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 Post subject: aluminum swarf on batt lap
PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 9:18 am 
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Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am
Posts: 1322
Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
I have been practicing an oval cut on CZ mounted on an aluminum mandrel. I ended up cutting and polishing the mandrel when I did the girdle. (more than once)
I am using a new dominatrix lap from GEARLOOSE. I can see some swarf in the pre-polish band.
Do I need to send the lap back to GEARLOOSE and have him re-surface it?

I have charged the prepolish with 3000 diastik a few times, and used a separate piece of loose CZ to try and work the swarf out. I have polished in CW and CCW direction. I have tried LAVA soap, and a green pot scrubber with the disk spinning.
Any other recommendations (other that do not do it again)?

I have a few mandrels with brass tips, if I hit the brass, would it have been a problem?

I plan to cut a few ovals, and want to find out the right way to do it.
Do I need to pre-shape the mandrel for making an oval cut?


Thanks for your time.... they did say that this was the beginner area.....


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 Post subject: Re: aluminum swarf on batt lap
PostPosted: Mon Jul 08, 2013 8:50 pm 
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Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:50 pm
Posts: 299
Location: Virginia, USA
If by "mandrel" you mean "dop," the solution is to always use a dop with a diameter half or 1/3 the width of the intended smallest dimension of the finished stone. Use the same cylindrical dops for ovals as for rounds or squares. You really don't want to touch the lap with the dop, whether brass or aluminum, but it's more damaging to the dop than to the lap. If you keep using 3K diamond on the pre-polish ring, you should have no trouble, and the bit of aluminum rubbed off onto the lap will eventually go away.

BTW, most of the time you will get the best answers to lapidary questions on the lapidary corner. :)

Dick D.


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 Post subject: Re: aluminum swarf on batt lap
PostPosted: Tue Jul 09, 2013 8:35 am 
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Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:00 am
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Location: Wylie Texas but in Alaska for a while
Thanks for the time and advice. As you can tell, I am a newbe. I am just learning about faceting as well as this forum and where to post things. Thanks again.


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