I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

PS I also have some blue lapis and garnet which are much harder.
Anything I use would have to be tough. The only way I've been able to
crush some of the lapis is with a sledge hammer on a rail road track but
the bag shredded.

Hello William,

I devised a very simple stone crusher our of some steel pipe and a flat
steel plate. The lower plate is a 12" x 12" x 1/8" plate. The upper tube is
a 2.5" diameter steel tube welded to the base plate and is about 10" high.
The inner ram is a solid piece of steel (about 15" long) with a hammering
bolt welded onto the top. The lower part of the solid ram is crosscut for
better crushing performance.

To crush the stone, you simply load the stone into the open tube, insert the
solid ram and hit it a few times with a small sledge hammer. Simple and
efficient! Periodically, I will dump the stone and sift it to grade it for
size. I usually make three sizes of crushed stone for my inlay work. It's
much cheaper to crush your own stone and this is an easy to make a crusher,
if you have access to some metal and a welder.

I have also seen just a steel pipe used, with a cap fitted to one end and a
solid ram that fits inside the pipe. It's used the same way, load the stone
into the pipe and smack the protruding ram with a hand held sledge.
Periodically dump and sift. Not as elegant as my crusher, but it works.

If you would like a picture of my crusher, let me know and will send you an
email copy as we can't post pictures here... Take care and all the best to
you and yours!

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On 7/9/07 8:26 AM, in article ,
"william kossack" wrote:

I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

PS I also have some blue lapis and garnet which are much harder.
Anything I use would have to be tough. The only way I've been able to
crush some of the lapis is with a sledge hammer on a rail road track but
the bag shredded.

william kossack wrote:
I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

PS I also have some blue lapis and garnet which are much harder.
Anything I use would have to be tough. The only way I've been able to
crush some of the lapis is with a sledge hammer on a rail road track but
the bag shredded.

There's a place in Detroit (DAGS) that will sell you a 50# bag of red
garnet for just a few bucks. Your choice of grit size. Even with
shipping, the price has GOT to beat $10/20 per ounce. I chased this down
about a year ago but never followed through on it so my info is pretty
sketchy.

Bill


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william kossack wrote:
I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've been experimenting with doing something similar, although instead
of stone, I'm going to use stained glass scraps. My wife does stained
glass, and there's always plenty of those scraps around that can be
had for nothing.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

While my use of stained glass isn't necessarily going to be a
substitute for something like Turquoise, stained glass does crush
pretty easy. I've just used the freezer style resealable bags, as
the plastic is a little thicker, and then just tap them with a
hammer or sledge. It doesn't take a lot of force to break the glass
so just tapping helps keep the bag from completely disintegrating
during the grinding process.

As mentioned, I've been experimenting with this. So far, I've yet to
find the right glue to use. I've been using "clear" epoxy, but when
it dries, it has been cloudy, and thus obscuring the glass granules
underneath. Can anyone recommend a good glue to use that dries clear,
hard and is also (hopefully) relatively inexpensive?

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Hi Michael

I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.
Seems logical also, as first you can fill with 100% material, glass in
your case, and only fill the openings left in the fill, while with
epoxy you are never able to use that much material in the mixture and
still have the epoxy work.
Also the hardened CA itself is clearer than Epoxy.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Jul 10, 2:39 pm, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:
william kossack wrote:
I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've been experimenting with doing something similar, although instead
of stone, I'm going to use stained glass scraps. My wife does stained
glass, and there's always plenty of those scraps around that can be
had for nothing.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

While my use of stained glass isn't necessarily going to be a
substitute for something like Turquoise, stained glass does crush
pretty easy. I've just used the freezer style resealable bags, as
the plastic is a little thicker, and then just tap them with a
hammer or sledge. It doesn't take a lot of force to break the glass
so just tapping helps keep the bag from completely disintegrating
during the grinding process.

As mentioned, I've been experimenting with this. So far, I've yet to
find the right glue to use. I've been using "clear" epoxy, but when
it dries, it has been cloudy, and thus obscuring the glass granules
underneath. Can anyone recommend a good glue to use that dries clear,
hard and is also (hopefully) relatively inexpensive?

--

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remove ".invalid".

Hi Bill

Impact, is the best way to break the stones, and a retainer is needed
to keep the grit from disappearing, I haven't done much of this, but a
set of large bolts and a nut would work, just like this, the large
bolt with the nut on only a thread or two, some small stone in the nut
and than screw the other bolt down onto the stone, tighten and hammer,
repeat, repeat, the hammer hits will crush the stone, and it's easier
controlling the size they will get crushed to, but you do need some
large bolts and thick nut to start of with.
Of course a pipe with a metal plug welded in one side, and a fitting
steel rod to use as a ram or hit with a hammer would do also, but you
might end up with just colored dust that way.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Jul 9, 9:26 am, william kossack wrote:
I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

PS I also have some blue lapis and garnet which are much harder.
Anything I use would have to be tough. The only way I've been able to
crush some of the lapis is with a sledge hammer on a rail road track but
the bag shredded.

Just keep in mind that CA glue is much more rigid than epoxy. If the wood
moves to much the CA will crack whereas the epoxy would be able to move with
the wood. I was just at an all day seminar with Graham Priddle and he said
he wont use CA for any of his pieces. He feels there isn't a long enough
track record with CA. He recommends epoxy since it has been used in many
industries for nearly 100 years.
Tony Manella
ndd1"at"prolog.net (remove "at")
http://home.ptd.net/~ndd1/
Lehigh Valley Woodturners
www.lehighvalleywoodturners.com

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi Michael

I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.
Seems logical also, as first you can fill with 100% material, glass in
your case, and only fill the openings left in the fill, while with
epoxy you are never able to use that much material in the mixture and
still have the epoxy work.
Also the hardened CA itself is clearer than Epoxy.

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Jul 10, 2:39 pm, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:
william kossack wrote:
I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've been experimenting with doing something similar, although instead
of stone, I'm going to use stained glass scraps. My wife does stained
glass, and there's always plenty of those scraps around that can be
had for nothing.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

While my use of stained glass isn't necessarily going to be a
substitute for something like Turquoise, stained glass does crush
pretty easy. I've just used the freezer style resealable bags, as
the plastic is a little thicker, and then just tap them with a
hammer or sledge. It doesn't take a lot of force to break the glass
so just tapping helps keep the bag from completely disintegrating
during the grinding process.

As mentioned, I've been experimenting with this. So far, I've yet to
find the right glue to use. I've been using "clear" epoxy, but when
it dries, it has been cloudy, and thus obscuring the glass granules
underneath. Can anyone recommend a good glue to use that dries clear,
hard and is also (hopefully) relatively inexpensive?

--

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remove ".invalid".

On Jul 10, 11:39 am, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:
william kossack wrote:
I use crushed stone such as Turquoise and Malachite on some of my
turnings. The cost for already crushed stone ranges from $10 and ounce
to $20 an ounce.

I've been experimenting with doing something similar, although instead
of stone, I'm going to use stained glass scraps. My wife does stained
glass, and there's always plenty of those scraps around that can be
had for nothing.

I've purchased some nuggets and I was wondering how to best crush it
myself. Anyone have a simple solution?

While my use of stained glass isn't necessarily going to be a
substitute for something like Turquoise, stained glass does crush
pretty easy. I've just used the freezer style resealable bags, as
the plastic is a little thicker, and then just tap them with a
hammer or sledge. It doesn't take a lot of force to break the glass
so just tapping helps keep the bag from completely disintegrating
during the grinding process.

As mentioned, I've been experimenting with this. So far, I've yet to
find the right glue to use. I've been using "clear" epoxy, but when
it dries, it has been cloudy, and thus obscuring the glass granules
underneath. Can anyone recommend a good glue to use that dries clear,
hard and is also (hopefully) relatively inexpensive?

--

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remove ".invalid".

I have found several very good epoxies that end up crystal clear. The
best ones are marine epoxies, so you will spend much more money on the
cemicals, but they are great:
MAS and system 3 resins (can get from http://www.clcboats.com/epoxy_plywood.php)
Have used both with good results


and I have used this one a lot with good results (used on fiberglass
and as a top coat, and it cured crystal clear):
http://www.shopmaninc.com/epoxy.html #635 thin

I have NOT tried this, but it looks even clearer than the #635 above,
has a reasonable price. http://jgreer.com/

They're all about the same price. I think

West System epoxy http://www.westsystem.com/ you can get at a lot of
marine supply stores, and I find the 105 + 205 is very clear, however
their literature says "not intended for clear coating" don't know if
it's referring to poor UV protection or what, but something to
consider. Also, of all of them West system uses a 5:1 ratio for the
mixing which is harder to verify exactly when mixing small batches, so
I avoid it for that reason.

The downside for you inlaying is the cure time for these clear
epoxies, which goes into several hours, and if you're doing it on a
flat surface, that's not a problem, but on curved surface, you want a
faster cure.

The cheapest faster cure by the gallon is Devcon 2 ton crystal clear
epoxy, however it's really hard to find the gallon kit anymore, and
this one may become hazy in time, but I used it and it seemed very
clear to me.

With all epoxies, you can make them cure quickly with a heat gun, but
be careful...too fast and it cracks as it cures.

wrote:

I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.

Thanks, I'll give this a try. Is there any particular brand you find
works best or will any generic "super glue" in the CA family provide
clear results?

I'm thinking though that I'll need something like this stuff[1] from
Lee Valley as opposed to those little tubes of super glue.

[1]: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,110,42966

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Michael Faurot wrote:
wrote:

I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.

Thanks, I'll give this a try. Is there any particular brand you find
works best or will any generic "super glue" in the CA family provide
clear results?

I'm thinking though that I'll need something like this stuff[1] from
Lee Valley as opposed to those little tubes of super glue.

[1]: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,110,42966

Michael,

I just put my CA on sale a couple hours ago. About a $2 an ounce, flat
$4.50 delivery.

I turn pens and some bowls. This is what I use for a finish on the pens
about 90% of the time.

http://nmwoodworks.com/cube/index.ph...ewCat&catId=16

Yes, this is a shameless commercial plug.

Bill

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what ever you use use thin CA. It will pour through the inlace better
and not glob up on top of what ever you use. Also get plenty of
activator.

Michael Faurot wrote:
wrote:

I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.

Thanks, I'll give this a try. Is there any particular brand you find
works best or will any generic "super glue" in the CA family provide
clear results?

I'm thinking though that I'll need something like this stuff[1] from
Lee Valley as opposed to those little tubes of super glue.

[1]: http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,110,42966

Hi Michael, I usually get mine in 2 oz.bottles, I do get them from a
wood turners club member, or sometimes Lee Valley, if you get a bottle
of thin and one thick, plus a bottle of accelerator, you're all set.

I find that in small checks and splits, wen I use thin CA first and
then thick CA, the thick will flow right in, just try it, you'll see
that wetting with thin CA first, the thick will flow right in after
it.

Not all CA glues are equal, I find the Star brand I get works very
well, Bill's price looks pretty good, but I have no experience with
it.

And don't be to much in a hurry, just go slow, and you'll do fine, one
caveat, don't glue yourself to it ;-))), (nail polish remover will
undo this)

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


On Jul 11, 4:38 pm, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:
wrote:
I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.

Thanks, I'll give this a try. Is there any particular brand you find
works best or will any generic "super glue" in the CA family provide
clear results?

I'm thinking though that I'll need something like this stuff[1] from
Lee Valley as opposed to those little tubes of super glue.

[1]:http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,110,42966

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Michael I found this tutorial on, inlay turnings, could be some help
for you ??

http://www.yoyospin.com/inlay/

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Jul 12, 1:44 am, "
wrote:
Hi Michael, I usually get mine in 2 oz.bottles, I do get them from a
wood turners club member, or sometimes Lee Valley, if you get a bottle
of thin and one thick, plus a bottle of accelerator, you're all set.

I find that in small checks and splits, wen I use thin CA first and
then thick CA, the thick will flow right in, just try it, you'll see
that wetting with thin CA first, the thick will flow right in after
it.

Not all CA glues are equal, I find the Star brand I get works very
well, Bill's price looks pretty good, but I have no experience with
it.

And don't be to much in a hurry, just go slow, and you'll do fine, one
caveat, don't glue yourself to it ;-))), (nail polish remover will
undo this)

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

On Jul 11, 4:38 pm, "Michael Faurot"
wrote:

wrote:
I find using CA gives me the best clear filling results, mind you this
was not on glass fill, but metal powder and flakes, where the epoxy
really dulled the bright metal color/cheen.

Thanks, I'll give this a try. Is there any particular brand you find
works best or will any generic "super glue" in the CA family provide
clear results?

I'm thinking though that I'll need something like this stuff[1] from
Lee Valley as opposed to those little tubes of super glue.

[1]:http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.a...at=1,110,42966

--

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wrote:
Hi Michael, I usually get mine in 2 oz.bottles, I do get them from a
wood turners club member, or sometimes Lee Valley, if you get a bottle
of thin and one thick, plus a bottle of accelerator, you're all set.

I find that in small checks and splits, wen I use thin CA first and
then thick CA, the thick will flow right in, just try it, you'll see
that wetting with thin CA first, the thick will flow right in after
it.

Not all CA glues are equal, I find the Star brand I get works very
well, Bill's price looks pretty good, but I have no experience with
it.

And don't be to much in a hurry, just go slow, and you'll do fine, one
caveat, don't glue yourself to it ;-))), (nail polish remover will
undo this)

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


Big grin ... sometimes the zen approach of 'becoming one with the wood'
is counterproductive. ;-) Leo is 100% right ... keep 'unsticker' within
reach. The first time you use it, it could pay for itself forever.

I haven't done any crushed inlay yet (so many directions to go, but only
one pair of feet!), but I can vouch for its usefulness as a surface finish.

I use the thin to start repairs or to stiffen up punky areas, the thick
for barrel finishing or crack filling.

Bill

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Hi Bill, yes I know what you mean, you can go only one direction at
the same time, also there are just not enough days in a year/life to
cover it all, but just for some eye candy, I put this one in here.

Like to see some real impressive inlay,????????

Have a look, yes he uses CA also.

http://www.stephenhatcher.com/

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


On Jul 12, 11:22 pm, BillinDetroit wrote:
wrote:
Hi Michael, I usually get mine in 2 oz.bottles, I do get them from a
wood turners club member, or sometimes Lee Valley, if you get a bottle
of thin and one thick, plus a bottle of accelerator, you're all set.

I find that in small checks and splits, wen I use thin CA first and
then thick CA, the thick will flow right in, just try it, you'll see
that wetting with thin CA first, the thick will flow right in after
it.

Not all CA glues are equal, I find the Star brand I get works very
well, Bill's price looks pretty good, but I have no experience with
it.

And don't be to much in a hurry, just go slow, and you'll do fine, one
caveat, don't glue yourself to it ;-))), (nail polish remover will
undo this)

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo

Big grin ... sometimes the zen approach of 'becoming one with the wood'
is counterproductive. ;-) Leo is 100% right ... keep 'unsticker' within
reach. The first time you use it, it could pay for itself forever.

I haven't done any crushed inlay yet (so many directions to go, but only
one pair of feet!), but I can vouch for its usefulness as a surface finish.

I use the thin to start repairs or to stiffen up punky areas, the thick
for barrel finishing or crack filling.

Bill

--
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wrote:
Hi Bill, yes I know what you mean, you can go only one direction at
the same time, also there are just not enough days in a year/life to
cover it all, but just for some eye candy, I put this one in here.

Like to see some real impressive inlay,????????

Have a look, yes he uses CA also.

http://www.stephenhatcher.com/

Have fun and take care
Leo Van Der Loo


WOW! I don't have to do what he does to drool like everyone else! Just
amazin'!

Bill


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wrote:
Hi Michael, I usually get mine in 2 oz.bottles, I do get them from a
wood turners club member, or sometimes Lee Valley, if you get a bottle
of thin and one thick, plus a bottle of accelerator, you're all set.

I think I'll give the Lee Valley Cyanoacrylate Set[1] a try, which
looks to come with both thin and thick consistency glues, some
accelerator and some solvent. From that collection of stuff, I should
be able to figure out something that works right for me.

Thanks for the info.

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wrote:

Michael I found this tutorial on, inlay turnings, could be some help
for you ??

http://www.yoyospin.com/inlay/

Thanks again Leo, that will help a lot.

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Mark Fitzsimmons wrote:

I have found several very good epoxies that end up crystal clear. The
best ones are marine epoxies, so you will spend much more money on the
cemicals, but they are great:
MAS and system 3 resins (can get from http://www.clcboats.com/epoxy_plywood.php)
Have used both with good results


Thanks for the reply and epoxy recommendations. I know Woodcraft
carries the System 3 product line, so I'll likely give that a try
first as this will be the easiest to get ahold of.

Thanks to all the other replies, I've got some good options to further
my experiments now.

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