Stone Spheres- The Easy Way

[@sandordugalin8951]

"Wanna make a stone sphere but don't have thousands of dollars for a sphereing rig? Well you're in luck... all you need is thousands of dollars in other machienery."

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

Hundreds of dollars in other machinery, but point taken. A lathe/ rock tumbler are much more versatile than a sphere machine too. I'm working on an even cheaper way to do this so I'll let you know how that turns out

[@sandordugalin8951]

@@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts sorry, I was just being a smartass. I'm totally going to borrow my friends lathe and drill press to try this. I hope it works out.

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk Here you go, now everyone can make spheres!

[@StephenBoyd21]

Exactly what I thought. I guess it’s being ironic.

[@olheghtt]

Exactly

[@recyclerman1]

Great video.. Really enjoyed watching the process..

[@TheALTGaming]

Super informative and also great production quality man, thanks for uploading

[@whatthefunction9140]

I like your style sir👍 👌 👏 🙏 🙌 💯

[@chloebishop481]

You can also make a stone sphere with just a drill and a hole saw. Roughly shape the stone into a spherical shape, then use hole saw to smooth it out and at final stage roll it in the hole saw by hand like when making a ball out of silly putty

[@roshifugai8113]

Dude you absolutely deserve the Nobel Prize for this shit

[@timothywhieldon1971]

HOW is using a skill that is learned from others that have been doing this for a VERY LONG TIME worthy of a NOBEL PRIZE.. explain it to me. maybe your standards of amazement are a bit lower than most?!

[@MichiganRocks]

That's a really cool method. Unfortunately I don't have a lathe. I'd also be worried about using water on a lathe that isn't made for water. Did you find it hard to dry it all off well so it wouldn't rust? Also, did you have a problem getting the lathe to bite into the rock to hold it well?

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

Yeah, the water/rust is a problem. You'd have to be very meticulous with a quality lathe to make sure you got everything dry. This is a harbor freight lathe I specifically bought for stone so I know it's going to rust. It doesn't effect the functionality of the lathe though. The chuck holds really well too, never had anything fall off yet.

[@MichiganRocks]

@@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts That's good to know if I decide to give this a shot. I am hesitant to buy stuff from Harbor Freight, but for something like this, it might be the perfect thing. If I ruin it, at least I'm not out a ton of money. Thanks for the answer!

[@joannelapointe835]

What would be the maximum size of sphere you can make this way? I’ve been looking and this is the best I’ve seen so far but I’m wondering about size?

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

The max that would fit into the tumbler would probably be 3 inches. The max you could fit on the lathe would be 10-12" and then polish by hand. I have plans to do a big sphere but other things keep getting in the way

[@aliasrob]

Does this work with clear Quartz?

[@yassineyass3538]

Nice vide❤ but how is this a buisnnes it take forever to make do you actualy make money with thia production method ?

[@HoboMinerals]

Excellent video! Thank you so much for sharing this

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

You're welcome! I made a new video with some cheaper tools that should be easier for most people to make. Check it out kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk

[@lapismosi8065]

💙I love your videos 🩵They're very informative. 💙I've wondered for years how the process is accomplished.🩵

[@Krakataustone]

what the white thing that you use beside silicone carbide grit 500, Sir?

[@Drions_]

What's the name of this machine? I wanna know

[@daisydog388]

Just came accross your videos on youtube, how would you make a cup with handles out of hard stone like granite or diorite. I love pre dynastic Egypt bowls, im curious how someone who knows rocks would make what they made 6,000+ years ago. Thanks

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

I'd do it like this kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnSWi5J6d9N2ppo&pp=ygUgc2NpZW50aXN0cyBhZ2FpbnN0IG15dGhzIGRpb3JpdGU%3D

[@julienp4421]

Hi Could you give more details about the polishing process please ? Machine model, what is the white thing that looks like rice ? Thanks a lot :-)

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

You actually did it! That's sweet! The tumbler I have is the Raytech Tumble Vibe and the white stuff is ceramic tumbling media

[@Maybe-You-Know-Me-Not]

Saw it done with a cordless drill and hands on.

[@TheRogueRockhound]

cool bro

[@DarkChaos87]

But I don't have any of those tools. Just a 6" cabking and a 1lb and 2lb rolling tumbler.... Would like to make spheres "by hand"

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

I think you could use this method to shape the sphere then use your cab king to polish it up. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk

[@DarkChaos87]

@@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts that actually put ideas in my brain. Got a drill and impact. Just the water part will have to figure something out. I'm a stickler for my tools, especially when it snows for 6-10 months 🤣.

[@cinciao5692]

Thanks for the video! How do you like your vibratory tumbler? Been looking for one and haven't found any besides the Lot-O.

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

The Raytech TV 10 has been good, I'm really happy with it Pros- -It's in stock, no waiting for months -Clear lid so you can see how the rocks are tumbling without shutting it off -Pretty quiet, I had it running in the same room and was able to take phone calls without the other person complaining. The small tumbling media probably helped with that though. Cons- -It comes equipped with a drain line that the grit accumulated in. I think it's primarily for metal polishing instead of rock tumbling. I removed it and put a blanking bolt/nut in the hole. -Had to add a second rubber bonded washer inside the tumbler to prevent slurry from draining down the center post.

[@Jagdtyger2A]

I hate to tell you this, but granite polishes to mirror smoothness. But with a hardness of 7 or higher, you need either carborundum or diamond polishing media. I know this, as I used to work in a granite shop programming ad operating CNC stone shaping and polishing machines

[@skeets6060]

What kind of hole saw are you using ?

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

Just a cheap amazon version, I made a new video explaining the process with some cheaper tool and gave links to everything. Check it out and let me know what you think! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk

[@Lampada_granit]

Cool

[@jeremyochoa6102]

The granite will polish just as much as any other stone 👊🏻 just needs more time or a greater variety of grits ! Awesome Work , is that a standard lathe or is it retro fitted to go slower ?

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

Thanks for watching! What process do you use for granite in the tumbler? I left it in there for a long time and the softer areas kept getting more under cut. The lathe is modified to run slower than stock, I think from Harbor Freight the lowest it will go is 600 rpm which is too fast. I made some modifications so it can get down to single digit rpm.

[@GlacialErratic]

you need to impregnate the rough sphere with an epoxy specific to lapidary work, I forget the name off hand. It is available at any reputable lapidary site or shop. Then polish as normal through the series of grits. The polishing time you mentioned seemed kinda long. 2-6 hours should be enough in each grit, depending on hardness of the stone. If it is taking longer, you may need to refresh the grit. IMHO @@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts

[@zakzmcase4007]

What was the rpm were you using?

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

For the lathe, under 100rpm. For the drill press in the range of 4000 rpm I think

[@zakzmcase4007]

@@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts thank u I want to build one. Looks super cool

[@julienp4421]

Tip : At first i hand turn the lathe until there are no more corners on the rock and then i can turn on the lathe.

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

This is a great tip, I actually made a video with an unpowered spindle that you just turn it by hand the whole time. It makes the cost of the tools way cheaper. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk

[@austinsolo3135]

As someone who works with granite, what do you think about some of the evidence for machining marks on a lot of ancient megalithic structures? Tube drills and massive saws seem to have been used

[@juliesczesny90]

Simply watch how people make duplicates out of pink marble, etc. with simple hand tools. You will always find: harder tools made of rock, hammer, chisels. Sometimes water. What about it being Geothermal Concrete? That sets in place, you only need wooden or reed forms, to use over and over! Ingredients, like: Gypsum: lime; sand; ash?

[@plywoodcarjohnson5412]

Cool! There is stone varnish, but maybe you don't like that? I varnish everything with eight layers.

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

What kind of varnish do you use, I know most of the shaped stone in rock shops is just varnished but I don't actually know what they use. I made a new version of this video with cheaper tools that I mentioned clear coating but I don't like the look of it that much. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk

[@TheDeerInn]

That's how I made my machine to make them.

[@kallepetterilampi5480]

That is way better than Chinese stone beads. Chinese: heat treat, bleach stones and fill all tiny cracks with epoxy resin glue. Chinese bead stones are all man altered to different color and appearance from stone's original state.

[@musiqrocks92]

Pretty sure a lathe, a drill press, and a hole saw still cost thousands of dollars.

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

Here you go bud, 60 bucks and a sphere can be yours kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZzKp4KMnLhmfNk

[@willboudreau1187]

Yeah but who wants to really Funk up their power tools with stone dust, sorry, this video is a major fail

[@SSchus87]

Waaaaaaay too much grit. My 3 lb vibe tumbler gets a tablespoon. And not even a full tablespoon. You made it too sludgy.

[@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts]

I'm still learning haha. As you can see from how clean the tumbler was at the beginning, this was my first time using it

[@gauravnalwaya8274]

I want to learn the polishing process​@@Bison_Hill_Stonecrafts

[@GreenGrow-ck3pg]

Y⁰ rịggĥţ' ª a drill press is 200 & a lathẹ is 400. Tumbler 50, polishing compounds 100, drill bit 80 when I say 80 I mean home depot. Temu ebay is a joke dipped in sand paited silver. I'll sped 80. I have a old drill to make a geto lathe & a router u can set up along with some cheap asz granite polishing pads for a drill from temu ill lyk how they work