, this drill bit can be made to wear a  nice round hole through any glass, in a comparatively short period of time.  Easy does it, don't crack the glass, and keep feeding abrasive to the bolts head/slot as needed.  The slot will carry and distribute the abrasive paste uniformly and facilitate good abrasive action.  Heavier silicon carbides and diamond grits work faster, of course. 



Bobs Rock Shop. Check out the classifieds while you are there.



The Hillas Company. For Abrasives and more.


 

Shop Tip:  One of the best polishing pads available for oxide polishing is marine upholstery, or something like it, with a woven backing.  It is available at most fabric shops and costs about $5.00 for a two square yard piece.  Make sure to experiment with different types, because tightness of the backing weave is what dictates durability, and there seems to be a fair amount of variability there.  For polishing rox the tighter the backing weave the better.  Adhere to flat with spray adhesive, following the directions for a removable bond.

 

 

email me: luxefaire@gmail.com

Also visit Danny Lopacki’s Site www.lopacki.com for some super information on lapidary work and abrasive technique, as well as the full line of the Lopacki diamond products.




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