Dremel Cutting Lightning Ridge Opal (Jarrad Giles Rough Opal Part 1: Rubbing)

[@MissMorph]

Omg the neighbours theme tune in ‘instrumental lounge style’ totally distracted me from watching your cutting (your background music).... great vid as usual.....thanks for sharing your opal adventures!

[@RoysRocks]

Lol was that the neighbours theme tune? I never really watched the show it's just stock music from Bensound. 🤣

[@clivebey6666]

Call Jamaica beautiful job I just saw it in in the middle looking forward to make her final so beautiful lately hope the shirt you one day thank you

[@RoysRocks]

This was a fun little stone. Not an absolute gem but still a nice piece.

[@andreaandpaul4194]

Hi Roy- Love those sintered diamond burrs from you!! Big thanks for introducing us. They make dremel work so much easier.

[@RoysRocks]

Hi, good to hear they are working well. They do make a huge difference in the cutting process.

[@mauromejia2548]

What brand are those bits I've seen some in amazon for like 60 bucks and do they last?

[@shanecarubbi7864]

Nice looking cab, and some great advice.. thanks alot Roy 👍

[@RoysRocks]

It's getting there.

[@napaextend951]

Wow.beautiful looking after cutting. 😊😊

[@RoysRocks]

It's looks a little better now that it is finished. Part 2 will be up in the next day.

[@napaextend951]

@@RoysRocks eagerly waiting for the 2nd part bro

[@placepages8071]

one of my favourite of your vids.. my first attempt at cutting was with Black Seam opal!! (Sand and crystal everywhere!!) still have some of the casualties for when i feel bored to go at again! Nice work

[@RoysRocks]

Thanks. I feel ya. Sand and crystal everywhere all the time. Gotta love it.

[@M44411]

nice stone, be a nice one for the collection 👍👍🎩🇬🇧

[@RoysRocks]

One day might even make it in to a ring...

[@M44411]

@@RoysRocks yer that would be a good show, from rough to ring, show the hole process, great stuff 👍🎩🇬🇧

[@RoysRocks]

@@M44411 Always comes back to me not having the silversmithing skills but one day I will get there...

[@jeffholmes1362]

Wow, no winners curse, no free form. What is going on. Stunning stone, great job, can’t wait to see it finished

[@RoysRocks]

I know! We have travelled to a parallel universe on this one. LOL

[@proudtex76]

Very nice Roy!

[@RoysRocks]

Thanks ProudTex.

[@EdWolfram]

What ??? A winner on the vote???? Thanks as always Roy. Hope #4 turns out as well or better.

[@RoysRocks]

#4 is ready to go straight after polishing this one. Fingers crossed for both of them...

[@MsPixi66]

Looks like it will be very pretty 😊

[@RoysRocks]

Fingers crossed... 🤞

[@MsPixi66]

When did you get into Opal? What got you started?

[@Toobras]

Great looking pieces amazing I still got to get me a set of those amazing sintered diamond bits from you they make these bits that I'm using rubbish LOL just seems like they work a lot better can't wait to get my hands on a set.👍👍👍

[@RoysRocks]

They are great. I was surprised at how much better than the electroplated sets these turned out to be. The price just always scared me away and now I sell them for less than I could buy my own set for!!! LOL 🤣

[@RoysRocks]

Hey Justin... Good news!!! Another batch of sintered diamond burrs have arrived and are ready for sale. Your name is high enough on the list to get a chance at the current batch. Please let me know if you are still interested or not. (email: [e-mail])

[@Toobras]

@@RoysRocks I still want one so how should I get you your money buddy great timing I just won an auction for 830ct

[@Toobras]

I'm not on Facebook but I do have a PayPal account if that helps

[@RoysRocks]

@@Toobras Just email me you details and we can sort it out. 👍

[@BenzGems]

Nice work 👍🏼

[@RoysRocks]

Thanks Ben.

[@ThatOpalGuy]

was a nice little stone.

[@RoysRocks]

Was tough to get much from that rough but managed to get something.

[@judieahmed98]

I love this video. I have some raw Opals and you have inspired me to buy a dremel

[@RoysRocks]

Good luck Judie. I'm sure you'll be cutting gems in no time but make sure to have fun and be safe. 👍😀

[@GalXsea-Class]

Lovely.

[@RoysRocks]

Thanks Andrea.

[@LawrenceMacMacster]

I make my own stencils ... For a reason! 🤪😆 Nice stone!

[@RoysRocks]

Yeah I'm sure the cheap ones I have will also fall apart very quickly. They seem quite brittle already after just a few years.

[@LawrenceMacMacster]

@@RoysRocks they do make aluminum stencils for lapidaries they are kinda thick I'll order one to see if it's worth it but at 37$ for a stencil I need to go undercover. Wife's not gonna eat that. "37$ for a stencil!? They have some 1$ ones at the dollar store" ...

[@RoysRocks]

@@LawrenceMacMacster I reckon I could make my own metal stencils. Someone at work suggested that I do for some high precision and long lasting templates.

[@ninefingermining8694]

Nice stone so far 👍🏻can’t wait to see the finished stone

[@RoysRocks]

Hopefully a nice stone with blocks of colour.

[@JadeWonder]

Thank u

[@RoysRocks]

No worries. 👍

[@elishadoyle8191]

You have the exact stencil as me 😊

[@RoysRocks]

I have a few but guessing these were the green ones. Terrible in terms of measurements but its just the shape I need anyway.

[@pantoea6089]

Hi Roy, i found cutting a good dome using the dremmel is really difficult to achieve. I bought an ozito bench sander ($50) from bunnings, it works realy well. Just had to glue some wet/dry sandpaper to the sanding disks supplied with the sander.

[@RoysRocks]

It definitely takes a lot of practice and knowledge of how far to go with each grit before switching it up. Hopefully I can help people get the hang of it through these videos. Though it would require me to cut more conventional cabs 🤣

[@Kerrsartisticgifts]

I'm curious about what would happen if you soaked some boulder opal matrix in CLR cleaning fluid for a while. I am also wondering about how that would affect the stone on some of the chips I bought, it looks like limestone to me. I don't know if it is limestone but I live on the Bruce peninsula and it's all limestone and sand and the rock on my chips looks like it to me. I'm imagining the rock and ironstone dissolving and leaving all the opal behind. Wouldn't that be cool to see?

[@RoysRocks]

Would be cool but dissolving ironstone isn't easy. There are some fields that can have a bit of calcium but it is never the entire host material. I can dissolve a lot of host material but it would also dissolve the opal (hydrated silica).

[@TheCavcowboy]

Awesome tip on the templates, I've seen em being used but not anything to in-depth

[@RoysRocks]

No worries. Many don't like to mention that they use templates. They get embarrassed for some reason.

[@nancycurtis3230]

👍 What is happening? Is the curse weakening????? Not until it's off the dop. Lol. Hello to all you Opalites out there. Have a great day, everyone. 😁

[@RoysRocks]

True. Who knows maybe it'll explode out of nowhere whilst polishing.

[@nancycurtis3230]

@@RoysRocks Oh, ye of little faith.... 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 It is going to be a beaut, when set.

[@RoysRocks]

@@nancycurtis3230 Little faith? I have full faith in the curse 🤣

[@nancycurtis3230]

@@RoysRocks I made a comment on a channel that is focused on opals. Got a comment on just buy one, as they had hundreds, if not thousands, for sale. A. I couldn't afford one. B. I would rather learn more about the gem. C. I want to go back to Coober Pedy. D. I want to polish just one for my own satisfaction. Then I want to do wire wrapping. Get the gear first and try from the ground up. With arthritis and age. I am so "annoyed" by this person. I bet his wallet is way bigger than his opal love. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@scottlee9058]

Hi Ray, Where do you buy the Sintered Diamond grit burs?

[@RoysRocks]

I get them manufactured in China and sell them within Aus now. Based on where you are located in the world I can try to point you in the right direction for a good supplier.

[@MrBobby1323]

hey nice videos, quick question, what would happen if one of those diamond burs touched your finger? You seem so close to it!

[@RoysRocks]

Oh I touch them all the time. You'll see it in videos where I press my finger against them to clean them off. Unless you pressed really hard it doesn't do much more than exfoliate the top surface.

[@MrBobby1323]

@@RoysRocks okay thanks for reply! I've got a dremel 3000 and just bought some diamond bur tips and rooting around for an opal on ebay so i can try it out! keep up doing the videos. Thanks!

[@RoysRocks]

@@MrBobby1323 No worries. Good luck on your opal hunt. Hopefully you come across some fun pieces to play with.

[@mackie_p]

Wow i'm very surprised at the viewer votes! My guess was 2! I'll be waiting a little while for that video to come out hahah. Turned out pretty good! I need to get some stencils hahaha.

[@RoysRocks]

Im just glad the viewer vote wasn't pure sand. 😀👍

[@ivangamer8022]

nice job mate. just bought one of this beautiful stones. what bit are you using?

[@RoysRocks]

Currently I run with sintered diamond burrs from 80 to 600 ANSI grit average. Then diamond pacific Nova resin points. Then finish it off with cerium oxide on felt.

[@jenilocke8255]

Looks good! Two questions, did I see you say you sell the sintered burs? And you've bought from the Blacklighters auctions before, how did you contact them for payment, I've sent a facebook messenger query to them but haven't heard back yet and don't know if that was what I was meant to do. Sorry to ask but you're the only one I know who has bought from them. Looking forward to seeing this piece being polished but as I voted for 4 even more interested in that one.😉👍

[@RoysRocks]

Hi Jeni, Yeah I am just getting into the selling of the sintered burrs because I wasn't happy with the prices companies were selling them for. I only get small batches in at a time but as soon as one batch sells I automatically buy another so constantly getting them in. For the blacklighters because of the volume of sales they are doing they do get behind on the invoices but I always do similar to you. Just pm them with your paypal details and hopefully they get on to it soon. Rock #4 will be straight after this one.

[@thechristiancarpenter]

👍

[@RoysRocks]

👍

[@TheOzka]

Hi. Can you write how mutch time aproksimaly takes you to do those all steps.

[@RoysRocks]

Yeah it is not very long. Rubbing for a small stone like this can be 10-20 mins. All the polishing stages another 30 mins. It gets much much longer when the shape becomes more uneven and complex.

[@Phoenix_Enterprises]

Haha, opal hippies...cheers mate. You the one on FB?

[@RoysRocks]

Yeah I have a group linked to this channel on facebook.

[@Phoenix_Enterprises]

@@RoysRocks I figured and I'm looking for good channels to share opal info and love on also. Cheer's mate! Keep the opal love going.

[@Phoenix_Enterprises]

I think you may be in our other group also. good luck mining keep that stuff coming brother!

[@cameravicki]

Hi! I’m super new (as in I’ve not done a rub yet). I am learning so much from your videos and I have a bazillion questions but I will keep it to 2. 1. Where do you get the stencils? 2. Where do you find your rough stones and do you ever have junk ones you’d be willing to donate for practicing purposes? Lol

[@RoysRocks]

Hi and welcome. 1/ Amazon has heaps of cheap stencils (people buy them for school). Can also go a school supplies store or jewelry tools store. 2/ I buy my materials from a wise range of miners and suppliers across the country. Mostly dealing online but a few in person. If you buy some beginner grade material most sellers would be happy to throw in some practice rocks that have no colour (potch).

[@zoinkaboose]

A year late, but question about your bur placement in the dremel.... do you seat it fully as far in as possible? Did you do so in this video? Shank looks long.

[@RoysRocks]

Nah my old chuck neeed me to pull the burr out a fair bit or it would seat strangely and caused a lot of vibration if all the way in. I think it was the collet which got worn so that I had to pull it out for stability. With the new chuck (which is now needing to be replaced) the burrs do go pretty much all the way in. Sometime on big stones you need to pull them out a bit if you think the nut will contact the stone.

[@zoinkaboose]

@@RoysRocks Thank you for the explanation!

[@micky7697]

Can you please tell me if you sell your stones and where?

[@RoysRocks]

Hi, no I hoard all of my cut stones in preparation for when I learn how to make my own custom jewelry.

[@zoinkaboose]

What speed do you run your dremel at?

[@RoysRocks]

It's about 8000rpm

[@zoinkaboose]

@@RoysRocks Just realized I never did thank you for this reply.

[@Jajrzlzl]

Honeycomb wow

[@RoysRocks]

It is a little. A strange pattern but pretty interesting.

[@therealspixycat]

Could the back be even beter?

[@RoysRocks]

This one was a while ago so cant remember but I know it was finished.

[@V27RV]

When it comes to opal videos..then Roy is the best and Pulitzer..sorry Justin:/you just to unsympathetic towards opal the way treat it,cause all u care about is the money. This channel is the Best for all types of Opal

[@RoysRocks]

Ah both I see as being in another league to me still but I will always keep trying to improve. 💪👌

[@V27RV]

@@RoysRocks Every video you upload is always educational and entertaining..you’ve taught and inspired so many around the world through your videos. 💟

[@DarkenShroud]

I think people could do better with you showcasing alil more stencil work to be honest. Enjoyed the extra long video too. More Roy content the better as far as I'm concerned. Only reason you were cursed is because I never voted for a winner until now!!!! * Jokes and laughs *

[@RoysRocks]

Yeah I do find stencil work quite boring but I can see how it could be useful knowledge to share.

[@hateonskillz318]

I'm telling you it's not good to use a dremel with hand moments truly you might think it works and it does. If you put that dremel in a heavy duty metal bench vise that weighs 8 or more pounds usually 10 to 15 in weight. And then use that git and bring the opal to your dtemel attachment and cut that way it's effective and gives a somewhat lapidary machine feels. You might think your grinding off in a straight line or at a degree you want but believe me with the variable of moving your dremel with you hand your not. Your not a machine and make moments that aren't efficient. Put that dremel in metal vice and bring the opal to a steady working point and watch your cutting and this winners curse you speak of disappeare and watch your skills and opals get better and better this is a super real advice you need to follow and any others who use a dremel they are great and don't take a whole lot off as a lapidary machine but believe me using both of your hands to do so is no good. Both of your hands should be on your opal and making moments when cutting. In the beginning of the video that color bar wasn't the biggest but was bigger than the couple pieces of color that are on the opal towards the end. I've done both ways of cutting and recently spent the money for a lapidary machine and am now getting used to it and see why and how it's the preferred way to cut and deal with opal. I truly urge you to like I said put that dremel in a metal vice and bring the opal to your cutting source not bringing the cutting source to your opal its just not smart. They say work smarter not harder please can't say it enough keep your dremel in place somehow with something and brings the opal to your grinding attachment I can show you opals I've cut with a dremel or I could make a video about it and show you it's a better way. Hope you see this and try can't emphasize enough PSA

[@RoysRocks]

There is a reason gem carvers and jewellery makers don't vice their flex shafts. It ruins the dexterity of the tool. I have tried a vice and it makes it a terrible experience. A cabbing wheel is a cabbing wheel, a flex shaft is a flex shaft. Clamping a flex shaft does not make it a cabbing wheel.

[@TOTALRESISTANCE1]

Umm... he is just rubbing an opal. He could do it with a nail file if he wants to, you are just taking away sand and only semi shaping it.