January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
Welcome to the GemologyOnline.com Forum
A non-profit Forum for the exchange of gemological ideas
It is currently Tue Mar 19, 2024 2:56 am

All times are UTC - 4 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Cabbing, Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 10:59 am 
Offline
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type

Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:25 pm
Posts: 6
I was just wondering if there is somewhere to get a copy of Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology a little cheaper than $35. I am going to get it either way just hope to get it cheaper. I am 64yr old & on SS. Also what do I need to shape stones & do cabbing.
Have a dremel 3000, 1/2 drill, some grinding & cutting tools. I got interested in this when I stumbled upon an area that has a lot of different types of gemstones where I go walking sometimes. Can’t tell more.
Mostly need book & what I need for cabbing as cheap as possible but not necessarily the cheapest as long as I can do a decent job with it.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Cabbing, Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 11:54 am 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21600
Location: San Francisco
I may have one. Let me look around.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Cabbing, Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology
PostPosted: Fri Oct 13, 2017 4:08 pm 
Offline
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Mon Apr 02, 2012 9:31 pm
Posts: 4015
Location: North Carolina
The cheapest option (excluding things like doing it by hand on sandpaper, which I have done and do not recommend) is probably a flat lap unit like the all-u-need. Some people love this kind of setup--you basically have a motor pointing up or at an angle that you put flat discs on with different cutting grits. You would start out with a few grits of hard metal lap to rough the shape in and finish on softer laps to help smooth out flat spots. I have done a bit of this with star sapphires and it does work, some people love it, but it isn't my favorite.
The other major kind of setup uses the edge of vertical wheels as the cutting surface (like the Cabking or Genie). These are generally more expensive, and good wheels can be costly too, but they are nice for a few reasons, one being that you have all your different grits right there so you can take a cab from start to finish without turning the machine off or changing anything out. I also find getting a smooth surface by moving the stone over the wheel's surface a lot easier than doing the same with a flat lap, but others don't have this issue.
A good option is to find out if there is a local lapidary club with machines you could try out to get a sense of what you like.

_________________
Rough and cut classic and exotic synthetic gems:https://store.turtleshoard.com


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Cabbing, Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 3:32 pm 
Offline
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type

Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:25 pm
Posts: 6
Barbra Voltaire wrote:
I may have one. Let me look around.

Cool!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Cabbing, Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 3:41 pm 
Offline
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type

Joined: Mon Oct 02, 2017 12:25 pm
Posts: 6
I just learned what a lapidary is recently so I haven’t thought of that thanks. I live about 40-50 miles from Houston near Galveston.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Cabbing, Hanneman's Guide to Affordable Gemology
PostPosted: Sat Oct 14, 2017 7:20 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21600
Location: San Francisco
I don't find a club in Galveston but see if any of these are close to you:
http://www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/clubs/texas.shtml


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 6 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 4 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 4 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Gemology Style ported to phpBB3 by Christian Bullock