Lapidary Hints

Lapidary hints and tips--a collection we've discovered, read, or our customers have shared.  If you have one to add, please send it to us at rockshop@rocks4u.com.  

1.  Need somewhere to store your 6" sanding and polishing discs?  Use an inexpensive music CD case.  They fit in the pockets perfectly, and you can label each pocket with a different grit number.

2.  FLAT or VIBRA-LAPPING TIPS:
For best results, use graded abrasives for lapping.
We recommend 220 grit for rough grind and 600 grit for fine grind. 
Final Polish with Tin Oxide.

3.  TUMBLING HINTS for APACHE TEARS:

When attempting to polish "Apache tears" we have heard of lots of personal "recipes". Here are some methods you may want to try.

1. In steps 3 & 4, add corn syrup to the load to slow down the action. This thickens the slurry and will keep the Apache tears from scratching themselves.

2. Use cerium oxide as a polish, and use it with oatmeal.  Let it go for several weeks. Do NOT add water in this method. Polish dry.

3. Use a vibrating polisher. These type polishers do not have the harsh action a rotary polisher has.

4.  JEWELERS HINTS:

This is a great way to keep your sterling silver jewelry from tarnishing. Tarnish is caused by sulfur gases in the air.  Chalk is a natural absorber of sulfur.  So place sticks of chalk (blackboard chalk) in your cases, jewelry boxes, jewelry drawer, or just around your jewelry.

Fire scale is caused when you heat silver or gold and the copper alloy mixes with oxygen in the surrounding air. One way to prevent fire scale is to coat the entire piece you are working on with flux. As the flux dries when you are soldering, it will create a glass that forms a barrier between the copper and the oxygen.

When making a bezel for a smaller stone, it is often very difficult. So try using a super glue to attach your stone to your metal block. This will hold your stone in place and it can be removed when you are ready for it by placing a solvent on the glue.

This method is not recommended for opals (especially doublets and triplets).

5.  CUTTING HINTS:

Turn you blade around (for multidirectional blades only), and sharpen it after every 25 hours of use. This will extent the life of your blade and help prevent "dishing" and "warping". You may find that you need to sharpen your blade more often.

To sharpen you blade, cut a sharpening stone. These are usually made of aluminum oxide. For blades 10" and smaller, use a 0.5" x 0.5" stone. For blades 12" and larger, use a 1" x 1" stone.