|
|
Post by HankRocks on Nov 14, 2020 19:41:18 GMT -5
The pencil method has been working for me on the saw marks/low spots as well. I doubt it would work for checking if the last grit's marks have been removed though, but I haven't been there yet. Soon. Sharpie might work better for that, if you can see the microscopic dots of black that are left. I'm planning on buying cheap 10" stainless steel thick bottomed cooking/stew pots when I need a new pan, and cut the sides down a bit. Either that or cast iron, but I really love stainless. I can't believe they made the vibe lap pans out of the softest metal (well, not THE softest) available. I tried graded 80 grit today, and man does that stuff last compared to the 120/220. Four teaspoons 80 and it's still grinding loudly away 7 hours later. Needed water multiple times of course ( of coarse  ) Have any of you tried AO in your vibe lap? 500 grit, etc., after they are flat and have gone through 220 or so? The only way that the pencil method would work for me would be to get 100% coverage on the rock. That would take too long so I just let them dry and then use the eyeball method with the rock held up at an angle to an overhead light. I still miss some. Those misses definitely show up in the Polish stage. Depending on the hardness of the rock, you could skip the 80 grit and move directly to 120/220. Haven't tried any AO. The 600 SiC seems to work just fine. One good way to know if the 600 SiC has done it's work is to test the "glide-abiity" of the rock, or how easy it glides across the pan when pushed. |
|
EricD
Cave Dweller 
High in the Mountains
Member since November 2019
Posts: 1,142
|
Post by EricD on Nov 14, 2020 20:06:00 GMT -5
The pencil method has been working for me on the saw marks/low spots as well. I doubt it would work for checking if the last grit's marks have been removed though, but I haven't been there yet. Soon. Sharpie might work better for that, if you can see the microscopic dots of black that are left. I'm planning on buying cheap 10" stainless steel thick bottomed cooking/stew pots when I need a new pan, and cut the sides down a bit. Either that or cast iron, but I really love stainless. I can't believe they made the vibe lap pans out of the softest metal (well, not THE softest) available. I tried graded 80 grit today, and man does that stuff last compared to the 120/220. Four teaspoons 80 and it's still grinding loudly away 7 hours later. Needed water multiple times of course ( of coarse ) Have any of you tried AO in your vibe lap? 500 grit, etc., after they are flat and have gone through 220 or so? The only way that the pencil method would work for me would be to get 100% coverage on the rock. That would take too long so I just let them dry and then use the eyeball method with the rock held up at an angle to an overhead light. I still miss some. Those misses definitely show up in the Polish stage. Depending on the hardness of the rock, you could skip the 80 grit and move directly to 120/220. Haven't tried any AO. The 600 SiC seems to work just fine. One good way to know if the 600 SiC has done it's work is to test the "glide-abiity" of the rock, or how easy it glides across the pan when pushed. I just make a bunch of scribley circles on the rock with a pencil so I can see low spots. Really low spots apparently. Maybe a shot of black/red/orange spray paint would work better.
I have noticed that about the way they glide! (turned off of course) Thanks for adding that to the thread.
I'll be trying AO500 after the 120/220 SiC or maybe even some 500 SiC that mine will need after this 80. I think 80 is a great starting point for a fresh rock/slab on it's first run in any size pan.
Not sure about the wear on the soft pan yet, I haven't done a lot with it yet. I feel aluminum is not the right material at 2.5-3.0 mohs, vs 5 to 6.5 mohs with stainless.
|
|
herb
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 472
|
Post by herb on Nov 15, 2020 9:56:41 GMT -5
I used to use a sharpie to check the doneness of a geode but switched to pencil after I had 1 mexican coconut that absorbed the ink. I soaked it in acetone for a few days but they didnt come out. I ended up having to put it thru the course grind for about 15 hours total to grind away the ink stains! Even then if you look real careful you could see a few spots where there was still a slight color difference.
|
|
)
