[cabbingrough]

First, I am self taught, so please forgive my terminology! A few people have asked how we cut rocks, so I put this together to give everyone a better idea of what your stones go through before you get them!

Usually I look to buy stones that are 2 - 10 pounds. I have 2 saws, but I prefer to use the smaller one if I can, so smaller rocks are always good. We start by taking a big rock:

And running it through the saw multiple times to make slabs. I usually ask Karl to do this part because the saw is run with oil, which of course is really messy and icky. This is my little saw.

Once we have lots of slabs cut, I bring them upstairs to my table.

Upstairs I'll draw shapes on the slabs for what I may like to cut. Sometimes slabs will sit here for months before I see what I want.

Once I've decided on the size and shape, the rock goes back down to the saw to be trimmed out, like this:

Now I'll start shaping it. I use this beautiful machine I just bought last month. My old machine was very messy and loud, this one is so quiet, I can listen to music while I work! I start by shaping the stones with this 100 grit diamond wheel. The wheel has to stay wet, and essentially what I am doing is slowly sanding the rock into shape. A lot of people will dop their stone (add a dowel rod to the back for a handle) but I prefer to torture my hands.

Here's a stone after it's shaped:

Now I need to add the dome. I'll take it back to the wheel and sand it until it looks good.

Sanding a rock is very similar to sanding wood. If you only sand something with a course sandpaper, you will have scratches. So, each rock gets "sanded" 7 times, each with a finer grit until all the scratches are gone. Once this is done, it's time to polish.

The rocks are each polished with 3 different pads. The pads have diamond paste, which is how they get shiny
You can see here I'm holding the stone with my right hand. I'm left handed, but I've sanded off all my fingernails so I am trying to work right handed for a few days.
After this step, the rock is done and ready to be listed on etsy!

I hope this all makes sense without being too boring

[DawninCal]

Boring!?!?!?

It's fascinating! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us how you make your cabs.

May I say, that the final product shown above is stunningly beautiful. That circle in the stone looks like a sun from another galaxy.

Love it!



Dawn

[cabbingrough]

Thanks Dawn! I love cutting rocks, I used to make a lot of jewelry, but I just enjoy this so much more lately

[Sophy]

I'll echo Dawn, the process is fascinating. I enjoy learning about what goes into the pieces.

[Cindy]

Very cool! and I love the final product, too. It's stunning!

[TJR Jewellery]

Thanks for sharing with us!

I'll do the pre-forms undopped, but when it comes to doming the stones I like to have them on a dop stick (I save my finger nails for the files and sand paper during jewellery fabrication instead!)

[JBAcresJewelry]

THAT was cool! Thank you so much for that! I have always wondered!!

[Bonlou10]

Thank you so much for sharing that. It is a fascinating process and one that I have always wondered about.

[Tiger Lily]

Amazing process.....you're great at what you do! The finished product is well worth the mess....except i'd really miss my fingernails what little i have!

[Faemael]

That is so cool..I find the process very fascinating as well. I have no idea what the terminology would be and this is very easy to follow. Thank you for sharing!!

[Nicker]

Thank you for sharing that! I love stones and find the cutting fascinating! Someday maybe, I'd love to learn it as I like different than your traditional shapes. You do stunning work!

[Violetmoon]

Thank you for sharing.

Gaves us an inside on how much work it is to make a cab

[Skye]

Thank you so much for sharing your process. It really seems like alchemy from the beautiful rock to the finished product. Gorgeous ~ Skye

[carol1350]

That is so interesting, thank you for sharing!

[bangersisterbling]

very cool ! thank you for sharing

[Caelestis]

Nice demo, and I'm REALLY jealous of your new machine! I inherited my dad's lapidary workshop several years ago. The cabbing machine is run with a washing machine motor and a pulley/belt system. It's loud and it only runs at one speed--spin cycle. I'm with Tim--I prefer to work with the stones dopped. I drop things too easily otherwise. You're a brave woman!

[beadsbeadingbeaded]

Not boring at all! I enjoyed reading this post! I actually had never seen such a system before! I like how you can decide each small shape from the large slab! Thanks for sharing!

[StacyK]

Wow, thank you so much for sharing.

[dragontrollqueen]

Wow...I knew it was a process...but I had no idea it was this involved...You sure know how to keep the reader interested...boring? Ha...I think not!

I must also say, you rockhounds do NOT get enough credit for the time and effort that it takes to take a chunk of seemly useless rock and turning them into stunning works of art!!!

I look forward to seeing more of your lovely cabs- thank you for the lessons. I am truly in awe...!

[Cassie]

That is soooo cool! Thanks for sharing!