CUTTING A CABOCHON ON THE MACHINES AT GARVIES POINT, THE NASSAU MINERAL CLUB WORKSHOP You will begin to shape a cabochon by studying the stone you intend to cut. To ensure a successful result, the Nassau Mineral Club will supply the first 2 slabs, hopefully ones without cracks or pits. These slabs have been obtained from a dealer or we have sliced the pieces from a large chunk on a slab saw. Later, when you have more experience in cutting the material, you will want to buy slabs for your own use. We will not work on malachite or shell in the N.M.C. workshop. Malachite is poisonous because of the copper it contains and particles of shell are very injurious to the respiratory system Do not assume that you know how to use a piece of machinery because you have used a similar machine or because it looks easy, Wait until you have received instructions before turning on any machine. You will receive instructions from Mike Elias or Angie Funderburk or one designated by the Vice-President in charge of Lapidary. Everyone should fill up at least 2 gallon jugs with water in the water room to keep the grinding wheels well supplied. Also it is needed for the trim saws and cleanup. (1) Use one of the plastic or metal templates to draw the desired shape onto your stone, centering the part you like best and avoiding any cracks or pits in the stone. I prefer to draw on the top of the stone, but others prefer to have the outline on the bottom. Some templates are double, so you can mark both sides. Start with a 40x30 oval shape which is easier to cut than a square or circle or other shape. You will be better prepared to do other2 shapes if you first master the 40x30 oval. For your first cabochon, you will shape the top as a dome. Use a metal scribe such as a sharp aluminum nail to draw your outline on the stone. You can also use an indelible magic marker with a thin line. To aid you in cutting straight lines around your shape, draw tangential lines around your oval. (2) Put on goggles or a face mask and an apron and take your stone slab to the trim saw. Make sure there is enough liquid in the reservoir to spray onto the cutting table for a couple of inches. This water supply is very important to protect the blade and your stone. You are to roughly cut out your intended shape by cutting only straight lines. The blade will not cut a curve and if you try to do that, you will ruin the blade. Your tangential lines will direct you in cutting straight lines. Your stone slab should always rest on the flat surface or deck of the machine. Don't ever try to cut a slab while holding it partway up the blade. Do not push the stone too hard as the motor will slow down and stop and you may gouge the blade. Also your stone may overheat and break. The cutting cannot be rushed and trying to cut too fast will damage the blade. Cut to within 1/8" of your scribed line. Do not try to cut off a narrow edge of 1/8". In so doing you will push the blade sideways, possibly even to the point of pushing it against the table through which the blade is mounted. (3) A€ter you have rough-shaped your stone, study it again (dry) and put a pencil mark "T" for "Top" on your stone, again choosing the side with a more pleasing pattern and avoiding the side with a pit or soft spot You can still change your mind about the top until you dop it. (4) Fill a plastic 16 oz container with water and place it close to the grinding wheels. You will rinse3 your stone in the water between each step and as often as you like. Keep the container full of water so that you will be able to rinse the grit from your fingers as you rinse your stone. (5) Take your stone to the coarse grinding wheel, 100 grit on the diamond or the silicon carbide wheels. You will be grinding your stone at a spot on the wheel below midway so that the wheel is going away from your stone. You do not work high on the wheel where the wheel is coming toward your stone: (a)you will gouge diamonds out of the wheel surface, and (b)your stone will be difficult to hold, it may "bounce" on the wheel or be knocked from your hand. Turn on the motor and then turn on the water. Make sure there is plenty of water in the bucket from which the water is piped. The grinding wheel must get a continuous spray of water as you work. Lack of water is disastrous for the diamond wheels, especially. If you fail to use proper water, you will be asked not to use the machine until you receive instruction again. The manner in which you will be working is from side to side across the surface of the grinding wheel, not up and down. Hold your stone perpendicular to the surface of the grinding wheel and start to grind off the corners left by the trim saw. This is the only time in the process of cutting a cabochon that you will be holding your stone in a vertical position: (a)you will avoid gouging the diamonds with the sharp-cut edges of your stone, and (b)you will avoid chipping the underside of your cabochon. Move your stone from side to side continually, never holding your stone in one spot on the wheel. Grind off the edge of your stone, aiming for a smooth-contoured edge close to your scribed line. All sides of your stone should be perpendicular to the base. When you have4 achieved this, your stone will nearly fit through the template you have used and it will match the shape exactly. Later grinding and sanding will perfect the edge so that your stone will actually fit through the opening without any gaps on either side. This is important if you intend to buy a ready-made mount in a standard size such as the 40x30 oval you are now shaping. (6) At this time you will remove a small amount of material from the bottom edge of your stone with a light touch so as to grind off very little. This is the chamfer and it will help to keep the stone from chipping on this bottom edge. This slightly rounded base will also accommodate the cabochon to a bezel setting, especially if there is a lot of solder on the inside corner of the bezel. When you have finished grinding a smooth edge on your stone, turn off the water and then the motor. This can be critical with the silicon carbide wheels: Failure to turn off the water will result in one side of the porous stone becoming water-logged and much heavier than the rest of the wheel. When the machine is turned on, it is possible for this wheel to fly apart with the effect of an explosion, very dangerous for anyone in the vicinity to say nothing of the wheel itself. (7) Clean the base of your stone thoroughly by rubbing it with alcohol on a small piece of paper towel. Avoid using a lot of alcohol or leaving alcohol-1aden paper towels around. Lay the stone "top" side down on the edge of the dopping machine, leaving it for a few minutes until it is hot--almost too hot to handle. Dip a suitably-sized dop stick into the wax and turn it, gathering the wax onto the stick without letting it cool off. When you have an appropriate mass of wax on the stick, with your other hand remove the stone from the dop5 machine and put it on the table still face down and quickly 1ift the gob of wax and apply it to the back of your stone. Hold the dop stick perpendicular to the stone and very gingerly mold the wax onto the stone with your fingers or let the wax sag onto the stone or a combination of the two. Don't push the stick toward the stone as you will crowd out the wax and have a less secure bond. Very little handling is necessary, especially as you become adept at it. You can easily burn your fingers. Some lapidaries dip their fingers in water before touching the hot wax, but even a small amount of water between the wax and the stone will spoil the bond. Certainly have a dish of water handy to rescue your fingers, even if you have to redop the piece. Experience will enable you to dip up the right amount of wax; the correct amount is enough to hold the stone securely to the stick without excess that reaches the edge to be shaped. Dop wax removed by the grinding wheel will quickly spoil the surface of the whee by filling up the interstices with wax. Do not add used wax to the dop pot. The shellac has been lost so it is useless. Also you are adding grit from your stone to the dop reservoir. Allow the stone to cool completely before continuing. After your stone has cooled, remove (scrape) all dop wax from the top and sides of your stone. Make sure no dop from the backside of the stones reaches the edge of the cab where it could come in contact with the grinding wheel. Be careful not to get any dop wax on the surface of the dopping machine. If you should drop the wax there, clean it off with a knife or spatula and return it to the dop reservoir or discard it. The reasons for dopping your stone are many. With a "handle" on your stone, you are more in control and have6 far greater flexibility in shaping your cabochon. The side to side motion is easy and fast as your fingers and fingernails are not in the way. The best reason, hovever is the preservation of the wheels--When holding a stone in your fingers, you clutch the stone tightly to avoid having it pulled away by the tug of the wheel. Clutching the stone tightly does not allow you the flexibility to move your stone constantly across the wheel; as a result one is always bound to the center of the wheel which is worn smooth while the edges of the wheel are not used. If you try to move your stone from side to side across the whole wheel without a dop stick, tipping your stone and turning it to remove ridges, your grasp of it will fail and you will lose the stone in the back of the pan. without a dopstick your motions are cramped, you develop no dexterity, and abusing the wheel is unavoidable. (8) Return to the 100 grit grinding wheel. The shaping of the cabochon will be entirely accomplished on the coarse grinding wheel. The next step will be to bevel your stone, grinding off the top edge all the way to, but not touching, the base of your stone, cutting off 15° of material or thereabouts. This will make the base of your cabochon larger than the top so that a silver bezel will when pressed against the cabochon, hold it in place on a ring, brooch, or pendant. Your aim is to make the top edge an oval, smaller and perfectly parallel to the base when viewed from above. From this point until you polish your stone, you will work with the dop stick pointing toward your chest, your stone upside down on the lower part of the grinding wheel With your stone upside down you will be able to see exactly the spot where your stone touches the wheel. with your stone right side up you are always cutting the far side of the stone where it is less visible. Move your7 stone across the surface of the wheel in short, even strokes left to right, never resting on one spot on your stone or the wheel. As you develop dexterity you may turn the stone slightly as you move it sideways, avoiding flat spots on the sides. Eventually you will be able to go from side to side, back and forth without a break, stopping to look at your progress often. As my favorite facetor says, "Grind a little, look a lot.” Grind one long side of your oval and turn and grind the other long ¢ sides. Then grind the shorter ends, remembering that with de, trying to work the same on both less material to cut away the short ends will be rapidly ground away if you don't watch. Be careful not to cut into the base line, the template line, of your cabochon. Don't try to turn the stone all the way around as you work. It takes a machine to have such perfect control, and you will end up with unwanted dents. As you become able to turn your stone slightly as you work, be sure to keep moving across the surface. It is possible to turn the stone and stay in the same spot on the wheel, which is definitely not good practice. Do not hold the dop stick and stone upright: you will chisel out the diamonds with the sharp corner of your stone; you will not be able to see when your grinding approaches the base line and you will end up taking off the top edge without achieving the 15° angle required to set the stone. With concentration you should have 2 perfectly oval stone with the top decidedly smaller than the base. When viewed from the sides it should resemble a truncated volcano and from the top you should see a perfect oval within and matching the oval of the base. (9) sti11 you are on the coarse grinding wheel, holding your stick pointing toward you. Grind off a8 second bevel or angle, moving the stone continuously from side to side to get a smooth even line. The second oval as seen from the top should match, be parallel to the base and the first bevel. When you later want to cut a "buff-top" cabochon, you will not cut this 2nd bevel. (10) The shape of your stone is now established, you have an accurate form to finish your cabochon successfully. What remains is to grind off the corners or ridges, smooth, and then polish. Still on the 100 grit grinding whee1 (don't forget water supply), stroke the wheel lightly side to side in a smooth, even movement to remove the angles, never cutting past your original stepped form. Do not work up and down as you will destroy the overall contours you have so painstakingly established. Think of your stone as a contour map; you want to retain a regular "mountain" with no gullies or flat areas breaking into the contours. Grind side A, turning slightiy, then turn 160° and grind side C; then sides B and D. Give equal time to the long sides and less time to the short sides. Smooth any angles that develop where the sides meet. Now you will appreciate how a controlled side to side motion perfects the contour. The flat area on the top of your stone can be diminished and removed by a different movement. Hold your stone, dop stick toward you, and with a continuous motion of the wrist, touch the stone to the wheel, describing a large oval, moving the stone right to left across the wheel while tipping your stone to grind long side A then short side B, then long side C and then short side D. You are working only on the top, not on the whole stone. only remove the remaining angles, don't invade your original shape. Inspect your stone and repeat the motion, "closing9 in” on the flat spot. Don't actually grind the top flat spot, only reduce it until it is no longer there. Dry your stone and determine if any major bumps or angles remain. A dry stone reveals the surface better than a wet one, as the water makes the surface appear more perfect, hiding the imperfections you must remove before proceeding. (11) When you have removed the major bumps and ridges, you can proceed to the less coarse grinder, the 360 grit wheel. There is a tendency to rush to the second grinding wheel and on to the sanders before the shape is correctly established. Resist this temptation and you will save time back-tracking to correct problems that should be corrected on the first grinding wheel. Above all, you must avoid doing any cutting and shaping on the finer grinder which will soon be ruined by heavy grinding. Since the 3 diamond 100 grit wheels are always in use, you may be tempted to start your grinding on the 360 which is more likely to be free. Don't do it! Tactfully let the person on the 100 grinder know you are waiting. When you are certain that you are ready to proceed to the fine grinder, rinse your stone, turn on the machine and the water for the 360 grit grinding wheel. on this wheel you should remove the minor ridges and deep scratches left by the very coarse wheel. Work across the wheel as usual. Before leaving this wheel your stone should have its final shape with no flat spot on the top and a smooth even profile on all sides You may tip the stone to cover all the surface, but the passes from side to side should never be interrupted. Working in this fashion will give you greater control, you will develop greater dexterity, and eventually you will be able to shape a stone much faster. Another significant factor is that working in this manner spares the diamonds10 and prolongs the life of the cutting surface of the wheels. Holding the stone in one spot on the wheel is abusing the diamonds and will not be condoned. (12) Rinse your stone and fingers in the cup of water. Do not use the water in the pan of the machine, and above all do not rinse your stone in the overhead bucket the water supply. Proceed to the first sander, the 220 silicon carbide belt. It is confusing to go from 360 grit diamond wheel to a 220 grit silicon carbide belt, but the 360 diamond is actually more coarse than the 220 silicon carbide surface Arrange the water supply. You will smooth your stone by moving it from side to side, turning it slightly as it touches the wheel. Sand all surfaces, removing scratches left by the grinding wheels. (You are replacing large scratches with smaller scratches.) It must again be emphasized that the sanding wheels are not for grinding and shaping -- that must be done on the first grinder with touching up on the 2nd grinder. Inspect your stone carefully (dry) to determine if there are any irregularities in the contours of your cabochon. There should be no visible scratches (13) Rinse your stone and fingers very carefully before proceeding to the second sander, 400 grit, a silicon carbide belt. The progression of numbers is not exactly the same on the diamond wheels and silicon carbide belts. As long as you go from small number to large with no skipping between, you will successfully sand your cabochon. ‘The purpose of rinsing when moving from wheel to wheel is to remove coarse grit which can cause deep scratches when you are trying to smooth the stone. Broken chunks of stone remain on the surface of your stone in cracks, along the edge of the dop wax, and under your1 fingernails. Even tiny particles can cause damage to your stone or remain on the wheel and cause damage to someone else's stone. This contamination becomes more critical as you proceed to fine sanding and pre-polish. The pre-polish wheels are rubber or cloth embedded with silicon carbide grit and chunks of stone can become embedded in the wheel and cause trouble forever. The person who last used the machine may have been careless in rinsing his or her stone, so you should avoid someone else's grit by squirting water from a bottle onto the wheel you intend to use, while rubbing your thumb across the turning wheel to flush away debris. This is not important on the grinding wheels, but becomes increasingly critical as you give your stone the final smoothing and especially as you pre-polish it. Above you learned to move your stone from side to side and now another reason for doing this is evident. In constantly shifting your stone from side to side you will minimize the scratching possible from a contaminated wheel: a single bit of grit can cause a scratch if your stone hits it in the same spot each revolution of the wheel. Do not leave your dop stick sitting in the water as the wood will absorb water, expand, and split the wax thus reducing the bond of stick to stone. Give your stone the final smoothing on the second sander. The shape and contours should be perfect, no scratches should remain, and it should feel perfectiy smooth to your fingers which can sometimes detect a ridge you cannot see. Inspect the stone dry. If there are any scratches remaining go back to the first sander to perfect the surface before proceeding. If lumps or ridges remain you must go back to the second grinder to correct the problem, then proceed to the first and second sanders.12 Don't leave the second sander until your stone is perfectly shaped and smoothed. (14) Rinse stone and fingers, squirt and clean the first pre-polish (600 grit) wheel, and arrange water supply. If you have properly prepared your cabochon you will begin to see a sheen after a few minutes on this wheel. You are moving your stone from side to side, tipping it gradually until you work on ali sides and surfaces. Dry your stone. If any dull areas are evident continue until you are satisfied that no further work on this wheel will improve your cabochon. A note is necessary here concerning the three 600 diamond wheels. Presently the 600 steel diamond wheels are more like 2nd sanders than pre-polish. The 600 rubber diamond wheel is indeed a pre-polish wheel. The 600 silicon carbide belt is always worn, more like 1200 grit (15) Rinse, squirt, arrange water for the final pre-polish wheel (1200 grit). Your attention to details your previous efforts on the coarser wheels and sanders now pay off and you can begin to appreciate the beauty of your cabochon. Cover all surfaces several times until you have a nice shine on your stone. Some stones, such as agates, need no further polishing than the present wheel provides. If the shine does not develop it means that (a) the stone is too soft and will never develop a shine, or (b) you should retrace your steps and perfect the surface before polishing There is a lot of information and instruction packed into these few pages. Some of it is for your own benefit to improve your skill at cutting cabochons. Most of it is stanéard procedure, handed down from the best of the experts. This is the prescribed procedure which is not to vary according to whim. The most important steps are: (1)13 working from side to side across the wheel, (2) proceeding from 100 coarse grit in an exact progression to the 1200 grit, not skipping any step, (3) keeping the wheels constantly supplied with plenty of water, (4) mounting your stone on a dop stick, (5) rinsing your stone as you proceed from coarse to finer grit wheels. These 5 steps are not options, this is the procedure you will follow if you would enjoy using the machinery maintained by the N.M.C. one should not work on several stones at a particular grinding wheel if others are waiting to use it. Every one is expected to clean up the wheel and pan he or she has used. First make sure the water is turned off. Take a clean paper towel, moisten it, and clean the plastic plate which protects you from flying grit. The surface is fragile and must never be cleaned with the sponges. The pan should be cleaned with a sponge, being careful not to push chunks of stone or chunks of sponge down the drainage tubes. Remove the chunks with your fingers. The drainage buckets need to be emptied each week and everyone should take turns at this. For those with “pad backs" take one which is only partly full to the water room or use one of the dollies. Used paper towels, coffee cups, etc should be put into the garbage pail. ‘The trim saws are for cutting slabs no thicker than 4 inch. Thicker stones should be cut on the slab saw or permission may be obtained from an instructor if it is a soft stone. Don't make this decision without help from one designated as an expert. No one should monopolize the trim saw. Cut just one preform and take turns with others if you have more to cut. Whoever sets up the trim saw must be very certain15 They are the best qualified to answer any question you may have. Besides the fact that they are all knowledgeable, they are responsible for the upkeep of the machinery and replacing used or broken parts of the machines. This brief survey of cutting cabochons is intended to provide clear, workable instructions for shaping stones on the machinery at Garvies Point and to remind everyone of the precautions necessary to preserve those machines. This is not intended as a complete course in the lapidary arts and there are certainly many procedures and techniques not covered herein. opais, for instance, are soft and should not be started on the 100 grit wheel. Also they are heat sensitive and should be dopped cold. Consult John Kean for advice. Turquoise and Eilat stone are also soft and require special handling. Again, consult an expert If you are planning to use a stepped bezel, make the chamfer very small, just enough to keep the edge from chipping. Instructions for polishing to follow. Joseph Austin President Nassau Mineral Club Angie Funderburk, Vice-president in charge of LapidaryNASSAU MINERAL CLUB, INC. - Weloome to the NASSAU MINERAL CLUB Lapidary Workshop The purpose of this workshop 4s to promcte and stimulate interest in all poases of the lapidary arts, Members of the club will guide you tarcugh the use of the equirment and various projects, As you learn we expect you also to help those who are beginners. For the pleasure ani safety of all, and also for the preservation of the equimment, we require y2u to observe the following 00's and 00 NOT's. For safety sake, always wear ‘goggle: At the beginning of the work session, the water containers are to be filled ami the table for refreshnents should be set. At the end of the séssion all supplies must be put avay, the water buckets emptied, and the machines ami tables cleaned, Do nat use any plece of equiment until you have received instructions on the proper use, o not hesitate to ask for help. We are here to share whatevor knowledge we have. Do not work in an assenbly line manner, That is do not work on one machine for an extended pariod of time. If others are waiting for the use of the slabbing saw, do not make more than two cuts (be sure the oil is thoroughly removed from the slab before going to the trim'saw or grinding wheel). On the trim saw cut out only one preform, Shape one item on a grinding wheel, wash your hands ani piece, Always wash your stone as you move from one gringing grit to a finer grit, from bne sanding grit to a finer grit, and before polishing. Mifferent compounds are used on the polishing buffs, Be sure you are using the correct com~ pound, Remember, the equipment 1s here for the use of everyone,Types of Gem Cuts THE CABOCHON CUT ‘The cabochon cut is the most common cut made in gem cutting and polishing, Ie ix distinguished by its rounded or curved top. The bottom of the stone is flat and its sides ace straight or rounded. Its geometric shape is limited only to the imagination of the custer. Ie can take the form of a squiare, a circle, an oval, a cross, a heart, a teardrop, a triangle, a rectangle, or any other shape the mind can con: ceive, des distinguishing character is, however, its curved or rounded cop. THE FLAT CUT ‘The “Flat” cut is the eut most often used to display specimen material. The stone is simply sawed on the diamond saw and then polished. While the word simply is used in reference to the sawing operation it does mot necessarily apply to the polishing operation. Polishing @ flat can be a very difficult operation at times ‘A simple flaw in the stone of in the cut can cause polishing headaches. In addition to the specimen use the flat cut is also used on bookends, tabletops, etc. TYPES OF CABOCHONS: mam Ov low Medium High Single Cabochons S low Medium High Double Cabochons OoSlab Sawing ‘The frst step in the actual process of polishing stones is to reduce the material to be polished ro slab form. Gemstone material can be purchased from dealer out lets already slabbed. This method of obtaining material may be desicable from the standpoine that the lapidary knows definitely what he has purchased. It is consid- erably more expensive to buy stone in thie form and certainly completely eliminates the joy of “discovering” a beautiful gemstone in a seemingly plain appearing stone, Hf you plan to do any aimounc of gemeutting at all you will do well to invest in at least a small 9” o¢ 10" slab-teim saw. A(9" blade will slab stones up to 2” across, a 10" will handle 244" stones, a 12" will cut 344" stones, a 14” will cut 414" stones, and so forth. The practice of cutting stones larger than those sizes cecommended should be discour- aged. If you cannot slab Z piece of ‘material with one cut on your saw you would be wise to have someone cut it for you who has larger equipment. Cutting half-way through a stone and then turning it over t© complete the ut ean result ja serious damage to your blade. It is almost impossible to line up the cut in an exact line and usually the saw will bind and cause serious damage to the blade. eis necessary co slab gem material into slabs which generally range from SLABBING HEH! HEH! AND HE SAID I COULDN'T SLAB WITHOUT A VISE! ©3/16" to 1/4" thick, The thickness will depend upon the type of cut to be made (whether a high or low exbochon) and whether 0 nor the marerial is 80 be «rans: lucent oF opaque. Ic is from these slabs chat che actual patterns will be later cue and it should be noted that « atone should be examined thoroughly before ic ia Jlabbed. Always attempt to get the most out of the stone. Examine the pastern if this is possible and make your eut a che angle which will produce the most aturactive pattern, You will find thae,with a lite bie of practice you will learn to the rough stoner and make your slab cuts along angles which will produce the beat possible patterns ar well as che greatest amount of gem material. In addi- tion co the pattern of the stones you will do well o examine them for fractures and make your cuts along lines that will minimize any further fracturing ‘Once you have decided on the angle of your cus, clamp the stone firmly in the wise. Th the suw you are using i of the weight feed type, be sure to stare the tut by notching the fone while Holding the sone and view femly in your hand Gntinue the exe by the weight feed method and be sure to examine the progeest of the cut feequendy so that you ean make the last 1/2" of the cut by hand. (Ie Should be noted that while we refer tothe cut a8 "by hand? we ate cefersing to the tnethod of feed only-the stone isl held fray inthe vise” NEVER ATTEMPT TO SLAB ANY MATERIAL WITHOUT FOLDING IT FIRMLY IN A VISE, Iris almost impossible to do any slabbing free hand, and to do so can only cause serious damage to the blade. Remember also not to force the blade. Forcing the ‘cut may increase the speed of the cut somewhat, but it will certainly reduce blade fife and quite conceivably cause the blade to bind or duh, Tn addition to your saw being equip- 18” SLAB SAW ped with a vie that will wavel from ont f rear the vise should be of the type that permits crou feed travel, This, petmite he tone to. be moved. perpendicularly eros the sav's line of eut without somoy- ing the stone from the vse. By this meth- cob evo, theee, our, and even five cuts of slabs ean be made on a stone before te ripping the stone in the vise. In addition fo being easiery Ke also arsures you of more even ot exact cus since the follow ing cuts are always parallel to the pre- ceding cut, ‘The smaller trim-slab saws are equip: ped with blade guards and spray shields hich minimize the spraying of the cook ant from the saw. The larger slab saws are ‘equipped with hoods which completely control the coolant. These hoods are usu- Slly made of metal, but can be obtained in lucite which is tansparent and allows the cutter to watch the cutting if he 20 dlesices The photos on these pages show fome of the trim and slab saws that are wrulable,LAYING OUT THE PATTERN Once you have determined the height of your cabochon and have made the appropriate slab cut you ate now eeady eo wim saw your slab into the desied shave Xour frst sep will be to Iny out your cut on the slabbed piece. Keep in mand ae shis poin go lay out a shape in a size that can be mounted into a standard seving Do nor indiscriminately shape a stone, but rather choose a standard sist and eho for which you ean purchase a mounting, You may be wise to choose voce ment ings frat and then cut and shape the stone to fit the mounting, If you prefer vy shape the stones first and then to purchase your mountings be sure to ues aene plate with standard shapes, Templates are heavy plastic or metal sheets with a number of different shapes and sizes punched in them. They may contain ec: tangles, squares, ciecles, oF ovals of assorted sizes. Others are available with special shapes such as hearts and crosses, etc. They ace avai. able at nominal cost and are essential to laying four your pattern The best way to lay out your stone is to select the shape you wish to cut from your tem. plate and move the shape over your slabbed Stone to various locations. Select the location which you feel is most appealing to you. Tf you wish to cut two stones for setting in cull links or ear rings you may wish to select a location which is similar to the pattern which can be used for the second piece and thus offer some sort of similarity of pieces. In choosing the location for a single shape for a cing of necklace you would naturally choose the pat teen which you find most appealing, Do not be too quick to decide on the patcern, but rather be discriminate so that in the end you will feel confident thae you have chosen the pattern which appealed to you mon Once you have decided on this pattern you must mark it onto the stone s0 thee ic will be easly seen and will not wash off. If you mack the stone with an ordinacy {ead pencil the mark will soon wash off. It is best to mark the shape onto the stone il oF with The marks lefe by these pencils can be easily seen and will not wash away. Set the template over the desied area and simply trace the pattern or shape onto the stone by using the aluminum pencil, ‘You are now ready to continue sawing the stone to shape ot to “trimeeaw™ your Piece. TEMPLATE SAWING THE STONE After the stone is clearly marked for cutting you are ready for the actual saw. ing of the stone, Your trim saw should be between 6” and 10” in diameter. Some. times blades a5 small as 3° are used, but usually only for delicate work on precious ‘stones such as opal, In selecting the thickness of your blade remember hat 4 thicker @SSC TRTS ANS ths save on material, but are more sescepuible to dishing snd bend ing. The most popular blade is th ich provides a fiem blade with. gut toa much loss of material, In selecting your blade choose the blade which ail best suit the type of cutting you will be doing and the material you will be cutting, Hai? (ough cutting and inexpensive material go with the heavy duty or want blade. If itis easily cut and expensive material choose the light daty oc the mend ad blade, For general purpose cating of all pes of sateal se nine wich che sear enene Jost tim saws ae equipped with a trimming guide set usually to the left of she blade as opposed to the stone vise which is usually at to the right of the Rhode sri Buide i indispenable for cutting square shapes or rectangular shares, tf’ B gilusted propery, parallel tothe line of eut, it provides an accurate heage for making straight cuts. Is can also be used as a guide for trimming sae meerel Sb auher cute, but itis most important when used on steaight cuts such 2s seeerce or rectangles, Al of the tsim cuts should be made outside dhe template mack. Always cut G close a8 possible to your marks, but remember always to stay outside she vei Ging on the masks or inside chem will produce an undersized stone which wtp TRIM SAWING Selecting Patterns Sawed Blank Trimmed Blank Notched Blank Completed Blank ©. Counaty Highland Pack Mig, Co, So: Petadene, Cai prove dificult to mount. If you ate too far outside the mark you will have to do considerable grinding to get it down to size. REMEMBER, CUTTING WITH A _DIAMOND SAW.IS THE FASTEST AND MOST ECONOMICAL METHOD ‘OF REDUCING YOUR STONES TO SIZE, SO ALWAYS CUT OUTSIDE, BUT AS CLOSE TO THE TEMPLATE LINES AS POSSIBLE. Grinding stones to shape is slow and costly and grinding should be kept to a minimum. Always graip the slab firmly in your fingers and feed the piece through the blade in a straight line. Saw blades will not cut curves and any attempt on your, part to do 0 will merely resule in your bending the blade and quite possibly in your ruining it. If circles or ovals, or any other shapes with curved lines are t0 be cut, you must cut away the material piece by piece, always cutting in straight lines. While this may require numerous cuts it is still more economical and much quicker than attempting to grind the piece to shape on a coarse grinding wheel. If your slab is fairly large you may wish to make one or two of the initial cuts with the help of the vise. Smaller pieces need not be clamped into the vise and can quite easily be cut “free-hand.” The diamond blade will not cue your fingers under nor mal pressure s0 you need not be afraid of it as you would be with a wood cutting saw. You ean actually hold your finger against the blade while it is running and it will do you no harm. If you were to jam your finger or hand against the blade you might conceibaly break the skin, bue at any rate we do not cecommend your apply- ing various degrees of pressure on your fingers simply for experimental purposes; we merely wish to point out that under normal pressures the blade will not pen tate your skin and for this reason you need not fear the blade as you would a wood cutting blade. In all cases, however, whenever you are working with any type of machinery you will do well to use it with caution, 6SHAPING THE STONES Your first grinding step will be on the rough grinding wheel (100 M) on which you will grind the stone to its final shape. In the case of squares and rectam, gular shapes the grinding will be considerably less than the geinding necessary to shape cles or ovals which cannot be cut to sie on the trim saw. Your grinding uit should be equipped with a coolant method which will provide 4 constare source of water for the wheels. The purpose of running the wheels wet is twofold. Fisse, it holds down the dust which would otherwise blow about the room if the wheels were to be used dry. Secondly, the water serves as a cooling agent to prevent the stone from becoming overheated and from fracturing. It is highly recommended that some arrangement be made for running your whecls wer, There are two basic methods used in supplying water to the grinding wheels, The first method employs the use of a direct water supply either {rom a wontaincy of water or from a direct hook-up with your house's water line, The water wavele from the source through rubber plastic “hoses” about 1/4" in diametcs to a pone directly above the wheels and slightly to the feont of them. At this point these is a faucet to regulate the water flow. The “flow” is usually only 20 or 30 dvope of water per minute and should be just enough vo hold down the dust and to keep the wheel from generating any heat. The second method of supplying’ water to the wheels is to simply place a small quantity of water in the bottom of the water tay and hen to force sponge behind the wheel and against the back of the wheel guaed. The sponge will pick up enough water to adequately serve the wheel. COOLANT. GEE, T DUNNO MARTHA- HE JUST. ‘SAID TO BE SURE TO RUNIT WET. ®Turning stone against Movement of stone foco’ of wheel across face of wheel After you are satisfied that you have an adequate supply of water on your wheels you ace ready to begin grinding. In grinding your stones to size itis recom: mended that the stone be held in a vertical plane and thas the stone not be ground while being held horizontally across the wheel (see illustration). Grinding horizon: tally across the face of the whee! will usually resule in the fracturing of the stone. The stone should be held frmly in the hands (or one hand if you prefer the one- hand method) or it should be held firmly by the stick if ie has been dopped. Re- member that the stone should besheld in a vertical plane with the cop of bottom of the stone pointing either left or right, but not up or down, “The edge of che stone must be geound at a slight angle tapering in from the bot- tom cowards the top at an angle of from 15° to 20°, This slight beveling of the sides provides the stofe wihran adequate seat for the mounting, Stones that are not tapered of those that are incbcrectly taperesl from the top in towards the bottom wll be verg difteute ro mutated U7 fallout of the mountings When holding the stone to the wheel be sure to keep it in motion at all times, working it back and forth across the full width of the wheel. This is important in thac it minimizes the tendency of the wheel to groove and also prevents your grind- ing a “fat” into the stone which may prove difficult ro remove. Oval shaped stones ace the easiest to grind, although with some practice the squares, rectangles, and circles can also become quite easy to grind. Keep in mind chat when you are cut ting more than one stone of the same size you can dep them together, one on top of the other and shape them all at once. It will then be necessary to remove them and grind each individually to give them theit proper taper and of course to grind the tops. Remember always to keep the stone in motion across the Full width of the grinding wheel. Grind down to within a faction of the template mark, but do not rind into the mark. Té you have the mounting for the eons handy ariempe to At fe directly into the mounting. If necessary grind ic further co fit che mounting. With peactice you will get it down to the point where the litde bit of grinding on the fine or finishing wheel will be enough to provide a snug fic into the mounting. When you have ground the stone down to within a fraction of the template mark_ yoirare ready to grind the cop of the = The cops of squares and rectangles are usually ground by using a rocking motion, The stone is rocked back and forth feom the top of one side to the cop‘of the opposite side. After the stone is satisfactorily rounded by this method the stone is turned a quarter of a urn and the rocking motion renewed to grind across the opposite sides again. This methed of grinding the top will produce somewhat of an “X" effect where the corners of the stone will show slight lines traveling towards the center of the stone, METHOD OF SHAPING STONES s Coorse grind Finished stone The tops of circles and ovals are shaped by rotating the top of the stone against the wheel using a rocking motion and then a rotating motion, 10 that all che aceas of the top are ground evenly and smoothly. You may find it easier to hold the stone between the chumb and forefinger of one hand and to rotate it with the othee hand at an angle tothe grinding wheel. ‘The top of the stone should be worked so that there are no visible chips in the stone. Te should be a smooth continuous susface free of flat spots. When you have the stone ground down co its proper size and have given it an evenly rounded top, you are ready to proceed with the fite grind The fine grinding is accomplished on a 220 geit wheel usually of an "L” hard nes, The step in the fe grind are idemical to thee of the coer grid and ase necessary only to eliminate the rough scratches left in the stone by the coarse whed. Thus, you should use the same technique as previously mentioned in the coarse grind and grind the stone using a light presture—just enough to eliminate the course scratches lefe by the previous wheel. Ar chis point again attempt co fit the sone into the mounting and if the stone is still oversized it will have to be taken down more on the fine wheel, or may require further grinding on the coarse wheel. Extreme care should be taken to prevent grinding it undersized a8 it will prove dificult to mount. After you have ground the stone on the fine wheel and elim- inated the heavy seratches and ground away any small flac spots and are satished that the stone is properly shaped you are ready to go to the next step of sanding @Sanoma Before you begin sanding on your sander, be sure that the stone nas oecu ground on the grinding wheels to lts desived shape. Do not attempt to grind ov shape your stones on the abrasive cloth sanders, The stones should be properly shaped before they come to the sander and the sander should be used only to re move the scratches left by the 220 grit fine grinding wheel. Shaping oc dolog any heavy grinding on a sander can be a costly practice. The sanding closh when used for heavy sanding wears our rapidly; dises ot stips of cloth which might normally last for ten to twenty stones when used properly can wear out on one oF two stones when extreme pressure is used. Remember that the stone should be completely shaped BEFORE coming to the sander. The sanding method is very similar to the fine grinding method. The sides of the stone are sanded first a the same angle previously ground into the stone, The top is then sanded using the same cocking and rotating methods as described in the fine grinding. Repeat these proceduces first on the 220 or 320 grit cloth. Then re, Peat the operation using a 300 grit cloth. Check the stone constantly, It is best to examine it at this point with a magnifying glass of about 5 power, ‘It is not abso. e lutely necessary to use a magnifier, but itis easier to examine the finish. After you have sanded on the 500 grit and are satisfied that all the flat spots have been sc. ‘moved, as well as all che scratch marks left by the previous operation, and the stone hhas an even surface with a dull shine, you are ready for the polishing phase of the eyele, > . Polishing The polishing phase isthe culmination of the lapidary procedures and is the most eewarding step in the eyele. This final polishing step ‘s in almost all cares 2 simple technique, accomplished in a matter of minutes, but completely dependent on how well the previous steps of grinding and sanding have been carried owe Te will be impossible to produce 4 good, or even satisfactory, polish on = genstong that has not been correctly prepared by proper sanding methods, Before seereeh ing with the polishing the stone should be examined closely (preferably wich « 3. magnifier) and if any scratches are visible the stone should be worked aguin on the 300 grit sander. Once you are convinced thatthe Bnis is Cree of secatches aod flats you may continue to che polising of the stone, Polishing Wheels The polishing materials and methods recommended ate those that have been successfully used and repeatedly proven, They are the basic methods employed and Pechaps the most widely practiced methods. They are by no means the only tech- niques that can be employed. One only has to talk with «wo different lapidaries to find ewo different methods or variations of methods that can be employed. THE FELT WHEEL The felt wheel is pechaps the best all around polishing wheel available to the [ppidary. Tr can Be used on almost all gemstone. macerial and the polish it pro- duces is not easily matched: Felt is capable of generating an extreme amount of heat and for this reason care must be taken to can the wheel at the proper speedsCountry Mihland Park Mig. Co, So, Posen, Catt A speed raging from 300 t0 600 surface feet per minute produces the best results. The following speeds in nim, ate the approximate speeds, based on the fm. figure given above, for the Various sized wheels: 5" wheel = 400 rpm. 8" wheel = 250 rpm. 12" wheel 6" wheel = 350 rpm. 10 wheel = 210 pan. 14" wheel Many lapidaries atempe to run felt wheels at motor speeds, Running a wheel a this great a speed will in a matter of seconds bucn and flake the stone besng worked. For this ceason many lapidaries shy away from using felt wheels, buc when the wheels are properiy employed they will produce a high polish with compara tive ease, There is also considerable discussion as to which of the fele wheels is most suitable for gemstone polishing: the rock hard, hickory haed, haed, mediem, ot soft wheels, While the rock hard felt wheels are generally eecommended whenever methods are discussed, controlled experiments have proven that the soft felts will produce as good a finish as the hard or rock hard flrs, While the rock hard felts maintain theie shape somewhat beter than do the softer wheels, there is a distinct price advantage in purchasing the softer fele wheels. When using the fele itis more important that the wheel be tun at the proper speed chan it is to use a pacticulae hardness or sofeness of felt. 75 &-pam. 50 rpm, THE LEATHER WHEELS ‘The leather wheels or leather covered wheels are perhaps the most popular of the polishing wheels. This is due mainly to the fact that they can be run ae various speeds and still produce good results. Speeds ranging between 1700 to 2000 s.£:m. ate recommended, The stiff leather wheels which come in various diameters and in widths eanging from 1” co 3” can be used either by polishing on the sides or on the Periphery or cizcumference of the wheel. Other leather wheels are simply pieces of ®materials. THE CLOTH OR MUSLIN BUFF This bulf is perhaps the most economical of che buffing wheels, bus it does not match the polich that can be obtained with the leather and fele bulfs, except in rare instances and then only'when exceptional care is taken. The cloth buffs ean be run ‘at motor speed, 1750 r.pm., and there is usually no worry as far as generating heat is concerned. Polishing Agents The polishing wheels alone will not produce a high Ivstre or polish on the stones. Itis necessary fo use them with a polishing agent. The agents mixed with water to form a light paste and shen applied to the polishing wheel. TIN OXIDE ‘This is the most popular of all the polishes used and when properly used will polish 90% of the stones you will be polishing. I: is a medium priced polish which is white in appearance and of the consistency of four. Tin oxide i available in many different grades and it is recommended that “pure tin oxide” be purchased. This assures you that the amount of other earth materials will be at a mini mum and that you will be buying the aeons rede best grade of tin oxide available @ CERIUM OXIDE Cerium ovide is next on the popu: larity lise and. will polish 95% of the stones you will be working. It is priced slightly highee than tin oxide but it has 4 wider range of uses. It, 00, will pro- duce a high glossy polish. Te is pink in color, Optical grade cerium oxide is recommended as it isthe purest of the cerium oxide that is available. There ace other grades of cerium oxide aval able which will vary in color from pink to brown. The more pink the color, the purer the cerium. EENIE MEENIE, MINEE, May TRIPOLI POWDER TIN, CERIUM, OR LINDE "AC This is a low priced polish which can be used for pre-polishing as well as regular polishing. It is pechaps the oldest of the polishes in use. It will not normally produce the high lustre attained by using tin of cerium oxide, It is more widely used in cumble polishing. LINDE “A” POWDER Linde "A" powder is considered by many ro be the ultimate in polishing pow ders. Teis pure white in appearance and its consistency is lighter and smoother than ©While it is expensive, only amall amounts are necessary to produce beautfully pol ished stones. Polishing Methods After you have sélected the appropriate polish the methods will be primarily the fame for the different agents. The most important rule 10 be followed is CLEANLINESS. Extceme caution must be exercised to prevent any contamination of the polishing agent oF the polishing buff. One or «wo abrasive grains in the pol fbhing agent can mean the difference between a successful polish or a dismal fail- tire, He i extremely important to wash the stone, your hands, and to clean any equipment that will come in contact with the buffing wheel or polishing agent ‘Niways keep the agents ina sealed jar or can, and mix only enough of the powder to aatify your immediate needs, Avoid re-using powders if at all possible. When tyou are through using a buffing whecl, store it in a plastic bag o prevent it from being contaminaced. Never allow a buffing wheel 10 lie around in the open, capecially when you are grinding oF sanding When you are sacisfed that the stone, your hands, and tools have been chor oughly cleaned, you are ready to proceed wih the aetual polishing of the stone Remove only enough of the polishing agent that will be necessary to satisfy your immediate polishing needs. Place this in a clean dish or similar container and add inal amounts of water. Mix the water ino the powaler until you have a light paste Youmust now dampen your buffing wheel, as the paste will nt stick to a dry wheel The best way to dampen the wheel is ro sponge water onto the wheel while earning the arbor by hand. Iris not necessary to soak the wheel, but merely to dampen ie You can then apply a thin coat of the polishing paste by using a small brush, Here again you should tuen the wheel by hand co avoid spraying the powder off the buf ‘After you have coated the wheel you ean turn the motor on in preparation for the sceual buffing operation, Again, be suce that you have checked che speed of the Srbor and be sure it falls within the cecommended speeds given earlier for polish- dng wheels. You can continue to add paste as necessary, using the brush method, or you can keep a glass of clean water nearby and simply dip the stone into the water and then into the paste. Be careful not to allow the stone 0 overheat. A Beautifully shaped stone ean be completely cained in the polishing step if ic becomes overheated and fractures. The actual method of moving the stone is no different than the grinding and sanding steps. Polish the edges of the atone fist, Be sure so do a good job on the fdger and nae overlook this seemingly unimportant location. Poorly polished Cages can ruin an otherwise beautifully polished stone. Keep the stone moving con Stanly and be ever mindful of the heae factor. DO NOT ALLOW THE STONE TO BECOME OVERHEATED. Evidence of the polish will become almost im- mediately evident. The complete polishing step should not take much more than five to ten minutes. Examine the stone closely for scratches. Ic is almost impossible to remove scratches from a stone by polishing it. It may become necessary to return to the sander to remove the scratches, Remember, that it is much easier to remove Seratchs by sanding than to attempt to do it on a polishing whee. The polish attained should be of an extremely high gloss. completely free of scratches. If you ace not satisfied with the final polish it és more than likely the fesule of improper sanding and not of your polishing technique. IT 15 IMPOR SANT THAT THE STONE BE PROPERLY FINISHED BEFORE IT CAN BE PROPERLY POLISHED. Do not hesitate 10 re-sand the stone if necessary @®When you are satisfied with the polish you can remove the stone from the dopping stick and prepare it for mounting if you wish. One method of removing | the stones is to re-heat the wax and stone over a source of heat. Do not get the stone too hot or it might fracture. After the wax becomes soft che stone can be twisted from the doping stick and the excess wax removed from the stone with a knife or razor blade. A second method is to place the stones with the sticks into the freezer compattment in your refrigerator. After fifteen or ewenty minutes the wax contracts and on oceasion che stones will fall off the stick by themselves, Other- iwise the stones can be gently pried from the sticks and wax without too much pres- gure being exerted by simply prying them loose with your chumb. The excessive wax can be removed from the stone with a knife or razor blade. Be sure the stones are not hot when you place them in the refrigerator because the change in tempera- ture can crack the stone if they are hot, Allow them to cool to room temperature before placing them in the freezer. ©