Lachlan Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Has anyone tried one on Jade? Worth it for hard to reach areas and superior polishing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony N Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 find some one who has one ad ask if you can try a piece that if it breaks or dos not work no harm and then you cn see if its worth buy a unit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Nice idea, though I live in the middle of nowhere so trying someone else's is not an option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 I have daydreamed about trying a roll-behind drag using a can with what needs to be polished and the medium for polishing, and then go for a walk. That would have to be a long walk though, since the tumbling time was in days or half days (memories from my first decade while observing my grandfather's rock working hobby activities). In reality, rocks do get polished by using tumblers, but from reading about the nature of some jade stones that there are some with harder/softer areas in the same stone that resist and yield differently during sanding creating an orange peel texture. Would this be something that could occur in the tumbler as well if the particular stone is of uneven character, err, consistency? I would imagine that with the right medium progression and timing it could be worth trying. Tony's idea is not so far off the mark if you could trust mailing a simple test piece to someone you find via internet search who is part of a group of rock polishing enthusiasts somewhere. One question I have is, would he jade take more or less time because of its hardness relative to the rest of the stones being polished, or would it work to go through the routine with one stone in the tumbler with the succession of grits to the polish? I hope that you will find a way to answer your question. Janel Oops, I answered as if your question was about regular old barrel tumblers. Sorry. I have no idea what an ultrasonic polisher is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom A. Posted February 7, 2014 Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 I have a two barrel tumbler going in the back ground 24/7. Although limited my experience with Jade in the tumbler is - don't expect to keep the shape you started with. There are too many variances in consistency - the stone does not polish evenly. Anything I put on to tumble is looked at after to see what I might be able to work with. Earrings, pendants, etc. Sorry I can't help with with Ultrasonic but I am looking forward to hearing from others. I still struggle with polishing Jade and am always looking for more effective ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted February 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2014 Yeah tumbling detailed work is not an option!Some info http://www.moldmakingtechnology.com/articles/when-is-ultrasonic-polishing-equipment-justified Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan L Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 AS far as i'm concerned an US-cleaner does not polish at all. but it is supposed 2 take away everything attached 2 the piece. like in small cracks and so on. if u r interested in polishing i recomend u try 2 find or build a machine moving forward n back n put a box on top n fill the box with vater or even better liquid n some beach sand. this is sopposed 2 polish like the sand in the sea n stones staying there get fantastic. mayB it's been tried out!! I'll google it n c: look what i found: http://rocktumbler.c...nstead-of-grit/ http://aiminglow.com...-rock-tumblers/ http://www.hometrain...project/a/1754/ all the best keep on tumbling LOL By the way i happen 2 have an US-cleaner at home. u buy htem at tatto-supplies stores, but there r big price diferences Stefan L Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted February 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2014 Stefan an ultrasonic polisher is different to an ultrasonic cleaner, the ultrasonic frequency causes the the diamond or silicon carbide tip to vibrate back and forwards generally between 4-10 microns in distance and at a very fast rate. An ultrasonic cleaner would be useless as you said unless you put the item in a slurry of diamonds- great for cleaning grime off jewellery though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefan L Posted February 27, 2014 Report Share Posted February 27, 2014 Well i c my messing up now, well all the best n good luck 2 u. i never polished a stone but i got some small ambers laying aroound that would make great on my knives in the future so i might look at it 1 day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted March 11, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2014 So i threw this question to some carvers on facebook and one replied that he purchased one and tried it with a variety of bits including diamond and silicon carbide and he found it next to useless for jade. Apparently there are no shortcuts and quick fixes with jade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopacki Posted April 24, 2014 Report Share Posted April 24, 2014 Lachlan, I have used an ultrasonic to tumble jade beads with great success I think most people do not let the piece tumble long enough. If I were to tumble a very involved carving, I would first finish it up to at least 600 mesh by hand where possible. If you try this you can purchase small ceramic spheres (I have them in 2 3 and 4mm), just fill your hopper about half way with the media and in the first process use 1200 mesh Aluminum oxide with plenty of water. Check the piece once a day with a 10X loupe, once you get everything at 1200 you can go right to 14,000 mesh. I use diamond powder when at 14,000 It is worth a try but I would just work on a piece I played with not a finished carving. All my best ...... Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace ngata Posted September 8, 2014 Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 thanks for the answer to the question lachlan as i had been wondering this myself , actually been wondering if something like a reciprocating device with adhesive backed diamond film stuck to a blade would work , am also intrigued by the idea of being able to attach a length of diamond paper between two fixed points that then reciprocates ie the strip could be threaded into holes in the material ,( he says eyeing off the girls sewing machne ) ;-) been also thinking bout diamond paper belts sliced thin then tensioned between two pulleys so as too have an abrasive belt with a level of flex and increased access re application angles of the material to the abrasive face, to be able to get into spots and work across a face/edge on an oblique angle to create softer curves remove edges and flats ie between the inside of the main shaft and the tail of a hei matau design. Hopes this finds you well Mace. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lachlan Posted September 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2014 Yeah the ultrasonic design is essentially a tiny reciprocating device. Id still like to try it but its way to exxy. Ive thought the same as you hahaha re the length of diamond paper. Best I came up with was attaching the diamond paper to a jewellers saw. The problem is the diamond wears out quickly and the piece breaks. I settled on holding the piece in a vice and using my hands, great for RSI though. Been doing a lot of it lately on this piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace ngata Posted September 13, 2014 Report Share Posted September 13, 2014 I can see how you would develop rsi cleaning those cross overs up beautiful work bro , nice peice of material too from what I can see , it looks stunning, not too sure how he used it but a carver named hepi maxwell used to use an old singer , the type that used to fold out of a table as a travelling/mobile setup for demonstratioms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yloh Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 I don't know anything about ultrsonic polher, but i do ike yor jade piece. yloh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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