What tools please?
Jeremy Pinwhistle
Could someone advise me on what type of tools/kit I need to buy for shaping
small pieces of stone please?
The material is really soft - it can be scratched with a point of a nail,
and can be cut with an ordinary hacksaw/ drill.
What I would like is to make small (around 1cm to 3cm) figurines from it, so
that they can hang as necklaces. I would need to sculpt them and obviously
drill then for a chain. Maybe even a small brooch. This is only for
Christmas pressies - not a commercial venture - however I would like good
quality equipment. Also some sort of vice/magnifier to hold/see the pieces
to work on - presumably some type of jaws that would not mark the stone.
I do have ordinary air tools/compressor in the workshop, and wondered if
there were any small tools that could be connected to the airline?
Thanks for reading this and for any advice you can offer.
Regards,
Steve.
1 Lucky Texan
wrote:
I suppose one way to proceed 'cheaply' would be to take a small,
bleach-filled container to your dentist and ask him to place his used
bits in it for you to collect. Then, either rent or buy or borrow a
high-speed air drill, or, probably much better, get a Dremel - type
tool. If you can get reasonable results with basic shaping/drilling
with these items, it may be worth purchasing new/better tools and
equipment. A 'head loupe' might be enough magnification. There are
some inexpensive ones.
What kind of stone is this? Also, do live where their may be a
Gem&Mineral Club or perhaps a university that teaches lapidary or
sculpting? Those could be good sources of info and expertise for you.
Janet_of_all_trades
What part of Texas are you in. There is a gem and mineral club with
all kinds of tools for cutting stone in Arlington TX. After becoming a
member the cost for using the tools is around $10 an hour.
Additionally, there is a gem club in Garland Tx. Any type of diamond
bit burs will work, while using water to keep the stone wet. If the
stone or bur gets too hot, the bur will dull or the stone breaks.
Harbor Freight has a very cheep set of different shape diamond burs.
They don't last too long on hard stones (you get what you pay for).
But, if as you say the stone cuts easily, then these should do you
fine. For polishing the stone, if its not too soft you can use a small
cotton buff and Zam to polish. You can buy Zam at any jewelry supply.
Rio Grande sells some at www.riogrande.com. Here are some stock
numbers. The Zam is a polish that you put on a buff while it is
spinning, # 331-123 Cost $6.20. Diamond bur set # 346-064 $14.95,
Miniature buff set # 330-614 Cost $ 9.80. Hope that helps.
Janet Alexander
Check out my on-line free tutorials at by blogg The Jewelery
Classroom: http://thejewelryclassroom.ning.com/
Go to the download tab to download PDF tutorials.