Diamond Blades Are Essential For Lapidary Work
Posted on: 19 May 2015
Diamond blades are some of the best and toughest blades on the market. These blades feature miniscule particles of diamonds–one of the hardest substances on Earth. This diamond coating allows the blades of the saw to cut through hard substances such as concrete, rock and can go through wood like butter. However, there is one other use for diamond blades aside from heavy construction. Lapidary is the term for the art of shaping, cutting and polishing stone and minerals to make statues, jewelry and geode slices. Since many of the minerals and rocks are extremely hard, regular blades simply won't work as well. Here are some types of diamond bladed tools that can come in handy for the lapidary artist.
Angle Grinder
An angle grinder is an essential tool for the lapidary artist who wishes to cut through hard rocks and minerals. This grinder with a diamond blade will cut slices in geodes with ease, and by changing the disc, you can also sand and then polish the slices. This is a great tool for those large chunks of geodes or nodules, and a diamond blade is essential. Some types of angle grinders made especially for lapidary use, allow for water to coat the surface of the rock or mineral while cutting. If you only use an ordinary angle grinder, however, you can keep the surface of the mineral or rock wet with mineral oil to prevent the rock from overheating or cracking.
Rotary Drill Bit Set
If you get a rotary drill bit set with diamond tips, you can use this for the fine-tune work up close. This is a great item to have for small rocks that require delicate grinding, sanding, shaping and cutting. These drill bit sets with diamond tips can be surprisingly affordable and are easy to use by hand. Many sets also come with non-diamond sanding and buffing tips as well that help you put the final polish on your rocks.
Tile Wet Saw
For those really familiar with saws and larger tools, a tile wet saw with a diamond blade can also be used for those very large chunks of rock and minerals. The wet saw will continually run a stream of water over the specimen, and it can work well for those small boulder sized pieces that are simply too large for an angle grinder.
These tools, used with diamond blades and tips, can make lapidary work a breeze!
To learn more about diamond blades, contact a company like Web Granite Supply.
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