Here be dragons!

crystella333

crystella333

New member
Hehe no worries Karrie, real life is more important and I've been busy myself (travelling here and there) Will get in touch very soon about the horses, working on one atm :) need to use some liquid green stuff on the mane and to make a new tail.
 
S

Scalpel

New member
my reaction to your dragon...

jawdrop.gif


It's simply fantastic. With regard to breaking the smaller gems; what size are you looking at and is precision required, or are you simply after a random shard effect?
 
kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
lol! I like Sebastian! And thank you very much - I'm glad you like the dragon. I'm trying to get the pieces in the same shape roughly as that first picture I posted for the spines. Most of the stuff I got is the right shape but they're just a shade too big and unlike the Selenite I can't break the gold stuff with my fingers. I don't really care for using the old sprue cutters but that's all I have. I don't have any lapidary tools. Breaking them with a hammer is too risky. lol!
 
S

Scalpel

New member
I wouldn't suggest a big hammer, but have you used a pin hammer before? It, with a small enough chisel, may allow enough control to get the effect/size you need... I could ask Emma's uncle, who is a jeweller, he may have an idea no one hear has suggested. If you want me to could you repost the name of the crystal you want to query?
 
kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
Hey Scalpel - no I've never used a pin hammer before and I don't have any chisels. I wouldn't even know where to start looking as I live in a small town. The gems I had to buy online because there is NOTHING around here. lol!

If you could ask I would sincerely appreciate it! That would be so awesome! I don't know anyone who is a jeweler and while there are a couple of stores I could go to and ask advice or suggestions, most would think I'm nuts. ;)

And maybe this will help too:

DSCF7754.JPG


Okay the two big chunks at the top are Citrine. I'd have to dig up my receipt to find specifics but while they are way too big, I got 60 grams plus two other large bags of semi-precious stones for almost nothing. Seriously, I paid $1.85 for them and $5 shipping. That's it. I know they must be crap quality but since I'm not actually making jewelry, quality isn't a huge deal for me. But these are the ones I thought about taking a hammer to. lol!

Now the next two rows are Golden Imperial Topaz. As you can see, these are very close to what I need. In fact the very bottom row is almost perfect. The two on the left are just the right size. But the other five on the right are close but just a bit big. Those I was going to try to take my old sprue cutter and see if I could something with them. I tried sanding but they are so small I can't hold onto them.

The middle row would need work and I don't know if my sprue cutter would help or make matters worse. These come in a small "gemstone" bottle. Basically if you glue the top on, you can run a string through the top and wear it as a necklace. While these are great for size, and very inexpensive all things considered, the larger stones above are the most economical.

So for the dragon's spines, those are what I need help with.

I also have some Black Kyanite - aluminum silicate which would be really cool but again they are large chunks. On the package it has the hardness listed as 4-5 lengthwise and 6-7 crosswize - so that's a no brainer. But what to use to break it apart, I have no idea. Being a silicate, something tells me that grinding or sanding would not be a good idea unless I'm wearing a respirator graded for that particle size. lol! But I could be wrong.

If I did use a hammer and chisel on any of these pieces, what do I do to keep it from flying and ultimately vanishing?

Anyway, thanks so much for the help Scalpel! I will be eternally grateful!!!!
 
S

Scalpel

New member
Right, had a chat with the missus and as it turns out he didn't do the gem cutting and shaping module of the course... however, I'll get in touch and see if he can offer any suggestions being in the jewellery trade.

With that in mind I do have a few suggestions; firstly though, a pin hammer is a hammer with a head that weights a mere 100g (3.5 oz) and should be obtainable from any DIY store (hardware store) worth it's salt.
Secondly I'd be tempted to use a clear tape to prevent loss of crystal through inadvertent flight before attempting any use of force. You may find taping them down to your cutting mat is the best way forward.

Get a small chisel, probably ebay... (http://www.ebay.com/itm/15pcs-Steel...47765370?pt=AU_Hand_Tools&hash=item35b3ad997a) that's the first set that appeared with the search "hobby chisels" and may be suitable. Based on previous stone carving advice from a friend (unfortunately passed on last year so no chance of advice there I'm afraid, :( ) short sharp shocks should split with best results...

Remember when doing this wear eye protection, as the last thing I want is you to damage your eyes through airborne minerals. Another option may be a dremmel type multitool (http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw...dremmel&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313) it appears you guys call them moto-tools, it can be fitted with a flexible extension and used with grinding heads and mini cutting discs, etc, etc...

Anyway I've waffled on for a bit, and probably bored everyone senseless, but I hope some of this helps. I'll get in touch with Emma's uncle and see if he can suggest anything better.


IGNORE THE ATTACHED IMAGE, I screwed up there lol
 
kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
Thanks Scalpel! Yes, any suggestions are most appreciated. I've tried searching the net but looking up lapidary tools or gem cutting slams me with sales of these huge expensive machines. I haven't had time to slog through them to find the stuff I really need.

Okay, this is a very small town but we have four DIY stores, plus Walmart. lol! So I should be able to find a pin hammer at one of them. ;)

Taping is a great suggestion! And yes, I have both a dremel and eye protection so worry not over that. I can't purchase anything right now but have a model horse show this weekend, if I make any sales, then I'm golden. I'm waffling myself on if I want to sell my pride and joy which is the horse in my avatar. But I have a standing offer from the judge who pinned her with Grand Champion of Show and cash is cash. lol! It just depends if the price is right I guess.

But that's neither here nor there, thanks for the suggestions! I'll give 'em a shot as soon as I can get the tools. In the meantime if you can get any feedback from your wife's uncle, that would be fantastic! Thanks again!
 
marjedi

marjedi

New member
I never ever thought i would read about the problems of trimming gemstones in a miniature painting forum...guess satan is in the market for some portable heaters since hell has frozen over lol
 
Tee999

Tee999

New member
hey Kat,
I work with a guy who is a jeweler hes got a huge collection of gems stones. he even cuts his own gems. real amazing stuff to see.
I will ask him tomorrow while I am at work and see what he suggests.

Tee
 
Meph

Meph

Cat-herder Extraordinaire
Go Tee! Everything depends on you. You're her only hope. Find the droids she's looking for.!
 
A

Arden Fell

New member
If I might make a suggestion for cutting and shapping the crystals wouldn't a Dremmel with some cutting discs be the best way of doing it?

Failing that hot glue the crystal to a dowel handle and use wet and dry sand paper on a flat surface and sand the stone down. Finish with some finer grade paper say 2000 grit or some car polish/cutting compound (like T-Cut) to bring out the stones clarity again.

Its looking good though so far.
 
kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
Thanks Arden! After looking at the ebay links Scalpel gave me, I saw the cutting disks. I don't know for sure if I can use the ones I already have - again hanging onto the gem would be a problem. I was thinking I might tape it down to a small piece of wood. If I go all the way around the wood once with the tape, I won't have to worry about it not sticking and I can cut the gem without worry about if I cut into the wood too. I'd cut length-wise, that way I wouldn't cut the edges of the tape, just down the middle. With the edges intact, the tape should still hold onto the now cut in half gem and I wouldn't have to worry about the pieces flying. I'd have to do this outside and if they go flying, I'll never find them.

I'll hold off for a little while to see if Tee's friend has any suggestions first.
 
Tee999

Tee999

New member
Hey Kat. Sorry for not getting a reply till now. Work was well Work. I guess that's why they call it work and not Fun :)
Anyway I showed my co-worker your thread and we talked about it for a while. What you would need to use to cut the shapes you are looking would be a semi-professional gem cutting saw. that uses water and or oil on the blade. He said you could use a dremel with a diamond tip if you also desired. You should also use water or oil to help cut with to keep the bit from getting too hot. after you cut them he said you would probably have to tumble them to get the shine back.

If you go the dremel route I got my bits from harbor freight.

http://www.harborfreight.com/5-piece-diamond-mini-cutting-discs-31501.html

I found a tumbler on amazon for 70.00

http://www.amazon.com/Rotary-Dual-T...1?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1319517338&sr=1-1

You would need to use oil or water to help cut with. Also you need to wear both eye and respiratory protection. gem dust is very bad for your lungs and eyes I guess :)

We went on to talk about gems and he said the thing with gems is they all have tiny cracks in them most you can see under a microscope. because of these cracks if you apply pressure and or hit them with a hammer they will shatter into smaller bits but not really give you the desired cut or size.

Hope this helps.

Tee
 
kathrynloch

kathrynloch

New member
Hi Tee! Thank you so much for the info and please tell your friend I said thank you as well. I'll definitely try the dremel route, those prices are good on Harbor Freight. (Now that I got my resale stuff, I've been in an email conversation with them so I don't get charged sales tax.lol!) The tumbler however is going to be out of reach for a time. I saw Harbor Freight also had a rotary tool on sale for under $10 with a crap load of attachments I could use. And the cheaper tool has less power so it might work for some more delicate work I need to do.

Thanks again for the info! I really appreciate it!
 
lopeets

lopeets

New member
I decided I wanted some itsy bitsy crystals to use for bases and spell effects and things, so I bought a kit like this: http://www.amazon.com/Space-Age-Crystals-13/dp/B001A47XUA

It takes like a week or two to grow them to full size if you want something several inches long, and its a little bit of a hassle to measure if you don't own a kitchen scale, but the advantage is being able to pull them out of the formula at the exact size you like.
 
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