Thread: Hard Arkansas

Soo....Got these finally. They are stupid huge. Especially the translucent. These are going to be a b!tch to break in. That little sucker in the middle is a 4x2 black trans. The large black has no translucency at all. the translucent is an inch or so at its thickest and the light on my cell can be seen right through. The only complaint I have about these is that they're not chamfered on the edges and on the black thats going to be hard to do. The translucent at least has that large side completely straight so that will be easier. Oh and they have some pieces that flake off on the backs because of the rough cut.

Now I am just thinking about making a fitted box for each. I think I will do something like glass bedding these, The only problem will be making sure the release agent gets in all the nooks and crannies. Any ideas?

Wow - those are spectacular! Congrats!

Sorry - I know nothing of bedding.

Ya making an Arkansas side walk? LOL

Fantastic looking stones, congrats. I used a dremel with a sanding wheel to knock the edges down. A belt sander would work great I think.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Soo....Got these finally. They are stupid huge. Especially the translucent. These are going to be a b!tch to break in. That little sucker in the middle is a 4x2 black trans. The large black has no translucency at all. the translucent is an inch or so at its thickest and the light on my cell can be seen right through. The only complaint I have about these is that they're not chamfered on the edges and on the black thats going to be hard to do. The translucent at least has that large side completely straight so that will be easier. Oh and they have some pieces that flake off on the backs because of the rough cut.

Now I am just thinking about making a fitted box for each. I think I will do something like glass bedding these, The only problem will be making sure the release agent gets in all the nooks and crannies. Any ideas?

Plaster of paris for the bedding. Do you have a belt sander? If you do, you can make a true edge on the right side of that black pretty easily and then chamfer or round the top. They look great.

I just got a black translucent - finished lapping it tonight:

Originally Posted by DaveW

Plaster of paris for the bedding. Do you have a belt sander? If you do, you can make a true edge on the right side of that black pretty easily and then chamfer or round the top. They look great.

Plaster of Paris you say, never thought about that. I don't have a belt sander but I have people who do so I can use them. I was thinking maybe a tile saw, I have a commercial grade one with water lines and everything just probably not a blade that is up to the task. What kinda blade do you think would work for cutting one side flat?

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Plaster of Paris you say, never thought about that. I don't have a belt sander but I have people who do so I can use them. I was thinking maybe a tile saw, I have a commercial grade one with water lines and everything just probably not a blade that is up to the task. What kinda blade do you think would work for cutting one side flat?

I haven't used a blade for a tile saw, but from reading, you'll need a diamond blade. The MOHS hardness on a hard arkansas is around 7. Diamonds are ten, so that gives you an idea of how hard they are. I took DaveW's advice and used my belt sander and it worked, but you have to be careful because the edges are sharp and can cut through the belt. Also, it get's hot on the edge and if there are small imperceptible cracks, then localized heat could cause them to become big, perceptible cracks. Just go slow. Oh yeah, if it's a friend's belt sander, take them a new one for when you're done. They'll need it.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Plaster of Paris you say, never thought about that. I don't have a belt sander but I have people who do so I can use them. I was thinking maybe a tile saw, I have a commercial grade one with water lines and everything just probably not a blade that is up to the task. What kinda blade do you think would work for cutting one side flat?

Give it a rip. I don't know what your blade is, but a cheap angle grinder blade (one of those diamond coated things that are less than 10 bucks) would easily do the job, too. If you have a tile saw already that has decent cut depth, and water, might as well use it.

If anyone else reads this and uses an angle grinder, always use a mask or a very wet sponge held against the diamond blade during the cut (like sopping wet) to make sure you're not breathing the dust. When I worked for a tile contractor, that's how we cut our runs of tile when we were inside a building (or really anywhere), a large sponge totally soaked, and the dust runs away in a slurry instead of getting dispensed into the air. Just score or mark a stone before the cut is started so that you have a guide to go by and end up with a nice even cut.

As far as plaster of paris, that's sort of a guess. A lot of the old irregular stones I've had have been bedded in plaster. The type of plaster it is, I don't know, but plaster of paris should work well and it's cheap and quick.

Originally Posted by cosperryan

Soo....Got these finally. They are stupid huge. Especially the translucent. These are going to be a b!tch to break in. That little sucker in the middle is a 4x2 black trans. The large black has no translucency at all. the translucent is an inch or so at its thickest and the light on my cell can be seen right through. The only complaint I have about these is that they're not chamfered on the edges and on the black thats going to be hard to do. The translucent at least has that large side completely straight so that will be easier. Oh and they have some pieces that flake off on the backs because of the rough cut.

Now I am just thinking about making a fitted box for each. I think I will do something like glass bedding these, The only problem will be making sure the release agent gets in all the nooks and crannies. Any ideas?

If they were mine I would build a shallow box and permanently set them in epoxy or polyester resin. They you could use your standard holders or use without any holder at all.

Still working on the trans stone. It's coming along.