When precious stones are found in mines, they havent undergone rock polishing and don’t look half as dazzling as they should look. Gems are finely cut, shaped and are then put through some rigorous rock polishing to give it that mesmerizing stunning and impressive look. The method of cutting the stone is known as gem cutting or lapidary. This process was started in the early 1300s in Venice. Later in the 1400s this method was used in Paris and Bruges. There are four basic styles of gem cutting, namely tumbling, faceting and carving. The precious stones should be cut so well that they mirror and reflect the light that falls on them. If the gem has not been cut or the rock polishing has not been done well, it destroys the beauty and the shine of the stone. For example, an alluring diamond, if the rock polishing and cut has not be done well, it will not be as valuable, rich or worthy compared to a well polished diamond.

The gem cutter or a lapidary, also known as lapidarist begins the process of lapidary by sawing the gem. The gem from the mine is first cleaned with oil or water, to remove the residues present on the stone. The stone is then sawed with a thin circular blade. One can use different sizes of blades, depending on the size of the stone. Sawing helps remove all the debris and chunks of mud stuck to the stone. The second step is grinding the stone.

Grinding is usually done with silicon carbide wheels or diamond-impregnated wheels, which is used to give shape to the gemstone to a desired rough form, called a preform. The third step is sanding which removes the scratches and dents caused by grinding. Sanding is a very delicate fine process, which is similar to grinding. If the stone needs to be flat at one end, then the stone goes through a process called lapping.

Laps are made of iron or steel, to flatten one side of the stone. Then the rock polishing takes place, to create a mirror like effect. Polishing the rock makes the stone so clear and dazzling that it shines. Rock polishing agents like tin oxide, aluminum oxide, ferric oxide and so on are used. Cloth, leather, wood, can also be used for rock polishing. The next process is cabochon. The gem is smoothly rounded and polished on top, and either flattened or slightly rounded on the bottom. This is usually done to opaque or transparent stone.

Transparent stones are also faceted. The stone is flattened at on the sides symmetrically and the entire surface undergoes an intensive rock polishing, making it shine. The stone is then dopped on a metal dopstick, and later sanded and polished on a lap. Water or any liquid is used to clean the stone. A well faceted stone acts like a mirror, reflecting the light that falls on it, thus making it shine.

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3 lbs Thumlers Tumbler Rock Polishing Grit Media

4 Rock Polishing Grit Packs For Tumblers. This is a new set of polishing grits. There are four different grits giving you everything you need to tumble stones. You receive: One 1 lb (453.5 grams) pack of coarse grit. One 1 lb (453.5 grams) pack of fine grit. One 1/2 lb (226.7 grams) pack of pre polish. One 1/2 lb (226.7 grams) pack of polish.

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Many people have begun to take on rock polishing as a hobby. It’s very interesting and not too expensive for a hobby, especially since you can make your investment back as you learn and get good at polishing. Go online and check out all the available information, and you’ll find that there’s plenty of rock polishing equipment for the lapidary to be found. If you truly want to succeed with your lapidary skills, then you owe it to yourself to check out the world’s most complete book set for lapidary information and supplies. See top right!

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A combination machine will also give him the ability to saw along with his grinding, sanding, and polishing. These are mostly used when engaging in making precision gem cuts. Many are the tools of the good Lapidary, but for this article, we’ll deal with the rock polishing equipment.

Well, polishing is a big part of the lapidary business. Rock polishing equipment can be found online with a simple search with a search engine. Custom rock polishing services can be found all over the net. Rock polishing involves equipment like rock tumblers and vibratory tumblers. You may also run into sphere makers and flat lap polishers.

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Rock polishing equipment for the lapidary is as necessary to him as a wrench is to a mechanic. A good lapidary can fix and repair jewelry, customize silver and gold, and polish and do ring sizing. For the rocks, though, you need the proper tools for getting them into shape. Tools like rock saws, cabbing stones, and geode cutters.

Of course a good grinder is always handy if you’re into being a lapidary. Maybe even some diamond blades, rock hammers, and rock cleaners. There’s a lot of different needs for getting things just right. Some of these tools can be quite expensive.

Cabbing involves grinding, sanding, and polishing. Some of these machines can cost well over a thousand dollars. They usually come with their own adjustable and independent cooling system. The good ones will drip clean water on the wheels and not the dirty bubbling water. And the water can be controlled so you can get anywhere from a stream to a small drip, depending on what you need.

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This is an excellent value. Each burr is a different size and shape, resulting in an assortment that works for almost every need. (Missing are the very small sizes, but those would need a much finer grit) As mentioned in the product title, these are designed to carve hard materials…ceramic, tile, glass and stone. A steel burr set would be a better choice for wood.

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The single most important hurdle for a beginner is getting at least somewhat of a handle on the graduated stages from grinding, sanding and a nice polish.

Believe me.. I remember all to well. Bought my first combo unit. A Highland Park. It came with one course 80 , and 400 grit diamond sintered wheels. Then on the end of the unit I can attach either a flat metal disc with felt padding and a leather pad over the top. Then I have two other flat rubber padded discs that I can place silicon papers on. I have to use a spray glue that comes in an spray can. I found myself using a 400 grit on one, and a 600 grit on the second.

I also decided to bring home a double sided arbor that I placed expando type wheels on. This let me have the ability to have another 80 and 220 grit silicon carbide papers as well.

Here is my start up equipment, and I still use them every day.

The basic idea was to the best of my ability have some sort of progression of grits and work them to the best of my ability with this limited equipment that I was limited to because of cost.

This combination worked excellent through my first year of cabbing. Truth is I have added a few additional arbor type set ups. The only real reason is for convenience. I do not do anything any differently in regards to progressions between grits now than when I first started except that now with the additional arbors, I can move easily between a greater variety of papers abrasives.

If you can not invest in an additional arbor as I was able too, then you will simply need to spend a little more time removing and replacing various grits of paper out on the one or two wheels that came with your combo cabochon trim saw unit.

We have had several folks join the forum who are in the beginning stages of setting up shop. Like yourselves, I remember all too well having brought my new toys home, preparing a work area, and bolting the equipment to a workbench. I was eager to get started, but just had limited knowledge about how to cab.

One thing you will find, is that you will be working differently with various minerals. I would like to share the most basic steps with a couple of most basic minerals based on hardness.

Again……. this is very basic and there are a great many types of minerals varying in hardness on MOHS scale of hardness from one to ten. Ten being the hardest.

I thought would use a basic Jasper as well as a run of the mill agate for the following guide.

The jasper being about a 5 in hardness and the agate upwards of about an eight. The difference and reason I decided to use the two is because as an example, an 80 grit will leave heavier scratches or a courser surface on a Jasper than will it on an Agate.

Bypassing the entire process of cutting out your preform, and shaping it we are going to get right into the initial grinding. Although, it is important to note the importance of creating at least a slight dome to the surface of your cab. Otherwise you will not be able to polish the cab completely. A completely flat cab will not polish at the center of it’s surface.

Here are the surfaces of both the Jasper and Agate right off a 80 grit diamond sintered wheel. Your initial course grinding tool may be any number of things. From carborundum, diamond, sintered diamond, or maybe your limited to silicon carbide. No matter…..

The surface is going to be rough and will show lines created by the heavy, course grit. One thing to remember as you proceed through the stages of grinding and sanding as well, is that there is no need to press hard against your wheels or paper. Your just going to wear your wheels out sooner and replace your paper out every other day. You will find yourself spending a lot of wasted money on paper belts that should have lasted a long time.

Let each and every grit grind as it will with hardly any pressure applied. I do not work with diamond paper. I am told this is especially true with it though. Other wise a person will spend about 50 bucks a belt real fast if pressure is applied instead of just letting the diamond cut at it’s own pace. Pressure makes absolutely no difference at all.

Now take a close look at your cab prior to moving on to your next grit. I took the agate cab to a 220 grit silicon carbide belt, and the jasper to a 400. The jasper is softer and find that as with a lot of minerals we can skip a grit sometimes. I do not want to remove any more material than I have too.

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BARSTOW • Rocks run in the Depue family.

The family-owned Diamond Pacific Tool Corporation has been manufacturing equipment used to cut, sand, grind and polish gem stones since 1973.

The company won the Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2008 Large Business of the Year award. It was nominated, among other things, because of its charitable contributions to groups like Barstow Youth Football and the Boys and Girls Club, its participation in events like Bureau of Land Management clean-up and trail creation, and because it allows the use of its building as a meeting space for various local organizations, as well as putting on occasional classes on rock identification, polishing and cutting.

Company founder and co-owner Bill Depue, now 83 years old, began collecting rocks when he was a boy growing up in the Harper Lake area.
With little else to do in the way of recreation, Depue would go out looking for Indian arrowheads or explore abandoned mines, bringing home interesting rocks like onyx or petrified palm in the process. His parents shared his interest, and his mother later ran her own gem shop in Lenwood for several years in the 1960s, Depue said.

As a college student at UCLA, Depue would come home on summer vacations in the late 1940s and make his own diamond saws to cut the rocks he collected. Still, Depue said he had never pictured himself going into the lapidary business. Instead, he went to work as a mathematics professor at the Northrop Institute of Technology, a small engineering college in Inglewood.

One of Depue’s other hobbies was flying, and he met his future partner George Ujihara while looking for someone who could build him a gyrocopter, which is similar to a helicopter but has its blades powered by propellers rather than directly through the engine.

Depue had just put down a $100 deposit to have Ujihara build him a gyrocopter when Ujihara’s business partner died in a gyrocopter crash, dampening Depue’s enthusiasm for the project. Still, Ujihara and Depue discovered a common interest in gems as well as aircraft.

“He had done some prospecting in Mexico before I met him, so it wasn’t hard to make a rock hound out of him,” Depue said.

The pair started Gem Tech Diamond Tool Corporation, the precursor to Diamond Pacific, in 1969. They came up with an innovative concept in the industry, producing a new type of diamond wheels used for grinding the gems. Diamond wheels had been used in the past, but they were always flat, Depue said. He and Ujihara were the first people to begin making wheels with the diamonds placed on the periphery.

They found a ready market, and the business grew quickly. Eventually, Depue’s brother Bob, who died in December of 2007, and their sister’s husband joined the team, Depue said. A few years later, the partnership between Bill and Ujihara split, although Bill said they remained friends, and Ujihara kept the Gem Tech name, while the Depues started Diamond Pacific. They moved the operations from Inglewood to Barstow in 1974, and in 1977, Bill quit his teaching job and moved back to Barstow to work at Diamond Pacific full time.

The company is now owned by Bill, his sister Beth Pinnell, and Bob’s widow, Sandra Depue, with Bob’s three sons, Don, Steve and Jerry, also working there.

The company has about 25 employees in Barstow and in 2008 shipped its products to 54 different countries, Steve Depue said. They also bought two side ventures, Contempo Lapidary Equipment, a Sylmar-based company that makes heavier equipment, and Geosonics, a company in Iowa that makes tumblers, office manager Jill Durbin said.

Unlike many other businesses, Diamond Pacific did not take an immediate hit from the economic downturn, Durbin said.

“It took a while, and actually we found business increased when the economy started slowing down — people were looking for hobbies and not traveling,” she said.

Still, sales began to take a hit over the winter, and the company will have to ride out the economic downturn before it can expand its facilities on West Main Street.

In the meantime, Bill is hard at work with one of his other hobbies — airplanes — building an aircraft with short takeoff and landing so that he can land in the desert and hunt for rocks.

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