A Wooden Polishing Lap for Faceting. Tell Me Everything.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I've read about wood laps in some of the old books on lapidary, but I never really considered it. I think it would make for some interesting experiments and testing to see the same stone finished on a number of different wooden laps.

[@calebgibson1999]

I use a Graves spool polisher for cabs, its wood, I get great results. Very cool!

[@femmemecaniquedesigns]

Thanks for the information!

[@VintageTimeGems]

Great information Justin. You can see the benefit of more rounded facets. For rounding out girdles a wood lap sounds ideal. Thanks for the video.

[@arvidjohanstusvik8714]

I got a wood lap along with an old Homberg & Brusius faceting machine. It's never been used and my first thought was that this is a homemade lap. Since I've seen these old wooden spool polishing machines for cabochons, I was thinking that this might be a very good idea. So I'm thinking of giving it a try next time I'm cutting a Norwegian peridote,.. because I got lots of trouble polishing those stones and maybe the wood lap will do the tricks. Beside all this I also saw a video where an old Indonesian woman was hand polishing Indonesian moss agate in a groove alongside a bamboo log. I'm not sure what polishing powder she was using, but for me it looked like some kind of ash .. Anyway..those stones got very glossy with a great shine. So I think that polishing on wood must be just great 😊 Sometimes I get asked if I can facet opaque coloured stones for them. I try to talk them out of it and tell them that a cabochon cut stone will look a lot nicer because of the way the light reflects .. But on wood where you might get a slightly curved profile on the facets and rounder edges, opaque facethed stones might get an interesting look 🤔

[@femmemecaniquedesigns]

Such a great video with thorough research! I am impressed! I will try the wood lap!

[@MikeG-js1jt]

I found that when polishing a stone using a wood lap, is to cut and polish the pavilion facets sharp, using typical laps, but then when polishing the crown, that is when using the wood lap should come in.... the combination of these two seems to offer the best visual result!

[@JustinKPrim]

I will try that out. Thanks!

[@OzoneFineArtVentures]

This is so exciting! Great information gathered for this video. I've used wood points that I fashioned for rotary tools in carving to get great polishes on materials such as opal and sunstone, so it makes so much sense to do a wood lap (and of course there's the historic precedence). Awesome interviews with Ken and Noah, this is very inspiring. Thanks for sharing this, cheers!

[@JustinKPrim]

Glad you liked it!! It was a fun rabbit hole to fall down.

[@deborahthompson1063]

Thank you Justin, Great research and information. Now I want to try a wood lap.

[@mycombs]

Fantastic video and historical research.

[@mikeelder1685]

Definitely want to try

[@williamstewartgemstonesfis1148]

Good information thanks

[@Algoldprospecting]

Yeah Awesome Sold. 😊I want to try one.

[@nicolasrose4680]

I’m interested in getting on and trying to frost edges with to round them off, and provide that clean look

[@timlee2109]

Interesting history! Ty

[@AneesMuhammed-mb4qz]

Thanks in advance Justin. Could you please make a video with Ken about flaw fusing?

[@JustinKPrim]

Yes. We have a long project in the works about this so I’m saving the video until we get some scientific data to help explain what’s happening. Don’t worry though that’s high on my to do list, it’s just a bit involved.

[@benjamindejonge3624]

Silver linden or mahogany was popular in Amsterdam same like copper and tin and horse leather

[@kashifansari6534]

Justin is best

[@suyamamalalasekera8015]

Great info Justin. Does it make sense to use the handpiece on a wood lap? TIA.

[@JustinKPrim]

I did it on Friday. Worked great. Check out the rose cut I posted on instagram.

[@Naturaljewelrystones]

Good i need starting this job... Can you help me...

[@alaamagdy8282]

perfect

[@matthiasf.4447]

Dear @Justin, many thanks for your videos, great content! Hope you dont mind if I ask here: Could you tell what the exact bore diameter of the standard faceting laps is that one can purchase? I intend to build a platform faceter myself just for fun. I know that the laps are intended for 1/2" standard machines. But I wonder whether the bore diameter of laps is a tiny bit larger to accomodate fitting on the machines - or whether the axis is a tiny bit smaller than 1/2". Many thanks in advance and all the best!!

[@JustinKPrim]

I’ll try to remember to measure at work tomorrow

[@laserlemon-tv]

I see the 6" Mahogany Lap made it onto your studio shopping list! If I'm only going for flat facets, should I bother? And why the 6"? Is 6" enough for two zones?

[@JustinKPrim]

Yes 6” is enough for two zones and for me I always get 6” because it’s cheaper and easier to travel with.

[@Algoldprospecting]

Hey just I heard of people using plastic laps old cds have you ever tried that?

[@JustinKPrim]

Yes I’ve seen other people doing it but haven’t tried it myself. Anything can be a lap I guess. I think it made more sense when you got free AOL cds in the mail every week. Now a cd is a rare item!

[@Algoldprospecting]

@@JustinKPrim lol. I forgot about those. Yes times changing fast. Atleast technology is.😀

[@sinceresincere-th4dt]

Hello my friend. As usual it is me from Canada. Actually I have been so rude, and have not yet told you my name. Tony is my name the one that you said to go to montreal. My friend I have decided to buy that Indian machine when I collect little money, and I am using the Vevor junk as a knife sharpener. To be honest with you it is doing a great job sharpening knife like razer blade. I think Vevor should say knife sharpening machine and the sell would go higher. LOL 😄

[@JustinKPrim]

Have you seen the upgrade kit for the vevor machine that angry turtle started making. They made a KZbin video about it if you do a search.

[@sinceresincere-th4dt]

@@JustinKPrim Yes my friend and it is just way way too expensive. The only thing the upgrade kit has and I do not have is the scaling bar to be able to cut the gem on 90 degrees, but I ordered an other aluminum lap support and I raised it when I want to cut the 90 degrees. It was much much cheaper than that upgrade, and the rest I spent 7 dollars only to buy the nuts and bolts. It seems that those people are working together. I spent about 38 dollars and they are charging 300 dollars. Even if I buy 300 dollars of the kit for Vevor, the machine that I have is extremely primitive to work with. For example the collet holder is so long, that if I put very little pressure on it, it will cut way too much and then I have to re do all of them again, and again. With only the protractor, and a screw, you will never know how much you have cut from the previous facet. In general it is just by the name as a faceting machine, but in fact it is not at all. I don't have money yet, and I am looking for a job in this age, but if I want to have a nice hobby, I think I will rather have a good machine than a knife sharpener. LOL Cheers my friend. 😄🍺

[@JustinKPrim]

@@sinceresincere-th4dt Agreed. good luck

[@Jason-ir5ig]

I think it could be potentially interesting when combined with concave/fantasy cutting, but the curved edges on flat facets make the stone look more like plastic to me.

[@Willrocs]

I shall be making some wheels

[@JustinKPrim]

Let us know how it goes.

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Melting point of ruby is 2,050 C, so the British fellow is surely not fusing it. 😂

[@JustinKPrim]

The research is still in the works but the current thought is that it’s plastic deformation. It’s not melting but also not grinding. Still doing the research on that.