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Post by orrum on Mar 26, 2013 20:01:03 GMT -5
Hello all! So currently my system for cabs ends with a worn 600 silicone carbide expando belt. This isnt giving me a liquid wet shine so I ordered three rez belts and a 5 gram syringe of 1800 diamond paste and a 5 gram syringe of 3000 diamond paste. My question is how much do I put on the belt and how do I put it on? Also I am supposed to use water on these belts just like the regular silicon carbide belts arent I? Of yes my expandos are 8 inchs and are 3 inches wide, I guess that affects how much paste versus 6 inch expandos. How do you tell when you need more diamond paste? Can I put tin oxide or cerium oxide on a rez belt and would you use water? Thanks in advance for your help.
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 26, 2013 20:15:34 GMT -5
Spray the belts with silicon spray lubricant and load with diamond. I don't think the Rez Belts will work for polish. Never use water with Rez Belts or you will wash the diamond off. Dab the diamond on every few inches and work in with a cab or clean finger. Experience will tell you when you need to reload.
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The Dad_Ohs
fully equipped rock polisher
Take me to your Labradorite!!
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,860
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Post by The Dad_Ohs on Mar 26, 2013 20:36:45 GMT -5
yup yup What ^^He^^ said !!! lol
Seriously though in my limited experience you'll know you need more polish when the wheel really tugs hard on the cab you are polishing... also, as you polish the media/paste will build up on the cabs edges... wipe it off with our finger and wipe it back onto the wheel so you can keep using it. that's all I got cause John pretty much said it all !!!
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Post by Tony W on Mar 26, 2013 20:58:23 GMT -5
YOu don't need much, and it'll go a long time. I usually put a dab ( half a rice grain, or less) every inch or so around the whole wheel, then use my finger in a swirling motion to move the paste out to the edges. Like John said spray it with silicone and don't be afraid to keep spraying if it helps to move the paste around evenly. If you are getting paste on your cabs, you've used too much. I do powder the same way. Spray the belt, then shake some powder in every inch or two, then rub it out to the edges..respraying as necessary. Running some cabs though will move it around, so you don't have to be super exacting. I wear a hole in my resin belts long before I use up the diamond, or worse, the seam parts, lol. So...what are your grit spaces now. If you aren't jumping too far between grits you should be getting a polish...if you are staying long enough on the grits. Were I you, I'd concentrate on some of that Crazy Lace you have, and keep going back down to 220, and back up until it shines like the sun. And Lace will get you a shine like no other, when you've spent enough time on each grit. Try coating the cab with magic marker, and grinding it off on each step. That way you are sure you've hit every spot, with each grit. Tony
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Post by orrum on Mar 26, 2013 21:28:04 GMT -5
Is WD-40 considered silicone? I have a 100 sc hard wheel then a 200 sc hard wheel then a 220 sc belt then a 400 sc belt then a 400 sc belt then a 600 sc belt then a well worn 600 sc belt. Matter of fact all my belts are well worn and do a liquid polish with sapphire powder on a muslin buff wheel followed by Zam on a muslin buff wheel. Wonder if my cerium oxide on muslin isnt working? I have a hard felt buff wheel and plenty of leather I can cut a circle from and put on my flat padded disc that goes on the end of a arbor. I use lots of marker pen now, not leaving scratches like before. I am doing montana agate, moonstone from the Hogg mine, and that yellow spiderweb stuff thats has canyon in the name. I have some of everything from everybody on here but want to do the montana, its what I have a lot of preforms of from a knapper. The crazy lace I got off ebay has pits n cracks. Hey Tony the doctor ok my foot, I can wear shoes n boots and walk all I want! You ready to go dig the Hogg?
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Post by orrum on Mar 26, 2013 21:29:26 GMT -5
Oops the Zam comment refers to how shiny my turquoise cabs are.
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Post by orrum on Mar 26, 2013 22:02:00 GMT -5
Also does the belt dry out and need more silicon every so often? What if you dont use it for a couple weekd?
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Post by mohs on Mar 26, 2013 22:08:57 GMT -5
interesting read how much do these 8" rez belts cost? do they come 2" wide? Thanks Ed
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Post by Rockoonz on Mar 26, 2013 23:10:25 GMT -5
WD40 is not silicone. Silicone spray is silicone. You will need to spritz it with silicone when it acts dry and gets grabby, just like cerium on leather.
Lee
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Post by Tony W on Mar 27, 2013 0:54:48 GMT -5
Hey, man, great!! So glad you don't have to sneak outside anymore Just go buy some silicone spray at the auto parts store, or WallyWorld. No, don't use wd 40. And a worn 600 belt is still 600. YOu need 3000, I think, but it sounds like you are doing it right, and if your putting 1800 in there too, you'll be shiny. If it doesn't shine, then start over, and it will. Just keep at it and the light will come on. All of a sudden everything starts to shine. And Montana shines great too...look at Tommy's great cab. Take a pic and look at it under high res. If there are still scratches you'll see them. I'm ready to do the Hogg, but you might want to start slow, and work up to it Climbing up and down in that pit ain't easy for me, and I haven't been cut on, lol. Tony
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,634
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Post by QuailRiver on Mar 27, 2013 12:29:17 GMT -5
I used Resin Belts with Diamond paste for many years with good results. Going from a 600 SC to 1800 diamond is probably going to be too large of a leap between grits. I would recommend a 1200 grit in between. When using diamond paste I went from a 360 grit diamond wheel grinding wheel to 600, 1200, 3000, diamond paste on canvas resin, and then sometimes 8,000 before polishing. And when using diamond paste, like with SC belts, you need to make sure you clean your cab very well between grits so not to contaminate the finer grit belts/pads. I cleaned the cabs with cigarette lighter fluid (naptha) and a clean paper table napkin between grits. Cigarette lighter fluid will dissolve the grease in diamond paste and helps clean the cab better than water and soap will. When first charging resin belts or pads with diamond I would put small dots of paste around every inch or so. Then while turning the wheel manually would spread the paste around with the back of a stainless steel spoon. Then I would spray the belt/pad with silicon spray and then turn the motor on and use a pit/fracture-free agate cab to finish spreading the paste while the machine is running. When sanding and the resin belt/pad starts getting dry and pulling I would give it another shot of Silicon spray. It's not healthy to breath the mist from Silicon Spray so it's best to turn off the motor and let the wheel stop before spraying it with Silicon to minimize the amount of Silicon used, and to minimize the amount that is put in the air you are breathing. It's also a good idea to use a dust mask when spraying silicon. When the sanding process starts getting slow then recharge with diamond paste. It won't take as much diamond paste in subsequent charges as in the initial charging. Never use WD 40 for lube on Resin Belts with diamond paste. WD 40 works as a solvent for the grease in the diamond paste and will remove the diamond paste (learned this the hard way). And as with polishing pads, always have one dedicated pad for each agent. Don't try to use the same belt/pad for multiple grits. Once a belt/pad becomes contaminated, it will always be contaminated.
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Post by orrum on Mar 27, 2013 19:14:02 GMT -5
Ok I got that. I do use water on my leather disc with cerium right? Hey Ed my rez belts were about $4 and the diamond paste was $9 off ebay. I got it along with a buffer that way there was combined freight. You can get it from John of JSgems on the forum here and get a better grade of diamond, mine might not be very exact in grit sizing.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,634
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Post by QuailRiver on Mar 27, 2013 20:39:21 GMT -5
With the Cerium Oxide powder you can do it a couple of ways. You can mix enough water with Cerium to make a runny paste and spread it on your polishing disc and then use a very small amount of water drip or spray to keep the pad moist as needed. Or you can mix less cerium with the water, so the solution stays liquid, in a dish soap squirt bottle and periodically squirt a little on your polishing pad as needed.
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Post by orrum on Mar 29, 2013 17:00:38 GMT -5
Hey folks, new situation. Not got the silicone spray yet so cant do the rez belts with diamond. Not got the spray adhesive to put leather on my spin on disk. Was killing me with all this bright sun to go to the horse barn office/ rock shop n do some cabs. So away I go with a preform of what I think was black n grey picasso marble, it was soft n did great! Did a piece of moonstone from the Hogg mine rose quarts mine, did great! Did a piece of montana n did great! For a change I got the dome right and the edges too so no scratches and no redos! So used the 600 worn out sc belt and then went to cerium oxide on a hard felt wheel on my mini 4 inch buffer. No shine...... No shine and NO SHINE!!!! They were like shiny but not liquid shine. So sittin there stareing at the muslin buff with Zam on it n said what the heck..... Grabbed the soft black n grey cab n stuck it to the Zam buff and lookout I need welding goggles its shining like underwater! The montana with Zam got rid of its cloudy look and is awesome! The moonstone sparked up too but not as much, its white with stripes and white is white you know. So whats the deal. Is the cerium a bad batch? Is cerium on a felt wheel not good? Am I using too much cerium? I make a thin paste n dip the cab in it n buff till its dragging n I feel heat. Is my buffer too fast, its variable speed n the slowest I can get it is 2000 rpm. Help please. Sorry no pics, my verizon tablet does not get strong enough a signal to upload pics, it times out.
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