Supply request - Lapidary

Jewelry Discussion
1

Good day all in Orchid land- I am trying my hand at polishing /
cutting some stones and am in search of a supply house which offers
tools for the flex shaft that will allow to polish / carve. I have
seen rubber disks mounted on a mandrel which one applies pre-adhesive
grits of sanding paper(?). I have tried the few houses that offer
lapidary supplies but, to no avail. Any and all help would be most
grateful.

Barbara Smith McLaughlin - Handcrafted Jewelry
166 Portsmouth Ave
Stratham, NH 03885
603-772-2633
www.barbarasmithmclaughlin.com
bsm@barbarasmithmclaughlin.com

2

Barb, Have you tried Graves Lapidary in Pompano Beach, FL? They
have kits on page 42 of their catalog that are specifically meant for
the carver. Call them at 1-800-327-9103 and ask for Matt or Peter.
Tell em I sent you!

Cheers from Don at The Charles Belle Studio in SOFL where simple
elegance IS fine jewelry! @coralnut2

3

Hi Barb, I saw a demo recently by gem carver Michael Dyber. He uses
a fixed arbor but makes his own carving points and charges them with
diamond and polishes. With your tool making capabilities, this
should be a piece of cake!
Lapidary Journal - Jewelry Making, Jewelry Arts, Gems, Beads, B&B, Minerals and More is an article from
Lapidary Journal where he discusses making his tools.

Linda

4

If you are serious about polishing, I would go with diamond
materials. There are velcro backed discs for air tools and I would
suggest you contact A Cut Above 800-444-2999 Steve or Gary) to see
if they have anything in an 1/8th in shaft size. Also Kingsely (Boy
I cannot find it or get a good URL for them with this name, but they
do have a lot of variety in stone tools) If you really want their
name/address/URL let me know and I will go to my shop and find a
catalog. Also a search at

http://www.thomasregister.com//SearchListing.aspx?search_type=product&search_string=lapidary+equipment&pn=43251800&sort=0&page=1&sid=0308180302500000020011BW2&uuid=TR5036058

will give you a number of diamond cutting tool manufacturers if you
want to try.

Or posting to a rockhounds group might get you a lot of good info.
Here is one: Rockhounds@drizzle Mailing List
http://www.drizzle.com/~afox/rockhounds Subscription Services:
http://lists.drizzle.com/mailman/listinfo/rockhounds
http://www.covington-engineering.com

Hope this helps a bit.
John Dach

5 
Also Kingsely (Boy I cannot find it or get a good URL for them
with this name, but they do have a lot of variety in stone tools) 

the URL is http://www.kingsleynorth.com/
6

Hello to all in Orchid land

I wanted to say thank you to all who have responded both here and
directly to me with I have a number of sources now for
my flex shaft needs, which will allow me to polish and carve with!
Thank you Hanuman …this is one awesome forum!!

Barbara Smith McLaughlin - Handcrafted Jewelry
166 Portsmouth Ave
Stratham, NH 03885
603-772-2633
www.barbarasmithmclaughlin.com
bsm@barbarasmithmclaughlin.com