Opal Dopping Secrets ............ shhhhh!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 ก.ย. 2024
- I demonstrate MY method of dopping opals. There are 3 "Secrets" that I reveal that may be useful to opal cutters. One of the three is somewhat controversial, but adequate warning is given in the video!
Holy cow , this has REALLY BEEN THREE YEARS?!? I am so grateful to have found your channel
I know, 6 years ago! Sheila is always sending me way back. I did say that I was new... Learning so much and by far you've had the best advice and knowledge.
I have been using chopsticks for dop sticks for ten years.... Aussie opal can take heat fairly well but welo or ethiopian opal will not take lots of heat well if even a tiny bit hydrated it will pop and crack.
Very cool video! You have a soothing voice that makes your videos a joy to watch 😊
The steel sheet is a great suggestion! Add that to my list of things I need to get. I just checked off a rotary tool, next month's is hopefully nova points & sintered burrs. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to pick this up in between. Thanks for the lesson! 😁
Thank you!!! This information is very valuable, and I hope to use it one day!
Donald, awesome video. I used cig litters (bic). Lol and burnt up so much green wax. Getting stronger i hope to be able to use all u tricks later this summer. Thank u soo much for sharing. I gave on smaller stones because i did not know the right way! Brett
I think the super glue you commented is far better idea at least for me. Thank you
I prefer an electric dop pot and a glass of ice water to remove the stone from the dop stick. I have never had an issue with mine not getting hot enough. and it has two shelves to put your stones on to warm them up.
@@PulitzerOpal I found that, over time, the pots cause the solvents to evaporate, making the wax more brittle and needing a higher temperature to adhere will to the stones. Mine has been sitting in a storage box somewhere for at least two decades.
Justin, at Black Opal Direct, always snaps it off with a dull knife when he's done.
Thanks for teaching 👍🏻
Geeez! Why aren't you my next door neighbor? I would gladly clean your shop just to get chips from your opals!
Who knew there was that much information that I didn’t know about Dobb sticks?
Again, you helped me out immensely. Thank you very much.
You're very welcome! We're here to share not only the beauty of opals but also the knowledge and information that can enhance your appreciation for these gemstones. It's always a pleasure to help you learn something new. If you have any more questions or if there's anything else you'd like to know, feel free to ask. Thank you for being a part of our opal-loving community! 😊🪙💎📚
Hey there colonel I wondered if you can make a dopping video with welo opal?
Awesome tips!! I'm saving these for when I start my new hobby.
Question: Where can I sell opals once I advance to gem quality?
i use a simple lighter there is no need for an alcohol lump I just hold the lighter horizontally so the flame is just above the stone heating it for a few seconds wail the dope steak is in my left hand above the flame they both get hot at the same time
@@PulitzerOpal you know you probably made a deference--- Justine from black opal direct mentioned the possibility off pouting in the freezer as a safer alternative to what he normally do chop the stone with a knife you know I am now in a month off polishing and finaly I have found the best method and sertanly the cheapest I will advise every hobbist and even a pro to use ----take an electric screwdriver hold it a vise hold the vise on 30cm peace off wood screw the wood to the table so the that the electric driver is held horizontally
about 13cm outside off my table and I polish with a15cm soft flat lap with 8mm pivot cost 20$ with diamond sand plastic paper I glue on a standard 400grit 15cm with a scotch so it take seconds to change the grit and with a 10xloop I have found out that I need 220 400 4500 grit no need for the 1200 with 1-2 passes off 30seconds on a1-2cts stone is all it take to take the 400 scratches any way the driver is perfect for his low speed and I hold the trigger with an electric wayer twisted I can control the desired speed with a twist and start stop by taking the battery in and out I made water protector from 10cm wide 2cm thick 3 pices off wood and they go inside a plastic box and so finely after so many years I am in this hobby I can give a real good finish I think even a pro should try it cus soft flat lap is so much precise then a weal in terms off the angle control on the side off the stone and no curvature that always take what ever it take as a groove
Hey when will you announce the winner?
Already announced. You (and I) didn't win.
I was asking about the previous video I guess I missed where you to announce that elsewhere but it's good to hear that they'll be future giveaways.
Very cool vid...thx
Nice video 😘🐵🐵
Always thought that it was some kind of clay or resin you used, not something you have to heat.
You sound nervous
Good info , but you will never be a hand model lol .
Its just dry skin.
My hands used to be alot worse with calluses and blisters when i started masonry. Hands heal surprisingly fast with a little moisturizer and a break from work.
@@PulitzerOpal im a drywaller , your hands look better than mine lol .
Chopsticks! Brilliant, I'm putting in my order now. Thank you :)
I'm really not convinced that "Yes...... definitely a lot of rum BEFORE cutting expensive opal" is your best advice though. However I find the idea of drinking more rum after you've made the mistakes makes much more sense. 😜
Sue J Haha! I tend to egg on people to misbehave. I'll take the blame.🎃cheers🍹🍸🍻
SECRET if you find out you can not fix snapped glasses, they won't glue back, then use acetone to stick back, dip broken ends in acetone then place the units together, practice before the real deal...... it also will melt superglue as scarlet said below
Another extremely informative video. I don’t know where all these videos are coming from all of a sudden but I think it’s amazing. I can’t tell you how many videos I have watched from you.
They just keep getting better and better and better
So keep up the good work thank you again for another amazing video, and again be safe and God bless
Charles, your enthusiasm is truly uplifting, and we greatly appreciate your continued support!
101th 👍🏼
L o L! Good vid! I would suggest 2 drinks rum, then an attempt...Thank you so much for sharing your talent and humour.
So why am I using the red wax? Now I'm switching to green and an alcohol lamp. Thanks!!
I buy bamboo skewers for smaller stones with high domes, and break them in half to get a fine tip with a blunt at the length I need. 300 skewers for $5 at the grocery. You can find them even cheaper at Asian food marts like H-Mart..
I have a *huge* friend-crush on you. Are you a chemist first?!
Opal colour cool. Good vid
Eureka! I found this video. Keep on Rockin Doc!
Why buy stainless steel...just help yourself to to one of your wife's teflon pans.
Pops can you get any goose berries where you live ?
Thank you!
Is not expensive but is very pretty 🙂
mmmm,that's brilliant. . .
What kind of wax is that
Pretty stones
This looks more professional and old school. I have just used super glue previously. I found buying the 'lapidary' wax cost prohibitive. Will give it a go using sealing wax
@@PulitzerOpal Yes, but I like the ancient feel of gems, the medieval connotations.. kings.. queens and crowns etc... so will perhaps mix it up a little. I really appreciate your feedback.
Black Dopping Wax has the Highest Melt Point - 170 F. Holds the stone very well.
You can get all the different diameters of dopping sticks/ dowels at Walmart in the craft section. They come in 3 feet length. Cheap too.
Denatured Alcohol in a lamp is great. Burns very clean. Get a trivet, and half a beer can, without the beer to melt your wax. Get an old cork with a small nail to shape the wax dipped in water to shape the wax on the stick. Saves your fingers. You could get a 12 " square of floor tile very cheaply at HD or Lowes will do as good stainless steel ( the smooth side). To heat your stone, a clothes iron (second hand store always have them and you can test them there) on the lowest level and let your stones rest on a small sheet of aluminum foil on the iron. Opals to me are just too sensitive to any high heat. Otherwise Great video!!
Sorry I was not clear. I see too many people buying the "Dopping Buddy" which is a good tool, but eventually the wax gets on the heating rim, and that gets to be too much work if it were to get on your stone. You could use acetone to clean the rim (when it is cool and unplugged) , but once again, who needs that. The Dopping Buddy has some mounting devices on the back to "cure" the stone/ stick, but limited to few stones and size of stick.
The trivet keeps up the aluminum beer can, trimmed proportionately to handle just the amount of wax you will need for that job. Plus you can add more wax as you go along if you need. The wax chips off the stick with a common knife and something to bang it. Plus you can measure the amount of wax you need. You take your lamp and bring the heat up to the bottom of the beer can - wax inside- sitting on the trivet. Of course drinking the beer prior is advisable. When the beer can gets too messy, you can tong the can and pour the wax into a new proportionate beer can. Plus you get another beer. How good is that???
I see people using their fingers trying to mold the wax by dipping their fingers in water. Painful no matter how quick you dip.
You put your stick into the wax, and let the stick warm up (as the stone) and twirl the wax around the stick. Grab your stone off the iron with some tongs. Take your waxed stick and twirl it as you bring it out of the wax. I also use a board drilled with various sized holes, as the stones will slip on the tile when you try to put the waxed stick on the stone. The tile (or the steel plate) will cool down the stone too quickly.
Push down on the stone with the stick, and then have a nail pushed into a wine cork, and once again drink the wine prior to using the cork for this. You dip the head of the nail into water so it won't pull your wax off your dopped stone or stick. Push the soft wax against the stone with nail head, and the stick going around making sure you have secured the bond. Hold the stick firmly against the stone during this time. THEN mount the stick into some sort of holding mechanism- (those cheap plastic 99 Cent Store clamps work well) with the stone up top. This allows you to "cure" the wax and you can see if there has been any slipping off the stick. The stone remains hot much longer than the wax. Usually this is where the problem lies when you go to the wheel. The water somehow gets between the wax and the stick, and it pops off if the bond is not secure. Or somehow the dopped stone gets too cold to hold the bond for some reason.
OK, Got one for you. I have cut some boulder opal to as close to the color bar as I care to go. When and maybe I am not supposed to do this but what grit or possibly polish do I use to start to polish the opal portion after I have polished the iron stone matrix? I realize the color bar on my BO is as thin as gnat's eye lash, so I want to be careful.
Thanks.
Thanks Donald for the Boulder O polishing info. I have used diamond dust before, but I use a silicon lubricant on the stone to keep the diamond in place. I also use phenolic points and they are great because the more the use them the more they charge with the diamond. As you said, though, one point, one grit. Never cross-contaminate. I keep them all together in those slide bags. Thanks for everything. Michael
Better deal is bamboo skrewers from walmart 88 cents per package
@@PulitzerOpal this is 50x skewers that are like 18 inchs long for 88 cents
I've been told PVA glue is good with Ethiopian opal. I haven't actually tried it yet.
As usual you provide good information. Thanks
That's awesome pops. Hopefully you are enjoying your hobby and life also. You're secret is safe with me. Have a good evening.
See I know that you and Justin from black opal direct are to that age in your lifes where it seem that you love to teach and share your knowledge. Thank you pops. I always wondered how my grandad got the stones and rocks on his dop sticks. I never knew or knew about freezing it.
Thanks for another great video, Mr Pulitzer. I have an iron mounted upside down on a block of wood with a tuna can for melting wax.
i have just tried that method and I am going to adopt it it works just fine 5 m in the freezer is enough
Kabob sticks would also be perfect for small stones
Thanks for spilling the Tea!
That is amazing sir. I knew there was a reason why you reminded me of my grandfather. He was a school teacher by the time he was in the eighth grade. He retired out of banger submarine base here in washington state as a machanical engineer. He came from Iowa and was born during the depression.
My luck would be that after extracting the best possible grinding of an Opal that I'd wind up "cracking it" due to the
quick heating or cooling of the piece? Naww, I wouldn't overheat it but I can imagine some people putting it under
that flame for 2-3 minutes & wondering why the wax keeps falling away? This was a great little video.