Zen_Hydra
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Born with a heart full of neutrality
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Oct 15, 2019 17:17:52 GMT
I'm thinking about doing some decorative inlays and sculpted bits for weapon modding purposes, but I have no experience working with various semi-precious stones and minerals.
I'm currently looking at working with lapis lazuli, nephrite, and jadeite.
I intend to pick up a few smaller raws of these materials to practice on, but I would appreciate any tips or guidance those with experience are inclined to offer.
What are the best tools for shaping and sculpting these types of stone?
What is the best way to polish a sculpted stone without losing too much detail?
What are the best places to buy raw/unpolished minerals, and without a New Age/Woo markup?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2019 22:22:01 GMT
I'm thinking about doing some decorative inlays and sculpted bits for weapon modding purposes, but I have no experience working with various semi-precious stones and minerals. I'm currently looking at working with lapis lazuli, nephrite, and jadeite. I intend to pick up a few smaller raws of these materials to practice on, but I would appreciate any tips or guidance those with experience are inclined to offer. What are the best tools for shaping and sculpting these types of stone? What is the best way to polish a sculpted stone without losing too much detail? What are the best places to buy raw/unpolished minerals, and without a New Age/Woo markup? Lapidary art (cutting, shaping, and polishing stones) is pretty serious stuff. I have several friends who make jewelry and an ex boyfriend who is a lapidary artist. I advise you to find a good lapidary artist near you and make a commission. Spare yourself the major headache.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2019 22:22:45 GMT
Alternatively, I can direct you to a few Etsy stores that are reputable. You can make inquiries there.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2019 22:25:28 GMT
OK, the first post was too cynical. Even if you have a genuine interest in learning this art, consult with other lapidary artists. Explain you are doing this as a hobby and not trying to set yourself up as a competitor.
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Scott
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Post by Scott on Oct 15, 2019 23:00:53 GMT
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Zen_Hydra
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Born with a heart full of neutrality
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Oct 16, 2019 2:07:46 GMT
Thanks, but I'm not interested in alternatives to the materials I listed. The whole point is to have and actual carved jade or lapis decoration.
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Zen_Hydra
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Born with a heart full of neutrality
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Oct 16, 2019 2:10:32 GMT
OK, the first post was too cynical. Even if you have a genuine interest in learning this art, consult with other lapidary artists. Explain you are doing this as a hobby and not trying to set yourself up as a competitor. Thanks. I'm really just looking for some tips. I'm going to work my way through it, one way or another.
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Post by theophilus736 on Oct 16, 2019 21:54:01 GMT
I would also be interested in this!
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Zen_Hydra
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Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,631
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Oct 16, 2019 23:05:51 GMT
I just purchased a couple of inexpensive pieces of lapis to mess around with. As a composite rock, I'm curious about how inconsistent the hardness will be, and how prone to fracture.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 16, 2019 23:24:05 GMT
I've seen people use belt sanders for this sort of thing. Very specific inlays, I imagine, are hard regardless of medium
I, myself, have a piece of quartz with gold, ore, I wanted to mess with. I imagine new age folks would pay some good money for it
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Ouroboros
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Imperial, Mysterious In Amorous Array
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Post by Ouroboros on Oct 17, 2019 2:47:35 GMT
A suggestion...find a local lapidary club where you can use professional grade equipment (sometimes this might cost you more than a membership fee but the results of an 80000 grit lap disc are unmistakably gorgeous) and learn its use from someone. The grinding and polishing lap plates can be expensive and though the machines appear simple, there's a degree of technique that would take a long time to self teach or self discover (cutting, grinding and polishing cabs for instance is different than flat lapping something or fascetting and indexing it).
If you are working with softer materials such as amber then mucking around with sandpaper and auto cloth of up to 5000 grit will give you a gorgeous stone worked by hand.
Best of luck.
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Post by legacyofthesword on Oct 17, 2019 16:36:09 GMT
I probably won't have the time to get into this sort of thing, but it sounds like a ton of fun. Best of luck, and please post pictures of your work!
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