JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 14, 2022 6:50:30 GMT -5
Good morning, what is the difference in function and use of diamond belts and resin belts? It seems the construction is different, one has diamonds built into it while the resin belt is used with paste. That’s as much info as I really have gathered or found on the forum. I want to switch from SiC belts and I’m fuzzy on what to buy. Goal is to be able to cab on the expando. Thanks!
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Post by orrum on Apr 14, 2022 8:05:21 GMT -5
Interested too
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Post by perkins17 on Apr 14, 2022 9:20:31 GMT -5
Resin belts must be used dry, with and extender fluid like mineral oil, and with diamond paste. Diamond belts are used wet without extender or any add-ons. I use a diamond/sic belt combo up to 1200 and then swap over to resin for final polish, which is 50k. I would recommend getting diamond belts up to about 3,000 and then switching to resin for the final polish.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 14, 2022 9:28:55 GMT -5
There doesn't appear to be any difference in function. The difference lies in that the diamond belts are are resin bonded diamond of a specific grit already incorporated in the belt and the resin belts are not charged with diamond at all. You would need to buy the extender fluid and diamond compound in each grit you want to use and charge each resin belt manually as you use it. The resin belts would need to be "charged" with enough diamond to actually do the job at hand.
I haven't tried to figure out which is more cost effective, but convenience would play a big part in it.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 14, 2022 10:41:10 GMT -5
perkins17 and hummingbirdstones that is great information. I really appreciate it. I have a 3 wheel cabber w/ expando, mystery grit wheel and a 60 grit wheel (way too coarse). Goal is to make pendants with expando. I'm thinking diamond belts are easier and perhaps 280, 600, 1000, 3K is the way to go with those. When I have used diamond paste before I got it in the cracks of the piece, which could be eliminated by using art resin (per someone else's post). Am I on the right track?
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Post by perkins17 on Apr 14, 2022 12:14:58 GMT -5
perkins17 and hummingbirdstones that is great information. I really appreciate it. I have a 3 wheel cabber w/ expando, mystery grit wheel and a 60 grit wheel (way too coarse). Goal is to make pendants with expando. I'm thinking diamond belts are easier and perhaps 280, 600, 1000, 3K is the way to go with those. When I have used diamond paste before I got it in the cracks of the piece, which could be eliminated by using art resin (per someone else's post). Am I on the right track? Does the mystery wheel feel like 220 hard? I think the ideal setup would be 80 and 220 hard, and then 280, 600, 1200, and 3000 belts.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 14, 2022 12:24:19 GMT -5
perkins17 and hummingbirdstones that is great information. I really appreciate it. I have a 3 wheel cabber w/ expando, mystery grit wheel and a 60 grit wheel (way too coarse). Goal is to make pendants with expando. I'm thinking diamond belts are easier and perhaps 280, 600, 1000, 3K is the way to go with those. When I have used diamond paste before I got it in the cracks of the piece, which could be eliminated by using art resin (per someone else's post). Am I on the right track? Does the mystery wheel feel like 220 hard? I think the ideal setup would be 80 and 220 hard, and then 280, 600, 1200, and 3000 belts. It is probably 220. Rough guess... it's good to know the suggested belts. I will probably order once I decide on vendor... was looking at Arrowhead but no recent reviews.
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Apr 14, 2022 19:31:19 GMT -5
I've thought about getting diamond belts on-and-off for a long time. Would be just like a 3" wide Nova wheel.
Only reason I haven't is because we already have Genies with the extra adapter 8K / 14K / 50K setup, and flat laps with a wide assortment of laps. We picked this stuff up over a period of years, and you'd be way ahead of the game by just buying the diamond belts for your expando.
I will say that having diamond belts above 3000 will help - especially with random "problem" stones. It's a pretty big jump from 3000 to final polish.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 14, 2022 19:39:35 GMT -5
Good observation. It would cut down on equipment but I do like finding and tinkering with random machines. That said, I have to ask myself which is the hobby? Is it polishing or tinkering?
200 bucks on belts is much cheaper than a new machine, changing belts could get old though. Sigh. First world problems!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 14, 2022 20:36:45 GMT -5
Does the mystery wheel feel like 220 hard? I think the ideal setup would be 80 and 220 hard, and then 280, 600, 1200, and 3000 belts. It is probably 220. Rough guess... it's good to know the suggested belts. I will probably order once I decide on vendor... was looking at Arrowhead but no recent reviews. I have bought from Arrowhead in the past, but not recently. Had no problem with them at all. They've been around for quite a while. Personally, I'd get 280, 600, 1200, 3000 and 14000 for belts if you decide to pull the trigger.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 17, 2022 13:24:49 GMT -5
I couldn't find a 280, 220 will hopefully do.
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Post by Rockoonz on Apr 17, 2022 13:36:30 GMT -5
I did the belt change thing for awhile, just would run a handful of preforms through at a time so I didn't change belts for every cab. I would hate it now, since my aging eyes have me doing a lot of my cabbing by braille, and different materials feel different as they move down the genie.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Apr 17, 2022 15:16:14 GMT -5
I did the expando drums for years. I used SiC in 80; 100; 220; 400 then diamond in 600;1200;3000; 6000 then resin belt charged with 12000 on one half and 50000 on the other. It is a great way to go and is much cheaper than a new machine. The only downfall was having to go back a step meant stopping the machine, cleaning up the mess and having to swap out belts.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 18, 2022 21:50:58 GMT -5
Thanks for weighing in everyone. The information conveyed is very helpful. I think the last question I have is the difference between rhe Eastwind and Jb's "Nova" resin belts. Does anyone know if resin holds the diamonds on the belts for both of these brands or just the "Nova" ones? Thanks!!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 19, 2022 9:57:16 GMT -5
Thanks for weighing in everyone. The information conveyed is very helpful. I think the last question I have is the difference between rhe Eastwind and Jb's "Nova" resin belts. Does anyone know if resin holds the diamonds on the belts for both of these brands or just the "Nova" ones? Thanks!! I have never used them, but yes they both are resin bonded diamond belts and should both be similar in how they work.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Apr 19, 2022 14:12:20 GMT -5
Thanks for answering that question hummingbirdstones! That was a last holdout question. .
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Apr 23, 2022 20:44:19 GMT -5
I switched from SC belts to resin belts and resin pads with diamond paste around 1977 and used them until the early 2000's. Instead of using extender fluid with the diamond paste I used spray silicon as advised by the dealer who sold me the equipment (careful not to breathe any overspray). In the early 2000s I began having trouble finding resin belts that would stay glued at the seam. I had several come unglued after barely being used so I switched over to using 3M diamond cloth belts. The first couple of sets of those I had were really good but they started out-sourcing production and the quality went to them being a big waste of money. With the outsourced belts I would be lucky to get more than two or three large agate cabs sanded before they were nearly worn out. So at that point I switched over to Diamond Pacific's Nova wheels which I still use.
The only draw backs of the diamond paste on resin belts and pads were; the having to use a man made lubricant, and having to be careful to make sure to thoroughly clean the cab between sanding stages to make sure to get any diamond paste residue off. I used cigarette lighter fluid (NAPTHA) to clean off the diamond paste residue. Other than that the paste on resin belts/pads worked fine.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Sept 5, 2022 8:37:16 GMT -5
Im doing it. I put off buying the diamond resin belts until today when I actually considered buying a new CL 6" for 1400.00. Best to try belts first. I've polished in the vibe tumbler before, now to see if I can polish on the expando.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions and advice. It really does help.
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JR8675309
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2019
Posts: 807
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Post by JR8675309 on Sept 28, 2022 16:09:39 GMT -5
Hey folks, 4 belts have arrived, but the texture appears uneven, wondering if this is typical or a great example of junk 🤣. Would really appreciate your input during the return window. "They don't look like what I see in most pictures"... thank you!
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lyle
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2022
Posts: 9
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Post by lyle on Oct 25, 2022 16:09:04 GMT -5
Looks Like the Han belts I bought a set in the spring and I got more work done this summer than I've ever done before! The belts look lumpy but work great so far.
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