Post by free4rms on Aug 31, 2008 9:23:28 GMT -5
I have been reading the questions and answers started on the previous "genie question" thread, and I have a couple of thoughts on Diamond Pacific wheels. I did not want to change the line of thought on the earlier post, so I thought I would bring it up in a new thread.
I have read several posts about using the 80 and 220 galaxy hard diamond wheels on a Diamond Pacific machine, and it seems a lot of people use this combination, which is standard on the D. Pacific equipment. I wonder about the maximum efficiency of this, though. I used this combination many years ago when I first started with Galaxy and Nova wheels, but I have changed to a different sequence of wheels since then. I would like to hear from those of you who use the 80 and 220 combo and get your opinion about whether using these two hard wheels in sequence is really necessary. Most folks will jump from those two to the 280 Nova. Can you not jump from an 80 galaxy to a 280 without the 220 galaxy? I mean, there is not that much difference in the grit of the two wheels, even though one is a hard wheel and one is a softer Nova. Do you really get that much of a difference in the smoothness of the cab when you go from an 80 to a 220 galaxy? The reason I ask is this: I use a Crystalite 40 grit hard Turbine wheel, which is fantastic for quickly shaping a freeform in the first step. It is a lot faster than a Galaxy 80 and more aggressive. If you ever have a chance to try one, my guess is you will never go back to a Galaxy 80. With very little practice, you can shape the freeform without too many seriously deep scratches. And using the very outer edge of the wheel at an angle is a fantastic way to "shave" off the edge of the preform when starting to dome it. After the turbine wheel, I switch to a Nova 60 grit wheel (which I never hear mentioned on the forum). Although this is a small jump in grit from a 40 grit hard wheel, the Nova 60 will smooth out the scratches from the 40 very well, and will also start shaping the preform. And sweeping the center of the flat or domed freeform across the outer edge of the Nova 60 will also get rid of the flat spots in the center. From here, it is a very easy jump to the Nova 280. Since the Nova 60 has already started most of the shaping of the freeform, you do not have to work the 280 so much and wear it down so fast. Then I go down the line with the other Novas.
At the other end of the Nova wheels, I use a different combo than is standard, too. It seems to me that D. Pacific used to have the standard set up go from 1200 to 14,000. Does anyone remember if this is true? I currently jump from 1200 to 14,000 and still get a good high polish at the end of the sequence (of course I polish with cerium oxide after the 14,000). The standard sequence now is from 1200 to 3000. Does anyone with a lot of experience find that the shorter jump to a 3000 instead of 14,000 work better? Do you find that going to a diamond paste or cerium works as well after a 3000 as it does after a 14,000?
I know this is a lot of questions and there are many different possible combinations to use, but I just thought I would pose the questions to see what everyone else thought.
Vance aka free4rms
I have read several posts about using the 80 and 220 galaxy hard diamond wheels on a Diamond Pacific machine, and it seems a lot of people use this combination, which is standard on the D. Pacific equipment. I wonder about the maximum efficiency of this, though. I used this combination many years ago when I first started with Galaxy and Nova wheels, but I have changed to a different sequence of wheels since then. I would like to hear from those of you who use the 80 and 220 combo and get your opinion about whether using these two hard wheels in sequence is really necessary. Most folks will jump from those two to the 280 Nova. Can you not jump from an 80 galaxy to a 280 without the 220 galaxy? I mean, there is not that much difference in the grit of the two wheels, even though one is a hard wheel and one is a softer Nova. Do you really get that much of a difference in the smoothness of the cab when you go from an 80 to a 220 galaxy? The reason I ask is this: I use a Crystalite 40 grit hard Turbine wheel, which is fantastic for quickly shaping a freeform in the first step. It is a lot faster than a Galaxy 80 and more aggressive. If you ever have a chance to try one, my guess is you will never go back to a Galaxy 80. With very little practice, you can shape the freeform without too many seriously deep scratches. And using the very outer edge of the wheel at an angle is a fantastic way to "shave" off the edge of the preform when starting to dome it. After the turbine wheel, I switch to a Nova 60 grit wheel (which I never hear mentioned on the forum). Although this is a small jump in grit from a 40 grit hard wheel, the Nova 60 will smooth out the scratches from the 40 very well, and will also start shaping the preform. And sweeping the center of the flat or domed freeform across the outer edge of the Nova 60 will also get rid of the flat spots in the center. From here, it is a very easy jump to the Nova 280. Since the Nova 60 has already started most of the shaping of the freeform, you do not have to work the 280 so much and wear it down so fast. Then I go down the line with the other Novas.
At the other end of the Nova wheels, I use a different combo than is standard, too. It seems to me that D. Pacific used to have the standard set up go from 1200 to 14,000. Does anyone remember if this is true? I currently jump from 1200 to 14,000 and still get a good high polish at the end of the sequence (of course I polish with cerium oxide after the 14,000). The standard sequence now is from 1200 to 3000. Does anyone with a lot of experience find that the shorter jump to a 3000 instead of 14,000 work better? Do you find that going to a diamond paste or cerium works as well after a 3000 as it does after a 14,000?
I know this is a lot of questions and there are many different possible combinations to use, but I just thought I would pose the questions to see what everyone else thought.
Vance aka free4rms