[Jewelry making - Article 00028] - Re: [Orchid] Drilling hard stone

[rocme]

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Hi Lisa from Topanga -

    I recently drilled more than 20 synthetic corundum (hardness 9)
    faceted bottom, buff top stones - I used hollow core drills from
    Stuller, while not a superb quality in my opinion, they did perform
    well. I made a "holder" from Fimo clay, baked it, then epoxyied it to
    a piece of steel . I used my CNC machine to "spot" the holes for
    consistent centering, then used the drill press for the finish
    drilling. I have diamond drilled stones for over 20 years, and yes,
    plenty of water is the order of the day, but only in so far as you want
    to keep a somewhat constant supply going to keep the drill from over
    heating and remove the slurry which builds up. In order to eliminate
    a messy "breakthrough" on the back side, I stop short and the come in
    from the back by hand, using a smaller diameter drill or the angled
    edge of the same drill to get the holes to connect. Fimo and stone may
    be seen here Good Luck! P.S. I am writing a book about jigs and
    fixtures for  the bench jeweler, if you would like notice of its
    progress e-mail me here 

Russell
http://www.RussellsofCamden.com
Where the Mountings Meet the Sea

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