llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
|
Post by llanago on Aug 3, 2004 14:18:21 GMT -5
Well, the grinder I got on eBay for $26.00 is not exactly what I expected. Guess that'll teach me to send the seller an email asking questions in the future! LOL! Oh well! The grinder is in good shape and I think I can make it work. Here's a couple of pics of it and what I have in mind to make it workable. All suggestions, advice, help will be appreciated!  Okay, here are the specs on this baby. From top to bottom is 4 3/4" high, the base is 5" x 4 3/4". Told ya' it is a baby! LOL! Speed is from 0-10,000 PRM, wheel size 75mmX25MM or 75MMX16mm, wheel bore 10MM. I have already spent several hours searching the net for wheels that will fit it - no luck. So, I will have to do some modifications so that a 4" wheel will fit on it. Here it is with a 4" wheel.  A 4" wheel will work, I will just have to use a spacer of some sort between the motor and the wheel to be able to thread the bolt on the end of the shaft to hold the wheel in place. ( Wheel that came with it is 1" wide.) I don't think that will be a problem. Sandsman send me pics and directions for making a gravity water drip, so that's not a problem. Thanks John! The problem is the splash guard. I either have to order one for each side or make one. Or I could do without but tat would sure be a mess. I have thought and thought about making splash guards for it, but thus far, I haven't come up with what to make it out of. I know somebody here can enlighten me! Or maybe tell me what I could order some. Oh, BTW, the side I have the 4" wheel on is actually for the polishing wheel. The other side is basically the same, except the shaft is longer and there are more threads on the end of the shaft. I'm thinking I want to put a grinding wheel on both ends. llana |
|
|
|
Post by BearCreekLapidary on Aug 3, 2004 16:13:26 GMT -5
Hey Llana, Nice little grinder  . As far as the bushings go, I would contact a lapidary supply store and see if they have any available in that particular size. I know that they have them in other standars sizes. Is this gringer a variable speed grinder (can you adjust the speed at which it runs) or does it run at 10,000 rpm constantly. It looks like a variable speed ... by the knob on the front. The reason I ask, is that most for your lapidary wheels are rated for much slower than 10,000 rpm. I have some that are rated at 2500 to 2750 rpm (but not over that). Please be sure that you have the right wheel on this grinder and make certain that it is rated for a 10,000 rpm machine. Otherwise the wheel could fly apart (much like an explosion) and cause severe injury. That is why there are guards around the wheel, just in case the wheel comes apart. The guard is there to minimize the amount of damage to the user of the piece of equipment and the surrounding area. I DO NOT MEAN TO FREIGHTEN YOU IN THIS REGARD, BUT A PROPERLY RATED GRINGING WHEEL IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE. As far as the guards are concerned, be sure that you get something that is capable of withstanding a wheel seperation. I know a kid that used a coffee can to make a guard once, and he had a wheel seperate on him ... needless to say the coffee can didn't offer much help. He got some nasty cuts on his head and left arm when the parts of the wheel shot through the can. Just food for thought. Enjoy, John |
|
llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
|
Post by llanago on Aug 3, 2004 16:57:15 GMT -5
John, it is a variable speed up to 10,000 rpm. I put it all the way up to 10,000 and I can tell ya' fer sure if I attempted to grind a rock at that speed, it would be gone before I blinked! LOL! Man, that is FAST!
Since I haven't yet rigged up a water drip for it, I haven't tried it out. It was supposedly used for lapidary grinding, so I am assuming the wheel on it will work. I just am trying to think ahead for when that wheel is no more! And, when I get to grinding, that could be less than a week! LOL! The wheel that came with it is orange. I've never seen an orange wheel before. I'd be tickled to pieces if I could find a wheel to replace it when it wears out - be much easier tha trying to modify the thing.
Would it not work with a 4" wheelat all ? But that may not be an option either since I can't find anything but diamond 4" wheels - and I am not gong to buy a diamond wheel.
This may be my first screw up on eBay stuff! I should have had enough sense to ask the seller about it. Oh well, I can always put it back on eBay or put it in a garage sale.
Just glad it is only a $26.00 screw up, not a $126.00 screw up! LOL!
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Aug 3, 2004 20:14:16 GMT -5
Hi Llana,,, Well John hit on a few safety points about the guards and I'd like to add my 2 cents. You said the unit was used for lapidary and I was wondering if it in fact it was! My reason are that it looks too clean and should already have splash guards,or at least the mounting holes for them some where! I'd also like to add a safety note about water and electricity!! THEY DO NOT MIX!! You HAVE to make sure you don't get water in the motor windings or it can be fatal!! I would also suggest either a "ground fault circut" or at least a "ground fault outlet".This will prevent you from an electrical shock should things go wrong.I would go so far as to say it's a MUST!! I have a separate 50 amp service for my shop and all of my equipment is ground fault protected! You DO NOT have to go that far but but every piece of equipment that has water in it's operation should have ground fault protection! 120V, 20A GROUND FAULT CIRCUIT WALL OUTLET  $12.99 I've read postings lately where some members are using a Dremel for pre-shaping their rough before tumbling.If the Dremel isn't ground fault protected you're flurting with danger!! Just think of someone throwing the Dremel into the bath tub with you in it!! Not a good thought,,,,is it? Be VERY careful when hooking up a new piece of electrical equipment!! A S K--- A S K--- A S K !! Don't take ANYTHING for granted when it comes to electricity and water!! Tom |
|
|
|
Post by cookie3rocks on Aug 3, 2004 20:22:30 GMT -5
When using the dremel, I just use a spritz bottle and spray the stone itself
cookie
|
|
llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
|
Post by llanago on Aug 3, 2004 20:39:26 GMT -5
Tom, I took the guard off the left side. That is it at the bottom, the right one is still on. Yes, it does have mounting holes. On the inside of the guard there is alot of dust from whatever had been ground on. I don't really know if it was use for lapidary or not. The wheel says it is an emery wheel and I don't think emery wheels are used for grinding stone. But, then I don't know much about grinding wheels. As I said, it may be my first eBay screw up! LOL!
All of the outlets in my RV are grounded, so that's not a problem.
I may just have to do what Cookie does and spritz the rock with water rather than rigging up a gravity drip system.
Cookie, I just dip the rock in a bowl of water when I use the Dremel. That way I don't have to put down the rock or the Dremel to free up a hand to spritz.
llana
|
|
|
|
Post by BearCreekLapidary on Aug 3, 2004 20:48:25 GMT -5
Hello Llana,
Please be certain that the wheel is rated for that speed, PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME - IT CAN BE A COSTLY MISTAKE.
Tom also hit on a very important subject, as well. I too have the gfi's (ground fault interupter) in my shop as well, and I recommend them to anyone who is working with water and electricity.
If you have never had/seen a wheel seperation before, it's not pretty. Not only do you face severe personal injury, but you have to change your britches too.
Enjoy,
John
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Aug 4, 2004 5:53:33 GMT -5
John, Very good point on the wheels. Before our company got sold for the third time we had a facility which was called the Roll Room. In there we had several large rool grinders which ground very large rolls for paper mills,etc. Some of the rolls were 3'-4' in dia and 20'-25' long!!We even ground granite rools that large! One of the grinders,(which had a 48"dia x 12"wide grinding wheel),had a field go to ground and on the DC motor and it started to run wild! All the grinder operators ran out of the building before the wheel reached it separating point and then there was a very loud bang! To say the least the wheel was all over the building in large hunks and we found a piece of it that weighed over 100 lbs on the roof which was about 60' high above the grinder!!It had flown up right through the sky light windows and landed there!! There was a lot of other damage to equipment,tool boxes,even a wooden stair way was broken up!! Of course we're talking on a much smaller scale but still,,, Nothing to fool with!! Tom |
|
bschultz
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2004
Posts: 234
|
Post by bschultz on Aug 4, 2004 9:36:22 GMT -5
Llana, I'm looking in the Grainger catalog for grinding wheels and I don't see anything with a speed rating anywhere near that high except diamond cutoff wheels which is for an entirley different type of grinder. Does your orange wheel have a brand name, model number any any other data on it? I've never seen an orange grinding wheel either. It would be interesting to find out what it's intended purpose is and what the RPM rating is. Have you tried looking up the manufacterer on the Web? I tried a search for STI but didn't find anything specific. The previous post were correct. Don't trust that wheel until you find out more about it.
Bob
|
|
llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
|
Post by llanago on Aug 4, 2004 17:45:42 GMT -5
I think I will be writing this little grinder off as an eBay mistake - at least for grinding rocks. I am sure I can discover something else to use it for! LOL! Or I'll list it on ebay, take it to a consignment ship or put it in a garage sale. Whatever, but I don't think I will spend the time and effort to modify it, 'cause it doesn't sound like it's gonna work!
llana
|
|
.
