A Powerhouse Rock Saw

 I am a member of several Facebook lapidary equipment groups and often see people dissing the Hi-Tech 10 inch saw. It's a cheap build and not powerful enough to cut big stuff- especially using water, not oil.

Well, I've got news for you guys- you're dead wrong!

Today I decided to cut a rather large rock.

I don't use a vise and that is a 10 inch Hi-Tech sintered (red) blade that I have "reconditioned" using the Highland Park technique of hitting the rim with a bastard file- works like a charm. As you can see, the rock is a full 3 5/8 inch high and while it's a little macro, it's still a silicate and plenty hard. I cut two slabs.

The first slab was 5/16 inch thick and once I saw what the saw could do, I cut the second 3/16 inch. The saw actually has a vise and a bridge whose position can be changed by using different holes in the deck but honestly, I find that I can get uniform cuts just by lining the piece up using the patterning on the deck. That's beautiful flame agate around the edge. Here's a close up lit from the front.

I will sell these in my shop as slabs to be placed in front of a light or candle so here's the back lit money shot.

One last thing about the saw: I have used it regularly for 4 years and cut a ton of rock. There has been absolutely no warping of the resin body and, of course, no rusting. It is one tough customer. The blade is as true as the day I got it and the Hi-Tech red sintered blade will go to-to-toe with any other name brand in both quality of cut and durability. Because it uses water, even my artist wife likes it and, since she makes paint from the rock sludge, she'll even clean it for me! Check out an earlier blog post to see a painting she did using the sludge.

If you ever find yourself on Digby Nech, stop by and if the weather is good, I'll fire it up for you.

What's New At The Artist's Mark?

 Well folks, a very busy summer is finally winding down. First I want to thank all the nice people who stopped by and supported us (you know who you are!). We had time to do a bit of experimenting and here are two guitar picks Vickie made from polymer clay.

Thank you so much Jonathan for your detailed professional evaluation!

Vickie was also busy knitting socks from our gorgeous Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn. Some were bought in-store but most (including these pairs) found their way to customers all over the place!

We also had some strange and exotic visitors. This white pelican, blown north by Hurricane Dorion, decided to spend a few hours in the marsh next to the shop.

But the next shots are even more rare. Our current exotic visitor is Ted, my geology friend from McGill, who made it all the way from Australia. But what makes these pictures rare is that he is actually working in the Lap of Lapidary alongside "The Lady With the Agate Eye". I know, good help is hard to find so you take what you can get. After a bit of rockhounding, we returned with treasure.

I was very proud of the two of them since they both used my Hi-Tech 10 inch saw to cut their finds and then finished them on the Hi-Tech 8 inch slant lap.

I know- they should have been wearing Hi-Tech aprons but they wanted to wear Cab King- especially since Vickie has customized hers to read "Cab Queen"!

We have pretty much finished up the lapidary work so as soon as the weather turns, we will begin fabricating new pieces to replace all those that went out the door!

As always, if your travels take you to Digby Neck, stop by and say hi and pick up your free piece of The Neck.

The King of Agates

 I am now well into my 8th decade of fascination with rocks- especially agates.

Why agates you say? Diamonds and other gems bore me but agates, with their infinite variety of inclusions, never do. I'm drawn not only to the colours but also the amazing patterns and often wonder under just what conditions they could possibly be formed.

Recently I had a visit from a man who has the same fascination- on steroids!

Pat McMahan lives in Arizona but his agate obsession has taken him all over the world. In the process he has amassed a Smithsonian worthy collection- the second largest in the world!

A few years back, his quest for new varieties brought him to Nova Scotia and to my shop, "The Lap of Lapidary" on Digby Neck and he has now visited on several occasions. Pat is particularly interested in plume agate and sagenite and we are honoured that he has left with several of Vickie's finds.

This year's visit was special. Because of Covid he had not been here for a few years and I was able to acquire a copy of his book.

To say that Pat, over the course of years and with the help of his sons, has written and published a book is like saying Rembrandt "just" painted a picture! His book is titled simply "Agates" and apart from being breathtakingly beautiful(and I don't use that term lightly) it is a stunning treasure, loaded with gorgeous colour photos of agate varieties from all over the world along with unique, valuable information.

"Agates" is a true labour of love as Pat and his sons prepared all the specimens, did all the curating and all the photography themselves.

So if you like agates, you owe it to yourself to visit Pat's website at www.agateswithinclusions.com. If you are a lapidary, you will drool at Pat's shop and collection of equipment. And if you are true lover of agates and want to go on a worldwide trek to discover beautiful varieties, indulge yourself and get your own copy of this most beautiful treasure!

Pat in his shop

The Lap of Lapidary is Open!

 I often see people asking how to set up a lapidary shop so I thought I'd show mine. First off, decide what you want to do- cut, grind, shape, polish, make jewelry- the options are endless. Lapidary equipment can take up a lot of space and be expensive so you might have to be selective. In my case, I have a dedicated powered shop 24 ft. X 12 ft. so I have lots of room. I could even fit a few more pieces in if anyone wants to make a donation (heh,heh)! Here's the set up.

The window (not shown) and fan provide good ventilation and it is well lit. I also run an air filter. I made most of the tables and they are sturdy and solid- a real must.

In my case, I decided I didn't want to cut really large rocks so my two largest saws have a 10 inch blade. The oil saw was made 60+ years ago by a company in Edmonton Canada (long gone) called Mercury. It is cast aluminum so will last a lot longer than I will!

It has a motorized feed and rock vise that I rarely use since I run the rocks through by hand. I made the splash guard and my daughter Sandra installed the new 1/2 HP  motor last year. Notice my rock filing system in the background! I use it for cutting large rocks for specimens and slabs.

My other large saw is one of my favourite pieces. It is also 10 inches but is cooled/ lubricated by water.

This saw is made by Hi-Tech and I have a sliding vise and bridge for it. It is made from an amazingly sturdy and rugged polyethelene which means it won't rust and is much easier to clean. And it is so much easier (and I think healthier) to work with water. I cut slabs with this saw but can also cut shapes from the slabs with the thin blade. I can even use it to cut glass.

I am very fortunate to have a wife who loves to comb the nearby beaches and since every visitor to our store gets a free local rock, I need a tumbler. Mine is a Lot-O-Tumbler that holds a 4 LB load.

It is an absolute horse and I run it all summer. Since it is a vibrating tumbler, I go from rough to polished finish in a week or less so I will do about 25 loads each year. The concrete base stops it from going on a tour of the shop.

It is only after I have cut a rock that I can decide what I want to use it for. Since we have fantastic local agate and jasper, many become polished specimens that are sold in the store. And for this task I have another amazing machine called a slant lap.

This machine is also made by Hi-Tech and extremely durable. It grinds a flat surface by use of round plated that vary in coarseness and is cooled by water so very easy to clean. I hang my different plates on wooden dowels above the machine. These machines are also available with a horizontal top but I find the slant angle mush easier if your back is as old as mine!

I have a flat top grinding machine that I use for a variety of purposes.

This machine has a rotating spindle to which I can attach either a cutting or grinding bit. I use it for shaping stone or glass but can also use it to cut grooves around pieces to allow me to use a wire wrapping technique. It is also cooled by water. The black object behind is my air purifier.

In order to drill holes in rocks, it must be done under water. And while some can do it by a hand held tool, I much prefer a drill press.

Here, I have a diamond bit installed and a tray so the piece can be drilled under water. If you want more info on this operation, just contact me.

I have to say that while I like working with all the various pieces in my shop, if I had to whittle it down to a favourite, it would be the Cab King!

This machine allows me to polish surfaces and create high polished cabochons for pendants. I have had other similar machines but there are a few things that set this one apart. Most importantly, the wheels are cooled by water that comes from above (as opposed to below with some other machines). This avoids contamination. Secondly, when compared to other units, this one is quite quiet. Thirdly, the wheels on one side can be removed and replaced by an 8 inch trim saw running off the same motor and it is a really good trim saw! And the motor is powerful enough for two people to work on wheels on different sides at the same time. Lastly, it is very easy to clean.

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them and if you happen to find yourself on Digby Neck, in Nova Scotia Canada, come on by and see them in action.

So there you have it. And while some might prefer to live in the lap of luxury, I much prefer living in The Lap of Lapidary!