Post by rockjunquie on Dec 22, 2017 15:13:31 GMT -5
I started my first intarsia. What a learning experience! I had to learn 2 new tools, too. First, I got my baby ameritool saw. Had to get used to a thinner blade. I'm so used to that thicker stiff blade. By the end of the day, though, I was cutting very straight lines.
I used the intarsia grinder for the first time, too. First thing I learned was I had to cut all my nails off.
What women won't do for beauty, right? 
Secondly, and very important- put the pressure on the back of the stone. I was grinding 1/4 stone strips. My first impulse was to push down towards the front of the rock. Wrong. That creates an angle. I had to push down on the back corner edge. Other than that and figuring how to drain it before getting a longer hose, it went really well with the grinder. I'm very pleased. I didn't realize it at first, but the wheel has a ring around it to block the water spray. It was knocked back out of place in shipping. What a mess!!!!! I quickly fixed that.
The very first cut I did for the centerpiece was completely off. I must have seen a line that wasn't there or something. The finished piece of rock did not even resemble what it was supposed to be. So, I picked up a piece of owhyee jasper on my work table and went with that instead. I got it and all the little pieces cut and squared up. I glued up the first round of glued pieces and then DH came home early for Christmas break. Seeing as I had taken over the kitchen and dining room, I figured I should wrap it up for the day. The glue had to dry anyway.
Sorry for the lack of process photos. I was into the project chest deep and forgot abut pictures. This obviously isn't a how-to.
I was gonna start with soft stones. That was the plan, but my soft stuff is pricier. I don't want to mess up my first one with expensive rough. I did a design for one with charoite, atlantisite, rhodochrosite and stichtite- all very soft. I probably would have messed it up on the grinder.
Part of my mess. I took over the whole table and the kitchen bar. The grinder is nice and compact, though. I had to borrow DH's 3-2-1- block. It came in very handy. I had calipers, a machinist rule and a non digital angle finder. The digital one was too big to be very handy. For the piece I WAS going to do, I had a drawing. For the one I ended up making, I don't have a drawing.
The grinder is now officially dirty.
Checking the pieces for fit.
The cute little, quiet, clean saw. LOVE IT! Cutting a really chatoyant strip of tiger eye. This was on the kitchen bar with the cord running across the walkway. Dangerous, I know. I'll get an extension cord next time.
I found it very necessary to mark what is the front. I am putting a thin border of basenite around the jasper, then tiger eye and then red gem bone. One side of every piece didn't need to be exact because it will go on the back which will be uneven. I will even it out with devcon.
I used medium thick starbond to start the gluing. Don't know that I should have, though. Maybe thin would be better. It's still not dry enough to grind flat and glue the rest on. Notice the front is facing down. The marks I used for front were very handy.
That's where I left it off. I'm kinda mad, though. I put it all away so DH could relax without the commotion and mess, but he ended up taking a nap. Doh! I could of kept working. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
I'll update this with the rest of the project when I work on it. I have a lot of cooking for a Christmas Eve party to do tomorrow.
I used the intarsia grinder for the first time, too. First thing I learned was I had to cut all my nails off.
What women won't do for beauty, right? 
Secondly, and very important- put the pressure on the back of the stone. I was grinding 1/4 stone strips. My first impulse was to push down towards the front of the rock. Wrong. That creates an angle. I had to push down on the back corner edge. Other than that and figuring how to drain it before getting a longer hose, it went really well with the grinder. I'm very pleased. I didn't realize it at first, but the wheel has a ring around it to block the water spray. It was knocked back out of place in shipping. What a mess!!!!! I quickly fixed that.The very first cut I did for the centerpiece was completely off. I must have seen a line that wasn't there or something. The finished piece of rock did not even resemble what it was supposed to be. So, I picked up a piece of owhyee jasper on my work table and went with that instead. I got it and all the little pieces cut and squared up. I glued up the first round of glued pieces and then DH came home early for Christmas break. Seeing as I had taken over the kitchen and dining room, I figured I should wrap it up for the day. The glue had to dry anyway.
Sorry for the lack of process photos. I was into the project chest deep and forgot abut pictures. This obviously isn't a how-to.
I was gonna start with soft stones. That was the plan, but my soft stuff is pricier. I don't want to mess up my first one with expensive rough. I did a design for one with charoite, atlantisite, rhodochrosite and stichtite- all very soft. I probably would have messed it up on the grinder.
Part of my mess. I took over the whole table and the kitchen bar. The grinder is nice and compact, though. I had to borrow DH's 3-2-1- block. It came in very handy. I had calipers, a machinist rule and a non digital angle finder. The digital one was too big to be very handy. For the piece I WAS going to do, I had a drawing. For the one I ended up making, I don't have a drawing.
The grinder is now officially dirty.
Checking the pieces for fit.
The cute little, quiet, clean saw. LOVE IT! Cutting a really chatoyant strip of tiger eye. This was on the kitchen bar with the cord running across the walkway. Dangerous, I know. I'll get an extension cord next time.
I found it very necessary to mark what is the front. I am putting a thin border of basenite around the jasper, then tiger eye and then red gem bone. One side of every piece didn't need to be exact because it will go on the back which will be uneven. I will even it out with devcon.
I used medium thick starbond to start the gluing. Don't know that I should have, though. Maybe thin would be better. It's still not dry enough to grind flat and glue the rest on. Notice the front is facing down. The marks I used for front were very handy.
That's where I left it off. I'm kinda mad, though. I put it all away so DH could relax without the commotion and mess, but he ended up taking a nap. Doh! I could of kept working. Oh well, maybe tomorrow.
I'll update this with the rest of the project when I work on it. I have a lot of cooking for a Christmas Eve party to do tomorrow.
