How do I shape and polish stone?

[adammichael]

I have some 1/4 thick Jasper that I want to use for a full tang knife. I can cut it to a rough size with my diamond bladed tile saw but how do I finish shaping it onece it is epoxied to the knife? do I need special equipment? can I use 2x72 belts to shape it? Lets asume by some miricle I get it shaped, how do I polish it?

Am I insane for even trying it? Please help before I ruin the slabs or hurt myself.

Thanks

Michael

www.AdamMichaelKnives.com

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

You won't get a good grind and polish with your belt sander.You can try SC or CZ belts,and polish with tin oxide on a felt belt.Heat buildup will be a big problem.Lapidary belts and buffs are water cooled.To experiment,glue a piece to the end of a 3/4" dowel.Grind and polish it to a dome with your equipment.If you like what you see,try a handle.

 

[ddavelarsen]

There's an article in the March Blade magazine about this very subject. Buster Warenski wrote a sidebar about shaping the stone. Briefly, he uses diamond wheels. Some have the diamond cast into the wheel, the others are softer and have diamond embedded in a cork-like surface. He starts at 80 grit diamond and works through 14,000 grit in six stages. He uses diamond core bits to drill stone.

Don't know whether this issue is on the newstands yet but this is part one of three installments by Jot Singh Khalsa.

I for one can't wait to see what you come up with!

 

[pinpoint]

Jasper would be able to be ground with aluminium oxide wheels, ie like those on a benchgrinder, provided heat was not a problem.

Here in Australia they grind opal, a stone of similar hardness, with aluminium oxide wheels on a shaft on bearings. The shaft is powered by an electric motor via a rubber belt. The reason a rubber belt is used rather than direct drive is that water is dripped onto the wheels from an overhead bucket via some tubing with a small tap at the end to control the flow. If your fairly handy you could cobble together a similar setup.

My gem book states that care should be taken with cutting and polishing banded jasper as it can seperate along the layers.
All the best
Regards
Pinpoint