[Jewelry making - Article 00159] - Re: [Orchid] [Source] Opal cylinder

[Hans Durstling]

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Kevin,

    The way I'd tackle making your opal cylinders would be to glue the
    rough with cyanoacrylate to a 1/4" dop, carefully rough it out to an
    approximate cylinder on your cabbing gear as close as you can get it,
    then chuck the dop into the Foredom (the handpiece that takes 1/4",
    the exact product designation for that one escapes me). Clamp the
    handpiece firmly to the workbench, (Foredom has a device for that
    also) set the speed control to a comfortable working speed and
    gently run diamond files over the stone. Basically you're working a
    lathe, turning down the cylinder. When it is close to diameter follow
    with 400 grit diamond, then 800, then 1200, then polish. 3M makes
    strips of sticky backed diamond on mylar or similar film. Stick these
    down on whatever comes to hand, a ruler, what have you, to make a
    series of files. Or cut strips from your worn diamond sanding pads
    and glue these on a stick. It is possible that the 1/4" diameter
    sticking surface between dop and opal cylinder may be too small to
    take the stress. In that case I'd use a dop with a flange, leave a
    similar flange on the dop end of the opal and saw that off at the end
    of the operation. To avoid leaving grooves around the cylinder move
    the files and sanding sticks back and forth while working. 

Cheers,
Hans Durstling
Moncton, Canada
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