Is there still a push to get an actual lapidary machine for grinding stone faces? I would like to start working with labradorite, which is hard enough to resist most tools. If there’s a more readily available way by all means save me from my ignorance, but if not I would like to see how many people also need this machine, and if its a serious enough consideration that one may be purchased. I figure the more people are in on it the cheaper it can be purchased, like any big item, but its still a pretty expensive thing to need.
So if anyone who knows what they are talking about (because I mostly don’t) could comment with your wisdom, it would be much appreciated.
This would be really nice but local gem & mineral clubs have lapidary equipment. Membership rates are very reasonable - about as much as one month of DMS for an entire year - and there are a lot of activities. I know Dallas Gem & Mineral club has a lot of equipment and I believe Arlington Gem & Mineral club has equipment as well.
Both do, but one is in the Garland are. a and the other one is in Arlington There is also the Creative
Arts Center in the White Rock area. There is not something as accessible an MS
I highly recommend joining the Arlington or Dallas Gem and Mineral Society to learn how to cut stones, polish and so forth. It’s super affordable and they run classes weekly to teach how to do lapidary work and provide a place you can go and use the equipment. The equipment is very expensive and it can be damaged easily so even at the Gem clubs there is a supervisor to help and also watch over it all. We use mostly diamond wheels to polish and if one person uses it in correctly it can ruin the wheels, etc. An All-U-Need flat lap machine is pretty reasonable and would work great but once again it has diamond laps and they can be easily damaged or rust of not properly cleaned and dried after use. I hope this helps
