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Post by earthandhammer on Jan 18, 2019 0:04:10 GMT -5
So UPS showed up at my door earlier with a package I was not expecting until next week, my Pixie! So of course, instead of starting in on my petrology textbook I spent the afternoon setting it up and playing around. Coming from the flat lap, it's really a pleasure to work on wheels instead - however I've definitely developed a weird technique of my own for the flat lap over the past year which means I have some adjustments to make to my workflow. That being said, I cut a couple of random agates - and reshaped that plume agate - to break in the new Nova wheels as suggested in the documentation and am very happy with my initial results. Everything happens a bit slower on the flat lap (except for leaving flat spots!) and I was slightly disbelieving of the speed with which one can finish a cab. I've been perusing the forums picking up lots of great tips, and am looking forward to spending some serious time tomorrow getting stuff done!
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Post by fernwood on Jan 18, 2019 6:30:42 GMT -5
That looks very nice for your first one. Keep posting progress as you do more.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 18, 2019 8:51:01 GMT -5
Congrats on your new Pixie! The cabs look great.
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Post by miket on Jan 18, 2019 10:20:48 GMT -5
Very cool, I like the second one!
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Post by Pat on Jan 18, 2019 10:57:44 GMT -5
Nice job! Yes, a Pixie would be easier than a flat lap --- and you don't have to keep changing disks. Flat lap is good for the backs of the cabs.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 18, 2019 11:11:53 GMT -5
Great work on that material...
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 18, 2019 11:37:44 GMT -5
Nice cabs and congrats! I learned on the Genie. When I tried to use the flap lap, it was damn near impossible. My son uses it now. I could just never get any good at it. It is good for backs, though.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Jan 18, 2019 11:43:53 GMT -5
Really nice results from your first Genie foray. Please show us more.
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Post by mohs on Jan 18, 2019 11:46:44 GMT -5
the Pixie is fun machine and with the flat lap no stone will be to hard to shine good luck in your geography studies
Ed
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Post by lpl on Jan 18, 2019 13:59:29 GMT -5
Looks great! Congratulations on your new toy!
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Post by earthandhammer on Jan 18, 2019 14:24:26 GMT -5
Thank you all! We shall see if my other half is as pleased with losing more counter space when she returns next week (we had already discussed that it was coming, so it won't be a total surprise). I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir, but being a geology student and a rockhound/lapidary enthusiast my house is filled with rocks and minerals. I've been advocating for turning the entire living room into a workshop but have met with a surprising amount of resistance to that idea... Nice job! Yes, a Pixie would be easier than a flat lap --- and you don't have to keep changing disks. Flat lap is good for the backs of the cabs. So thrilled to not be changing discs constantly! I've been working in big batches to keep changes & wipe downs to a minimum, but that can be pretty limiting if you're feeling a particular piece and want to keep working on it.
Nice cabs and congrats! I learned on the Genie. When I tried to use the flap lap, it was damn near impossible. My son uses it now. I could just never get any good at it. It is good for backs, though. The flat lap is definitely a totally different animal. I taught myself on it because it was what was available to me at the time and also allowed me to polish flat faces on samples, thunderegg halves, etc. All the cabs I've posted photos of up until these have been done on an 8" flat lap. I use a variety of discs some with foam backing and some without depending on the stone and the shape I'm going for. The technique that I've found to work is sort of an amalgam of all of the various things I've read and watched, it involves a lot of rocking and spinning the cab and can definitely be time consuming...but they still come out pretty well!
Hope to have some more to post later today!
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Post by MsAli on Jan 18, 2019 16:31:00 GMT -5
Nice job and congrats on your new toy
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hummingbirdstones2
fully equipped rock polisher
Vince A., 1958-2023
Member since August 2018
Posts: 1,461
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Jan 18, 2019 20:54:21 GMT -5
Yeah, congrats on gettin' the Pixie. I too started with a flat lap, then got a used Genie. Oh what a feeling, right?
A variable speed flat lap will be very useful, as Mohs said, for polishing. You already have foam backers for some of your laps. That's the only way I could ever get a decent cab on my flat lap.
Some rocks like oxides on leather, some like diamond on felt. There are charts with recommended combinations for different stones.
Nice work on the ones shown in the photos. The fun never ends once you've made it to where you are now.
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swaver101
starting to spend too much on rocks
Whoops
Member since May 2018
Posts: 111
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Post by swaver101 on Jan 19, 2019 6:28:51 GMT -5
I love the colours of that stone! Gorgeous! How do you like the pixie? I am looking into getting a Genie..
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Post by fernwood on Jan 19, 2019 7:17:55 GMT -5
earthandhammer "I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir, but being a geology student and a rockhound/lapidary enthusiast my house is filled with rocks and minerals. I've been advocating for turning the entire living room into a workshop but have met with a surprising amount of resistance to that idea..." I really love that comment. I live alone in a house with a tiny space for Winter, and not much bigger the rest of the year. About 1/4 of living room is dedicated towards jewelry manufacture. This includes using Dremel for cabbing and shaping rough rocks for tumbling. 1/3 of dining room is rough rock/slab storage. Also, where photography is done. The tumblers are in utility room, presently sitting on top of dryer. All grit/media/rocks in progress are stored there. I have several open shadow boxes in living room with rock specimens. More on tables in living room. A spare bedroom, which I use for storage, holds more rough rocks and everything I need for shows/displays. Often think what would happen if I shared my house with another 2 legged person. Currently share it with two, very well behaved cats. They do not mess with my stuff. I doubt a 2 legged person would be that accommodating.
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Post by vegasjames on Jan 19, 2019 8:11:47 GMT -5
Great job, super shine.
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Post by earthandhammer on Jan 19, 2019 12:47:14 GMT -5
earthandhammer "I'm sure that I'm preaching to the choir, but being a geology student and a rockhound/lapidary enthusiast my house is filled with rocks and minerals. I've been advocating for turning the entire living room into a workshop but have met with a surprising amount of resistance to that idea..." I really love that comment. I live alone in a house with a tiny space for Winter, and not much bigger the rest of the year. About 1/4 of living room is dedicated towards jewelry manufacture. This includes using Dremel for cabbing and shaping rough rocks for tumbling. 1/3 of dining room is rough rock/slab storage. Also, where photography is done. The tumblers are in utility room, presently sitting on top of dryer. All grit/media/rocks in progress are stored there. I have several open shadow boxes in living room with rock specimens. More on tables in living room. A spare bedroom, which I use for storage, holds more rough rocks and everything I need for shows/displays. Often think what would happen if I shared my house with another 2 legged person. Currently share it with two, very well behaved cats. They do not mess with my stuff. I doubt a 2 legged person would be that accommodating. I think we would get along! :-) Do you block off part of your house for the winter? I used to do that living in Buffalo - I bet it's even colder in WI though! Moving to CA has spoiled me a little bit. Those do sound like well behaved cats, I've never met one that wouldn't mess with everything...luckily the doggy can't reach anything.
I do have most of the dining room - that's where the faceting machine/trim saw/flat lap are. Right now the Pixie is on the kitchen counter, so we'll see how long that lasts. Basically all spare surfaces are used for specimens of various types and I also may have commandeered the bottom shelf in the pantry for more storage.
Luckily my wife is very supportive of the whole thing; she's always been more into quilting/sewing than working on rocks, but she has been starting to dabble in wire-wrapping so I'm hoping one day to convince her that she should just accept life among piles of rock! I'm more into making things with electricity, fire, and hammers etc so it would be nice to have a counterpoint to that.
swaver101 so far I'm loving the Pixie. Space was a big limitation, and it fits into my small setup perfectly. I can see how the bigger wheels of a Genie or CabKing would be even more fun to work on so I'm sure you'll enjoy one!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 20, 2019 14:10:37 GMT -5
Hi earthandhammer Adam, you're in LA? I'm in LA too! I live in Westchester. Are you close by?
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Post by earthandhammer on Jan 21, 2019 2:26:52 GMT -5
Hi earthandhammer Adam, you're in LA? I'm in LA too! I live in Westchester. Are you close by? That’s the LAX area right? I’m up in the San Fernando Valley so a bit of a hike but not terribly far.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 21, 2019 10:32:48 GMT -5
Hi earthandhammer Adam, you're in LA? I'm in LA too! I live in Westchester. Are you close by? That’s the LAX area right? I’m up in the San Fernando Valley so a bit of a hike but not terribly far. Cool! Maybe we'll run into each other! Always good to meet another local rock person.
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