Making your own lapidary stones is not hard. Nowadays the art of polishing and cutting stone can be taken up by anyone with the right equipment. Once upon a time, obsidian and flint were classed as lapidary stone and were used to make tools and weapons. Times have changed and the stone is used these days to make jewelry and ornaments.
A long time ago they actually cut and shaped flint and obsidian on rocks. Times are different now and most artists have electronic machines to do their polishing and cutting. These modern devices work using pulleys, to which rubber or plastic drums are attached. It's these drums that turn the stones. This process is called tumbling. The tumbling process grinds and polishes the rocks.
If some rocks are too big to put into the drums they are broken up with a hammer. This can cause problems with splinters flying off and is rather dangerous. If you wrap the stone in cloth you'll get around this problem. The difficulty with this is the lack of control the artist has over the final shape of the rock. The material can also crack and splinter, which spoils the finished look.
Cutting the stone is a delicate task. You must choose the right blade, one that is sufficiently sharp and yet won't create too many rough edges on the stone. A circular saw, hopefully one that has diamond tips on the blades, is a viable option. Make sure you buy one that contains a reservoir. These wet the blade automatically, meaning it is both cooled and lubricated at the same time.
Grinding is the process of shaping the stone. This takes up to ten weeks but is markedly quicker when you use a cutting tool. It's a job that needs to be approached with precision, hence the length of time it takes. The advantage of using a cutter is that you should be able to shape small stones, down to about 1/2 an inch in size.
The drum is used in the tumbling and grinding process. Rocks are packed into the drum and then silicon carbide is added to the rocks. The rocks are then covered in water. It's vital to get your measurements right. If you put too many rocks into the rub they will not grind against each other. Too few rocks and they'll end up clashing too hard and not grinding. This can take around 7 days and should result in smooth, well rounded stones.
One of the final stages is when you polish the stones. Before doing this it's important to wash and clean them thoroughly to remove traces of silicon carbide. Once that's done you can add cerium oxide, diamond powder or even tin oxide to the drum with the stones in and turn the machine on.
These days lapidary stones are used more for decoration than for weapons or tools. The process has come a long way since ancient times, what with electronic machinery and cutting tools. However, the end result is just as stunning as it's always been.
A long time ago they actually cut and shaped flint and obsidian on rocks. Times are different now and most artists have electronic machines to do their polishing and cutting. These modern devices work using pulleys, to which rubber or plastic drums are attached. It's these drums that turn the stones. This process is called tumbling. The tumbling process grinds and polishes the rocks.
If some rocks are too big to put into the drums they are broken up with a hammer. This can cause problems with splinters flying off and is rather dangerous. If you wrap the stone in cloth you'll get around this problem. The difficulty with this is the lack of control the artist has over the final shape of the rock. The material can also crack and splinter, which spoils the finished look.
Cutting the stone is a delicate task. You must choose the right blade, one that is sufficiently sharp and yet won't create too many rough edges on the stone. A circular saw, hopefully one that has diamond tips on the blades, is a viable option. Make sure you buy one that contains a reservoir. These wet the blade automatically, meaning it is both cooled and lubricated at the same time.
Grinding is the process of shaping the stone. This takes up to ten weeks but is markedly quicker when you use a cutting tool. It's a job that needs to be approached with precision, hence the length of time it takes. The advantage of using a cutter is that you should be able to shape small stones, down to about 1/2 an inch in size.
The drum is used in the tumbling and grinding process. Rocks are packed into the drum and then silicon carbide is added to the rocks. The rocks are then covered in water. It's vital to get your measurements right. If you put too many rocks into the rub they will not grind against each other. Too few rocks and they'll end up clashing too hard and not grinding. This can take around 7 days and should result in smooth, well rounded stones.
One of the final stages is when you polish the stones. Before doing this it's important to wash and clean them thoroughly to remove traces of silicon carbide. Once that's done you can add cerium oxide, diamond powder or even tin oxide to the drum with the stones in and turn the machine on.
These days lapidary stones are used more for decoration than for weapons or tools. The process has come a long way since ancient times, what with electronic machinery and cutting tools. However, the end result is just as stunning as it's always been.
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