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Welcome To Spencer Lapidary Blog
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Well for a long time the blog has not seemed to work, but we think we have it fixed so the we can provide our customers with another information resource.
There's more to come...


by: Spencer Lapidary

Monday, March 14, 2011
Citron, also know as Lemon Chrysoprase, is a lemon to light lime colored form of Chrysoprase. Citron (Lemon Chrysoprase) varies from AA grade (without any matrix material) to B grade (with brown to gold matrix webbing). Our Citron A is Light Lime Green in color with no Matrix material & our Citron w/ Matrix is a beautiful lemon yellow with brown to golden matrix webbing - Both are from South Africa.

Chrysoprase is one of the rarest and most valuable of the chalcedonies. Its green color comes from nickel; the color can fade, and in a moist environment may also recover. Larger broken pieces are often fissured with irregular colors. Chrysoprase often occurs as nodules or in crevices in nickel deposits.

Chalcedony is the cryptocrystalline variety of quartz, meaning the crystals are too small to even be seen by a microscope.


by: Spencer Lapidary

I get asked all the time about drilling rocks, slabs and gemstones. Most questions concern the problems people experience while trying to drill with diamond drill bits and not having very good results or life from their expensive bits.

First ask yourself a couple of questions. Are you using sintered or plated diamond drill bits? At what speed are you drilling? Are you withdrawing the drill bit often to allow for flushing and cooling?

Sintered diamond bits have the diamonds mixed directly into or embedded in the steel tip. As the metal tip wears down, new diamonds come to the surface. Sintered diamond drill bits tend to hold up better than plated diamond drill bits; however, they are initially more expensive. The life of any type of diamond drill bit depends upon the hardness, abrasiveness and thickness of the material being drilled and the specific drilling techniques used (drill speed, pressure and lubrication), however, the diamonds of a drill bit don't actually wear out as much as they wear off due to heat and friction caused by the extreme hardness and abrasiveness of the material drilled. Plated diamond drill bits tend to shed their layer of diamonds more easily and you are soon left with nothing but a blunt steel rod with which to drill.

SPEED KILLS: Reduced drill speeds, low drill pressure and increased use of water lubrication will extend drill bit life considerably.

We DO NOT recommend drilling metal. When you drill metal with a diamond drill bit, the metal will build up on the diamond drill bit covering the diamonds that actually DO the cutting for you. You CAN NOT dress a diamond drill bit with a grinding wheel, because the diamonds on the drill bit are harder than the grinding wheel. About all you may accomplish is to knock off more of you precious diamond particles. Sintered diamond drill bits have a much thicker layer of diamonds so that when one diamond is knocked out in the drilling process, the one below with take its place.

I find that we are able to drill dozens of holes by following the rules below.

    1.    Use a good quality sintered diamond drill bit if you can afford them.
    2.    Drill only hard rock or glass, no metal.
    3.    Drill at fairly slow RPMs.
    4.    Use lots of water as your coolant.
    5.    Withdraw the diamond drill bit from the hole often to allow the fresh cooling water to flow in and flush out the waste material.
    6.    Use a small drill press. You'll put less stress on you diamond drill bits and your hands by using a drill press rather than hand drilling using a flexable shaft or electric drill.
Happy Rock Drilling!
Mark S Bennett, Sr.

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by: Spencer Lapidary

I be absent from blogging, but now I'm back. Spencer Lapidary is open at our Elwood, Indiana shop Tuesday through Saturday - 2pm to 6pm. We are closed Sundays, Mondays and Holidays.

Looking to purchase a Lortone Rock Tumbler? Well Look no further. Spencer Lapidary has the best prices on all of the high quality Lortone Rock Tumbler and other quality Lortone Lapidary equipment.

Still considering which brand of tumbler to purchase, read my article below... it might help you decide!

Lortone Rock Tumblers vs. Cheap “Toy” Rock Tumblers

There are a lot of cheap rock tumblers on the market, but none of them will compare with a Lortone Rock Tumbler. When you buy a Lortone Rock Tumbler you are buying a tumbler that is made to last for many years and it’s not uncommon to see a Lortone Rock Tumbler that is 20 – 30 years old and still working. The major difference is that Lortone rock tumblers are made of high quality parts and thick rubber barrels – making for QUIET rock tumbling and polishing.

We have looked at the rock tumblers major discount retailers sell. Most come with a 2 WEEK warranty. The rock polishing process takes 4 weeks to complete, so this tumbler is not meant to do anything except frustrate the purchaser and everyone else too. If you are getting one of these rock tumblers for a child (of any age), you are setting yourself and them up for failure! They will never know if they like rock tumbling when they have a tumbler that is not meant to finish the job.

Any cheap “toy” rock tumbler with a plastic barrel is noisy – we’re talking the type of noise that makes you cover your ears. Plastic rock tumbling barrels will NOT tumble rough stones. You must use pre-tumbled stones so you won't wear a hole in the plastic barrel.

Another cheap "toy" rock tumbler looks very similar to a Lortone rock tumbler. Maybe the company that makes them sent one of Lortone's rock tumblers to China and said we want you to make these as cheap as possible.

We have never heard of one of these rock tumblers lasting for more than a couple of weeks. Most don't last more than a few hours - The belts break within hours, and if you keep replacing them or if you replace them with a quality belt, then the pulleys break. Once again, you are setting yourself and your children up for a huge disappointment with one of these "toys."

Lortone rock tumblers cost more up front, but in the long run you get a lifetime hobby. Being able to grind and polish almost any rock in a quiet, long lasting rock tumbler is a satisfying experience.

Happy Rock Hounding and Tumbling - Mark S Bennett, Sr.

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by: Spencer Lapidary





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