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Author Topic: How to thin cabochon carving without it breaking?  (Read 2077 times)

AshleyRose

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How to thin cabochon carving without it breaking?
« on: September 19, 2018, 01:34:56 PM »
I have some cabochons but they are actually more carvings of flowers etc but I am referring to them as cabs due to them not being faceted.
They are 3 mm thick but I would like to reduce them to 2 mm thick to look a bit translucent but they break when I try.
Would anyone know of a way to make them thinner without them breaking please?
The material they are made from is Labradorite.

Thanks

Rusted

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Re: How to thin cabochon carving without it breaking?
« Reply #1 on: September 19, 2018, 03:12:51 PM »
Labradorite is a type of Feldspar and has natural cleavage planes that make it very difficult to work.

You may be able to support the front by embedding it in something, plaster is what I was thinking but it would be a pain to remove the plaster and possibly lead to breaking the rock you have just spent hours on.

If you can come up with something to support the front then I would grind the back down by hand working on a steel plate and using loose Silicon Carbide grit slurry.

Thinking about this I wonder if doping wax would work, then just immerse stone, wax and whatever in metho until the wax dissolves.

sapphireminer

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Re: How to thin cabochon carving without it breaking?
« Reply #2 on: September 19, 2018, 09:17:18 PM »
Have you tried using a flatlap like on a faceting machine no need to stick the stone to anything I just hold mine and you get a perfect flat back.
Dave 

texta

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Re: How to thin cabochon carving without it breaking?
« Reply #3 on: September 19, 2018, 09:27:17 PM »
what about if you know a jeweler or can get hold of a stick of thermo loc plastic that would work i think , just remove in hot water .
johno

 

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