[Jewelry making - Article 00317] - Re: [Orchid] Agate Carving

[John Burgess]

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    G'day;   I have carved quite a bit of jade and agate, and they are
    both hard stones, though I prefer jade.   I draw the pattern on
    paper or print it from the computer then lightly glue the paper to
    the slabbed  stone. I use a very hard and sharp punch to gently
    punch little dots close together through the paper.  The paper
    washes off easily and then I improve the dot pattern to make it
    easily visible with a tiny diamond ball burr in a flexshaft..   Next
     I use a thin diamond slitting saw to rough out the outline of the
    pattern, in numerous straight line cuts.   I use an 8 inch lapidary
    grinding wheel at about 800 rpm with water dripping on the wheel to
    take the shape down to the line, and smooth the curves..  When
    necessary for a fairly intricate shape I have cut it out with a
    diamond coated wire in a jeweller's saw frame using water as a
    lubricant and coolant.. Then comes work on the surface, sculpting
    hollows and general shaping etc with various diamond burrs in a
    flexishaft.   This and any drilling which needs to be done is
    performed in a small tray or dish under water,  with the water
    changed whenever the white paste of stone dust begins to obscure
    things. Then comes the arduous work of smoothing every part with
    various wet-'n-dry papers, some held in a split mandrel, some by
    hand.   The final shaping is done with 100 grit diamond dust, some
    using a slow speed flexshaft,  some by hand.   This process is
    continued using smaller and smaller grades of diamond grit until at
    150,00 grit one can arrive at a brilliant polish finish. 

    Patience is the main virtue!  A few suggestions.   When using very
    thin strips of abrasive paper to smooth internal holes, etc, fasten
    lengths of plastic electrician's tape to the back of the paper and
    cut with a sharp knife and a straight-edge.  This will reinforce the
    paper.   When drilling, place the work on a piece of very thin
    plywood with the lot under water, and lift the drill very
    frequently,  Do not use high speeds. When the drill breaks through
    the stone, the bit of wood will stop the drill going through the
    bottom of the tray - I use the plastic supermarket meat trays, made
    of a foam plastic - cheep and cheerful! 

    If you might feel happier with hand tools, remember you can buy
    little diamond coated files in a large variety of shapes:  at my
    local DIY store I bought a set of 20 for NZ$45.  So they don't have
    to be expensive, but do use them with water as a lubricant and so
    they don't clog. 

    A brilliant polish can be obtained on jade and agate using  a
    leather disc ( I used a  bit from a  very old leather school
    satchel)  backed with a wood disc. Coat the leather with  a slurry
    of tin oxide and water, and have it rotating at about  600 to 800
    rpm - any faster and it will spin the paste off at you.  This of
    course is used after finishing with 400 grit paper, dry.   A
    brilliant polish will be arrived at if you press the work hard
    against the disk and will begin when it starts to 'snatch'. 

    I am open to questions, but please keep any missiles soft and
    non-explosive. 

-- 
Cheers for now,
John Burgess;   johnb AT ts.co.nz of Mapua, Nelson NZ


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