RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Apr 11, 2015 21:05:22 GMT -5
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Post by snowmom on Apr 12, 2015 5:46:09 GMT -5
pretty serious jewelry making machine! yeah, looks a lot like something you'd see in a sci fi movie, I suppose it makes sense to those who know how to use them.
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 12, 2015 11:08:41 GMT -5
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,680
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 12, 2015 15:51:42 GMT -5
Seen one of those in a museum,a guy made it himself............Cool machine!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Post by washingtonrocks on Apr 14, 2015 20:08:06 GMT -5
Funky contraption. Not cheap either!
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Apr 14, 2015 20:11:39 GMT -5
Yes and no. I took faceting lessons two years ago and got through a couple of stones. Since then, I've been super busy either remodeling and selling my old house or remodeling the new place. I'm hoping to maybe buy a faceting machine this fall and pick-up where I left off. How about yourself?
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Apr 14, 2015 20:13:45 GMT -5
Seen one of those in a museum,a guy made it himself............Cool machine!!!!!!!!!!!! Cool. So can you explain what this thing does? Is it some type of semi-automatic faceting machine? I showed the listing to some folks last weekend at the Golden Spike Gem show. A lot were laughing. A lot.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2015 20:26:55 GMT -5
Looks home made. Perhaps rockncajun can illuminate us?? Here is a commonly used relatively high end machine
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 15, 2015 15:46:41 GMT -5
Sounds like you have been very busy, RocknCritter. I hope you get a chance to facet again and purchase a machine. No, I do not know how to facet but would love to learn. I received an invitation to attend one of the faceting group meetings in Atlanta, but didn't go. I love and collect faceted gems, especially garnets. gemfeller may know something about the machine, too. I'm wondering what's with all the index gears on it - if that's what they are called. ?
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 15, 2015 17:24:52 GMT -5
Judging from the image my guess -- and it's only a guess -- is it's an automatic faceting machine: attach your dopped stone, punch the right buttons, hit the "on" switch and off she goes, cutting the first set of facets for the planned design. I can only speculate that laps have to be manually changed for sanding and polishing unless the lap shown is segmented for those operations. Also at some point the stone would have to be re-dopped to cut the opposite half of the gem, either crown or pavilion. Maybe they have a robot to do that too, LOL.
The Germans make a variety of automatic and semi-automatic faceting machines. If this is one of them the price is ridiculously cheap. It's about the same as a low-range American-made manual faceting machine. Even with mid-range American machines estimated start-up costs for machine, laps, dops etc. will be 4 to 5 K. Then comes the *really* expensive part -- clean, facetable rough.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Apr 15, 2015 18:18:15 GMT -5
Judging from the image my guess -- and it's only a guess -- is it's an automatic faceting machine: attach your dopped stone, punch the right buttons, hit the "on" switch and off she goes, cutting the first set of facets for the planned design. I can only speculate that laps have to be manually changed for sanding and polishing unless the lap shown is segmented for those operations. Also at some point the stone would have to be re-dopped to cut the opposite half of the gem, either crown or pavilion. Maybe they have a robot to do that too, LOL. The Germans make a variety of automatic and semi-automatic faceting machines. If this is one of them the price is ridiculously cheap. It's about the same as a low-range American-made manual faceting machine. Even with mid-range American machines estimated start-up costs for machine, laps, dops etc. will be 4 to 5 K. Then comes the *really* expensive part -- clean, facetable rough. This is more or less what I was thinking. On the USFS forum, someone else noticed this monostrosity. There's some thought that it might be originally an optics polishing machine that has been modified for faceting. With at least 17 (!) buttons visible and NO INSTRUCTION MANUAL, I'm sure the first results will be over the top
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 15, 2015 18:45:57 GMT -5
RocknCritter, I think you're dead-on. No instruction manual, no guarantee that it's a "straight" machine - a potential nightmare for the innocent purchaser.
If I was to consider buying such a complex and specialized device I'd insist on a least a week's hands-on training at the factory plus a guarantee of perfect operating condition! That's not likely to be an option with this one.
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 16, 2015 11:04:16 GMT -5
Thank you, gemfeller! I noticed an automatic cabochon machine (Rock's) on Arrowhead Lapidary Supply's website. Expensive unit.
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