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Gadgets, Gizmos, and Dohickeys => Cutting, Grinding, Polishing => Topic started by: happyphantom7440 on November 18, 2018, 08:53:22 PM
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I have a lot of large specular hematite. I'm new to this and was wanting to cut and shape them, but I don't exactly know where to start or what to do. Any suggestions?
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I have never cut Specular Hematite because it is just a conglomerate of small Hematite blades. All the Specular I have had or found through the years leaves a little every time I have picked it up. It would be interesting material if it did come in solid material. What is the binder that is holding the Specular Hematite together? I would think if it was all Specular Hematite that was solid enough to cut it would just be Hematite. Do you have Specular Hematite that is solid enough to cut? Put a picture in of the material
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Here is specular hematite in Qtz,,, (microcrystaline)
It cuts well but will not go to mirror finish because of the qranular texture.
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I have cut quite a few cabs out of the pure botryoidal specular hematite. The edges are what i cut as well as the back to preserve the bot surface.It is messy and some folks have a hard time getting a polish on it but diamond in the form of nova wheels have worked for me. specular hematite in quartz can present problems because it often rquires orientation and the stone is often a bit low in silica so polishing can be a challenge.The surface of these stones are often a bit open so staying away from oxides can help.
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I have cut quite a few cabs out of the pure botryoidal specular hematite. The edges are what i cut as well as the back to preserve the bot surface.It is messy and some folks have a hard time getting a polish on it but diamond in the form of nova wheels have worked for me. specular hematite in quartz can present problems because it often rquires orientation and the stone is often a bit low in silica so polishing can be a challenge.The surface of these stones are often a bit open so staying away from oxides can help.
Yes, The bead above was polished with 50,000 diamond on canvas, no oxide. I like the subtle colors in this material...
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Here is a cab I made from some specular hematite I collected in Southern California. It is interesting but because of the angle plates it does not have a smooth polished surface.
(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8216/29515322700_f9ca79e06e_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/LYaK99)DSC_0740 (https://flic.kr/p/LYaK99) by James Sloane (https://www.flickr.com/photos/143011703@N05/), on Flickr