fishnuts
starting to shine!
Member since April 2012
Posts: 33
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Post by fishnuts on Aug 7, 2012 2:42:46 GMT -5
Hello there, my name is Shawn and I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada. I have been rock hounding for a few years and recently found this forum which has been a wealth of information. Been lurking and reading many threads since joining. Just came back from the Celebration of Agates in Bloomington MN and enjoyed every part of the show and seminars. It also has inspired me to start learning how to cab. A couple years ago I purchased a used Highland Park E-10 (stole it for a 100$ at a auction). Getting a new trim blade for it plus I want to change/modify some of the grinding wheels over too new ones. The machine was hardly used but the wheels are fairly old. Want to change them more for safety reasons since they may be cracked. The unit has also been exposed to some extreme temperatures -40C in the winter and +35C in the summer while sitting in my garage. It has 2 wheels on it now but I would like to change it to 3 wheels. Here is a pic of it taken apart with the wheels. Here are the old wheels that were on it. I have 9 inches of shaft to work with. (Keep your mind out of the gutter) Will I be able to comfortably work a cab having 3 wheels in there? Will four wheels be to crowded? I am guessing yes? Looking to put in those steel diamond wheels, pricey but should be well worth it. Where can I order online and what are the best wheels for the money? Of course there will be more questions to follow!!! Any advice or direction would be greatly appreciated also. Thanks Shawn
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Post by 3rdrockfromthefun on Aug 7, 2012 3:21:41 GMT -5
Hey Shawn, great to meet you!
I don't use a cabber so I'm afraid I'm not much help, but - those SiC wheels sure caught my attention! If you decide to get rid of them I may be interested in buying if I can get them cheaply (and not this month - got a rock show to break me yet). I'm wanting to move more into the SiC world (I'm all diamond and flat lap right now) as I believe it's better at certain types of grinding and pre-polishing than diamond (smoother transitions from grit to grit - better pre-polish in general). Wheels like that I'd be using at a fraction of the RPM's that machine is spinning so no danger of shrapnel on breaking or anything.
Something to think about anyway.
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Post by johnjsgems on Aug 7, 2012 8:15:09 GMT -5
For normal size cabs you will probably want 1 1/2" - 2" space between the wheels. The SC wheels look pretty new to me. They are safe to use down to the label.
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Post by jakesrocks on Aug 7, 2012 11:05:23 GMT -5
Shawn, an easy way to check if the wheels is safe to use, pick the wheel up by the center hole with a piece of dowling. Tap the wheel lightly with a hammer. If it makes a slight ringing noise it's safe. If instead you hear a dull thud, save the wheel to use for dressing saw blades.
Welcome aboard
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Post by phil on Aug 7, 2012 17:56:13 GMT -5
Looks like you could safely get away with a third diamond wheel in there..... And if you want to sell the old carbides, I'll offer $40 plus shipping. We can always use more wheels down at the senior center.
Thanks! Phil
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fishnuts
starting to shine!
Member since April 2012
Posts: 33
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Post by fishnuts on Aug 8, 2012 14:29:27 GMT -5
Thanks for the welcome's.
Jakesrocks, the blades do ring when I tap them so they are good.
Have not decided what I will be doing with them just yet but will let the others know if I do wanna part with them. I perfer trading then actually selling. Everyone has something they can always trade.
Johnjsgems, I will space them accordingly. Thanks for the info.
3rdrock, what are SiC wheels?
Shawn
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Post by Pat on Aug 8, 2012 14:56:56 GMT -5
I don't know anything about your equipment, but welcome!
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Post by jakesrocks on Aug 8, 2012 14:57:58 GMT -5
Shawn, SiC wheels are Silicon Carbide wheels. The type of wheels you have.
It's the Silicon Carbide wheels that should have a slight ring when tapped. You'll always get a ring out of a blade, no matter what shape it's in.
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Mattatya
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2012
Posts: 452
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Post by Mattatya on Aug 8, 2012 16:54:39 GMT -5
Welcome Shawn to the forum. I am new as well and this forum has been vital in helping me get set up. The amount of members knowledge is awesome. Even the answers given on this thread had helped me with grindet questions and spacing if wheels.
Welcome to the forum Sent from my SPH-D710 using proboards
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Post by Woodyrock on Sept 1, 2012 21:38:03 GMT -5
Shawn:
If you do use the SiC wheels, and there is no reason not to, always run them dry after grinding to throw the water out. If left wet, the water collects at the bottom of the wheel, which is then softer for the next use, and will wear unevenly, making dressing the wheel more frequent, and wheel dressing is what drives most people to diamond. Woody
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Post by Rockoonz on Sept 2, 2012 0:55:37 GMT -5
Here's 3 diamond wheels, 2 inch wide, in a HP combo unit. I added the water valve in the center as well. Lee
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fishnuts
starting to shine!
Member since April 2012
Posts: 33
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Post by fishnuts on Sept 22, 2012 14:00:29 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up Woody on not to leave water on the wheels. I did not know that for SC wheels.
Lee that is exactly the modification I want to do with mine, except the 2 water holes on top will probably not align. I can easily plug the old ones and drill/tap new holes.
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fishnuts
starting to shine!
Member since April 2012
Posts: 33
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Post by fishnuts on Sept 22, 2012 14:09:13 GMT -5
Now comming to my next question. What 3 different grit # wheels should I purchase? I was thinking # 60, #100, and #220.
My plans are to eventually get another grinder/polisher to finish off cabs. Right now I want to cut and just form some cabs. Maybe finish them in a tumbler for now.
Are these 3 different grit wheels good choices to get me going? Any suggestions? What is your preferance?
Any more information I should be giving you?
We had snow here the other day and now I have to finish the project. Thanks a bunch. Shawn
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herchenx
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2012
Posts: 3,360
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Post by herchenx on Sept 22, 2012 14:24:53 GMT -5
Welcome Shawn,
I only use 1 wheel, a galaxy 120 grit diamond, then right into the vibe.
Works great, check my username under creating cabochons thread, look for vibracabs a week or so ago, all done this way.
Enjoy!
John
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Post by johnjsgems on Sept 22, 2012 18:04:32 GMT -5
60/100/220 would be good or 80/220/360 or..... lots of choices depending on what you plan to grind. You could put a hex 60 or 80 first for really fast material removal and then something more normal like 80 or 100 and 220.
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fishnuts
starting to shine!
Member since April 2012
Posts: 33
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Post by fishnuts on Sept 22, 2012 23:10:04 GMT -5
I plan to cab everything from Quartz, Jasper and a lot of agate.
Shawn
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albertarockhound
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Spending too much time on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 92
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Post by albertarockhound on Sept 23, 2012 1:15:17 GMT -5
I just set up a cab machine and I got my wheels from Kingsley North for a good price, check them out
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