Richardson's Ranch High Speed Sander // Finally a Good Way to Polish Big Thundereggs!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

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[@spetkovsek57]

I have been using one of these for years. I've polished thousands of pieces with it. As you said, batching is the way to go as changing the discs takes time away from the actual sanding. I have donated more than a thousand of the pieces to a local children's hospital for the teachers to give to the long term patients. My brother and I built a slow speed buffer like you talked about. I typically don't bother sanding above 800 as you can't tell the difference when the grit gets that small. I do all my polishing with Optical grade Cerium Oxide on a leather pad and get a mirror finish. Unlike Shaughn below, I have used it to sand opal. You just have to be careful not to let it get too hot. I keep a spray bottle near by to wet down the stone and the disc whenever I think it needs it.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I would love to see a video of you using the equipment. As I'm sure you're aware there's not much information out there on these two machines. What part of the country do you live in if you don't mind me asking.

[@spetkovsek57]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I live in Salem Oregon and know Shaughn from the Mt. Hood Rock Club. Me make a video? Hmm. I might be a rockhound, but we'll see about being a videographer. That might take me some time and trial and error. My first and only attempt at a video is very short and kind of lame IMHO.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@spetkovsek57 Shaughn's a good guy. I use to be a member of that club a long time ago before moving away. I think we both agree that these machines are awesome and you have so much more experience with them it would be great to see!

[@lapidarydave]

is there anything better then currently rockhounding ? my all time favorite rock channel!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@kellyharper367]

Old disabled house bound dusty rusty rockhound here: Been to Richardson Rock Ranch many times. They are a rockhound's best friend. They know all things "thunder eggs" and jaspers. Your machine is a great acquisition!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It's an amazing place!

[@patriciamckean4186]

Using a vaccuum with fresh filter and internal filter bag is a great idea 💡!

[@nancywilson9380]

Even though I wouldn't need this because I'm not polishing rocks this big, I found this video to be very interesting and appreciate your time and effort in producing it

[@hilario6960]

Seriously though, INCREDIBLE 💥

[@bharperames]

Thank you so much for making this video, super helpful to see the machine in action, the single picture on the website does not do it justice! Can't wait to see what other videos you have made!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked it. I have few more up and more coming if you look at the lapidary playlist on the main channel page.

[@bharperames]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Do you have a recommendation for respirator mask that you like?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@bharperames I like the ones that are made for welding since they fit really well, come in different sizes and they are affordable.

[@GermanGemcutter]

Thanks for showing 👍 very interesting Machine.

[@biscuitEMT]

Incredible! Didn't even know such a machine existed! That thunderegg is world-class awesome.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you! Yeah its a fun machine.

[@Drhumbolt]

Good note on the safety, I remember my dad's safety tip for the table saw when I was a kid. Said "it's only dangerous if you don't pay attention, so fuckin pay attention." He's still pretty good at getting his point across lol

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Your dad isn't wrong here.

[@paigelee6321]

Always interesting, thank you 😊, very cool machine speed sander ,

[@denisecoyne6447]

That was the best thank you!

[@TheRogueRockhound]

cool tool buddy, thanks for showing us how it works

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Of course! I think its a really nice tool.

[@robinrice8842]

Just found your channel afew months back. Love all that you put out so far. Plus your in the NW too.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you like it!

[@Mike-br8vb]

I've been thinking of making this unit, as I have a ton of material piling up, and using the velcro pads that you showed near the beginning takes way too long. Steven had mentioned that you get your pads from Amazon. Is there a name that I can search on Amazon of the brand you buy? And as always, great video Jared!

[@jimlancaster6120]

Thanks!

[@markattardo]

Interesting tool. Good dust collection is immensely helpful for any dry cut / sand / grind operation...barring metal because sparks. That said, there's a reason for wet sanding anything porous that you want to achieve a high polish on. It will be interesting to see if you have to go that route when you get the finer grits. Great demonstration!!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I agree but this isn't meant for anything porous.

[@markattardo]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I was thinking about the micro sanding scratches from prior grits. That's why I hope you update at some point when you get the ultrafine polish stuff. While I was typing I had a potentially silly idea. Ultra fine honing compound on a leather disk. The machine might be way too fast though. FYI, I have never worked with rocks. I'm pulling ideas out of my ars...enal of limited experience using similar tools, mostly on wood.

[@magapickle01]

@@markattardo Richardson's that make this machine suggest highly to just use very worn out 60 grit paper loaded with dust . I use 200 grit with dust only on obsidian after worn out 60 .

[@dianerhymes1875]

Ooooo! I love this machine! I'm very very much a beginner. I love tools especially what I call 'gadget's machines. These are machines that do a job that other tools can do but they do it better! Have loads of fun!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Sometimes a speciality tool came make everything better.

[@Chris65018]

Well, I watched this video a number of times, found a machine on Market Place and bought it today. Really looking forward to this new tool. Thanks for another great video. One question, where do you find your sanding pads?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I buy them on amazon. Send me an email and ill send you the link of exactly what I bought. If I try to post it here it will get caught up in the spam filter.

[@jasondelgatty3583]

Great video thank you. Answered alot of questions.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked it.

[@manisteerocks7092]

So that's the big secret!!..nice!!!...more shop toys!!..love it!..and you can use it for more than just thunder eggs correct?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

You can use it for other things that are big, of course the risk is always overheating smaller stuff when working dry.

[@manisteerocks7092]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding definitely,I didn't think about that

[@kenskill3201]

That is one cool tool

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Oh yeah, the speed is awesome!

[@RagnarRocks]

I'm confused on why the machine was not designed with the motor upside down so you could use it more like a flat lap, using the gravity and weight of the rock to your advantage.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm thinking that the machine has this design so in the event that you loose a grip on a rock it doesn't get launched across the room like it would if the motor was upside down. Better to have the rock fall down than have it fall on a spinning disc.

[@RagnarRocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Makes sense, would be interesting to try it. Maybe you can make some kind of jig to hold it.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Something like that could work for sure. I also think a DIY one could be mounted on the side so you still have the safety aspect of just letting go and it will drop but you could also lean into it a little bit.

[@thegemgarden2757]

I believe it is designed inverted to a regular flat lap is because of the reasons stated in the beginning. Loose particles falling on a flat lap and onto the surface is common in most lapping processes. Not such a big deal in the lower grits but in the 600 and above a stray agate particle can result in going back to lower grits to remove. Inverted the particles fall down not on the surface your working.

[@dustinfindsrocks]

Good stuff! That’s what I need! I have lots of druse pieces with grease agate bands that are HUGE!!!

[@dustinfindsrocks]

Great not grease 🤦‍♂️

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Haha, yeah man the speed is nice for the bigger things.

[@zaugitude]

Cool! I had one given to me a while back. Mine is quite a bit older (white with blue speckles) but exactly the same design. I have changed the disc to a hook and loop one to make it easier to change grits. Nice to see that the dust collection design is so effective as I have yet to get it set up to use. There was also a foot pedal switch with mine that I think will be convenient and also safer. I may wire it in so the switch energizes the pedal and the vacuum, so I am not making the vacuum turn on and off so often. Good to see you wear a mask as even small amounts of silica dust is very dangerous and may not show up as an issue until years later. For silica dust a mask needs to be at least N95. I was also lucky enough to get one of the polishers too. I have tried it and the leather pad works quite well.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

You should really fire it up! I would love to hear how you like the hook and loop. I think both have an up side.

[@michaelvandyke]

That's why I dislike "Lucky Strike" eggs.... Great video, on the RR sander..

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I know.... They can be really hard to work with.

[@dandickinson1003]

Wow 3 mins that’s so cool! How would the sander do on other types of rocks like quartz? I hope you show a video of the buffing wheel when you get it.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I should have been more clear there, the speed aspect depends on what you're starting with. So if you have rough rock or something cut on a tile saw with deep saw marks its going to take a lot longer vs. a nice matte finish off of a saw. I will be making a video about the buffer I build as well.

[@rebeccaofsunnybrookefarm8469]

Awesome... and I'd probably move it outside because it distributes the noise.. because ears are important too.. Envious my friend.

[@BackcountrywithShaughn]

Happy Tuesday sir, thanks for sharing a really well thought out and put together demonstration of the high speed sander!✔ 👍 The video itself was excellent with good camera angles. Thank you!!! Also, you used an excellent example of one of the Lucky Strick eggs with moss plume and waterline combined. Really great piece IMO!!!😎 I agree, the Richardson's High speed sander truly is the fastest way from A-B on thundereggs that I've found myself and very affordable for the long haul. (the only caveat is its really aggressive and tends to generate a lot of heat on the material so that means NO OPAL) If my memory serves me right, John over at Richardson's said he'd grind at just three levels: 80, 220, 400 then take em strait to the leather buffing wheel with cerium oxide at 12,000 grit and get really excellent quality.🧐 I altered my own series for polishing larger eggs (2" diameter and larger) and go 60, 120, 220, 400 and then to the buffing wheel at 12,000.🤔 I have personally used this tool on geodes as well with decent results. (just make sure its chalcedony around the edges and not quartz as the quarts will heat crack and shatter) I still polish small eggs on the cabbing wheel but may try a new tool that I'm hoping is added to my arsenal soon, we'll see!🤷‍♂️😁 haha I've got an expert out checking on it for me and we'll see how it goes~ Talk again soon my friend, hope you and Sara have an excellent day and week ahead!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Oh man, now I need to break out some common opal I don't care about and see what happens to it! Next step for me is that slow buffing wheel. I hope you have a good week as well.

[@BackcountrywithShaughn]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I got a couple big eggs outta the polka dot mine the day they found the seam and the two I cut are filled with just plain white opal (not the white polymer like material I find in waterline agate)...tried polishing a half and it just crumbled away as the opal heated up. Now they sit outside along the walkway up to my front door unpolished~ ☹ so sad~

[@spetkovsek57]

Shaughn, Shaughn, Sahughn. You can do Opal. You just have to not let the piece get hot. Use a light touch, only make a few passes, then spray a little water on the piece. I've seen your work, I know you can do it. 🙂

[@BackcountrywithShaughn]

@@spetkovsek57 Hey Stephen, great to hear from you! Hope you had a super nice holiday season. Thanks for the nice vote of confidence and advice on working the opal~👍 I have polished up some opalized wood from Saddle Mountain to a nice finish in the past and some of the opalized agate (wood) material from McDermitt but the opal thundereggs have been more difficult. 🤔 I ended up moving those eggs onto the cabbing wheel to finish and still ended up cracking/flaking a few. 🤬 Also have noted, my opal eggs that I polished say 5-6 years ago now have all crazed and just are breaking apart into little crumbles~ 😢Ugh hahaha Hope to cya at the next meeting sir! have a super day~

[@sandmaker]

I have been there several times. It looks like a great machine for eggs. I would add a 1200 and 3000 grit to your ensemble and a felt pad that you can add the cerium to. That's the last three on my grinding wheels. The polishing pad is sticking out past my last wheel. All my cabs come out mirror finish. The. Process should be the same. The felt pad you might have to x the center with a knife for the bolt. Be happy, safe and stay safe. 😷⚒

[@assmaster420]

300ish grit is what Richardsons uses for their final sanding, then on the buffing wheel with cerium. he laughed at me for going to 600 then cerium- which i still do for a liquid polish

[@douglasbernick5908]

Cool I totally want to get one of those two and yeah it’s much faster than any other machine out there because the people who made it actually polish rocks for a living. Yeah I also I’m trying to make a polishing desk with a burger pad and I have some plans on how to make a really cool one just need some time and pull out my welder and you’re busy. Good luck be safe see you on your next video.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I would love to see what you make.

[@ssteele1812]

I was actually thinking/planning to make attachments for my small wood lathe so that I can polish slabs and eggs. Looks like I was on the right track. Of course, mine would be perpendicular to the ground. I was also thinking about getting the slightly larger pads and disk but then that "flying box knife" of an edge would be going even faster.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I would love to see what you come up with if you would be willing to email me a photo when you're done with it.

[@theTrueOverlord]

Thats a awesome idea, you could toss on a drill chuck :)

[@patrickkillilea5225]

I've never even sanded a rock, but from watching, I could suggest you might try, using a Dremel Tool, maybe with a wire wheel, to carefully remove some of the loose material along the very edge, before sanding. Might help to keep it off of the pad... maybe.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I've tried just a normal wire brush and it just kinda keeps coming you know.

[@patrickkillilea5225]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I got caught up in watching. I like the sander pad being on top like that, good set up to combat the debris, falling up, on the face. . Pretty cool everything you guys have going!!!

[@patrickkillilea5225]

Don't fear the Reaper!

[@yoopermann7942]

wooo hooo!! a new machine to improve your work!! i have a question about that thunder egg,, have you made any slabs or cabs out of them? did they crumble like the out side did? just wondering,, great video info

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I haven't made any slabs or cabs from these.

[@Lunchmeat_Larry]

Thank you for making this video! I recently purchased one of these sanders second-hand for a really good deal. The only problem with it as far as I can tell is that it’s missing the bottom nut that holds the sanding discs to the backing plate. Without that nut I haven’t been able to use the machine yet. In your video, you mentioned that some folks had converted their sanders to accept hook & loop discs. To me, this seems like the way to go for quicker disc changes. Aside from the additional cost of hook & loop discs, what are the drawbacks to converting to hook & loop? What am I missing? Is this something you have since done, or plan on doing with your machine? Thanks for your help!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked the video. The way I use this machine and the way many other people use it is in working with batches, you do ten rocks at 80 grit and so on, so you're not changing the disc that much really. The hook & loops discs do cost more, and I suspect they also do not produce a super flat finished rock since they will have a little bit of squish to them. I have no plans on making that change to the machine.

[@crystalminerrocks6122]

Thanks for the demo. I am now exploring how to adapt it to my bench grinder. I see 2 threaded set screws on the shaft. when loosened, does the whole black piece come out or is it in 2 pieces? are the 2 screws just safety and the black rubber unscrews out?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Yes it is pretty much a coupler.

[@krackenagate5606]

would you suggest having a cup of water on hand to help cool down the stone ? Im having an issue where the edges seem to chip off.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

You will want to do something like that if you're trying to do some some smaller stones. Generally this machine should only be used with rocks large enough to be it's own heatsink.

[@daizamaker-jerrybraswell1997]

Where do I find the 7” pad to convert to hook and loop?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm not really sure. I know a few people have done that but I haven't really looked into a whole lot.

[@magapickle01]

Nice thing when u cut you r finger with the paper it doesn't hurt right away ... It takes a day or two later then hurts like scorpion sting for a few days

[@janvafa9959]

Wondering why you don’t ‘stabilize’ the matrix before polishing… or is that not possible? (I know they do this with some fossils they are afraid of breaking…)

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That could work I think, however I just don't have the stuff to do that.

[@stuartkeithguitars4251]

Now....imagine the ability to automatically change tools so you can use the next grit. Also....imagine the ability to approach the piece with the sanding discs and program virtually every way in which it approaches and sets down on the piece. Then imagine complete control of the rpm, the duration of the process, and the pattern with which the sanding occurs. I have all that with large cnc machines. I'm just in the process of developing the tooling for holding the material. That quite a project due to the various shapes of rocks. The best method is molding an epoxy base that contains threaded holes. The rock is glued into the base. You bolt the base to the rig and then cut whatever slabs you want. Then, in the slab polishing operation I assume two sided tape will be enough to hold the piece...but if not....the backup plan would be to develop a large, flat, vibration table to do several pieces at once. Developing the tooling is the fun part of this for me.

[@magapickle01]

My favorite machine in my collection . Except when smoking a little herb . Then it gets a little scary ... POP ! Vvvzzzzzzz

[@jacobcorreia3147]

coarse grained thundereggs are pretty difficult to polish in general, so it takes a bit of practice i suppose. did you compared the other rock polishing machines before you bought the richardson's ranch high speed sander? I've been looking at vibrating lapidary machines and the flat lapidary machines, along with the richardsons ranch high speed sander as there is a lot of pros and cons to all of them.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

So I have looked at I think everything there is and I can see the upsides to all of them but what I wanted was something that I could polish something at least 8"-10", it needs to be fast like under 10 minutes, and I wanted it to be under $400 and well since this was used it was a lot less than that. The vibrating laps like Covington makes I think would be a great option but its a full day thing of babysitting it, cleaning, changing grits...etc. I just wanted something fast and this really fill that void.

[@jacobcorreia3147]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I see. I've been told by a few friends that have more commercial lapidary operations that the vibrating laps are the best quality polish, and you can kind of just let them go if you weigh down what you're polishing. I can definitely see the price point and time investment difference though. When you make your polishing wheel, you should make a tutorial, if that's what you're going to go for!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

@@jacobcorreia3147 Oh I'm not saying that the vibratory laps are not good. They produce a great finish for sure. I think there's a time and place for everything. This is clearly faster, then those other machines, maybe that doesn't matter and maybe it does. Personally after doing rock tumbling I really don't enjoy messing with and buying all the grits...etc. Oh I will be making a polishing wheel.

[@timhansen2577]

I acquired a shopsmith with a 12" sanding disc... I've been using it for woodworking, but may be switching it over to rocks today! You think having a steel sanding disc would be a problem, or should I go with a rubber floor sanding deal? It has the same arbor as the one you are using

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

The only disadvantaged I can think of would be that steel disc heating up.

[@daizamaker-jerrybraswell1997]

What grits do u use?

[@daizamaker-jerrybraswell1997]

Sorry, found it in the video

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Did you watch the video? I say what I have in it.

[@yakmedic8511]

Retired paramedic here, I don’t want to be “that guy” but I would like to share my feeling about gloves and high speed spinning tools. Just don’t do it. Yes if you touch your finger to the edge of the sanding pad you will get cut, need stitches and possibly even lose a chunk of meat. On the other hand (so to speak) I have treated multiple patients that had their hand absolutely destroyed when the glove they were wearing got tangled around a spinning shaft or disk. Your soft tender thumb will get cut, however the much tougher material of the glove can get caught and start twisting, crushing and twisting the finger(s) inside. Best case you will need stitches, worst case you may end up missing a finger or two. More likely the finger will be twisted to the point that it will fracture and dislocate requiring surgery to repair and take months to heal with the possibility of nerve and tendon/ligament damage that can lead to long term functional impairment. That being said, you do you. I just wanted to share my thought based on my personal experiences. You have great channel and I wish I knew about all of the great eastern Washington rockhounding sites you have shown before I moved over to the west side. Keep up the good work.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I respect your opinion on the subject but when it comes to the subject of gloves and spinning tools the answer for what you should and shouldn't can not be general, it must be specific to the tool. I think think of a lot of tools where gloves are a bad idea such as a table saw and a good idea such as an angel grinder with a wire wheel where the fear is loose wires being thrown from the wheel and in to the users hands. In the case of this high speed sander the issue is with cutting yourself on the edge of the wheel and not your hand getting sucked into the machine. Real safety advice comes from real life experiences, fake safety advice comes from lawyers that print "USE WITH SAFETY GLASSES" on a screw driver. At least that's my take away on it.

[@joniangelsrreal6262]

🌟 👏👏

[@KatyDidRocks]

Wow, great new tool! #ImNotJealous

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think this would be a great winter DIY project for you and Jim.

[@CanadianBandito]

Trim the outer edge of the pad

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That is an option but when you look at the number of sanding pads used it becomes less practical.

[@WaltSorensen]

Spinning tools and gloves are a no in my book. Too much risk for the glove to get caught and pulling your hand into the tool. Not sure of how to make it safer maybe a large dop stick.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Repeating safety talking points is a no in my book. Do you have a Richardson's sander? Have you used it with and without gloves? Tools where getting cut or grinding into you fingers gloves are fine things where you could get wrapped up into it is not fine.

[@WaltSorensen]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I do have a richardson's sander. I haven't used it yet, I'm working on understanding best practices for use while I'm building out a new workshop. But, I have used a lot of grinders and regular hand held 7" sanders/grinders for metal work along with lathes, mills, drills, saws. my lapidary experience is currently limited to saws and cabbing equipment.