The Art of Gem Cutting - Including Cabochons, Faceting, Spheres, Tumbling and Special Techniques

Part I — Cabochon Cutting

Type of Equipment

The type of equipment most suitable for your purpose is largely a matter of determining how far you wish to carry the art of gem cutting. It is possible to finish gem stones with virtually no equipment whatever, working by hand, as it done in the Orient. Hand labor is tedious and unsatisfactory and not suited to the Occidental way of working. Foot power operated equipment was widely used at one time, and in the days of medieval gem cutting it was customary to hold the work in the left hand and rotate a lever to operate the lap with the other hand.

Obviously, inferior equipment or machinery that require constant changing of wheels, buffs and other accessories will not add to the pleasure of gem cutting. Whatever equipment you may elect to purchase or construct, it is well to keep in mind the ease with which same may be operated. It is possible to conduct all operations on a single spindle, disregarding all speed recommendations, and still do satisfactory or passable work. At a small additional cost it is generally possible to purchase or construct proper equipment and it is here advised that this be done. Investment in lapidary equipment is not necessarily a luxury; a well-equipped shop can turn out work having a distinct commercial value. Many home lapidarists manage to produce a sufficient surplus of finished gems and specimens to more than pay for the original investment and subsequent operating costs.

If you construct your own equipment a number of cast-off parts of other machinery can often be utilized. This will of course depend upon your mechanical ability to so arrange these parts into workable form. Purchased equipment is quite likely to give the greatest satisfaction; it has been tried and tested by the manufacturer, and will enable you to immediately start operations.

Semi - precious gem minerals, like turquoise, agate, jasper, opal and numerous others, are usually cut with flat or rounded smooth surfaces, termed cabochon styles. In shape these may be rectangular, oval, square, or similar outlines. In short, there are only two principal worked surfaces, while in facet-cut styles there may be 57 or more individual flat surfaces on the gem. All of these must first be cut, then polished.

Four Operations

Cabochon cutting may be divided into four separate operations, and most lapidary shops have a special tool for each operation—(1) Sawing, (2) Grinding, (3) Sanding, (4) Polishing. The rough gem material as found or mined, often requires reduction to proper shape, hence sawing is usually the first operation. The grinding wheels reduce the stone to proper shapes, while the sanding operation gives the surface of the cabochon a high glossy finish.

Different speeds are required for the various operations in order to get the best results. It is possible to finish stones with little regard for speeds of the moving tool, but difficulties will be encountered, hence it is advisable to give due regard to the recommended speeds. Silicon carbide wheels will give best efficiency when run at indicated speeds, otherwise the work will proceed slowly or the wheel will tend to develop a glaze.

Likewise if a diamond or mud saw is operated at higher or lower rates than the indicated speeds trouble will develop. High speed operation of the felt polishing buff will cause undue heating of the gem and the abrasive grit will be thrown from the polishing buff.

Sawing

Sawing into proper shape and size is generally the first procedure in lapidary technic. Where the rough gem material is presented in small fragments or waterworn pebbles, the work can then start directly on the silicon carbide grinding wheels. It is also possible to break a large mass and thus obtain suitable size fragments for cabochon cutting, but this method will prove wasteful. If the material is worth cutting, it is also worth conserving.

There are several types of saws which may be utilized to section hard gem materials, these include the diamond charged metal disk generally referred to as the diamond saw; the mud saw; metal bonded saws charged with diamond grit; and various types of silicon carbide cut-off saws.

The metal disk diamond saw is an efficient tool and is the most widely used in the lapidary industry. When used properly and when properly charged the metal disk diamond saw will give efficient and long service.

Diamond charged metal bonded saws are operated at speeds higher than those of the metal diamond saw. The metal bonded saw is heavily charged with diamond grit and is costly, but where large quantities of small size material are to be sectioned, this tool finds its usefulness. The small size saws are primarily intended for free hand sawing, while the metal diamond charged disk is generally operated with a clamp and saw carriage holding the work.

A diamond slab saw manufactured by Lapidary Equipment Company.

Mud Sawing

The tool used as a mud saw is a disk of Armco or auto fender iron. The disk may be of any size, and the gauge of the metal will be dependent upon the diameter of the blade. A 20 gauge thickness will serve for a large blade, while 22 gauge will suffice for blades of 8 to 12 inches in diameter. Some workers prefer the bronze or copper blades, but these appear to have no special advantages other than higher cost. It is suggested that saw disks be purchased from supply firms, so the disk will be true at the periphery as well as at the arbor hole. Disks sold by supply firms are generally first made true on the lathe. In ordering blank disks or charged blades be sure and specify arbor hole size.

A 10 or 12 inch diameter mud saw should be operated at around 300 r.p.m. Smaller blades faster in proportion and larger blades slower, so as to obtain the correct peripheral speed. The mud saw is not charged with abrasive in the manner of the diamond saw.

The former tool depends upon the abrasive grit which adheres to the blade for its cutting ability, as the blade passes through a thick mixture of silicon carbide and water. Silicon carbide grit number 120 is generally indicated. The abrasive mixture is kept in a metal container below the saw, with the edge of the blade passing through the mixture.

Arrangements can also be made to feed the mixture to the work from above. Silicon carbide grit has a high specific gravity and thus tends to settle out of the water. To give the mud mixture greater viscosity, fine clay or flour may be added to the mix, to suspend the grit and enable the mixture to adhere to the saw blade. Fresh grit should be added from time to time.

Small amounts of the new hard abrasive Norbide (grit No. 120) added to the silicon carbide mixture will increase the speed of cutting. Most mud saw operators are now adding Norbide to the silicon carbide grits. The saw blade should be shielded to prevent splashing.

Some 20 years ago, prior to the introduction of the modern factory made diamond saw, the mud saw was in universal use in the lapidary industry. At the present time, the mud saw is rarely seen in a modern lapidary shop. For some specialized work, like sawing sections from iron meteories, the mud saw is still utilized.

Diamond Blade Saws

Prior to about 15 years ago, the metal disk diamond saw was charged wholly by hand labor methods. While these saws were satisfactory when operated at speeds of from 300 to 400 r p.m. for a 10 or 12 inch disk, they proved wholly inadequate when run at higher speeds or motor speed of about 1750 r.p.m. For many years it was customary to notch the periphery of the metal disk by hand labor methods, and the diamond grit rolled into the notches by hand labor.

Mechanical methods for placing the notches on the periphery of the saw disk are obviously far superior to those placed by hand power. Moreover, many manufacturers use mechanical devices for rolling in the diamond grit, closing the notches, and placing an accurate and uniform set on both sides of the disk.

Diamond saws made by mechanical methods are obviously far superior to the old hand-charged blades as has been proven by the industries using these tools. Usually a mechanically manufactured diamond saw can be operated at higher speeds than a hand-charged blade. In some cases a 10-inch disk is operated at motor speed. The speed of operation will vary with the various manufacturers and their recommendations should be followed for best service.

In recent years various types of diamond saws have been developed for specific purposes, these include blades in which the diamond has been charged by sintering and pressure. Metal bounded and vitreous, and shellac bonded diamond saws are also available.

The metal disk lapidary diamond saw must be operated with some type of lubricant. The lubricant serves also as a coolant, and to flush the debris away from the cutting edge For some years equal parts of kerosene and automobile lubricating oil were in wide use. This oil mixture has a number of disadvantages, it is difficult to wash from the specimen, the kerosene will slowly evaporate, and the mixture is inflammable.

Recently a number of water soluble, non-inflammable, non - rusting, coolant agents have been developed primarily for use in machine shop cutting. A number of these have proven satisfactory substitutes for the kerosene-oil mixture for diamond sawing. The new coolant and lubricating liquids have some advantages over the messy kerosene-oil mixture including much lower cost. There are a number of these new liquids available through supply firms, including the type known as wetting agents.

A faceter’s trim saw manufactured by Highland Park Manufacturing Company.

Combination trim and slab saw with precision vise manufactured by Rock’s Lapidary Equipment.

Arrangement of diamond saw compartment to prevent splashing of liquid coolant. This machine has a sawmill type of carriage. The stone is clamped in the vise between hardwood jaws, and an equivalent thickness of blocks is placed at the opposite side to keep the vise jaws parallel. The vise can be moved from side to side in small increments to facilitate cutting multiple slabs without removing the rock. Photo, Vreeland Mfg. Co.

While a diamond saw will take considerable punishment if properly used, abuse of the tool will mean shorter life. If the disk meets with an accident and becomes badly bent, discarding is indicated. Attention should be given to the equipment on which the saw is used. Loose arbor bearings, an incorrectly aligned saw carriage, a non-rigid work clamp and other mechanical equipment defects can not be expected to deliver the best in a saw.

A bent saw blade, or one which has lost its set on one side will tend to travel sideways, thus increasing friction, and tending to tear out the diamond grit embedded in the periphery of the disk.

A little experience is needed to properly operate a diamond saw, but with proper use a well charged blade, 12-inch diameter, will section at least 1,000 square inches of hard material like agate. Some saws will sometimes give as much as 3,000 inches of service, but eventually the fragments of diamond will be lost from the metal and the speed of sawing will be gradually reduced. This applies to the old hand-charged disk, the newly developed blades are said to give even better service, both in speed and cutting and square inches of useful service. The diamond saw does not wear out, except through the loss of diamond grit.

Large specimens should, of course, be held in a rigid clamp, either the carriage or swinging-arm type or some similar effective means. The carriage or arm should be in line with the saw and arbor, otherwise the tool will tend to cut sideways. If the set on one side of the saw is worn off regularly there is likely something out of correct line. Do not start a cut on the face of a sharp edge of hard material. Use very gentle pressure until a groove has been worn and then pressure can be applied. Some gem materials will cut faster than others. For example, sawing opal or obsidian a diamond saw will give a great deal of service. On the other hand, hollow geodes lined with quartz crystals are severe on the tool. A fragment of quartz crystal may become wedged in the cut and damage the blade by tooling off the set.

Most commercial shops use an 8 or 10-inch saw, fitted with a rigid hand rest, where the resawing is done after the material has been reduced to slabs by the large tool. The resaw is very useful for production of cabochon stones in quantity.

For sectioning very small fragments of gem material like valuable sapphire, a small diamond saw can be made from the lid of a tin can. A thin disk of this kind, two or three inches in diameter, will prove effective if small amounts of diamond paste are applied at the point of cutting. The work is held by hand on a rigid test. The advantage of the very thin disk would be in economy of a thin cut and thus conserving valuable gem material. Precious opal is sometimes sectioned on a saw of this type.

Sawing Coolants Water Versus Kerosene

We are frequently called upon to give advice regarding the use of water soluble coolants (or lubricants) and the old kerosene and oil mixture, used in diamond sawing in lapidary work. For many years the oil-kerosene mixture was a standard in the industry. In recent years various types of water soluable coolants have been introduced in lapidary work. These water soluble coolants have found wide use in machine shop work for cutting, grinding, drilling, and machining various metals, and they have here proven highly satisfactory.

In lapidary sawing the requirements are somewhat different. We need a coolant agent, a lubricating agent, and a liquid to keep the periphery of the saw flushed clean of debris, otherwise a hard mud would collect on the edges of blade and cutting speed greatly reduced. On the grinding wheels a copious supply of plain water serves these purposes very nicely, but water alone is not effective on the saw blade.

We may enumerate a few of the disadvantages of the kerosene and oil mixture. First it is messy to say the least, and quite difficult to wash from the sawed specimen. In porous material, the kerosene will eventually evaporate at room temperatures, but this may require some weeks, and loss of the oil is still slower, and all of it may not evaporate (depending on type of oil).

The kerosene-oil mixture is also inflammable, and while we have never heard of spontaneous ignition or explosion of the mixture, while sawing, the fact remains that it is a potential fire hazard. The kerosene-oil mixture tends to form a heavy, thick, and messy sludge in the saw sump, which must be cleared out from time to time. Last but not least, some few individuals find kerosene irritating to the skin, due to an allergy. On the other hand the kerosene mixture is an ideal flushing agent, due to the peculiar surface tension of this mixture, and it certainly is quite effective as a rust preventing agent. It is more costly than the water soluble coolants. Kerosene must be added to the sump from time to time, as it is slowly volatile at room temperatures. One of the greatest advantages of the water soluble mixtures is that they may be quickly and easily washed from the specimen, by simply rinsing in plain water, and they are certainly much less messy to use. We have heard of a few individuals who also find the water soluble mixture irritating to the skin, but not as many as in the case of kerosene.

A swinging vise type of slob saw, a completely self-contained unit with power feed connected to the drive. The metal splash hood lowers to cover the work. The swinging arm moves horizontally, also, to cut multiple slabs. Manufactured by Covington Lapidary Engineering