Tim Wells
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Yeah Sam, I wonder what that air eraser of yours would do?
GRS Ceramic Lap
- Thread starter ilovespringflowers
- Start date
Jack Davenport
Member
resurfacing ceramic laps and stones
Hi Sam: I have resurfaced several different kinds of stones and laps with diamond stones, I think that you could put your lap on your power hone and hold a fine diamond stone to the worn ceramic lap and resurface it, use water. Try it! it works. By the way I had a good show this weekend and have decided to buy a grs hone, looks like they went up 50 bucks on the machine. also bought an all in one CX5000 epson printer, we now own five printers. I will let everyone know how this one works, it uses the durabright inks.
Thanks Jack Davenport.
Hi Sam: I have resurfaced several different kinds of stones and laps with diamond stones, I think that you could put your lap on your power hone and hold a fine diamond stone to the worn ceramic lap and resurface it, use water. Try it! it works. By the way I had a good show this weekend and have decided to buy a grs hone, looks like they went up 50 bucks on the machine. also bought an all in one CX5000 epson printer, we now own five printers. I will let everyone know how this one works, it uses the durabright inks.
Thanks Jack Davenport.
Last edited:
Toothpaste, air eraser, and diamond stones...these should do the trick. Thanks guys.
Jack: I'm pretty disgusted with the cheap Epson printers. My c86 died and now my c88 replacement (which will not use c86 inks of course) prints crooked which makes it impossible to print mailing and CD/DVD lables. Abigail and I use an pro grade Epson R2400 photo printer which is excellent, but I'm losing faith in the small ones.
Jack: I'm pretty disgusted with the cheap Epson printers. My c86 died and now my c88 replacement (which will not use c86 inks of course) prints crooked which makes it impossible to print mailing and CD/DVD lables. Abigail and I use an pro grade Epson R2400 photo printer which is excellent, but I'm losing faith in the small ones.
Marcus Hunt
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I saw Shane Garriot (from GRS) at the Spring Fair in Birmingham (England - not Alabama) today. He was explaining that the price of ceramic laps had gone through the roof for some reason. Not only that but the Chinese are buying up all the steel they can get their hands on so the price of steel is going up and up too. Apparently Glendo have managed to keep their prices stable for past few years but it seems inevitable that in the near future prices of things like vises, etc, will go up because the price of the raw material is that much higher. Me thinks it's called economics and free trade or something.
Tip of the day: Don't drop your ceramic lap!
Tip of the day: Don't drop your ceramic lap!
jlseymour
Elite Cafe Member
I Wish I Had more time to have so much Fun !!!
Get a piece of pumic rock and use water...
Used it for years to do my Kitchen Duties with my cermic sharping stick to sharpen the knives...
Get a piece of pumic rock and use water...
Used it for years to do my Kitchen Duties with my cermic sharping stick to sharpen the knives...
AllanFink1960
Member
Sam
I tested printers in software companies for over 20 years. Print testing was my primary job. If you are doing real work, (regularly scheduled printing that is part of your manufactuing process that you actually depend on) then you should either buy a laser printer or have your labels printed commercially. The little inkjet printers really are NOT made for 40hr/week use. A good laser printer will also have a much better paper handling mechanism for keeping stuff like labels straight, and will have sturdier mechanisms through out. Of course they are a LOT more expensive, especially if you want one that prints in color, but you will only buy one that will last as long as 4-5 inkjets. And toner is cheeper in the long run than inkjet ink, by far.
I got a C86 too but ONLY for Tom White's transfer fluid, and thats all I use it for. The transfer fluid costs nearly as much as I paid for the printer.
Allan
I tested printers in software companies for over 20 years. Print testing was my primary job. If you are doing real work, (regularly scheduled printing that is part of your manufactuing process that you actually depend on) then you should either buy a laser printer or have your labels printed commercially. The little inkjet printers really are NOT made for 40hr/week use. A good laser printer will also have a much better paper handling mechanism for keeping stuff like labels straight, and will have sturdier mechanisms through out. Of course they are a LOT more expensive, especially if you want one that prints in color, but you will only buy one that will last as long as 4-5 inkjets. And toner is cheeper in the long run than inkjet ink, by far.
I got a C86 too but ONLY for Tom White's transfer fluid, and thats all I use it for. The transfer fluid costs nearly as much as I paid for the printer.
Allan
Tim Wells
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I learned a new trick today for ceramic lap cleaning. Paul Hamler uses Gojo hand cleaner (no pumice)to clean diamond and ceramic laps. The other thing I picked up on was Barkeepers friend and a scotchbrite pad (white).
This stuff is like BonAmi but finer and is available in the grocery store. Don't use steel wool or any metal scrub pad as it will load the stone up. Use a scotchbrite, red, green pad but white works best.
This stuff is like BonAmi but finer and is available in the grocery store. Don't use steel wool or any metal scrub pad as it will load the stone up. Use a scotchbrite, red, green pad but white works best.
Mike Cirelli
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I clean all my wheels with a brush and cleanser then I give them a dip in my ultrasonic cleaning machine, for really embedded stuff I use my steam machine and blast it out. I have a 600 wheel that's nearly 20 years old cuts like a 1200 grit now but still cuts.
Mike
Mike
rod
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Allan,
I use a Mac G5 computer and Epson C86 printer. The OSX print window on Mac does not have an isolation of the color cartridges when choosing black for Tom's design transfer, and my lines turn out greyer than I saw on Andrew Briggs windows Pc print out where he can use the black only. Do you have any wisdom on isolating black only on a Mac osx. I am told that sometimes black is a mix of some colors???. I would like a blacker black on my print out.
best
Rod
I use a Mac G5 computer and Epson C86 printer. The OSX print window on Mac does not have an isolation of the color cartridges when choosing black for Tom's design transfer, and my lines turn out greyer than I saw on Andrew Briggs windows Pc print out where he can use the black only. Do you have any wisdom on isolating black only on a Mac osx. I am told that sometimes black is a mix of some colors???. I would like a blacker black on my print out.
best
Rod
coincutter
Elite Cafe Member
Sam.
I have a ceramic and i have never been impressed with its capabilites and over time it seems to have a propensity for developing chips - guess thats a fault of the firing
As it's a hard surface and nothing really penetrates it most of the diamond spray or grease just sloughs around on the top and goes to waste
Last year a friend brought over some of the laps he uses to final finish cut precious stones
what a difference
I have read of some gem polishers who use cherry wood, flats turned out on lathes and rubbed with diamond dust also tin or copper flats with the same process
I have switched to brass impregnated with 50k and it works very well but find myself using the micron plastic sheets mmre often as they require far less effort
I tape small strips of the sheets to a mirror and stroke the gravers on them under the scope
too much pressure immediately results in large shards of glass in ones fingers as the mirror shatters
This serves as an indicator that one should be more gentle. After a few broken mirrors and 70 years bad luck you get a feel for how delicately this process needs to be performed.
As far as resurfacing them, consideringthe makeup ofthe material the only thing that comes to mind would be to get a large sheet of tempered glass, clean the ceramic, spray the glass with diamond spray (not grease) and begin the laborius process of moving the plate around in the "wax on wax off" motion. This should even it out and give it a bit of tooth again, I think what you are experiencing re the fall off in performance is the surface has literally become polished to a mirror and therefore there is no surface for the diamond to hold onto and as the wheel travels beneath the graver the cutting compound simlply gets pushed out on to the leading edge of the graver, puddling on the ceramic rather than being between the metal and the ceramic where it belongs.
Hope this helps
SLE
I have a ceramic and i have never been impressed with its capabilites and over time it seems to have a propensity for developing chips - guess thats a fault of the firing
As it's a hard surface and nothing really penetrates it most of the diamond spray or grease just sloughs around on the top and goes to waste
Last year a friend brought over some of the laps he uses to final finish cut precious stones
what a difference
I have read of some gem polishers who use cherry wood, flats turned out on lathes and rubbed with diamond dust also tin or copper flats with the same process
I have switched to brass impregnated with 50k and it works very well but find myself using the micron plastic sheets mmre often as they require far less effort
I tape small strips of the sheets to a mirror and stroke the gravers on them under the scope
too much pressure immediately results in large shards of glass in ones fingers as the mirror shatters
This serves as an indicator that one should be more gentle. After a few broken mirrors and 70 years bad luck you get a feel for how delicately this process needs to be performed.
As far as resurfacing them, consideringthe makeup ofthe material the only thing that comes to mind would be to get a large sheet of tempered glass, clean the ceramic, spray the glass with diamond spray (not grease) and begin the laborius process of moving the plate around in the "wax on wax off" motion. This should even it out and give it a bit of tooth again, I think what you are experiencing re the fall off in performance is the surface has literally become polished to a mirror and therefore there is no surface for the diamond to hold onto and as the wheel travels beneath the graver the cutting compound simlply gets pushed out on to the leading edge of the graver, puddling on the ceramic rather than being between the metal and the ceramic where it belongs.
Hope this helps
SLE
The whole concept of a ceramic disk is the diamond does NOT embed into the lap. in most cases the user is applying much more diamond than what is needed to accomplish the task. since diamond won't abrade the disk to any extent,the only recommended treatment is a boron carbide surfacing stick.
i restored a "white" stone some time ago. it was too hard to be natural, so i guess it was ceramic. i got some valve grinding compound for fast cut. followed by fine carbide powder and mixed this with vegetable oil on a flat piece of cast iron. i'm not sure if the stone was ceramic, but was given to me by a machinist. he told me the stuff was very pricey. the stuff was pure white, and with a bit of elbow grease, the stone eventually flattened. monk
Bob Bullard
Elite Cafe Member
Ceramic lap
Is there any reason why you can't turn it over?
Lynton in his video recommened to use 1200 aluminon oxide on the ceramic stones
Is there any reason why you can't turn it over?
Lynton in his video recommened to use 1200 aluminon oxide on the ceramic stones
I'm going to open up this old thread. At the time this thread started I was also noticing that my ceramic lap didn't seem to cut as well as it used to. I have had it for probably six or seven years and sharpen carbide on it 90% of the time. Well...the other day I got a new bottle of the diamond spray in. The other bottle seemed to have an adequate amount of liquid in it with quite a bit of sediment in the bottom which I would shake into suspension before spraying. On a whim I decided to try the new bottle instead. The lap suddenly cuts like new again. Apparently what I thought was diamond floating around in that bottle was not. In theory the lap should not really cut much at all, the diamond does the work. Try a new bottle when things start going south. It worked for me.
I just use BCR in the Ultra sonic and then give it a careful steam cleaning with the steamer.
Getting the micro particles of metal and metal oxide to let go of the lap surface can take a while.
I usually do this stuff just before I have to change the sonic. This stuff can be hard of the sonic
walls.
You can see the difference in the surface of the lap and how it cuts. The lap goes form grey to white.
Getting the micro particles of metal and metal oxide to let go of the lap surface can take a while.
I usually do this stuff just before I have to change the sonic. This stuff can be hard of the sonic
walls.
You can see the difference in the surface of the lap and how it cuts. The lap goes form grey to white.
Per Alain Lovenberg's recommendation I cleaned my ceramic lap with toothpaste and it worked really well.
My toothbrush tastes awful now, but the lap is cutting beautifully.
My toothbrush tastes awful now, but the lap is cutting beautifully.
Doc Mark
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Here we go again! Amateurs getting involved with tricky dental procedures again! Will they never learn?
Mark
Mark
cleaning ceramic lap
sam, is your lap rough and out of true ? or is it just crappy to look at ? if it's out of true: take a known flat steel, cast iron, most anything and charge with any sufficiently fine powdered abrasive hard enough to cut your lap. gentle circular motions, and in due time you will get to a flat surface again. if your concern is just surface appearance, ie discoloration, you might try a chemical " bleaching ". a dilute muriatic acid might-
i said- might cut the crud on your lap.
sam, is your lap rough and out of true ? or is it just crappy to look at ? if it's out of true: take a known flat steel, cast iron, most anything and charge with any sufficiently fine powdered abrasive hard enough to cut your lap. gentle circular motions, and in due time you will get to a flat surface again. if your concern is just surface appearance, ie discoloration, you might try a chemical " bleaching ". a dilute muriatic acid might-
i said- might cut the crud on your lap.
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