- Joined
- Jun 24, 2014
- Messages
- 316
- Reaction score
- 837
I have been having problems with the polishing tasks on each cut I do. Main problem is the hours and hours of polishing compared to the the faceting tasks which usually only takes an hour or two tops. (depending on complexity of course) Some stones have taken me literally days to polish to a scratch free eyeball standard. Is this normal or are my expectations to high?
My usual technique is as follows:
My polishing lap is well looked after and all care is taken to avoid contamination.
Will increasing the lap size and speed reduce my polishing times?
I am using some pretty ancient gear. An old graves with a two speed motor. I am spoilt for choice between snail and turtle speed. To make matters worse I only have a 6 inch BATT lap (new). Does lap speed significantly improve polishing times or does it reach a point where it is counter productive?
I will be replacing the bearings in the main shaft and motor and I am considering changing the pulley ratios underneath to increase the speed. Is this actually going to help or am I just going to make an unruly old machine even more finicky?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My usual technique is as follows:
- Finalize the cut on a 3000 grit diamond lap (brand new)[/*]
- Then drop to 12,000 grit diastick on 4 inch BATT, [/*]
- Then to 60,000 diastick on the other side of the BATT. [/*]
- 100,000 only for stones I really like and not often as I have to borrow a mates lap for that one.[/*]
My polishing lap is well looked after and all care is taken to avoid contamination.
Will increasing the lap size and speed reduce my polishing times?
I am using some pretty ancient gear. An old graves with a two speed motor. I am spoilt for choice between snail and turtle speed. To make matters worse I only have a 6 inch BATT lap (new). Does lap speed significantly improve polishing times or does it reach a point where it is counter productive?
I will be replacing the bearings in the main shaft and motor and I am considering changing the pulley ratios underneath to increase the speed. Is this actually going to help or am I just going to make an unruly old machine even more finicky?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.