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[PlayinwithRocks]

Hello everyone, thank you for taking the time!

I am a new lapidarian. I've played with rocks with my uncle, but only just recently got my own machine. I have received a used Graves Cab-Mate [if someone would tell me where to find my serial number I'd be happy to share the number]. It has a couple of wheels, all hard. I've been fortunate and had the chance to use a set of Nova's in the past, but they're pricey! I have a couple of questions I was hoping to have answered. First, the system is fairly well maintained, but before I start using it I'd like to clean it up a bit. What would be the best route to do this? The pan is metal rather than plastic and has been fairly heavily utilized in the past. I've cleaned off what I could and will attach pictures to this post.

Beyond cleaning, I understand this unit can act as a saw as well, what are some reasonably priced blades that would be recommended? Saws are one area I have very little experience or understanding, I have for the most part been using a Foredom to cut my rocks.

Finally, wheels.... I would love to find some soft wheels for this unit that won't break the bank. I've found a couple of posts on Amazon for some basic wheels, a set of 4 for approximately $250. Is that my best bet or is there a particular company I should look for? I don't think Nova's are the route to go as I am a novice and will likely cause excessive wear on them.

[lithicbeads]

With sanding wheels you get what you pay for, there is a reason why nova , eastwind and kingsley north wheels are popular. Nova is tops with eastwind a bit behind but not much. People will tell you they got great wheels from who knows where but I've been cutting consistently for 40 years  and while all diamond wheels are superior to sic based products ( silicon carbide) nva beats all. Get an expando for the coarse grit  with sic belts and buy  good soft diamond wheels in 600, 1200 and 3000 grits and you have the cheapest most efficient way to great stones cost  wise. It comes down to how serious you are as lapidary is expensive period and it always has been , rock is hard .