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Post by Peruano on Oct 4, 2023 7:38:15 GMT -5
Have someone handy with a table saw, cut a whole bunch (carefully of course) of hardwood wedges to keep at hand. You will soon learn what sizes and shapes are most useful but sharp and not to thick are probably good candidates.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 4, 2023 6:09:01 GMT -5
It might be easy to improvise such a mod to a vice like the standard HP setup. I like the fact that it grabs horizontally and not vertically. I can envision a lot of pressure and distortion on those holes if used often and hard.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 3, 2023 13:19:51 GMT -5
What is unique about the slab grabber type of mount is the triangular slots that are able to securely wedge the often thinned and triangular edge of a nodule or sloping rock that has a somewhat flat face. The standard vice doesn't have that slot for the rock edge to fit into. There is another version which involves machine screws that have sloping heads that accomplish the same thing. Here is another shot of the one I'm using. 20231002_130132 by Thomas Fritts, on Flickr
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Post by Peruano on Oct 2, 2023 16:12:29 GMT -5
I've always stubbed rocks on wood to mount in the vice when slabbing, but today I had several pop off the mount. The problem was due to agates that had been face polished by a foreign vendor and they may have been treated with paraffin or something else to make them shiney. So I reached for my largely unused slab grabber and was greatly impressed. It was fast to mount and nothing slipped. I probably mounted a dozen stones in one session.they were small and each only produced two to four slabs. www.flickr.com/gp/186066986@N08/jKq1JW31d7I have one small one made by star diamond and a larger one made in a minn. Workshop they are similar in design. Another option for those tricky rock cutting challenges.
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Post by Peruano on Oct 2, 2023 6:31:39 GMT -5
Your proposed gold ore crusher will do just that. I'm pretty sure it will produce powder and very few usable rocks.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 30, 2023 15:53:19 GMT -5
Looks good to me. You now get the real fun of finding out what beauty (or dud) lies inside rocks! Ditto on sufficient oil Oil spray sometimes depends on surface shape of rock. You can build a shower stall like box around and access during run through a smaller door. Congratulations on the beginning of more fun and productive efforts.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 29, 2023 6:24:33 GMT -5
So just time your sled speed and make sure its slow enough and use a chart to compute desired pulley sizes to achieve proper surface of blade speed. (is it measured in inches per second or mintue?) It all comes down to having enough diamonds run by the specimen to achieve the work and blade speed is one component and sled/vice speed is the other.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 25, 2023 13:35:49 GMT -5
The old Western Gem Hunters Atlas show rock sites around the lake, 1. on SW quadrat of lake; 2 N and W of lake on W side of Rt 180; both of those are listed as pet wood;. Additional sites in the vicinity mention agate (2 mi E of St. Johns and a bit south on a secondary road and again another 5 miles E and south for another pet wood local. It shows a large moss agate zone SW of St. Johns that extends half way toward Lyman Res. These sites are illustrated on pages 40 and 23 respectively for the 1965 and 1972 printings of this great guide. I like general guidance but not so much specifics that any dead butt can find the sites. Enjoy.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 19, 2023 6:56:58 GMT -5
You had my interest until you mentioned wanting to wet everything down and see everything at the same time. I use a flat tool drawer cabinet for bigger stuff, but most slabs are stacked like slices of bread in a large filing cabinets from a library setting. Double rows of 4 x6 file drawers, heavy steel, and indestructible. You can see it behind and at right angle to the tool chest cab.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 13, 2023 9:30:11 GMT -5
Wow. You acquired a complete outfit. Slab saw, trim saw, vibe lap, cab machine with expando wheels, and a buff arbor. Just don't use the sic wheel on the other end for much rock work and especially dry or out of balance. Go slow, and maybe find a lapidary mentor and you will have fun. BTW my other passion is vintage but not necessarily expensive bikes ( biased towards touring bikes from 70s and 80s). Lots of good guidance here so ask questions.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 3, 2023 15:51:44 GMT -5
next ? How long should one wait for a decent slurry to develop before deciding that more grit is needed ? I see that velodromed is using TEASPOONS (and fractions thereof) in the Raytech-5 but I don't seem to get a slurry coating in the RayTech-10 with a Tablespoon after a couple of hours ... am I being too impatient? Use a dollop of dawn before adding grit and use a bit more grit. It will form a slurry.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 3, 2023 7:03:42 GMT -5
Welcome from a fellow rock hounding powered by a two wheeled macine. I had ayamha trail bike for ten years as primary rock collection vehicle. Maybe youneed a spot satellite tracker. They seem expensive but when you are broke down or injured or even hidden by hill it's important get help. Get a saw and enjoy the whole thing.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 19, 2023 6:23:29 GMT -5
I'd need more info to even guide your thinking. Could the motor be getting hot when cutting a big rock. How do you restart the motor after such an event. Or is the feed or blade stopping but not the motor. It is a unique saw but still just steel, copper, and diamonds so your problem can be solved. Photos and words are needed, please.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 19, 2023 6:14:32 GMT -5
The big box hardware stores sell a short pig tail cord with a double receptacle on one end and a gfi on the other.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 18, 2023 13:58:03 GMT -5
My post is only about power outages. My electrical utility has paid out billions of dollars as a result of their equipment starting huge wildfires in Northern California. Their approach for dealing with a possible fire hazard where I live was to trim trees next to power lines. Recently, they have changed their approach to make their equipment more sensitive and shut down the power in the area that could only be slightly at risk. They save money on tree trimming and the customer has more outages. I've had eight in less than a month. So when I feel like doing a little rock grinding in the morning, I have been unable. This situation is not going to go away. In December, I had solar installed, but didn't add a battery backup because they are expensive and limited. I can't run my a/c for very long. With all these outages, I decided to get a battery that will support all my 110v so when the power is out, the lights will be on and I can make a pot of coffee and grind rocks. Omgosh - that's highly frustrating! Electrical outages are no joke - thinking they need to pony up the tree trimming so THEIR CUSTOMERS don't lose $300 worth of groceries they just bought lol...I wish there was a way that the mini wouldn't turn back on with the power - at least then I'm only dealing with coated rocks, not chipped/cracked/coated rocks ha! I'd love to look into solar - but don't think NEOhio has enough sunny days - maybe 50/50. May need to look into a 'cheap' back up though - we do have generators, which are great when we're home, but this all happened while I was at work. I run all my saws and vibes through gfi's and they seem to always trip when we have a power outage, and hence no start up when power is restored. You might try this.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 16, 2023 5:36:49 GMT -5
Sounds like surging, or better stated inconsistent feed. I'd make sure the rails are smooth and unobstructed by a burr or something else causing resistance. Ditto I'd check to see the spring is correctly installed and not damaged on the feed dog (clutch). If that feed rod is not firmly engaged a slight resistance can cause a jumped thread as mentioned by Rockoonz. Saw marks can be produced by starting and stopping the blade in the middle of the cut. That's usually due to a slight blade wabble as it powers down and up in the process. I feel your frustration. Stay the course.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 13, 2023 7:23:36 GMT -5
I'm one of the bowling bag users. Mine is bright yellow so I can set it down and walk around a large area and still find it visually. It has both hand and shoulder straps. The side pockets are great for smaller and more fragile stones. I work primarily in alluvial gravels (i.e. everything was transported by a rivers within the last 100 million years, and hence don't carry much in the way of hardware except one short pry bar that can hammer, pry, dig or scrape. Oh did a forget a gps for recording the location of that big one that you want to come back for, and a water bottle. Enjoy.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 10, 2023 17:39:08 GMT -5
Congrats on the new tool PS!! *If I were you, I'd take stardiamond up on his offer on those wheels!! Nice offer Stephen! Thanks Jason! Used the club cabber before and really loved it for preforming so I am excited. Maybe I missed info. But please clarify whether you have 6 or 8 inch wheels. Stardiamond probably is thinking about 8s. Diamond wheels don't get wsrer logged like silicone carbide, but it's best to not leave them under constant drip when not in use. The Diamond can delaminate. Let us know your size needs.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 10, 2023 7:01:35 GMT -5
Leather for chromeoxide; felt for cerium oxide polishes. Chrome you use as a paste, cerium wetter. Zam is chrome oxide that comes in a wax version and is usually used on a felt wheel, rather than a flat disk. Use any water system what works for you. Even a small container higher than your machine can provide gravity or siphon feed. An aquarium pump is great if city water is not handy, but let it go to a separate waste bucket, not into one that recirculates. Its a great machine and the expando belts give you infinite flexibility in going as far along the polish process as you want. If you use the sic wheels, read the cautionary comments on not letting them get water logged and out of balance which can cause them to self-destruct. Making sure your water is off when quitting and spinning them for a few minutes after the water is off is adequate safety precaution, but if one is ever found wet on the bottom due to a leaking valve, don't stand in front of it when you start it up, and let it dry for days before even doing that. Everyone has their own technique, but you will figure out yours with a modicum of common sense and guidance from near and far. Enjoy.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 7, 2023 14:33:59 GMT -5
I am fascinated by the bizarre shapes and curves of chalcedony bodies found around volcanic formations despite the fact that they are often fouled with dirt, algae, and discolorations. I've been trying to shape them to more attractive forms with my trim saw, and then cleaning and polishing them with a minisonic tumbler and subsequently with dremel and self devised polishing devices. Here are a few examples that have passed through my hands after 5 days in the tumblers. The in progress stones are shown wet and yes need more cleaning action. 20220311_082631 by Thomas Fritts, on Flickr 20220315_133215 by Thomas Fritts, on Flickr Polised by Thomas Fritts, on Flickr So far diamond bits and hard wood dowls dipped in various grits are working best of getting into crevices, but clearly I've got work to do on some of these and the other 50 or so that I didn't burden the message with.
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