I have been to three classes now, starting to get the hang of it, I find that it the best thing I have ever done to take your mind off all your worries and ailments as it takes all your concentration
Can you explain what you are actually doing. Have you found those stones yourself and are you polishing them to smooth and shiny. and how do you do it?
Some stones I find some I buy, when you first look at them they look like normal rocks, but there are hundreds of different kinds from petrified wood, to lapis lazuli, tiger stone, smokey quartz etc.
I then put the rock into a diamond saw and cut off a slice to the required thickness, then I mark out the shape I want, round, oval, leaf etc. and rough grind it on a wet silicone carbide grinding wheel.
From there to a finer silicone carbide wheel then to a series of diamond wheels from 100 grit to 14000 grit working it to the shape I want and then to a final polish on a hard buff with fine polishing compound.
When the stone is finished you can then mount it in a setting or make a setting to suit from silver (a craft I have yet to learn)
Saw and grinder polisher photo attached
-- Edited by goinsoon on Monday 14th of November 2011 09:33:01 PM
What gem club Brian - used to be in one down in Victoria - loved cabachon work, did some silversmithing, and also do chain maille - John used to do faceting as well. Loved it!
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
What gem club Brian - used to be in one down in Victoria - loved cabachon work, did some silversmithing, and also do chain maille - John used to do faceting as well. Loved it!
I joined the Beenleigh lapidary club, but may change to Bribie Island early next year as seem to put more effort into training new members and also Bribie's equipment is much better
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
I have beentold the Bribie one is very good - they have one in Ipswich but only work Wednesday and Friday nights - travelling in and out - 40k ea way take sthe pleasure away I thought - we used to have all day Saturday - 10 - 4 gave you heaps of time to work on stuff, as well as learn - we had continuous classes in all aspects - which was terrific.
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
I have beentold the Bribie one is very good - they have one in Ipswich but only work Wednesday and Friday nights - travelling in and out - 40k ea way take sthe pleasure away I thought - we used to have all day Saturday - 10 - 4 gave you heaps of time to work on stuff, as well as learn - we had continuous classes in all aspects - which was terrific.
Beenleigh goes 3 weekdays and one night as well as saturday
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
We have done quite a bit of lapidary but since moving away from where the club is we have't found a new club close to us but its a great hobby and going fossicking with the club is great fun even in the rain
We have done quite a bit of lapidary but since moving away from where the club is we have't found a new club close to us but its a great hobby and going fossicking with the club is great fun even in the rain
I am really looking forward to the fossicking trip, the Bribie Island club goes on an extended one every year
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
Can you drill a hole into the rock and loop it onto a leather lace? Or just a silver ring with a silver chain through it rather than the setting? Lots of options. Lots of settings. A great enterprising hobby with financial benefits.
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20ft Roma caravan - Mercedes Benz Sprinter - SA-based at the moment. Transport has no borders.
Management makes the decisions, but is not affected by the decisions it makes.
Can you drill a hole into the rock and loop it onto a leather lace? Or just a silver ring with a silver chain through it rather than the setting? Lots of options. Lots of settings. A great enterprising hobby with financial benefits.
Yes that is easy, that is what I will be doing soon, I am getting bored with standard cabochons in round and oval shapes in pretty silver settings.
I will be instead free shaping stones to suit my imagination and do something similar.
A friend in the club found a large dead butterfly and traced it onto a slab of cut stone and shaped it, then when it was finished cut it in half and finished polishing it and made matching boyfriend/girlfriend necklaces (half of the butterfly each)
-- Edited by goinsoon on Tuesday 15th of November 2011 09:25:23 PM
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Goinsoon
I dont suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.
