back polish

[amyk]

Do you guys polish the backs of your cabs before you wrap them? And if so, how?

[mc2]

I do, but not to the same degree of finish as I put on the front, just a little to pretty it up a bit. I go through all the grits, usually stopping a 600, then hit the polishing wheel a bit with what I used on the front, usually tin oxide.

Mike

[adrian65]

They say backs have to be polished as well as the front. It's not only more elegant (the pendant might flip ocasionally while wearing) but also comfortable to the skin or cloths contact. If not a polish, at least a decent smooth finish of the back would be nice.
I cannot help you with how to do because I suppose you ask this question because you dop stick your cabs. I do all the cabbing by holding the cabs by hand so it's easier to me to polish the back.

Adrian

[kjohn0102]

I polish my backs, but like Adrian, I don't dop so I just polish as I go. If you dop, you have to repeat the entire process again, dopping from the front to polish the back.
kj

[rons]

normally I just use a small flat lap and polish/finish the back after roughing out the (usually 12-20 at a time) end lap would work.....I than dop up the group and finish them...Than my wife makes them disappear....kind of what works best for you ........everyone has their own little things that work for them

have a great day...Ron

[tkrueger3]

I like to dop what will be the front and then polish the back of the cab first. Not necessarily as shiny as the front, but also not rough or matrix-y. Then I freeze it, remove the dop and any left-on dop wax from the front of the cab, then dop the back side, and complete the front finish. Takes longer, but IMO worth the extra effort.

And I've only had 2 cabs come off the dop stick - while grinding in real cold weather with cold water - had the same effect as putting the dopped cab in the freezer, I guess.

Tom

[Larry]

I couldn't not polish the back. It would feel like an unfinished piece to me. I try to get the back just as shiny as the front. Just the perfectionist in me I suppose.

How I finish it depends on how lazy I feel. If I'm in a go-getter mood, I'll use the flat lap and use all the weels to shine it like the front. It takes more time to switch the wheels but I get a better result. This method would be best with a bunch of cabs ready, so I can do a bunch on one wheel then change wheels.

If I'm feeling lazy, I'll just use the grinder and give the back a quick hit with each wheel and hope to get it as close to perfect as possible. I do a little with the cab pointing to the left then a little with it to the right then up then down. This way it seems to all even out being that I'm trying to grind a flat on a convex wheel.

Keep in mind I'm relatively new to this so I'm just making it up as I go along.

[Saskrock]

I polish the back but also do not dop, just hold it in my hand.

[rocklicker]

I polish the backs but just by holding the stone like others have said. I found that sometimes the center of the stone is less polished than the outer edges if the stone is uneven, but usually looks good anyway.
Steve

[Tony W]

I bought side mount plates to do the backs on my arbor. I got all the grits I use for the fronts, plus the tin on leather for the shine. I dislike doing backs so I usually procrastinate until I have 50 or more to do at a time...which makes me hate it all the more, lol. But it has to be done! T

[amyk]

Thanks everyone for your input.

[Donnie's Rocky Treasures]

I haven't done that much yet but I will say this, I like my back to look as good as the front. So far I have been doing everything by hand & not dopping.

[tigereyes]

I always polish the backs of my stones first so as not to scratch the front while working on it. If the back is not too bad, I dop it and work it on glass using 400 grit, then thoroughly clean it and the glass and move onto 600, make sure you have a slight back bevel on the stone before you begin all this, from there I go to a vertical 600g flat diamond wheel, then onto 1200g diamond then finally polish on a horizontal leather lap (tin oxide), I always try to get the back as nice as the front.

Ross
Brisbane, Australia

[Bikerrandy]

I polish all of mine to a high shine like the front, on the Genie's canvas wheel using 14,000 diamond paste. On the translucent cabs, this makes a huge different on the effects inside the cab.

[rocknerd]

Looks beautiful Ross. The gold really makes it.

[Roger]

Depends on the rock and what I'm doing with it.I try to save as much diamond as i can.

Roger