roykirk
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2013
Posts: 11
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Post by roykirk on Jul 19, 2013 8:54:36 GMT -5
I've been tumbling rocks since I was a kid and recently decided to give a cabbing a try. My equipment was a 6" Inland Flat Lap with diamond discs of 150, 325, 600, and 1200, along with some diamond paste and a polishing disc. I decided to try some emerald rough, along with two different ruby roughs. After reading here and some other forums, I started worrying that choosing ruby was a big mistake based on how difficult everyone says it is to work with. I ended up spending about 2 minutes with each stone on each disc and then rubbed the diamond paste in to the surface of each stone and buffed it at high speed on the polishing pad (not sure if that's how I was supposed to do it). The only complaint I would have is that two of the first ruby rough stones I worked with (not pictured) ended up with what appear to be little air bubbles under the surface, basically ruining them from my perspective. The two in the attached photo were ruby attempts #3 and #4. The rough they're pictured next to isn't the actual stone they came from, just trying to show what each rough batch looks like. Any advice on how to improve is welcome!
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Post by deb193redux on Jul 19, 2013 9:02:13 GMT -5
the beginning of an new direction. must be exciting. how do you critique the cabs? your critical eye will be your best tool.
I see edges, that suggest more time doming around 325. I also do not see the kind of shine these materials can take. Possible really stay on 600 and 1200 longer. what was the micron or grit size of your diamond? was it 14K?
where will you go next?
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Post by NM Stone Supply on Jul 19, 2013 9:27:29 GMT -5
Well I have to say you picked some of the hardest stones to work with as your first cabs. They look well polished for sure. The edges look a little rough still. Work on the shape and the edges then make your dome. Learn about dop sticks they can be helpful especially for a beginner. There is a lot of info about them here on the forum. Great job, keep it up. Jason
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roykirk
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2013
Posts: 11
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Post by roykirk on Jul 19, 2013 10:10:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice! Yeah, the edges are definitely rough. I was having some trouble with dopping and flung the first two rocks across the garage. As a result, I was nervous working the edges the rest of the time. I'll get better at that I'm sure. I think the emerald and the middle ruby took a polish pretty well. The third ruby is just a bit dull still but it wasn't very high quality rough either. Yes, the diamond paste was 14,000.
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roykirk
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2013
Posts: 11
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Post by roykirk on Jul 19, 2013 10:22:46 GMT -5
The middle ruby also has a very noticeable gold looking speck in the middle. Don't know if it's real gold or not, but looks very cool.
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carleton
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2012
Posts: 277
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Post by carleton on Jul 19, 2013 14:57:14 GMT -5
Hello, Great start, your in the right place, I am sure you will get lots of advice. Yes, you picked some tough rough to start with but there is nothing wrong with that, I did too and when I dialed back to some more forgiving materials it was an easy transition. My advice would be to first get your rough a nice consistent thickness like a slabette, then trace your shape on that. Before you begin the dome or any shaping, grind your sides until all the extra material is gone and you are left with the shape you intend to dome/cab. I found that helped me get a cleaner cab then when I kind of did all the steps at the same time. So get your "slab" consistent, then shape your sides to a "pre form" then dome and cab. I am sure there will be lots of more detailed help, but that is what came to mind. Keep it up, looking good so far Carleton
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roykirk
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2013
Posts: 11
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Post by roykirk on Jul 19, 2013 16:04:06 GMT -5
All great advice, everyone. Thank you! I know I have a lot to learn, but working the ruby turned out to be so much easier than I thought. Figuring out the dopping was the hard part. With the ruby I figured I'd be sitting there for 10 minutes on each disc trying to grind it down. On the contrary, I got distracted when I started and was shocked at how fast 2 mm or so peeled right off the surface with the 135 grit. Gotta watch that in the future. Probably just because everything is new and sharp. I imagine that doesn't last too long.
Tonight I'll work on cleaning up the edges and perhaps try a few more stones. Ruby is my favorite gemstone so I hope to play around with it a lot more despite the difficulty. I've even thought about trying some old fashioned heat treatment by putting some rocks in the furnace to see if it changes the finished product much. Maybe it won't do anything, but I enjoy experimenting with stuff like that.
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Post by deb193redux on Jul 19, 2013 16:56:54 GMT -5
frosted ruby with many small crystals will also grind much quicker than a clear bit of a single large crystal.
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 19, 2013 17:09:04 GMT -5
The middle ruby also has a very noticeable gold looking speck in the middle. Don't know if it's real gold or not, but looks very cool. Its likely mica, which is commonly found with some ruby.
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barclay
has rocks in the head
Lowly Padawan of rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 510
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Post by barclay on Jul 19, 2013 19:03:30 GMT -5
I first learned cabbing on obsidian. It is cheap, soft enough to work in a single class at your local rock club and you can work a piece large enough to get the hang of shaping the dome and girdle. Somewhere on this board I remember seeing an excellent series of video clips that walk you through cabbing. They are a great place to start if you don't have a local teacher to show you the ropes.
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