Holy cow! This machine looks like it takes forever! I don't have 50 hours to spend on six rocks! I'd need like a row of 12 of those things running nonstop! Looks like I'll be sticking with the rotary flat lap indefinitely. This video was good for giving me the time perspective. Most people kinda gloss over that aspect of the machines. Thanks! The hands-off production is still very alluring...
Do not use marker like Covington recommends in the manual. Marker will penetrate cracks & porous stones and stain them! Been there, done that. Instead use aluminum to mark your stones in a cross-hatch pattern. Aluminum gutter nails work great for this. They are also non staining.
I think you just saved me from grinding a lot more than I have to! Finally got a flat lap 2 weeks ago and despite all the tutorials I've watched I've never heard that before. Thanks!
Good video man. Suggestion, always give quick description of your equipment like your dripper. I’ve been looking to set up portable small dripper. Use to use roller clamp slides on my wine making tubing to control flow on ideas.
Finally got it going lol , now you got me wanting one , nice job they look good , something you might want to try I had some rocks in my collection I bought 20 years ago , some of the stuff he had polished 40 years ago had the white lines in them , and I hate white lines , I put them in iron out and some I used citric acid , they both worked it was 15 years ago when I did it , don’t think it did anything to the shine not sure if you try it use you least favorite rock first lol , on the Brazilians you can just put a few drops on the gray spots , it worked on the white polish not sure about the gray, got to go do my clean out now
So… I’m on the same journey. I have the largest size flat lap and am having problems with the rocks tilting slowly to one side even though I’ve made sure everything is level. Alas.. but. One thing you may consider, you might try Hxtal which is a non-yellowing, museum grade epoxy to fill any cracks or voids before you start the polishing process. It’s expensive but makes the voids and cracks disappear. You’ll just need to mix up a few drops so that makes it more affordable. I first used it on dino bone and have tried it on the fractures on Montana Agate.I’m pretty pleased with the results. I use a wet hand grinder to shape my piece and get the piece level. Getting the Hxtal excess ground off is nice before you start on the flat lap but not really necessary. If you do get some Hxtal, heat your rocks on a griddle to about 120-125 degrees and keep them warm to make the Hxtal set faster. It does a fantastic job. Thanks for the video!
Holy cow! This machine looks like it takes forever! I don't have 50 hours to spend on six rocks! I'd need like a row of 12 of those things running nonstop! Looks like I'll be sticking with the rotary flat lap indefinitely. This video was good for giving me the time perspective. Most people kinda gloss over that aspect of the machines. Thanks! The hands-off production is still very alluring...
Awesome video! It was very well explained!
Do not use marker like Covington recommends in the manual. Marker will penetrate cracks & porous stones and stain them! Been there, done that. Instead use aluminum to mark your stones in a cross-hatch pattern. Aluminum gutter nails work great for this. They are also non staining.
I think you just saved me from grinding a lot more than I have to! Finally got a flat lap 2 weeks ago and despite all the tutorials I've watched I've never heard that before. Thanks!
Good video man. Suggestion, always give quick description of your equipment like your dripper. I’ve been looking to set up portable small dripper. Use to use roller clamp slides on my wine making tubing to control flow on ideas.
Enjoying your journey
Finally got it going lol , now you got me wanting one , nice job they look good , something you might want to try I had some rocks in my collection I bought 20 years ago , some of the stuff he had polished 40 years ago had the white lines in them , and I hate white lines , I put them in iron out and some I used citric acid , they both worked it was 15 years ago when I did it , don’t think it did anything to the shine not sure if you try it use you least favorite rock first lol , on the Brazilians you can just put a few drops on the gray spots , it worked on the white polish not sure about the gray, got to go do my clean out now
Awesome thanks Wil I'll try it!!
Maybe you can try to fill fine cracks with one or more application of cyano glue before laping to avoid grit or slurry to get stuck in it.
Looks good
Thanks!!
Use a ultrasonic cleaner on the pieces in-between stages to get the grit out of the cracks
the pvc is porous, does this cause grit contamination?
How long takes each stage (grit) ? Until job is 100% done?
Use rubber bands around the stones to protect them
I've seen that, do you throw them away after every stage so they don't contaminate the next stage or do you just wash them?
Sorry I do not know.. I do not have one of those laps but rubber bands are pretty cheap or you could keep them for each of the stages
Where did you find your weights?
They are just some scraps of stainless steel I got from a local shop and I added some stick on wheel weights.
So… I’m on the same journey. I have the largest size flat lap and am having problems with the rocks tilting slowly to one side even though I’ve made sure everything is level. Alas.. but. One thing you may consider, you might try Hxtal which is a non-yellowing, museum grade epoxy to fill any cracks or voids before you start the polishing process. It’s expensive but makes the voids and cracks disappear. You’ll just need to mix up a few drops so that makes it more affordable. I first used it on dino bone and have tried it on the fractures on Montana Agate.I’m pretty pleased with the results. I use a wet hand grinder to shape my piece and get the piece level. Getting the Hxtal excess ground off is nice before you start on the flat lap but not really necessary. If you do get some Hxtal, heat your rocks on a griddle to about 120-125 degrees and keep them warm to make the Hxtal set faster. It does a fantastic job. Thanks for the video!