LIST OF SUPPLIERS FOR LAPIDARY WORK
This is changing so much that if any of you find a good supplier do tell me. My old haunts are vanishing. Please contact by email for suggestions of other suppliers.
THK DIAMOND TOOLS
www.thk.hk
These people sell very cheap plated diamond wheels & sintered blades, they are good. I also buy diamond ‘hole saws’- diamond drills (the larger ones) that don’t last long but do the job at very little expense.
ETERNAL TOOLS
www.eternaltools.com
Good value for diamond files especially the slightly bigger ones but as this company supplies the Horology trade do check the grit size on files, as theirs are often too fine.. Burrs can be expensive, need to shop around. It may be that they are good quality German ones or cheap Chinese, need to check quality as well as price. This company is expanding, so check for new supplies.
ALEC TIRANTI
www.tiranti.co.uk
27 Warren St.,
London W1P 5DG
Telephone: 020 7380 0808
Alternative Tel: 01635 587430
This place sells a few diamond tools but best for its sculptors tools & supplies.
COOKSONGOLD
www.cooksongold.com
49 Hatton Garden
London EC1N 8YS
Telephone 020 7831 7574 & Birmingham
0345 100 1122
Sells some diamond files. They do not really know this area of tooling, however they sell good quality Strauss diamond riflers. The agent who has taken over Strauss goods in this country will only sell £500 worth of tools. Their excellent riflers are cheaper and burrs good quality but to buy an order of that size is difficult financially.
Adept Tooling Ltd
www.adepttooling.co.uk
Unit 25 B
Tir Llwyd Industrial Estate
St Asaph Av.,
Kinmel Bay,
N. Wales LL185JA
Tel: 01745 345050
Diamond Wheels
Good diamond plated carving wheels to order. Quality good but grinding wheels are expensive. The wheels from thk.hk are a good cheap alternative but Bernard will make up small wheels with particular edges but so will Baltic Abrasives much cheaper. Also sells diamond powder. It is cheaper to make up your polishing paste with powder than buy pastes.
For the diamond powders use Bernard’s other business and buy synthetic diamond as it is perfectly good enough for our uses.
JB Industrial Trading
59 Turton Heights
Bromley Cross, Botton
Bernard@aol.com
0870 1660041
Diamond Powder from China
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224553832556
W20 is the grade recommended to me but I have yet to try this way of polishing.
Malvern Lapidary
39 Broadlands Drive
Worcs WR14 1PW
01684 561537
Expert in diamond blades. Stocks most kinds and will give advice as to which to use, whether for water or oil cutting. Again I often use a much cheaper alternative at thk.hk
D.K. HOLDINGS LTD
Station Approach
Staplehurst
Kent TN12 0QN
Tel 01580 891662
Good for diamond belts ,wheels etc. Good prices. Geared to the glass industry but useful to us. Sell Habit chucks for diamond drills that supply the water for cutting. Need the right stand or bench drill for this setup.
Baltic Abrasive technologies
www.baltic-abrasives.com
Diamond wheels, will make shaped ones to order-very reasonable.
Phone +37060852282
info@baltic-abrasives.com
Moleroda Finishing Systems Ltd
www.polish-it.co.uk
March Farm
Farley
Salisbury
Wilts SP5 1AX
Tel:01722 712610
e-mail:moleroda@btinternet.com
Sell burrs in sets and singly plus other diamond tools. The 5 micro motors I have are from these people @ around £200. Quick release. BUT I am having trouble with the handsets. Trying a stronger one but cannot recommend the present ones although I had no trouble, students did. They will also repair them.
They sell the Congress Regular 240,320,400,600 Silicon Carbide stones 1/4in x 1/8in or whatever sizes they have in stock. You have to buy a box or get them from me. If buying a box of 12, I recommend 400 & 600 as the most useful.
Richard Hahn
Vollmersbachstrasse 92
55743 Idar Oberstein
Tel: 0049 6781 945504/5
Fax:0049 6781 945544
e-mail: info@Richard-Hahn.de
These people do a lot of diamond tools including numerous tools mounted or not
for an M6 & M10 lapidary spindle. They have an English catalogue. They sell a modern M6 Lapidary Spindle and they will make a heavier M10 one to order. These spindles are now used with modern bearings at the school in Idar as the lead bearings take more maintenance.
Eigner
Hauptstrasse 60
55743 Idar Oberstein
Tel: 06781 43936
e-mail: otto.eigner@t-online.de
Sells tinny lapidary equipment. They speak English well. Online catalogue. But all ready-mades are expensive.
When buying off ebay or Amazon buy a small amount to test the quality. I will show you what to look out for. The other thing is very cheap files are often D74 which is too fine for stone and will just bald. D126 (grit 120/140 American) is the usual ‘medium’ grade but do watch it as Medium is not an accurate grade. Many suppliers are very ignorant about diamond grading.
Also if buying cheap files watch out for bobbles at the end of files where the plating has gathered. These bobbles can cause a horrid deep scratch in your work. Many suppliers are very ignorant about diamond grading.
DSA products Ltd
sales@dsaproducts.com
Sell Strauss files, burrs & riflers. The riflers are the best one can find but one has to buy £500 worth of tools minimum
ASIC (Nick English)
Unit 60-61 Claydon Business Pk
Gt Blakenham
Ipswich IP6 0NL
01473 657070
01473 657020
for Diamond burrs
Creative Glass
Unit12 Sextant Pk
Neptune Close
Rochester ME3 4LU
01634 735416
They sell HXTAL glue. It is a very thin epoxy glue that does not colour over time (or less than any other) You can wait till it thickens if needed as it does not effect its strength whatever viscosity you use it at. Very expensive but the only glue to back thin gemstone with. It can be in smaller quantities online. See Conservation Resources. Lasts about 2 years(I found it still worked longer) so best to share with others as one tends to use so little.
Conservation- Resources
https://conservation-resources.co.uk/products/hxtal-epoxy-adhesive
These people sell Hxtal in smaller amounts which probably isn’t cheaper per gram but as it last only around 2 years it is often better to buy it in small amounts.
https://conservation-resources.co.uk/products/hxtal-epoxy-adhesive
Chestnut Products
Sell thin, medium and thick superglues
Arc Euro Trade
Sells chucks and lots of bits to build machines if you are clever that way
COVINGTON TOOLS
Cheap lapidary machines and tools USA
EBAY
Baoshishan bench polisher
Diamond powder for polishing 200-1400 grit
W20 =600 grit item 224553832556 seller chengting 2018 (59 292)
Very cheap
Foredom variable Speed Motor
This could be converted to a spindle but not sure yet if it slows enough. Will look into it.