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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 17, 2019 21:39:48 GMT -5
I am not a jade expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been told you have to get jade hot to polish it.
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 17, 2019 21:59:32 GMT -5
I am not a jade expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been told you have to get jade hot to polish it. Hmmmm... Time for me to do more research on that one. I thought heat during polishing caused jade to form orange peel surface problems. stephan has some good posts on the subject, and jamesp is presently playing around with jade. Oh well... easy to test... gotta find my stove mittens... this is gonna hurt! I was going to dop the jade to make it easier to handle on the flat-lap, but if I am going to burn the sucker up, the dop wax will probably melt and I will be wearing the pendant between my eyes! This will be fun... a challenge to see how easy to handle a pendant with oven mitts...
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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 Feb 17, 2019 22:10:56 GMT -5
Black wax will tolerate higher temps.
As for laps and polishes there are some old charts online with different recommended combinations for various types of stones.
In the long run, it's like what an old lapidary told me a long time ago. "If it's smooth and shiny when you finish it, you did it right.".
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 17, 2019 22:36:14 GMT -5
I am not a jade expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been told you have to get jade hot to polish it. Hmmmm... Time for me to do more research on that one. I thought heat during polishing caused jade to form orange peel surface problems. stephan has some good posts on the subject, and jamesp is presently playing around with jade. Oh well... easy to test... gotta find my stove mittens... this is gonna hurt! I was going to dop the jade to make it easier to handle on the flat-lap, but if I am going to burn the sucker up, the dop wax will probably melt and I will be wearing the pendant between my eyes! This will be fun... a challenge to see how easy to handle a pendant with oven mitts... I am going to qualify that statement by telling you that the lapidary instructor at our local college told us that when we took his class. Jade was a "challenge" stone and I failed miserably at it. Vince got his polished. Here is a link to a jade tutorial by Michael Hoover. He has probably cut more jade than anyone I know and is a successful knife maker. He uses jade a lot for knife scales.
I would follow his advice way before mine. I know virtually nothing about cutting jade.
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 18, 2019 0:10:10 GMT -5
I am going to qualify that statement by telling you that the lapidary instructor at our local college told us that when we took his class. Jade was a "challenge" stone and I failed miserably at it. Vince got his polished. Here is a link to a jade tutorial by Michael Hoover. He has probably cut more jade than anyone I know and is a successful knife maker. He uses jade a lot for knife scales.
I would follow his advice way before mine. I know virtually nothing about cutting jade. WOW!!! That is an OUTSTANDING Tut on Jade!!!+++ (bookmark, save to file, print, post on wall, meditation rug and alter on floor underneath, votive candles, etc...etc...) I am going to reassess how I am going to proceed... No burning up the jade... Yet...
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 18, 2019 0:56:34 GMT -5
Made my own suede leather polishing disc, backed with a 1/8 in. foam pad... all on a new black acrylic master lap disc. I tried to fit it on the flat lap (I have the Diamond 8 in. All-U-Need model)... The screw threads would not catch and it did not want to screw down. Then I remembered your post MsAli from Feb 13th and removed one of the arbor screw washers and also peel off the sticky paper on the bottom of the acrylic disc... Success! yippiiii! I Noted that the suede leather pulled/depressed into the center as I tightened the arbor screw... the 1/8 in. foam and leather are too soft, and there was too much give in the material. I am going to carve out the leather and foam in the center and insert a washer in it's place (if I can find a washer.. and... if it will fit). I reviewed a YouTube video which addressed the same issue: I decided to use the soft suede disc for diamond 14,000 paste (sprayed it with Diamond Extender Fluid and dabbed/rubbed in 2 gm. of paste). (I am still waiting to receive a few new acrylic master lap plates from The Rock Shed... but when I do, I will create another polishing lap disc using 1/8 in hard cowhide - no foam backing - and dedicate it to Cerium Oxide as hummingbirdstones suggests (sorry... no elk... sacred animal... no touchy). Just wanted to say I recognized the value of your posts. Thank you! Glenn
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Post by stephan on Feb 18, 2019 1:45:45 GMT -5
I am not a jade expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I've been told you have to get jade hot to polish it. Hmmmm... Time for me to do more research on that one. I thought heat during polishing caused jade to form orange peel surface problems. stephan has some good posts on the subject, and jamesp is presently playing around with jade. Oh well... easy to test... gotta find my stove mittens... this is gonna hurt! I was going to dop the jade to make it easier to handle on the flat-lap, but if I am going to burn the sucker up, the dop wax will probably melt and I will be wearing the pendant between my eyes! This will be fun... a challenge to see how easy to handle a pendant with oven mitts... In my experience getting the jade hot prevents, rather than causes, orange-peeling. That said, I’ve never gotten it hot enough to melt the wax. Then again, I’m more of a nail-and-superglue guy.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 18, 2019 3:37:50 GMT -5
Looks like you are in good hands gmitch067. I will report on the attempt to tumble polishing jade in the near future. Perhaps tumble polishing jade cabs is a possibility.
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Post by MsAli on Feb 18, 2019 8:48:08 GMT -5
Made my own suede leather polishing disc, backed with a 1/8 in. foam pad... all on a new black acrylic master lap disc. I tried to fit it on the flat lap (I have the Diamond 8 in. All-U-Need model)... The screw threads would not catch and it did not want to screw down. Then I remembered your post MsAli from Feb 13th and removed one of the arbor screw washers and also peel off the sticky paper on the bottom of the acrylic disc... Success! yippiiii! I Noted that the suede leather pulled/depressed into the center as I tightened the arbor screw... the 1/8 in. foam and leather are too soft, and there was too much give in the material. I am going to carve out the leather and foam in the center and insert a washer in it's place (if I can find a washer.. and... if it will fit). I reviewed a YouTube video which addressed the same issue: I decided to use the soft suede disc for diamond 14,000 paste (sprayed it with Diamond Extender Fluid and dabbed/rubbed in 2 gm. of paste). (I am still waiting to receive a few new acrylic master lap plates from The Rock Shed... but when I do, I will create another polishing lap disc using 1/8 in hard cowhide - no foam backing - and dedicate it to Cerium Oxide as hummingbirdstones suggests (sorry... no elk... sacred animal... no touchy). Just wanted to say I recognized the value of your posts. Thank you! Glenn I'm watching this thread and learning as well. After doing a few cabs, I definitely recommend foam pads on all of the discs. It makes a huge difference I only got two, so now I know how to make my own for next time. The other thing I'm gonna need is a 220, the 325 it came with is fine for the softer stuff but for the harder I think I would benefit with the 220. Any other tips would be helpful
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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 Feb 18, 2019 8:59:54 GMT -5
Do you have a steel 80 or 100 grit lap? I see that unit comes with a 180, but you might want a coarser one for hogging off larger amounts of material during shaping. There will be more scratches to deal with, but your finer grit laps won't wear out prematurely.
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 18, 2019 10:45:11 GMT -5
Do you have a steel 80 or 100 grit lap? I see that unit comes with a 180, but you might want a coarser one for hogging off larger amounts of material during shaping. There will be more scratches to deal with, but your finer grit laps won't wear out prematurely.
I ordered an 8 inch 60-grit electroplated disc from The Rock Shed... still waiting... last I heard they were a bit snowed-in (South Dakota). Until it arrives, I am continuing to use my dremel to do the coarse grinding. Diamond Hi-Tech has an 8 inch 60-grit diamond electroplated disc for the All-U-Need and Slant Cabber models for $95 (The 6 inch disc costs $81). The 80-grit cost a bit less. hitechdiamond.com/shop/electroplated-diamond-laps/I am concerned that the discs found on Amazon might not be compatible with the All-U-Need (or Slant Cabber) model of flat-lap. In my research to buy a flat-lap I ran across a warning which said something about not using a solid steel master plate in the Diamond Hi-Tech All-U-Need (or Slant Cabber) flat lap... solid metal master discs are too heavy... it must use the lighter acrylic master lap disc (I forgot where I found that warning and subsequent searches fail to find anything... a little bit of uncertainty there... Other member's advice would be appreciated)
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 18, 2019 13:16:27 GMT -5
Made my own suede leather polishing disc, backed with a 1/8 in. foam pad... all on a new black acrylic master lap disc. I tried to fit it on the flat lap (I have the Diamond 8 in. All-U-Need model)... The screw threads would not catch and it did not want to screw down. Then I remembered your post MsAli from Feb 13th and removed one of the arbor screw washers and also peel off the sticky paper on the bottom of the acrylic disc... Success! yippiiii! I Noted that the suede leather pulled/depressed into the center as I tightened the arbor screw... the 1/8 in. foam and leather are too soft, and there was too much give in the material. I am going to carve out the leather and foam in the center and insert a washer in it's place (if I can find a washer.. and... if it will fit). I reviewed a YouTube video which addressed the same issue: I decided to use the soft suede disc for diamond 14,000 paste (sprayed it with Diamond Extender Fluid and dabbed/rubbed in 2 gm. of paste). (I am still waiting to receive a few new acrylic master lap plates from The Rock Shed... but when I do, I will create another polishing lap disc using 1/8 in hard cowhide - no foam backing - and dedicate it to Cerium Oxide as hummingbirdstones suggests (sorry... no elk... sacred animal... no touchy). Just wanted to say I recognized the value of your posts. Thank you! Glenn Yes, even the smoothing discs will depress when you screw it down with foam backing behind it unless you cut out that center spot. Vince uses some leather circle punches he picked up somewhere to do the job. Works well.
It's my pleasure to help any way I can. I remember trying to figure it all out when I got mine.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 18, 2019 13:32:11 GMT -5
Get yourself some cheap diamond toppers in a couple of lower grits for preforming and working harder material. I use them on a steel master, but my machine is the original model and not a slant cabber, so I can't say whether it would be too heavy or not. You can use an acrylic backer plate just as well I would think. I just put the topper on top of the master lap and screw it down. That way I can switch them out very easily. It doesn't seem to matter that the topper is not glued down. It works fine for me.
I haven't compared prices, but I would hit Ebay too and see what they selling for on there.
ETA: MsAli I want to get some 220's too. I think it will definitely make life easier. When I first got my machine, they did not make the 220. I can't remember when I first saw them, but it's only been a few years ago since they came out with them, I think.
Watch Kingsley North for when they go on sale.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 18, 2019 22:39:24 GMT -5
I was just looking around and they make aluminum master laps, too. Here's one:
Aluminum wouldn't be too heavy for the slant cabbers.
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 19, 2019 15:56:36 GMT -5
Dumb question... Do you need to keep the water drip ON when polishing using the Cerium Oxide disc... or for that matter any polishing disc? I remember someone said something about using a squirt bottle of water... ?
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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 Feb 19, 2019 19:47:15 GMT -5
Not a dumb question at all. Just wet the lap with the oxide slurry spray, then spray it again when you start to feel a lot of drag. Too much, or too wet and it will just throw the oxide off the lap unless you're turning a very low rpm.
I have fiddled with a very slow drip to keep a wet section in near the spindle, but that isn't how it's usually done. You still have to keep the outer part of the lap damp enough to keep from creating dust. Might as well just spray it as needed.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 19, 2019 21:55:24 GMT -5
Dumb question... Do you need to keep the water drip ON when polishing using the Cerium Oxide disc... or for that matter any polishing disc? I remember someone said something about using a squirt bottle of water... ? What I usually do is wet my leather lap down with some water first and let it soak in a little. Then I shake up my spray bottle of CeOx really good and give it a few shots. Start polishing your stone and when it starts dragging is when it is doing the best polish. Once it starts grabbing really hard, then it's dry and needs more CeOx or water. When you're first starting to use a lap, give it more CeOx. When you've used the lap for a while you can just give it another shot of water. The lap will get charged up with CeOx over time. I always start with CeOx though.
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Post by gmitch067 on Feb 19, 2019 22:17:46 GMT -5
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 20, 2019 9:16:29 GMT -5
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Post by Son Of Beach on Dec 20, 2022 16:00:15 GMT -5
Get yourself some cheap diamond toppers in a couple of lower grits for preforming and working harder material. I use them on a steel master, but my machine is the original model and not a slant cabber, so I can't say whether it would be too heavy or not. You can use an acrylic backer plate just as well I would think. I just put the topper on top of the master lap and screw it down. That way I can switch them out very easily. It doesn't seem to matter that the topper is not glued down. It works fine for me.
I haven't compared prices, but I would hit Ebay too and see what they selling for on there.
ETA: MsAli I want to get some 220's too. I think it will definitely make life easier. When I first got my machine, they did not make the 220. I can't remember when I first saw them, but it's only been a few years ago since they came out with them, I think.
Watch Kingsley North for when they go on sale.
Thank you for this Robin. I just picked up an acrylic backing plate and a 60 grit topper. Fingers crossed it gets here before the weekend
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