QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jan 7, 2020 17:31:44 GMT -5
From what I can make out from the photos, to me it looks like it may be an old Jenkins Lapidary made saw.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Dec 29, 2019 16:19:50 GMT -5
The Eastern European wheel you have posted the photo of was made by the Poltava Diamond Tool Company. I see in your photo that one of the factory markings is M1. According to Poltava's STANDARD catalogue it appears that the M1 series of wheels they produce are alloyed for "Machining of tungsten carbide, tungsten carbide together with steel, heat resistant steels, and titanium alloys under heavy grinding conditions" and for Operating conditions listed as "usually with electrolytes" rather than "with coolant" as others they make are. (See page 13 of their pdf catalogue linked here: pdtools.com.ua/en/our-products/So that may be the issue - that your wheel has the wrong matrix alloy for lapidary work? You could probably email Poltava Diamond Tool Company and attach the photo of the factory markings and ask them to verify if this wheel is, or is not recommended for grinding stone. And if they say that your wheel isn't recommended for grinding stone, but it was sold to you as being so by the seller you purchased it from then you could try contacting the seller about returning it for a refund. But if you can't, or don't want to return it to the seller then you could always try to recoup your loss by listing it on eBay in the appropriate Industrial category and for the correct usage purpose. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Dec 25, 2019 15:32:23 GMT -5
I would not use a diamond dressing stick on a sintered wheel. The whole point of dressing a sintered wheel is to remove the softer matrix and leave more exposed diamond. A diamond dressing stick would remove both plus could damage remaining surface diamond particles. A sintered wheel that has been dressed properly will have lots of visible diamond particles with a ridge of bronze matrix, or tail, behind the diamond particles (see photo).  The bronze matrix ridge behind the diamond particle helps support the diamond particle and helps keep the particle bonded to the wheel surface. So in reversing the direction of the wheel then all of that bronze matrix would be on the lead cutting side of the diamond particles and shield most of the diamond from making contact with whatever you are attempting to grind . So while it may be beneficial to reverse a plated wheel it is not beneficial to reverse a metal sintered wheel. If doing so you would have to remove so much material that you now have all newly exposed diamond particles with visible matrix tails running in the opposite direction from originally. Which is no more beneficial than having left it with the same rotational direction and dressed the wheel to the same state. Except when reversing the wheel you would just have to remove more material to get the surface to that same freshly dressed state. The type of abrasive, and the grit of dressing stick being used matters just the same as it does when using an abrasive stick to dress a diamond blade. And dressing sticks come in various hardness's. Too hard of a binder in the dressing stick can cause some of the diamond particles to be ripped out of the surface of the blade or wheel which can drastically reduce performance. Also like the bronze matrix used on diamond blades, there are different metal alloy compositions used by differing manufactures of sintered wheels. I have both HANS and Neosint Sintered wheels, and JBL sintered laps and am still working on figuring out which dressing sticks work best for each. And dressing sticks come in various hardness's too. See the "Spec Check" section near the bottom of page 2 at the following link: georgiagrindingwheel.com/Catalog/Norton/T199-T200%20-%20Dressing%20&%20Finishing%20Sticks.pdf Originally I was using slices of 100gt and 220gt SC lapidary wheels left over from dressing my slab saw blades to sharpen my sintered grinding wheels. But wasn't happy with the final result, especially on the 220gt sintered. So I'm now trying various aluminum oxide sticks. The 100gt and 220gt SC slices of old lapidary wheels works okay for dressing my sintered 30gt Neosint wheel. And they work okay for a preliminary dressing on my HANS 80gt sintered followed by final dressing with an AO 150gt dressing stick. And am currently using 220gt AO to dress my 220gt HANS sintered with decent results. The AO dressing sticks I'm currently using are Norton's type 54 HVBE sticks which work well on my JBL sintered laps but they are soft and my sintered grinding wheels eat them up quickly. So the next time I order I am going to try the Norton NV and KV hardness AO sticks as suggested in the Spec Check section linked above. The best deal I've been able to find on dressing sticks is at AA Abrasives. www.aaabrasives.comNow all of that said, it is possible that the bronze alloy matrix in your 60gt sintered may be much softer than that used on your other wheels and may require a softer bindered dressing stick. Or if your 60gt is a Chinese made wheel, their manufacturing standards are often low, so I guess it is possible that an error was made in the bronze matrix alloy in your wheel that makes it too soft for it's intended purpose. Also I remember hearing several years back that some Chinese sintered diamond product producers had been caught using crushed quartz mixed in with their diamond to save money. So if true you may had the misfortune of acquiring one of those products. But you could probably determine that by using high enough magnification to see if the particles show crystal structure as diamond will. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Dec 24, 2019 13:24:37 GMT -5
Yeah I knew Ted Ledford when I was young. I first met him in 1975 when he was running Ledford's Rock Shop. Someone else ("Bill" something - can't remember the last name) owned the Crabtree Mine at that time. I don't remember when Ted Ledford aquired the mine but I know he owned or was leasing it by the mid to late 80s.
Mr. Ledford was always really good towards me and everyone else I ever saw him interact with. I miss those old Depression era southern men. So many of them I knew, like Mr. Ledford, had such a friendly and humble disposition and would likely give a stranger the shirt off their back if they thought the stranger really needed it - and I do mean that literally.
Ted Ledford's sons both continued in mining gems. I met them a couple of times but never really knew them that well. I think Daryl still owns the Jackson's Cross Roads Amethyst Mine and Terry was killed in a Mining accident in Hiddenite a few years ago.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Dec 18, 2019 22:42:14 GMT -5
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Dec 18, 2019 19:28:19 GMT -5
 This item is now SOLD. Thank you! Additional photos can be seen on my flickr page linked here: www.flickr.com/photos/quailriver/This is a used Frantom model F-3 14" slab saw for sale. It is a bench top model that was manufactured in the 1970s. Frantom made very good saws and though they are no longer in business, Highland Park Lapidary does still make some aftermarket parts for the Frantom brand saws if in the future any are ever needed. I purchased this saw a few years ago with the intent of doing a complete restoration but never got around to it. Rather than continue to leave it sit unused I have decided to sell it. So I recently cleaned it up, and built a wooden stand to mount it and an electric motor on so it could be tested first. And after mounting an unused new-old-stock MLS 14" diamond blade (labeled for Minnesota Lapidary Supply but was manufactured by Star Diamond) I then test cut several 4.25" x 3" agate slabs and cut open a 3.5" by 3" thunder egg all with no issues. These bench top model Frantom saws were originally sold without motors, stands or belt guards and this one did not have any of those with it when I purchased it. Modern 14" slab saws normally use 1/2hp motors but I didn't have an extra 1/2hp to use to test this saw with but did have a spare 1/3hp motor so that is what I mounted under the saw to use to test it with and it seems to operate fine with it. But if you plan on cutting a lot of larger maximum sized (for this saw) hard materials like agates or petrified wood then you might end up needing to upgrade to a 1/2hp motor. This 14" Frantom slab saw can also be used with a 12" blade. With a 14" blade it requires approximately 2-3/4 gallons of saw oil. And with a 12" blade it would require approximately an additional 3-1/2 gallons of saw oil. As can be seen in the flickr photos linked above, the clear acrylic window in the lid is cracked and cosmetically this saw isn't the prettiest. But in testing it does function properly. This saw is being sold with the wooden stand, 1/3hp motor, and 14" MSL diamond blade that it is shown with in the photos. This saw is being offered with local pick-up only in the High Point, NC area. The price is $700 with payment being made either in cash at the time of pick-up, or via Pay Pal in advance of pick-up. If interested in purchasing message me. I will also be listing this saw on other venues as well, so the first person to make a firm commitment to purchase gets priority. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Nov 25, 2019 2:28:14 GMT -5
In addition to a coffee pot heater as others have mentioned, an old electric skillet with a temperature control works, as does an old Mattel "Thingmaker" oven, or an electric burn-in oven like the ones used for melting shellac sticks for furniture repair burn-ins. Most of the light bulb heated dop pots I have used don't get quite hot enough to get a good dop for cabbing.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Nov 22, 2019 2:33:31 GMT -5
I use an assortment of variuos sized wooden wedges of pine, maple and oak that were leftovers from wood working projects. Haven't really had any problems with any of them. Also use square and rectangle pieces of Masonite (3/16" and 1/4" thick) when wedges aren't appropriate.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Oct 31, 2019 17:56:10 GMT -5
I've gotten my best results polishing Lucin variscite with aluminum oxide on slightly dampened suede leather. As others have mentioned the white matrix does not polish well, only the green portions. I'm sure the others are correct that ZAM will work as ZAM is a mixture of aluminum oxide and chrome oxide with a wax binder. But for porous materials the chrome oxide can leave a slightly green staining from build-up in the pores.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Oct 26, 2019 23:47:16 GMT -5
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Oct 22, 2019 0:53:56 GMT -5
And to answer your other questions:
Q: A good adhesive to attach discs to the head?
A: 3M Disc Adhesive
Q: What sizes of discs are needed?
A: For a 6" unit no larger than 6".
Q: How long do discs last?
A: Depends on what type of disc and how it's used. The Raytech Canvas resin discs and belts I used with diamond bort and using spray silicon as a lubricant lasted many, many years.
Q: Does there need to be a water drip above the polishing attachment, or could I use a spray bottle?
A: Water drips on end discs can get messy. If using oxide polishes on leather, canvas, or felt pads a water spritzer bottle will be fine. For diamond on leather or canvas you'll just have to try it and see if it will keep the stone cool enough. As mentioned before for diamond bort on canvas/resin pads silicone spray will work (take care not to breath any of the silicone spray into your lungs though).
Or all things considered, if you like polishing with oxides and can find an old B&I Gem Maker horizontal unit (these were made in Burlington, WI and sold by Sears for around 40 years) at a good price then pick it up to use just for polishing. The housed horizontal lap is much less messy to use when polishing with oxides.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Oct 22, 2019 0:32:36 GMT -5
Congratulations on your new acquisition! I purchased a Lortone SA-6 machine back in 1977 and used it for around 30 years. It was a painted steel model and it functioned fine and was still in fairly good condition when I finally sold it and upgraded to an 8" wheel unit. Those old Lortone machines can last a long time if cared for properly. For sanding and polishing with diamond compounds with that Lortone machine I purchased an adapter similar to the one pictured below to allow me to mount 6" discs with 1/4"-20 diameter threaded shafts on the end of the arbor.  Back in those days Raytech made and sold an inexpensive kit with a set of six - 6" discs and with an aluminum disc stand. The 6" discs where made of thin stamped steel with a 1/4"-20tpi threaded arbor stud on the back and sponge rubber padded fronts. If I remember correctly these were called Rayspin Discs. And they were made for attaching canvas/resin sanding/polishing pads (to be charged with Crystallite diamond bort) or cloth backed diamond sanding pads to. The sanding/polishing pads were attached to the sponge rubber surfaces with a disc adhesive which allows the sanding/polishing pads to later be removed without destroying the sponge rubber surface. I used these for as long as I had the machine and they worked well. Just when using diamond bort had to be sure and clean the cabs well with NAPTHA between each grit stage to prevent contamination. While the Rayspins are no longer being produced I still see them from time to time so you may be able to acquire some on eBay or from an older local club member. If the sponge rubber is dried out that can be replaced for about $6 per disc. Or as another alternative, with a similar shaft adapter as shown above, the Diamond Pacific spin-on discs can be used on Lortone machines. Or the Kingsley North spin-on polishing heads. kingsleynorth.com/spinon-polishing-heads.html Any of these would be a less expensive alternative to having to purchase multiple cast aluminum Lortone sanding polishing heads. And IMO as far as 6" heads go, the flat ones work fine for polishing domed cabs. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Sept 30, 2019 17:53:28 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum!
Rocks need to be ground wet to help keep down on the dust that if airborne can get in your lungs and cause silicosis and other nasty ailments. That HF grinder is made for dry grinding metal. You need one with a motor made for wet applications or otherwise an arbor with a pulley and V-belt that puts a reasonable distance, or is shielded, between the water spray and the electric motor.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Sept 20, 2019 17:50:17 GMT -5
IMHO you would be better off getting a Rock Rascal model "T". The unit without the motor is $298 at Johnson Bros Lapidary. And then find a used 1/3 hp 1725rpm continuous duty, general purpose motor. Those are very common motors and fairly easy to find used for around $25 unless you live in an extremely rural area with few people and businesses around. With the Rock Rascal model "T" you can saw your stone to size and then pre-form it on the grinding wheel. And then when you can get a 6" x 1.5" 60 grit or 80 grit diamond plated wheel to replace the SC wheel that comes on the model "T". The diamond wheel will remove material faster than the SC wheel. www.johnsonbrotherslapidary.com/Rock_Rascal_Combination_Unit_Basic.htmlLarry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Sept 16, 2019 22:18:13 GMT -5
I sent 16 LFRB from Cali to Mn. Almost every single one of them was damaged, stuff was missing out of the holes, slabs busted, my Fenton perfume bottles gone😠and 1 box had some mail in it from some random guy I've never heard of. (Explain that one) I filed a complaint with the post office and wasnt very nice at all about it either. All I got was "we will talk to the carrier" So when I saw the carrier, I spoke with her myself. She said they were damaged when they got to her and no one from the post office has ever contacted her. So another complaint got filed with so far no response All boxes had stickers and writing and I even marked some of them glass. If you are not getting satisfaction from the local branch then try complaining to your district post office's Postmaster. If that doesn't work file a complaint with the Postmaster General's Office. webpmt.usps.gov/pmt002.cfmwww.howtodothings.com/business/how-to-file-a-complaint-with-the-postmaster-generalWe live in a rural subdivision and for a while were having problems with delivery drivers. The local delivery drivers are contract labor who drive their own vehicles and are not official USPS employees. I don't know how they get hired but for a while we had some real yahoos. One afternoon I heard something heavy hit the front wall of the house hard and loud. I was only a few feet from the front window when it happened so I immediately looked out the window and found that the carrier had pulled in our driveway, and without exiting his car had thrown a box with books that I had ordered about 25' from his car to our front porch and hit the front wall of the house. I called the local post office branch and read the branch manager the "riot act". A few weeks later the weekend carrier for the same branch decided that rather than pulling in the driveway and delivering a MFRP box to the carport or front porch they left it lay on the wet ground under our mailbox at the road where everyone driving by would see it and anyone could have done a slow roll snatch. So that following Monday I went to the post office and complained to the branch manager. I could tell that she really couldn't care less as she barely even looked up from what she was doing. So I told her, "Alright, I've complained to you once by phone and once in person, so if anything like this ever happens again I'm not going to waste my time complaining to you, I'm going to complaint to the district post office Postmaster in Greensboro and if that doesn't work then the next time with the Post Master General. And it wasn't until that point that she looked up and appeared to give me her full attention. Some months later I went out to accept a package from a new weekday deliverer who grinned and asked me "has anyone bounced any packages your house lately?". Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Sept 13, 2019 21:13:39 GMT -5
 **UPDATE: Saturday 9/21/2019 - This item is now sold. I have a used mid-1990s model Ultra Tec V2 faceting machine for sale which I recently purchased out of an estate for the purpose of resale. I have installed a brand new UT rubber drive cone and splash pan on this machine and have cut a test stone on it. I found the accuracy to be good and I was able to cut a commercial grade (or better) barion square design test stone with it (see the last two photos in the photo flickr gallery linked above). This machine is very clean, tight and in good condition. And it comes with a 96 Index Gear and the following original accessories: flexible Moffat Light, UT drip pot, UT Alignment Bar, UT Dop Transfer Fixture and four Allen Wrenches. (A copy of the owners manual for a newer, but very similar model of the Ultra Tec V2 analog faceting machine can be downloaded from Ultra Tec's web site.) We could not find the original UT dops or UT table adapter. The sister of the original owner said that there used to be a cabinet there that her sister kept some of her stone cutting items in but that the cabinet had already been taken away and she didn't know what had happened to the contents. So I am adding a new factory sealed set of 14 un-keyed Graves brand dops and table adapter to the sale of this outfit since the use of keyed dops is not necessary. The Graves brand dops fit and work fine as will any standard 1/4" diameter shaft faceting dops. And many cutters, including myself, often prefer not to use keyed dops (when cutting the test stone with this machine I used standard non-keyed Graves brand dops and a Graves brand table adapter all with no issues). But if you decide you would rather use keyed dops you can always order a set of UT dops and a UT table dop from Ultra Tec. Thank you for looking! Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 29, 2019 13:56:02 GMT -5
Hi everyone! My name is Bev and I’m new to the forum. I just started rock tumbling with my dad to make jewelry, and we are losing our minds (and patience). We started this journey in May (and now we’re into August nearly September). We bought raw materials, such as tiger eye, blue tiger eye, moonstone, quartz, lapis lazuli, and Brazilian emerald. The first time we did the tumbling we did all the steps according to the grit instructions at 7-8 days each step, and the burnishing. When our stones came out they were so dull and absolutely no shine. Fast forward. We bought 2 separate tumblers to divvy up the stones. We started back at step 1 because there was still raw material that needed to come off. We left them in the tumbler for a longer period. (We bought a different grit kit in hopes that it would have better result). We just wrapped up with the last step and the stones are STILL dull, no shine whatsoever. After each step we took a brush and cleaned them off individually to make sure all grit was off, and we even bought separate tumblers for just the last step so it wouldn’t contaminate. Any help is welcome!! (Also how can I attach a photo to show what I’m working with?) I'm no tumbling expert by any stretch of the imagination. But I do know that one of the most common mistakes made for beginning tumblers is tumbling stones of mixed hardness's together. Stones tumbled together must be near the same MOHs hardness or you can't get a satisfactory polish. Tiger eye and quartz are probably close enough in harness to tumble together but moonstone, lapis lazuli, and Brazilian emerald are too soft to tumble with tiger eye and quartz. Plus emerald is fairly brittle so if you are tumbling them together then you may have chips of emerald coming off in the mid to later stages and scratching your other stones. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 28, 2019 19:38:17 GMT -5
Sounds good thanks. I just bought the fs6 supposed to be here Tuesday FedEx. Guess there is no original box, instructions, or from the pics, no hood. definitely interested in the hood, extra parts won't hurt either. Thanks for checking for me. Bret I have located the parts and sent you a PM. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 27, 2019 23:44:29 GMT -5
This item is now SOLD. Thank you!  Additional photos may be seen on my flickr page at the following link:www.flickr.com/photos/quailriver/This New-Old-Stock Deluxe Raytech-Shaw Faceting Machine recently came out of an estate. It was manufactured in the mid to late 1990s but has never been used. It is complete and is still with it's original Raytech factory box. It doesn't appear that it was ever fully unpackaged after being purchased by the original owner until I finished unwrapping it to take photographs. This machine has a variable speed drive with a rotational reverse switch. And it comes complete with all of the accessories which were packaged with the deluxe machine at that time (see last two 1996 Raytech catalogue scans of this model machine in flickr page photo gallery linked above). Includes all of the following: a flexible neck Moffatt Lamp, a Dop Transfer Jig, 7 Dops (including the one mounted in the handpiece), Dop Wax, a Water Pot Assembly, a Raytech Dimfast F 360 grit Diamond Lap, a Raytech 600 grit NuBond Diamond Lap, a Raytech Fast Lap Polishing Lap (all three laps are still in their individual factory sealed boxes), 5 Ultra Laps ( 3 spectra and 2 tin oxide), a bottle of 1/2 Mic Diamond Spray Polish, a Handpiece with a 1/10th° vernier and a 96 Index Gear plus an 8th tooth Facet Finder Gear, a Splash Bowl with a removable Splash Shield, a Drain Hose, and an Owner's Manual. Every item in this lot is original to this machine, new-old-stock, and has never been used. The Raytech brand laps included with this machine (including the highly prized by faceters 600 grit NuBond lap) are no longer being produced. So the current Raytech-Shaw Deluxe Faceter outfit now being manufactured and sold by Scott Manufacturing Inc does come with a different set of laps but otherwise is nearly identical to this one. The price of this Raytech-Shaw Deluxe Faceting Machine with accessories is $1,500.00 plus shipping (and w/shipping insurance). Will only ship within the U.S. continental forty-eight states and to a Pay Pal verified address. The estimated shipping weight is 48 pounds and the package will ship from the High Point/Greensboro, NC area. If interested in purchasing please message me your intent to do so along with your shipping address and the email address that you would like for me to send you a Pay Pal invoice to. I am posting this item on other venues as well so the first person to do so gets priority consideration. I do not carry a mobile device so please do not be discouraged if you do not hear back from me immediately. Thank you! Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 27, 2019 23:35:03 GMT -5
Is it still available fs6 plastic good, belt and belt guard bretdean60@gmail.com Yes I believe I still have the NOS Lortone Saw parts. I'll double check tomorrow and get back to you. Larry C. |
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