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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2006-05-17, 4:39pm
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Aussie Jewellery Queen
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Join Date: Oct 06, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 72
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Grinding/Faceting Beads??
Can anyone tell me how to grind beads the way Alica Alba does? What type of grinder does one use? I'd like to have a go myself at the technique...but have no idea where to start....
Thanks!
Shelley
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2006-05-17, 5:41pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 06, 2005
Location: Austin - Texas
Posts: 2,708
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I use a "Genie" by Diamond Pacific Corporation. However you can also use a flat lap which is probably better anyway. Since the equipment to do it is expensive ($400 USD and up), you might want to find your local lapidary or rock hound group and try it out there. (Do they use the term "Rock Hound" in Australia?)
Eric
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2006-05-17, 6:12pm
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Aussie Jewellery Queen
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Join Date: Oct 06, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 72
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Excuse my ignorance.... what's a 'flat lap' ?? I have absolutely no idea about lapidary stuff... lol.... Rock hound? Dunno..... lol...
Shelley
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2006-05-17, 8:26pm
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tweetysweetie
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Join Date: Jun 30, 2005
Location: Alaska, I was here first!
Posts: 1,854
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Shelley.....flat lap, a lapidary machine that does grinding and the grinding wheel lays flat (horizontal, like a high speed record player, lol!). I have a diamond tech and several grit wheels/polishing pads with it. Then you need the grinding slurry, diamond grit etc. for polishing. Very messy affair to be sure.....but some pretty work can be done with them.
__________________
I am NOT the authority on anything/everything, but as old as I am... and given the mistakes I've made? I've got a jump on most as to what IS right and what WON'T work!! ~CWeaver 2006
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2006-05-17, 8:26pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 05, 2005
Posts: 263
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A flat lap is a lapidary grinder that uses a flat round grinding surface to grind/flatten/smooth/polish a surface--usually of a stone. These are interchangeable for various grits depending upon the material you are grinding. Often you would start with a coarse grit and go through several grit disks getting finer and finer to smooth the. The final step can be a felt polishing disk with a polishing compound used on it-something like cerium oxide.
Inland Lapidary has a machine called the Swap Top All-In-Wonder grinder. This will do trim sawing with one attachment (cut straight through the material like a stone or bead), flat lapping with another to refine a surface and also has a regular stained glass rotary type grinder attachment for further shaping. I have a lot of separate pieces of lapidary equipment but I don't have this machine. But this look pretty comprehensive for what you want to do with bead faceting and in one compact piece. Arrow Springs also carries this.
Hope this helps.
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2006-05-17, 9:14pm
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Ruri Glass Studio
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Join Date: Sep 20, 2005
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 396
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maddog1050
Inland Lapidary has a machine called the Swap Top All-In-Wonder grinder. This will do trim sawing with one attachment (cut straight through the material like a stone or bead), flat lapping with another to refine a surface and also has a regular stained glass rotary type grinder attachment for further shaping. I have a lot of separate pieces of lapidary equipment but I don't have this machine. But this look pretty comprehensive for what you want to do with bead faceting and in one compact piece. Arrow Springs also carries this.
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Arrow Springs is having a special sale on the Swap Top All-In-Wonder this month. Here are some user's testimonials. http://www.isgb.org/forum/ubbthreads...=5&o=21&fpart=
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2006-05-18, 3:38am
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Aussie Jewellery Queen
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Join Date: Oct 06, 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 72
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Thanks guys... I'll look into it..... would also have to deal with the voltage difference.....
Shelley
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2006-05-18, 7:37am
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Who me?
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Join Date: Jun 15, 2005
Location: Hagerstown, Indiana
Posts: 2,284
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Don't know if Arrow Springs carries them both but the Inland website offers both a 110 volt and a 220 volt version of the Flat Lap All-in Wonder.
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2006-05-18, 7:38am
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 05, 2005
Posts: 263
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Shelley-Here is a link (hope it works)- to Inland Lapidary's page on this machine. It specifically addresses the issue of different voltages when ordering:
http://www.inlandlapidary.com/single...&partnum=10690
If it doesn't work, just go to inlandlapidary.com and search from there.
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