Instructions for the use of a Dop Pot
The dop pot and wax in conjunction with a dop stick is the method used to attach a stone to a stick so that you can hold and control a preformed stone to grind and shape a cabochon.. The dop stick is most commonly made from a wooden dowel of various diameters approximately 4" in length. The steps to achieve this are as follows. 
  • If the Dop Pot is new add dop wax to the pot as per the manufacturer's instructions.
  • Clean and warm the stones to be ground on the table of the dop heater
  • When the stone and dop wax is warmed place the dop stick in the wax and spin and move around until you have enough wax gathered on the dop stick to hold the stone.
  • Push the dop stick down on the stone and shape the wax to the back of the stone, have enough wax on the stick to make a good solid backing for your stone.  You can shape the wax with your fingers by having a container of cold water near, wetting your fingers and shaping the hot wax.  Keep in mind that the wax is very hot and will burn your fingers if you do not keep them wet while shaping the wax.  Or use another damp or wet object to shape the wax such as a knife.
  • If you are unsure of the bond set the stone and dop stick on the heater for a few more minutes to allow the wax to bond to the stone.  Allow the stone and dop stick to cool at room temperature and test to make sure that the stone is securely bonded to the stick.
  • You are now ready to grind, sand shape and polish the surface of your cabochon. 
  • To easily remove the stone from the dop stick after your cabochon is complete put it in a freezer for a few minutes and it will easily pop off of the stick.

Cautions to take note of:

1.  Wax is hot and will burn your fingers, be sure to keep your fingers wet with cold water when conforming the wax to the back of the stone.
2.  Wear Safety Glass's to protect your eyes from flying objects should the stone happen to fly from your dop stick when you are grinding and sanding.
3.  Follow all safety precautions as per instructions with the machines you are using.
4.  When you are polishing or sanding your stone too much heat generated from the sanding or polishing operation may damage the stone and can soften the wax and cause the stone to release from the dop stick.

Instructions for drilling holes in small stones for pendants

Since it is easy to ruin a diamond bit with too much heat you must use light pressure and keep the stone wet by either dipping the stone in a bowl of water frequently or by mounting the stone in a small, shallow container of water with clay to hold it while drilling. To drill a hole in a stone, it is usually easier to use a small diamond burr to start the hole in the stone where you want to drill the hole, This makes a small indent so that it is easier to start the wire drill.  Use the wire drill with light pressure in up and down motions until you are through the rock.  Use caution when you are about to go through the other side so that you don't chip the stone when it comes through the other side.  Sometimes it is better to drill from the other side when you get close to coming out the other side. 

 Note:  Many factors figure in to the time it takes to drill a hole.   In hard agate to drill 1/4" to 3/8" it may take 5 minutes or more where as in softer rock it can probably be done in 2 minutes or so.  The other hard to determine factor is number of  holes you can achieve per bit.  Again, the hardness of the rock you are drilling, the heat generated if you overdue on pressure or too little cooling water all figure in to the number of holes.  Considering those factors, probably you can expect 2 to12 in hard material and more in soft material.

Follow the manufacturers safety suggestions when using equipment
Always wear eye protection when using lapidary equipment. 
Use caution with electricity and water.

The Basics of using a lapidary cabbing machine for polishing rock
Although there are many varieties of cabbing and rock polishing machines the basics of their use is similar.  

Carbide Machines -  Most lapidary machines using the carbide wheels are usually set up with two carbide wheels of different carbide grits.  Green carbide wheels work best for lapidary work. Usually 80 or 100 grit for the coarse or rough grinding on your cabochon or specimen and 200 grit for the touching up and more precise shaping of the stone. All of the machines have or will need a system for keeping the wheels and your stone wet as you sand and grind. Usually this is accomplished by a gravity feed water system and valves to each wheel or a small pump which sprays water on the wheel.   If you are cutting cabochons or polishing small agates you will probably need to dop the stone on a dop stick for better control before proceeding to the sanding step.   Most lapidary  machines will be set up with 1 or 2 rubber expando wheels for using carborundum belts.  These wheels allow you to easily change belts when the machine is shut down and they expand to hold the belts tight so they don't slip when it is running.  These belts can be purchased in many grit sizes for your various needs.  Probably the most common ones would be a 220 grit for the next step after the 200 carbide wheel and then a 400 grit for the fine sanding and then on to a 600 for the final sanding (tip - sometimes a worn out 400 will serve the same purpose as the 600 grit belt). The last and final step on most machines would be a flat polishing disc which mounts on the threaded end of the arbor on the machines.  Usually these will have a soft rubber pad to which you attach a leather or felt pad for the final polishing of the stone.  The final process then would be to dampen the polishing pad with water, mix a small amount of your favorite polish in a slurry and add to the pad and apply your dopped and ready to polish stone to the wheel with light pressure. After only a brief amount of time you can admire the beauty of your nicely polished cabochon or polished agate or stone.

Diamond Machines -  Most lapidary machines using Diamond wheels are set up with two diamond grinding wheels of different grit sizes (usually 100 and 200 grit.  Usually 80 or 100 grit for the coarse grinding-shaping on your cabochon or specimen and 200 grit for the touching up and more precise shaping of the stone. All of the machines have or will need a system for keeping the wheels and your stone wet as you sand and grind. Usually this is accomplished by a gravity feed water system and valves to each wheel or a small pump which sprays water on the wheel.   If you are cutting cabochons or polishing small agates you will probably need to dop the stone on a dop stick for better control before proceeding to the sanding step.   Most diamond lapidary  machines will be set up with 1 or more rubber expando wheels for using diamond belts.  These wheels allow you to easily change belts when the machine is shut down and they expand to hold the belts tight so they don't slip when it is running.  Most machines have a series of diamond belts from 400 to 3000 grit which will be used for the final sanding or your stone or cabachon.  The last and final step on most machines would be a flat polishing disc which mounts on the threaded end of the arbor on the machines.  Usually these will have a soft rubber pad to which you attach polishing pads of finer grit diamond to acheive the final polishing of the stone (usually form 8,000 to 50,000 grit). After only a brief amount of time you can admire the beauty of your nicely polished cabochon or polished agate or stone.

Other Important Notes:

Safety glasses are always important when working around equipment.
Make sure your machines are plugged into a safe ground fault outlet to help protect yourself since these machines run water.
Even though you are grinding and sanding with wet wheels you should consider the use of a dust mask, especially when grinding and sanding some materials such as some copper ores and especially malachite which can be toxic.

Use caution in the polishing stage as when the polishing pad begins to dry out the stone will begin to slightly pull against the pad and too much heat generated could cause the stone to fracture or come off of the dop stick.  We use a small spray bottle filled with water to moisten the pad occasionally if needed during the polish.

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