I used a simple spring clamp to further my goal of polishing more at my bench. I’ve found some nice size wheels I can use with my flex shaft. You can see so much better and it’s more precise with the smaller wheels. Kinda dig it. I’ll throw up a pic of my specs that I made from reading glasses. I couldn’t work without them.
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Wow. So you made triple stack readers. Well done! That took some time to balance out the lenses & make the hinged holders.
Work time is cheap. I considered them necessary.
Very cool Shannon!
I am 63 with no correction other than some magnification. I think you have a product here I would buy.
Been doing similar mods but nothing as outstanding as yours.
Best Regards
Franz
PS All my final finishing on important stuff gets done at the bench with my ottor flex. Note respirator required.
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Thanks Franz
I’ll have to look up an otter flex
Also I have a flexible suction tube and catch at my bench that draws stuff away from my face.
These magnifies are the most useful thing I’ve made. I use them every day. My microscope is nice too.
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OMG those glasses are amazing! I wear readers over my prescription glasses which everyone thinks is so funny.
Cant see how you hinged the glasses please put up a diagram. or better yet sell them
Thanks Michelle
I really can’t understand why anyone likes to polish at the bench. There are certain things that have to done at the bench, but for the most part a polishing lathe makes a whole lot more sense to me. I guess my question is why strive to polish everything at the bench?
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Issue is being able to accurately see what’s going on when you polish. The big buffing machine is hard to cut into tight places with a little older eyes and I’ve constructed some buffers for my flex shaft that I can do comfortably with magnified vision. Just a natural progression for me. Still use the buffer for cruder overall polishing. I do a lot of custom and need to get into tight places and up to edges. Easy easier at the bench but I needed more useful buffs. That’s what I’ve been making recently. Love it
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As I said there are some things best done on the bench. In my experience I find the polishing lathe, even with smaller buffs - I can polish much faster. It sounds like you do some of yours on the polisher as well. I can also
“blind lap” with a felt wheel, which is difficult to do at the bench. I’ve got old eyes as well but I polish on the buffer with my optivisor. It occurred to me that I polish quite a few pieces at a time, several hours at a time. If you’re doing custom I would think that you only do a couple at a time. That makes sense, polishing at the bench for a piece or two.
How do other jewelers feel about it?
I long ago decided to leave the basic polishing to machines. I researched mass finishing and use it for nearly everything. It is certainly better for your health. If you spend some time learning what’s possible, you will no longer find the need to sit at your bench or stand at the polishing motor to get a very good finish. If you are doing $100,000 pieces, that may not work for you, but for small shops doing custom work, it is worth investigating. I wrote a little book on the subject - Rio Grande and Otto Frei sell it.
Judy Hoch
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This is what the hinge is made with. The rest is stainless welding wire. Just clips on the glasses but would have to be made for each individual pair.
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Hi Judy
I´m trying hardly to contact you. I´m installing my very first shop of jewelry in Peru, And i want to buy your book, do you have a digital version? Nor Rio Grande or Otto frei have it in digital.
My email: davidchav@gmail.com
My Jewelry: sophiajoyas.com
Thanks in advance
Best Regards
David