Recent Posts

I just tonight learned that Don Woodward had passed when I saw the thread for the Don Woodward Memorial Rock Box. I'm very saddened to learn of Don's passing. Prayers for Don's family and RIP Don. You were one of the ever shrinking pool of old-school lapidary gurus. The RTH board just won't be the same without you!

Larry C.

rmf

Thank you for the reply. DP might be willing to do custom grits but I doubt they would for just one or two wheels without having to charge considerably more than for a larger number.

@all
Just for clarity's sake, the last paragraph shown in rmf's quoting of my post above stating:

"You need to contact diamond pacific and see if they can make you a 400 grit Nova wheel. The 220 grit Nova wheel is a special order. So they may do other grits as well... nothing ventured nothing gained. the worst they can say is no."

was rmf's reply to my post which they mistakenly edited into the text of my post when quoting. This was not part of my response to the OP.

Larry C.

Very nice looking group of cabs!

Update: As of 12/17/2017 this item is sold. Thank you!

12/12/2017 Sale Pending on this machine. Thank you!



Please read the entire description written here and view the 22 photos of this machine and accessories posted on my flickr page or photobucket page linked below this listing before committing to purchase. Thank you!

Raytech-Shaw Faceting Machine w/accessories
I recently picked up this used Raytech-Shaw faceting machine with accessories for the purpose of resale. The bearings were worn so I have replaced the arbor/bearing/platen assembly with a brand new one from the manufacturer. Also I have checked the accuracy of the machine. And for the sake of full disclosure, with a 6" lap in place there is a 0.0025" run-out on the lap. And there is about a 0.005" run-out variation on the platform that the faceting head/handpiece rests on during use.

These variances are small, but just wanted to let you know that the machine calibration is not perfect. So I marked the front edge of the platform that the faceting head/handpiece rest on during use, and then adjusted the tripod leg height calibration of the faceting head/handpiece to match this location on the platform. By doing so, and by keeping the marked edge of the platform lined up closely with the centerline of the faceting head/handpiece, most of the run-out on the platform is compensated for.

Afterwards, I was able to cut what I consider an average commercial grade stone (see the photos #22, 23 & 24 of cut stone in the photo gallery linked below) on this machine without having to use the Dop Rotational Adjustment (cheater) until after cutting the pavilion and transferring the stone to a cone dop in order to cut the crown. At which point I used the Raytech-Shaw radial adjust collar plus made a minor adjustment with the Dop Rotational Adjustment knob to compensate for a slight movement of the stone during dop transfer (used wax on both doppings).

The machine base, water pot & post, light, and faceting head/handpiece are all in used but clean condition. The arbor/bearing/platen assembly, pulley belt, splash pan bowl, and drain hose are all new. All of the electronics, the on/off/speed-control, the forward/reverse switch, the light, and the motor all work properly.

Included with this machine are; a 100 grit Crystalite Standard diamond lap that does not appear to have been used more than once or twice and has about 99% of it's diamond left, a 360 grit Crystalite Standard diamond lap that still has about 80% or more of it's diamond left, a 1200 grit Crystalite Standard diamond lap that appears to have had little use and still has 90% or better of it's diamond left, and a used Lucite polishing lap.

Also included are 10 Raytech-Shaw dop sticks (including the one shown mounted in the faceting head), a Raytech-Shaw dop transfer jig, black dop wax, a radial adjust collar (used to realign the stone with the lap after transfer), an 8-slot facet finder gear, seven (7) unused Ultra laps (1- chrome oxide, 2- cerium oxide, 2- tin oxide, and 2- aluminum oxide), and an owner's manual. The faceting head comes with a 96 index gear. (The test stone cut on this machine shown in photos is not included with this sale)

The price of this machine with the accessories shown is $950 plus shipping via Fed Ex Home Delivery from High Point/Greensboro, North Carolina.

If you wish to purchase then please message me with your shipping address and the email address that you would like your Pay Pal invoice sent to and I will get you an accurate total including shipping cost with insurance, and will email you an invoice. Will ship within the U.S. continental forty-eight states only.

I will likely be listing this item on other venues as well, but the first person to respond with a commitment to purchase gets priority attention. I do not carry a mobile internet devise so please do not be discouraged if you do not hear back form me immediately. Thank you!

www.flickr.com/photos/quailriver/

or

s1254.photobucket.com/user/quailriver1/slideshow/?sort=9

Just an update on the clicking sound coming form my 18" Lortone. After listening to the saw more I wasn't sure the clicking noise was coming from the new motor after all. So after letting the saw sit idle most of the summer, when the weather cooled down in the fall I finally got around to emptying the oil and cleaning the saw out a few weeks ago so I could give it a thorough inspection while running with the hood up.

I determined the loud clicking sound was coming from the vise carriage. So I replaced all of the carriage bearings and rotated the carriage way rods a 1/3 turn in case they were getting worn. But it was still clicking when running. So I started putting my fingers on each bearing and feeling for vibration when I heard the clicks and determined the most vibration was coming from the lower front left bearing area. So I took the bearing mounting bolt off to check and see if it was bent but it looked fine.

So next I removed the carriage bearing strap assembly and wa-lah. The bearing strap is bent. A piece of rock must have gotten caught between the lower front left bearing and the carriage way rod and bent the bearing strap. So when the power feed is operating the bearing keeps wanting to track of at an angle and does so until it reaches the furthest extent it can go and then the tension of the bearing strap snaps it back into place making the loud clicking sound I've been hearing.

Here is a photo showing the problem.



Larry C.

LOL!

Interesting piece! Thirty-seven years ago I was a field assistant with a geophysics team that did a survey in the Greenhorn area. Twenty-seven years ago my wife and I went back out there camping and rock hunting. Didn't find any wood but did find a broad range of other materials. Camped on the mountains just north of Austin Junction. Beautiful country but rugged and @#$% cold at night on those peaks! But we did have a few comforts...


Larry C.

When hardened HXTAL has a refractive index near that of most common types of glass. And it doesn't yellow with age as badly as many epoxies do. So it is a good choice for clear to slightly translucent agate or quartz, or other light colored stones. HXTAL and Opticon Fracture Sealer work best for treating tight fractures. But for wider cracks and gaps the less expensive two-part epoxy adhesives will work as long as you heat them up first to make them less viscous.

Epoxy 330 is a good water clear epoxy to use. And even some of the two part epoxies available at hobby stores can be used. I like the Bob Smith Industries brand. They make five, fifteen, twenty and thirty minute cure-time formulas. As a rule the slower the time cure formula the harder the cured epoxy is. And the slower the cure time the more time the epoxy has to saturate. I usually use the thirty minute cure epoxy. Heating the epoxy resins first does thin them so they saturate better but it also makes them cure faster than they do at room temperature. So you have to have everything ready and work fast.

To heat the two parts, if I only need a small amount, I use a scrap piece of window pane glass and just squeeze out the amount I need in two individual resin parts rows, spaced widely enough apart that when they start liquefying from heat they don't run together and begin hardening. I place the piece of glass with the epoxy on top of my leveled dop wax warmer and let it heat until it gets runny. Glass will not absorb any liquid from the Epoxy nor impart any contaminates into it. As the epoxy warms, the rows of resin will begin to spread. Once they have nearly stopped spreading it's time to mix them together and apply them to the stone. I do this with a 4" blade artist painting knife. Also it helps flow and saturation to have the stone warmed as well.

After applying the mixed epoxy to the stone be careful where you set it. The epoxy can seep through to the other side and glue your cab or slab to whatever is underneath. And if it's heated it can penetrate wax paper and adhere it, and the wax paper to whatever surface is underneath the wax paper (yes I learned this the hard way). So now for messier jobs I use wood shavings from my jointer or planner as a bed. Newspaper will work too. Either are easy enough to sand off if the glue seeps through but the wood shavings are easier to remove.

If I'm treating several stones and need a larger amount of epoxy than is practical to heat on a piece of glass then I use clean small metal food cans like tuna and salmon comes in.

Regardless of which type epoxy you use, a vacuum chamber can help with saturation. There are several posts and videos online on how to make one cheaply. I made the one for quick use using a plywood box and a small shop-vac for suction pressure. It worked okay but not as good as a chamber with an actual vacuum pump and valve that can hold vacuum pressure for longer periods of time will. I picked up a small vacuum oven cheap from a college surplus sale for this purpose but haven't gotten around to trying it yet.


Also should probably mention that I soak any slab or stone I'm going to treat with epoxy in lacquer thinner (not paint thinner) first to remove any saw oil residue.

Great find! IMO Frantom's saws were among the best made. I currently have one bench model nearly identical to the one you picture (except mine has the earlier Frantom blue paint) that I bought out of a school surplus sale in Georgia a while back that is still sitting waiting on refurbishing. The stand, motor mount, and pulley belt guard on the one you have pictured were added on later and are not factory. This model was sold as a basic bench top cabinet model without a stand or belt guard.

The Highland Park machine you picture is similar to the E50 model I have. The tool rest for the grinding wheels comes in handy for preforming cabs. And it's a good tough machine. The only problem you might have with it is that those old SC wheels had metal sleeves lining the arbor hole. And after sitting this long they may have oxidized and locked onto the arbor as mine had prior to refurbishing. They were a real pain to get off. Soaked them with Kroll for days. And then only one would come off and the other I had to bust and break off the SC wheel from around it's metal sleeve and then cut the wheel sleeve and pry it off. Other than that possibility it should be a fairly easy project to bring back. And yes you can use different wheels and can get smaller spacers to add more wheels. Good luck bidding!

Larry C.