Who owns lapidary equipment and uses it?

[Cappy Z.]

Just curious how many folks here have experience using sanding belts etc. It would be great to see some photos of your finished work. I bet we have some real artisans here.

 

[MEinWV]

I have the following;

A Lortone LU6X , 6 inch. diamond saw/grinder/polisher combo unit.

A Craftsman 10 inch horizontal diamond saw/flat lap combo.

A 15" flat polishing lap.

A Covington diamond drill.

A 3 lb. vibratory rock polisher.

They have been in storage for the past decade. I want to become a starving artist, but it "ain't happenin" yet

I will have to get a pic of my last few cabochons and post them.


HH

 

[Cappy Z.]

MEinWV ,

We have a lot to talk about...at least I have a lot of questions. I welcome and hope we can have a dialogue here about rock hounding, lapidary, and anything else reagarding the earthy finds we possess.

Thanks for posting. If I don't respond quickly it's because I work....for a living..lol.

HH

 

[MEinWV]

Ask away BB! Hope I have some good answers for you.

Here are the last of the cabs that I cut and polished with the aforementioned equipment. The one at the top is "Blue Lace Agate", which I mounted in a deer antler bezel, with a black walnut backing. As I was taking the pics, the thing fell apart on me

The cab on the right side is "succor creek picture jasper". The one to the left is "unknown picture jasper"

The teardrop shaped cab is "Rhodochrosite", if that's how you spell it.

Looking forward to some discussions! HH (oops! here are the pics! )

 

[Cappy Z.]

Great work. Gotta love the high polish. The way you arranged the top photo almost looks like some trype of art form. Dumb question, but do you always wear a mask when grinding etc? And do you always use water to keep the stone wet?

 

[MEinWV]

You should always wear at least a dust mask. You need to be aware of certain minerals that are more hazardous than others, such as Malachite. You can find all the info you need by reading up on lapidary basics.

I have used plain water, but there are new cutting oils on the market that are less messy and work well with a wide variety of materials.

My diamond saws always use liquid for cutting and cooling.

HH

 

[Cappy Z.]

MEinWV

Please post some pics..anything will do. Rocks, cabs, equipment, anything.

Thanks.