What are /r/Lapidary's favorite Products & Services?

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For sure if that’s allowed here. I’m new to this sub and wasn’t sure. Turntable- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08VH8B2QP?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share Photo box with tripod and carry case- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q3VPV98?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I've been working with a homemade flatlap with some cheap diamond disks and I like the setup okay. A 180 grit diamond disc will really chew through hard rocks. Basically it's just a motor from an old treadmill (you might find one for cheap/free on craigslist), the disks, and something solid to mount it all on. Glue some denim to the back of some of the disks and smear them with some diamond paste to finish the cabs off.

I tried to get into the hobby as cheaply as possible and that's the route I took, anyway.

Yeah in that case I'd grab a diamond disk like this and tackle the problem that way. Try to keep it wet and don't breathe the dust.

I do similar work but with more common lapidary tools instead of a lathe.

For the drill press bits you can use these diamond hole saws on Amazon which only cost $14 (https://www.amazon.com/Diamond-Hole-Saw-Extractor-Porcelain/dp/B076X52RN4/ref=sxts_sxwds-bia)

After the drill press, I trim off the sides with a diamond trim saw. You might be able to use tile cutters, but that's a big gamble because of how petrified wood likes to fracture along the grain. Cut more than you need and grind down.

Then I turn the top and bottom on a cabbing machine until I get the depth I want, then smooth by hand. I finish up with sandpaper to nail the shape and then polish with cerium oxide or diamond spray.

Can't get more detailed than that, but happy to answer any specifics if you have the,

I've used beeswax in a pinch. You can melt it and drag a string through it and wind it around the screw on the inside. For more long term you might try these.

BTW, nice job!

I have been working on quartz and sapphire. Maybe that is why? These are the kind of discs I’ve been using.

uxcell 6 inches Stone Granite... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00880R9TE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

A flex shaft tool such as a foredom would do it and possibly is the cheapest and easiest way I can think of. There may be a more specialized tool for this specifically but you can do a lot with a foredom type tool and a nice selection of lapidary bits.

Here is a decent off brand one found on amazon:

Flex Shaft System, 1/4 Horsepower Motor | HDP-150.00 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OV9BJU6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_SBhWCbP4VYP4K

If it were me I would but this and buy a foredom brand handpiece like the 44t as an upgrade.

Maybe someone else has a better way, but this is what comes to my mind.

Might consider using two c-clamps as a very inexpensive vise. Might want to cut/shorten/replace the handle (that loose metal rod that slides perpendicularly through the threaded rod) of the c-clamp with something shorter so that it's not constantly hitting the other c-clamp. Drill holes through the clamps (through the back of the "C" part of the clamp), push your tubes through, weld in place (or use threaded rods to hold the c-clamps together and just washer and nut them down tight), slide threaded rods in, adjust the side-to-side position with wingnuts. Hopefully, my words are descriptive enough but if not, let me know and I'll draw you a picture of what I'm thinking...

Could also use something like this if there's too much "play" with the "threaded rod through the tube" mechanism: https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Bearing-Drawer-Slides-Plated-Steel/dp/B01MZC15UG/ref=sr_1_26?dchild=1&keywords=drawer+brackets&qid=1603390371&sr=8-26

Do not buy those for rock tumbling. Even if you could get it to work it's just going to be a pain in the rear. Spend the extra $40 and wait a few extra days to get a product that actually is made for wet tumbling and ceramic media. Here is an excellent 5 pound starter vibratory.
https://www.amazon.com/Raytech-TV-5-Standard-Vibratory-Capacity/dp/B000Z9C2JI/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?keywords=raytech+5+pound+tumbler&qid=1664903340&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.f5122f16-c3e8-4386-bf32-63e904010ad0

Ive made several tumblers, and the barrel is definitely the most irritating part to try to improvise out of random items. I use a decent sized dc motor with a pulley I made in Fusion 360 and printed out, and for the motor speed I use a buck boost converter that is adjustable from 0.5 volts to 30 volts output to the motor. The buck boost converter can be powered by an old laptop power adapter, and they only cost $15 on Amazon with an lcd display to adjust the motor voltage. I use 8mm rods with 608 ball bearings and the barrel I prefer is this style https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077JGMBJJ/ref=ppx\_yo\_dt\_b\_search\_asin\_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/scumotheliar has some good ideas, I can suggest some refinements. First, soft metal such as copper or tin will hold the grit much better, although you will want to use multiple sheets of metal as it won't be possible to fully remove the coarser grits. Second, when it comes to the finer grits, diamond and silicon carbide are very hydrophobic, and they can form clumps in the presence of water. Mineral oil may be a better lubricant.

Final thought, you can simply buy diamond flat laps from amazon and use them by hand. They start out pretty cheap, and the durability generally matches the cost. Use water with these.

Final note- slabs are generally polished on a vibrating lap. One reason is that you don't have a center arbor, so an 8" tool can polish an 8" slab, rather than a 4" slab as a rotating lap would. Consider building one of these, if you're handy.

Assuming you don't want to invest in machinery to start a new hobby, but just want to improve the look of those specifically, an economical way to do it would be with this sample pack of Tri-M-ITE. Use it like sandpaper, starting from the lower grits and working towards finer. You won't be able to get quite as nice a shine as with an oxide powder on a high speed leather wheel, but pretty close.

Try cross posting in /r/mechanicadvice. They know how to unstick stubborn bolts. Likely a combination of nut blaster, applied heat with a blowtorch (taking care to cool the shaft with a wet towel to protect the bearings in the motor), and patience.

The machine is a cheap mast machine with a 6" lap. I've tried varying the speed and to maximize how "grindy" it sounds, but besides "medium-ish" I don't have an RPM or anything. The lap itself is not terribly old, I don't think, but maybe I have unreasonable expectations -- I've used it for maybe a total of an hour or two? It has certainly worn in a bit, but still catches my fingernail and "feels" rough. Other laps I have used for about as much are doing fine but I suppose larger grits wear faster... what is the 'life expectancy' of a 180 grit diamond lap like this?

To be totally honest, I thought Defiant-Peace-493 meant that I should score the facet, not the lap -- which I sort of did, by way of roughing it up on 80 grit sandpaper. That did actually work pretty well, but once the 80 grit scrapes were gone, the stone went back to "gliding" over the lap. That got me through the piece I was working on but seems hard to control with any accuracy.

What about these: IRIS USA PJC-300 Portable Project Plastic Clear Hobby Craft Supply Art Storage Box Organizer with snap-tight closure latch for 8.5" x 11" paper, Thick, 6 Case Pack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H2NWHXU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_30GKR2M99FVCN556STK2?psc=1

I use baseball card holding sheets in a binder for small stuff.

Have you tried using some ceramic polishing media of various size to prevent all of your rocks from locking together at the bottom of the tumbler?

Something cheap like this would do in a addition to your normal grit.

I moved a few months ago and a lot of my lapidary stuff is still in boxes in storage or I would go look. But the handpiece is Japanese and very well made. It was something similar to this. But you have to watch out for compatibility, there are 2 hole and 4 hole versions with adapters if I recall correctly. I'll try to get out there and look later, it's about 25f out there right now.

This looks like the controller I bought on Amazon on the advice of Dalan Hargrave, it's what he uses in his carving classes.

Just some resources :)

https://therepowoman.com/do-it-yourself-studio-lighting/

Mini Photo Shooting Tent Kit, Foldable Photography Lighting Softbox

It is hard to buy tools for a highly specialized hobby. I suggest a book for inspiration.- maybe something from the Lark 500 series like 500 Gemstone Jewels: A Sparkling Collection of Dazzling Designs or maybe Gems: the DK Smithsonian Handbook

Both of those are basically picture books. It is really hard to guess where he might be in terms of technical books to read, but everyone likes picture books.

You're not the first to mention using a better blade in the tile saw. Who makes good sawblades? I don't know what to look for when choosing a saw blade or which companies put out quality blades.

I've been using cheap GoYonder blades from Amazon lately

https://www.amazon.com/GoYonder-Diamond-Cutting-Porcelain-Ceramics/dp/B083SL2WRS?ref_=ast_slp_dp&th=1

I see MK blades in the 40$-70$ range, willing to pay that if those are good blades and will last a reasonable time. Any particular blade maker you prefer?

Oil probably wont hurt anything but its a special diamond tool that you use to grind down the surface. When polishing cabs you can wear a groove in the wheel the shape of the specimen. This tool flattens the wheel back out.

POWERTEC 71003 Diamond Grinding Wheel Dresser, Silver Edition https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B10LM6O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_DX2KZFP4NX0WX93JVDZ9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Our club uses an angle grinder that we modified with a water feed with diamond wet-sanding marble/countertop discs at varying grits (similar to https://www.amazon.com/ADVcer-15pcs-Diamond-Polishing-Pads/dp/B07BVVHBJG). We've got a clever splash shield for using it in that has an adjustable bracket for holding the stone in place. You can get a high polish on a flat stone in a few hours.

I'd use something like this

https://www.amazon.com/Permatex-82180-Maximum-Resistance-Silicone/dp/B0002UEN1U

back out the screw, apply a little to the underside of the head the and screw it back into place.

I use this in my bedroom workspace and I freaking love it and I use this with it. I won’t go back now. I can cut paper (posterboard) thin slices with it and I love it.

Get a $250 flat lap off of Amazon or Ebay. Usually comes with a 1k grit plate. You can order additional grit plates for $20@ rig up a water dribbler and collection and you are good to go, no dust. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B085HRVK22/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It will likely all need stabilization; not much is pulled up anymore that's gem-quality hardness. The hardness relates to the dryness of the mineral; the stuff closest to the surface with the most exposure to air will, over millennia dry and become hard. But that's the easy stuff to mine, so there's not much left.

You can stabilize yourself; it's not difficult but does require a small vacuum system like this, along with a stabilizing agent like Opticon. Depending on the rough, you'd likely stabilize twice - the first time for cutting slabs, and then each cut slab as well. I use a 5-gallon vacuum chamber and can easily get a dozen slabs in it.

Besides the already excellent advice here (abrasive slurries and softer stones), you could also look into large "diamond honing plates" or "diamond sharpening stones" like these.