Hand polishing opal using sand paper

[@haroldbrandon5361]

Hey Justin I want to thank you watching your videos help me to learn to do a lot of stuff I've been sick with cancer for the past 10 years and don't know how much time is left but watching your videos gave me something to do and I've done pretty well so I would like to thank you you gave me something to take my mind and help me pass the time thank you very much

[@deviousmousey]

I started out hand polishing limestone fossils, mostly petoskey stones (state stone of Michigan USA) because I could find a few kilograms worth in a couple hours walking a beach lol. Now i have a decent lapidary machine, and cut lots of opal. I learned 99% of opal specific tips and tricks from your videos. They have been an amazing source of both information and inspiration.

[@nasusmain7511]

I really love to cut opal by my self. I dont have any mashiens and i am not a Professional. I Love that you show us your Kollege

[@codybaker5172]

I only polish by hand and got my first method from your OG hand polish video

[@karenpinson759]

Lovely stone. Blue opals are my favorite. Would never have thought you could do this without machines. Justin, you remind me of Disney's Tigger from "Winnie the Pooh." Tigger bounces everywhere and sings, "Bouncy, flouncey, trouncey, pouncey. Fun, fun, fun fun fun. The wonderful thing about Tiggers, is I'm the only one." Justin, you are a Tigger!

[@blackopaldirect]

Haha I’ll take that

[@TJ-di1iq]

That's funny, only his accent is 💗

[@maryc3808]

I woke up at 2am this morning to a weird scritch-scratching noise coming from the living room. My husband was polishing his opals on sand paper! Great tips and info as usual and perfect timing for this video. Thanks!

[@blackopaldirect]

Hahaha that’s hilarious

[@MikeyMikeHq]

Thanks , I'm working on getting tools. Your videos are all fantastic

[@shawnstatzer95]

Well, you just gave me hope with my sooner-than-expected project. Thanks. Your videos are on another level.

[@William_Borgeson]

Manual labor cleanses the soul Justin! And man I think it's time for a disco ball in the shop :) Thanks for sharing.

[@blueyoshi8231]

This is how I work, entirely by hand! I am a stay at home Mum with very little money but it's also a choice! To say you have done it all entirely by hand without ANY machinery is very satisfying. And no my hands don't cramp everyone,lol. I wouldn't work any other way.... I'm an.old.fashioned kinda gal 😁 Congrats on the carpet man👍 Single rough pieces???? Omg omg omg.....start saving immediately!$!$!$

[@blackopaldirect]

Haha nice

[@amygross5396]

SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL , OH MY GOODNESS 💙💙💙 GORGEOUS BLUE ! ! ! THANK YOU FOR SHARING !!

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome Amy

[@amygross5396]

Thank you for having me !!! Your work is GORGEOUS! IM IN LOVE WITH THE BLACK OPAL " BEAUTIFUL BLUE 💙 !!! ITS A DREAM OF MINE TO 💙 HAVE A NECKLACE WITH THE BLUE OPAL 💙 !!!

[@solsticelacer]

To think this is how they did every stone in the old days before machines

[@blackopaldirect]

Yep

[@blueyoshi8231]

Some of us still do 😊

[@jazztocountry1047]

Why ancients created machines.

[@julienichols4188]

Always enjoy your positive attitude! Yay! Carpet!

[@alexianlane3490]

This is how I grind and polish my stones! I use a 300 grit diamond knife stone, then 600 grit wet sand, 1200 grit wet sand, and then cerium on leather. It's hard work, but rewarding.

[@stacysmith8388]

Me too but I use a dremmel with a felt tip for cerium oxide. I just use like a large Chinese to go soup container and do them on a dop stick, also using chop sticks

[@jenniferinfante9711]

Where do you guys purchase cerium from?

[@Shane-cp2wv]

Ive learned everything i know about opals from your videos. Thank You!

[@blackopaldirect]

❤️❤️🙏

[@sandmaker]

You wore me out just watching. The stone is great. A really nice finish. No I will not do that, but it is always fun seeing it done. Be safe and stay healthy 😷⚒

[@fishhunt9874]

Very low budget old school, I love it!

[@topcat8839]

Thank you Justin, I would think that there are more of us who would hand cut/polish than have the machines necessary, so this video was just so informative. And the stone was beautiful, lovely colours. Thank you Black Opal Direct, I love starting my day with a great video from Justin!. I will be looking out for those beginners parcels. Woohoo, opal rich (and video trained by Justin @ Black Opal DIrect) here I come........!!!, lol.

[@davidstoner7448]

The color combination of that opal is one of my favorites. I ended up trying to cut an opal on my lapidary gem faceting machine. Worked out fine, one I got the hang of it. Thanks again for sharing. Take it easy. Much love from California 😎💎

[@wingnut6472]

g'day there mate, I have found it much easier on the flat lap after getting a faceting machine, been thinking of faceting some opal potch but not sure witch plan to go with, I have some nice jelly potch with good clarity and have jet black potch as well, hard to find any info but have that much material that mistakes wont matter, cheers from Oz

[@gordonmcmillan4709]

This episode was made in July 2020... and August 2020... and the first three weeks of September 8-)

[@markgrant654]

Thanks so much. I am always amazed at the dedication you show. As a hillbilly from North Carolina, I must say you are a hoot. That's a good thang.

[@vidiaparamaatmaseeker2130]

My hand is cramping up just watching this. How long did each stage take in real time?

[@petert3355]

17+ cups of coffee is my bet. (And yeah, my arthritis is aching just thinking of doing this.)

[@sharonlewis7638]

I have it too but I want to try at least once, no pain no gain.

[@Kehy_ThisNameWasAlreadyTaken]

I'm a woodcarver, and I have an odd specialization: jewelry rings. I've always felt opal was likely the best compliment to most woods, but other than small cheap triplets, it's just been out of my price range. That being said, I sand my rings up to 3-4 times through 320-2k grit sand paper (and even a dry cloth impregnated with aluminum oxide stropping compound if I really need a polish). I might spend as much time sanding as I do carving, and usually a minimum of 1-5 hours depending on design. I'm also extremely familiar with handing small, easily dropped and fragile stuff. THIS IS PERFECT

[@stevenbriggs784]

SOOOOOO i just got my beginners parcel from Black Opal direct, and i couldn't be happier!! when i opened it, i found my 170ct (WOW, way more colour than i was expecting) with all sorts of sizes, colours and styles of potch to practice cutting, as well as a handy body tone chart made of hard sturdy PVC, a notepad of nice paper labelled with the black opal direct logo printed cleanly at the top, a receipt with the certification mark in the top right-hand side...and best of all? i got it delivered MID pandemic and across country within 8 days!!! This was truly the best beginners parcel I've seen available.

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome 🙏 😊😊

[@easemailboxes]

Your video many years ago is one of my favorite videos ever in the whole world of youtube.

[@catherinekempton6538]

Oh Justin it's beautiful. Wow I never knew you can do it by hand. Thank you ❤

[@badboyeben7881]

Hey Justin! I’ve been a huge fan of gemstones for a while, but have recently gained an obsession with opal. I’ve wanted to thank you, all of your videos have been immensely helpful on getting myself started with carving and polishing opals. Keep up the great work!

[@molecularalchemy7798]

I wish I could "like" this video twice!

[@blackopaldirect]

🙏🙏🙏❤️

[@ColRubyDimplesManacha]

The gem is valuable, the laughter is priceless! Thanks Justin!

[@shopshpoongle6439]

I have been teaching myself exactly opal cutting using this method before I even saw your video. It's helped me know I was going in the right direction.

[@jeanreynolds8175]

It's so nice to see someone with tons of fun and knowledge and share it with the world. Never change my friend.

[@blackopaldirect]

So nice of you, thank you

[@jeanreynolds8175]

@@blackopaldirect I wish you and your family all success and happiness the world has to offer.

[@supermollyfilms]

I never comment but I want you to know how much I value your videos! Thank you so much for all your content! ❤️

[@blackopaldirect]

You are so welcome Molly Thank you for letting me know you are there

[@frostyknight3405]

Yet another great video by Justin. Was looking to try cutting an opal myself after watching this channel and catching a bit of opal fever and had been wondering how I would be able to without the machinery so this video was perfect.

[@blackopaldirect]

Glad to help

[@larry8690]

I love these and never thought he would make another

[@davidcaruso9123]

The old fashion way! Beautiful stone. Thanks

[@zakna0693]

Your intro music, your charisma, your skill 😎

[@FatBellyChemist1234]

This is why rich ppl in ancient times could afford jewelleries such as a beautiful opal. Beautiful opal. Great exercise for those who are in lockdown areas.

[@aaronwestbrook9151]

Well it might be about time to give hand cutting opal a try. Thanks for the video, keep em coming. Learning a ton about opal cutting. Thanks again.

[@juanvelasquez4682]

Still really enjoying the humor added to the videos. Another beautiful opal and very interesting to see the process done by hand!

[@KingOfKings1000yrs]

I love how you bring the opals to life. From me to you thank you for keeping me mesmerised 👌🇬🇧

[@blackopaldirect]

You are welcome Kazbo ❤️

[@JessicaSmith-rs4hf]

I am currently (trying to) polish up a piece of opal that I bought here locally in the states (Ohio) and I'm very glad to have come across your video. I'm new to doing this, only having just practiced on a couple of small stones. Mine looks nothing as beautiful as yours! I'd love to have a piece of that color but I've never come across anything like that around here. Anyways, I'm glad to have found your channel and video and look forward to watching and learning more!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[@foxfiretales9273]

Your screensaver in the background is hypnotic...

[@oldschool8500]

Thanks a lot for your Videos, its you that made me create an interrest in opal! This weekend i found some rough opal from Australia at a Garage sale here in germany... im very pleased that you also have this Video! And it works, takes a while but its amazing! Amazing what you do!

[@flatwater5]

I've done two opal rubs by hand, using fine grit emery boards. The smaller piece gave me the most beautiful stone. The larger piece just had too much potch/sand running through it. That's a gorgeous piece you cut! Thanks for the video!

[@Sh4d0w20]

Its so great to see how your videos have evolved ;)

[@blackopaldirect]

🙏😊❤️

[@michaellindsey1543]

Very interesting change of pace but I really like the hum of the machines and videos where you tackle several different pieces and we can experience the ups and downs of opal!

[@jencapaldi420]

Thank you so much for this video. I got some opal for my son's gem collection at Christmas. It had really pretty rough pieces & they captured my attention. I've now bought some of my own & am gonna give this a whirl. I'll be sure to watch more! :)

[@kolyakury_os2234]

Woah!!! Great cutter, not even any tiny scratches how you do it omg

[@arb7733]

This video plus the older hand polishing video you did inspires me to do this, it's been a dream of mine for years. I was given a nice rub under the pretense that I must finish it's polishing. Thank you 😊

[@elchefreedom5063]

I’m late! Lol hilarious vid you are a goofball Justin

[@blackopaldirect]

Hey I resemble that comment 😆

[@elchefreedom5063]

Not resent, but resemble lol nice🤙🏽

[@blackopaldirect]

El CHE Freedom 😆😆

[@davidgeelan885]

Old school cool. You add so much information for beginners and opal enthusiasts. Thanks for the extra info.

[@blackopaldirect]

Welcome 🙏

[@kentharper3717]

This has gotta be one of my fav videos so far, i do this same hand work to fluorite to make pendants :) so it was amazing to watch you do the same to such a beautiful opal

[@bryan7821]

Love the humor, Justin ! Since i`ve been watching your channel, im getting good at guess-timating your finished Opals. I guessed it at exactly $800,,,,,Can i get a Chocolate Chip Cookie,,,,,Lol ! Love the Channel, Brother !

[@l.rowanmcknight7853]

I'm moving in just over a week to my friend's property in northern Oregon, USA, and they are from Australia, and they have some rough from Lightning Ridge, and they said I can have some :D I can't wait to see what they have and try my hand at this! (hoping for some nobby)

[@adamnagy7599]

Very nice work! Great finish on that Opal. Cheers!

[@songbirdscreations-MargaretS]

That really turned out to be a gorgeous stone!

[@richardland5563]

Very inspiring. Although we don’t have Opals in the UK I might try it on some beach Agate....

[@TJ-di1iq]

I could never part with any gem on your website. I would take them with me to the after life. They're beautiful.

[@bfishing2137]

Love your videos. I recently bought my first few pieces of opal and plan on doing the exact method to make a few nice pieces for my son. Just something that I can leave behind for him.

[@casswilliams4601]

This is such a cool video. I've been getting opal fever so I just purchased a few coober pedy rough. I plan to get some decent stones made up and polished by hand and maybe give them away as Christmas gifts this year. This video got me pumped up to make them!

[@nackenbeisser]

Hey there! Actually I thought about trying this already! I guess I will. Fun fact: Whilst watching this video, I polished some silver. That added a special touch to the experience. 😁 Thanks for the video!

[@stevegutshot2663]

You're a champion mate. You share all your knowledge with everyone. Thank you. Your clips are the best. Cheers Steve

[@blackopaldirect]

Glad to help

[@deropalsammler9537]

I think this is the first time your door is open, because there is no noise from the machines :-D

[@berit3ns]

It gives so much joy watching your videos! Just so you know….im becoming a serious DOB addict! 👏👏👏 Thanks for all the knowledge, inspiration and the joy you share!

[@blackopaldirect]

You are so welcome! and welcome aboard and sorry you have opal fever now. Their is no turning back 🤣

[@berit3ns]

@@blackopaldirect 🫣

[@berit3ns]

@@blackopaldirect❤

[@1catfishuntermiller753]

Hiya Justin, wow dude!that's a awesome job on that stone, that's a lot of rubbing that's for sure. I did a crystal opal like that one time, and it came out beautifully, it's slow going but the rewards are tremendous. I really enjoyed watching this video, so stay safe and healthy and have a great blessed day. Cya! Cheers!

[@tonywild1963]

Wow that was hard work Justin, but well worth it in the end. The opal looked lovely and so was the view from your home or office. Looked beautiful there. Good you have carpet now lol

[@tomrockholm-timeless_morph6691]

Always good to do things the hard way every once in awhile. I find it helps refine your skill by doing it manually and lets you relearn the appreciation of modern tools and tech lol.

[@blackopaldirect]

True that

[@BurninGems]

Ok, next method to show everyone is process of cutting and polishing opal on an old flat lap wheel! I don't know about down & under, but in the states an old B&I flap lap or similar machine can be had for about $100 +/-. The advantage is it saves a bit of elbow and wrist strain vs manual grinding on the hones. Everything else is about the same. Use sand papers on the disc for shaping and prepolish, cerium on felt for polish and opal on dop. Right-O! Another smashing video! Love the work, keep it up!

[@ficheye00]

That's how I made my first opal. Had it put into a gold setting with a green garnet. Still one of my favorites.

[@jonwatkins6542]

I didn’t think this could be done. In a decent amount of time anyway. I will try it. Thank you for sharing this and everything else!

[@rockinwitht9948]

Fantastic video!! I polish some of my rocks by hand, I never thought of trying an opal! It’s going to get fun!!!!!!

[@jenniferinfante9711]

What do you use to polish them?

[@exidy-yt]

Man am I looking forward to this vid. My packet of hydrophane rough opals from Welo just arrived! They were actually far nicer then I expected for the price, but still many absolute garbage stones to practice on, all of which are so small that polishing on my wheel is gonna be near impossible to practice with them. Hand polishing them is going to be the much better way, as well as giving me some much needed foundation so PERFECT, thank you Justin! When I am ready to buy and practice/work on proper Australian opal, I hope you will have some low quality roughs for sale!

[@mwilson14]

I'm so glad to see you posting this video. I've been hand polishing opal lately and just recently went out with my wife to collect a bucket full of opal nodules from the Columbia River in Washington State. It's pretty much all just common opal, but I treasure this opportunity I have to access a seemingly limitless supply, so I might as well do something with it.

[@mwilson14]

...and yes, it takes forever to grind the piece to a desired shape, though as you state, it can be relaxing and be worked when you have the time without expensive equipment. I use leather, water and cerium oxide after getting the stone shaped and polished enough to a satisfying degree.

[@blackopaldirect]

That is awesome!

[@passingthrough3678]

I cant beleive i was doing it wrong the whole time thanks man as soon as the situation in lebanon becomes better i am sure to buy a couple of roughs you are a great cutter

[@Mulligansmiles]

I watched your other hand cutting video that actually gave me the boost to start buying rough opal... i started out buying really cheap Ethiopian opal and managed to get good enough rubbing by hand that im now waiting for my first 2 oz of coober pedy rough that I'll be rubbing and keeping for my son P.s thank you for doing another video of this sort as it really helps as im still using this method

[@blackopaldirect]

That's awesome :)

[@joelbaker9366]

I carve, shape, and polish amber this way when I work with it, I have to because it's a fossilized tree resin. While I can do some rough shaping with power tools, I have to go slow or it can fracture, or it gets warm enough to melt, and gums everything up. I've even had a piece completely disintegrate while I was doing the final polish.

[@louise3993]

Great little invention that wheel is. Sitting here wondering how many new arm muscles you found you had the day after. Stone turned out really nice. Thanks for showing us the old school way of cutting and polishing stones

[@JC-rf7rb]

That’s is a beautiful opal and a lot of fun!

[@Aymiikeeganmelb]

I love how you make your videos fun and educational :)

[@blackopaldirect]

Glad you like them!

[@tijhuisjoeri]

This is how I am going to do it aswell, bought my first rough opal yesterday.exactly what I was looking for

[@claudialung6195]

Thank you sooooo much for the video. I tried already, it really takes me more than 2 hours but I so enjoy seeing the final results. I realize I need to pay more attention to the polishing part

[@judyhobday4760]

i would love to try a piece of opal rough. You look like you are having fun and the opal is quite lovely.

[@blackopaldirect]

It is fun

[@coryboatz4434]

I actually started doing this and its very fun and relaxing. Appreciate the idea

[@chadatchison145]

Great video Justin. I'm definitely checking out that link to your rough Opal even though I'm still too much of a gem cutting greenhorn to trust myself to buy any yet, I still like to look lol it keeps me motivated. :)

[@MikeyMikeHq]

These incredible videos prompted me to rush out and buy the beginner package. This video is really excellent ! I'm very happy with the opals I received. Now it's time to get tools.

[@dictatorchan5584]

This is going to be so cool!

[@glennaharris1536]

What a beautiful opal and I saw flashes of pink in that one. I heard you say once that red and pink are the more sought after colors.

[@blackopaldirect]

Red and pink are rare :) red/pink with blue is very rare

[@soomcire]

I’ve shaped Tiger’s eye, hematite, and rose quartz by hand, and find it really relaxing... def need to give Opal a go!!

[@matthewday7565]

Maybe a middle path, non specialist power tools?

[@trudilm3864]

Dremel?

[@dcs4219]

there is a vid of a guy polishing fire agate with hand, electric power tools.

[@ManMountainMetals]

Roys Rocks on YT

[@mkivy]

Thank you for the wonderful Birthday Salutations! That was wonderful and so unexpected. My wife loves her 2 opals from you. They are so beautiful...nice and bright and so many colors...I am looking for a black Opal with all blue hues. So I will be making another order. After I decide which one I want...

[@blackopaldirect]

Thanks Mike 🙏

[@drfill9210]

Fyi I've started buying cheap rough opals and have been hand carving with sandpaper and a dremel. Entirely after watching you cut them on a machine. It's cathartic and even though I'm a rank amateur, I'm pretty sure I could make my investment back- or even a profit if I sell my creations- it's like a much lower risk lotto! (Ps I'm using lightning Ridge rough opal)

[@trumpatier]

I never thought about this being possible! I can't afford lapidary equipment right now, so this will allow me to finally cut some of that parcel I bought from you in Denver a couple years ago 😃

[@Aeryu]

This is actually a brilliant way to try and get into this! Thank you for the inspiration and the informative video!

[@shanecarubbi7864]

Well time to have a run to the hardware store for some sandpaper! Thanks for the video Justin 👍👍

[@blackopaldirect]

Remember to get wet and dry

[@shanecarubbi7864]

@@blackopaldirect Oh yes thank you for the reminder.

[@leonhilburn2765]

That’s pretty cool I work with cerium oxide to I take scratches out of glass on homes cars etc. I sand them out then I do a fine grit then polish with cerium oxide. Amazing I had no idea jewelry or stones used it to.

[@charliemaddock3459]

Can you polish an opal with autosol instead of serium oxide or do I need serium oxide ???? I’m gonna buy some cheap parcels ... than buy a decent one after a little fun .

[@malaya1236]

I think if you use the usual electric hand drills to remove the impurities at the first stage of make up will make your end results better. Saves more carats.

[@gram1313]

How should I get started... I love 💘 your work and Style... can't stop watching

[@larryerke9498]

My 1st opal took me about 17hrs to make. Now I can knock them out pretty fast. All depends on there size. Awesome video buddy:)

[@steveclark4291]

Thank you for a very interesting and informative article ! What a beautiful stone ! Take care , stay safe and healthy with whatever your next project maybe ! Doing well here in Kansas .

[@douggoble9695]

It is fun and inexpensive, something to be proud of. 💜❤️🧡💛💚💙