Faceting with the Tes Lap

TM

To begin setup of your Tes LapTM, you will need your instructions with angles and dimensions (click to print). This may look very complicated, but with a little practice, it will become familiar. It is important to follow the directions carefully. In this example we are using the directions for faceting a simple round Brilliant. We will cut the pavilion first (the base), and the girdle second, (the side). Next, we will reverse dop the marble onto another dop stick and facet the crown. You will refer to the settings in the table below to adjust the Tes LapTM angle, height, and index (HAI). An illustration of the facets to be ground is shown to give you a visual reference. We begin by inserting the dopped marble into the head. The pavilion will be the first set of facets to cut. We will refer to these directions through out the process to adjust and change the HAI settings. First, we will set our index. Second, we will adjust the angle. Third, we will adjust the height to begin grinding the pavilion facets. Set Index Dial to 64 Index screw at 64 index middle position

Detail of dial showing all 3 indexes

The Tes Lap has 3 standard indexes to choose from depending on the specifications detailed your instructions. There are 3 concentric circles on the index dial each representing one of the three commonly used index settings. The inner circle (32) index, the middle circle (64) index, and the outer circle (96) index. The index will be set to 64--. To read the index pointer numbers on the dial .

Adjust First Angle Place gauge at a 90 degree angle on glass and press calibrate and set to zero.

Place the Tes Lap on the glass surface along with your angle gauge. This will be the reference point used to set the first facet angel for the pavilion. The first pavilion facet (refer to table) will be at an angle of 42 degrees. You will be cutting a total of 16 facets for the pavilion. Adjusting The Height The height is adjusted to position the dopped marble to make contact with the lap card. Since we are grinding the rough facets first you will use the 250 diamond lap card. There are 2 methods to adjust the height. This will require a little practice to get the proper height for the first cut. The Tes Lap has now been set to an index of 64, and the angle at 42 degrees. Adjusting height is achieved by moving the dopper in and out of the head for larger distances. You will use shim cards for fine adjustment as you facet. Place the 250 diamond grit lap card on the glass surface directly under the dopped marble. See Illustration. You will need your Dop Guide Lock to adjust the dopper up or down (see video). This lock prevents rotation of the dopper, so you do not lose index settings. Now loosen the Dopper Height Set Screw and slide your dopper until it meets the lap card (see video). This can be difficult depending on the shape of the stone. We are using a marble for the demonstration which will make it easy to explain the progression of facets as we proceed.

Once the marble touches the lap, you will use lap shims (see video) placed under the lap card to gradually change the height. Your kit contains various sizes which can be used in many combinations. Faceting requires a process of "...cut and look...cut and look. You may need to adjust the height a few times on the first facet until you have achieved the desired depth of cut. Our directions show the first facet will set on the number 02. See adjusting the index pointer (video). Begin Faceting The process of cutting each facet is a simple rotation of the index dial to the next angle. Loosen the spring retainer, push the dopper forward to disengage index dial from the index pin, and rotate to the next setting 06. The index dial will indicate 06 on the pointer and the pin will set into the number 06 pin hole and bring the dial flush with the head. It is important to keep your angle and index settings unchanged until the pavilion has been fully cut and polished The Tes Lap has been designed to simplify the index progression of settings by simply rotating the dial as each facet is completed .

We are ready to begin cutting the first facet with the index dial set at 2. Once the first facet has been completed we will adjust the index dial to cut the second facet which is 06, and progress to all 16 facets in the instructions, (02-06-10-14-18-22-26-30-34-38-42-46-50-54-58-62.

Polishing After the rough pavilion facets are completed, the next step is to polish each of the pavilion facets starting with copper laps charged with diamond dust and then on to the final polish using plastic laps . Polishing techniques vary considerably and may be unique to some individuals. What is important is that you achieve the finish that you desire. The Tes Lap settings must stay the same until all of the pavilion facets have been completed to final polish before proceeding to facet the girdle. The index and angle settings must remain unchanged- index 64, and angle 42 degrees. If these settings change before the pavilion has been completed, the dopper will be out of alignment and may require re-faceting already completed areas. The copper lap cards are used with diamond dust and water solution to pre-polish the facets. Included in your kit are 4 diamond grit meshes (3000, 8000, 14000, 50000) each used successively in size until the final finish polish is performed. Each copper card is charged with a different mesh to avoid contamination of grit sizes. The size mesh and order of polishing with the diamond dust is subjective .

Final polish is achieved using plastic lap cards which you will charge with one of the final polish compounds included with the kit (cerium oxide, chrome oxide, tin oxide, and sapphire powder). The choice will depend on various factors such as finish preferences and gemstone hardness. In our example, we will use tin oxide for the final polish.

Faceting the Girdle With the pavilion facets completed to final polish, you are ready to adjust the Tes Lap and begin faceting the girdle. In our example, of the round Brilliant, we will need to adjust the angle and height of the Tes Lap. The 64 index is unchanged. The girdle is the small surface edge around the side of the stone which will be cut at a 90 degree angle. The girdle facets should align perfectly with the pavilion facets.To set the new 90 degree angle (see video) you will follow the same procedure used to set the 42 degree angle of the pavilion cut.

You will use the angle meter to set the head angle to 90 degrees. As you will see, the angle of the dopped marble has changed substantially. After the height and angle have been set, we will use a combination of tools and techniques for fine adjustments to facet the girdle. You will use a small block spacer to raise the lap card to contact the marble. Small height increments are achieved using a combination of spacers and shims. The size of the shims will vary depending on the size of specimen being ground. This will require a little practice at first. Over time, you will develop your own techniques. Now you can begin faceting the girdle with progressive abrasives from rough to final polish. You will repeat the same same grinding steps used to finish the pavilion. Again, any type of faceting requires a process of "...cut and look...cut and look. Rough stones come in many shapes and sizes. A unique feature of faceting with the Tes Lap is the ability to adapt the instrument for different cutting positions. You will appreciate the adaptability of the Tes Lap hand faceter as you progress to other types of stone shapes, hardness, and designs. Once the pavilion and girdle have been completed and inspected to your satisfaction you are ready to reverse the marble to another dop stick (see video) to facet the crown. This is done by using your transfer fixture, rubber bands, candle, wax, and a second dop stick.

Faceting the Crown

Before setting the angles used to facet the crown, you will need to align the marble using a flat surface from the girdle facets (see video). The girdle facets have the same index numbers as the crown. This is done with the dopper set at a 90 degree angle using the block spacer and a lap card. You need to loosen the dopper lock screw. Place the marble at a 90 degree angle and rotate the dopper until one of the flat surfaces meets the spacer. Tighten the set screw so the dopper no longer rotates. Now refer to the instruction table to set the angle and height to begin the first set of rough facets for the crown. Faceting the crown is done using the same procedures used to facet the pavilion. You will use the 250 diamond, angle meter, and shims to make adjustments as needed while you facet. The directions indicate there will be a total of 8 facets, (64-08-16-24-32-40-48-56) at a 30 degree angle. Each of the facets are ground by simply rotating the index gear to each number corresponding the instruction table. The crown facets are cut until they meet the girdle. Faceting the crown also requires a process of "...cut and look...cut and look. As with the pavilion and girdle, you begin with the rough lap and progress to a mesh until you achieve the final finish desired.

Simple Brilliance Pavilion for 64 Index instructions with angles and dimensions C 42.00 02-06-10-14-18-22-26-30-34-38-42-46-50-54-58-62 Cut to center point G 90.00 02-06-10-14-18-22-26-30-34-38-42-46-50-54-58-62 Level the girdle

Pavilion

Simple Brilliance Crown for 64 index B 35.00 02-06-10-14-18-22-26-30-34-38-42-46-50-54-58-62 Leave some girdle M 30.00 64-08-16-24-32-40-48-56 Cut to Break-Girdle meet point S 16.00 04-12-20-28-36-44-52-60 Cut to top Main-Break meetpoint T 0.00 Table Cut to Star-Main meetpoint

Side View Girdle

Crown

Figure 1 1. Tes Faceter Hand Piece 2. Transfer Fixture 3. Case 4. Glass Work Surface 5. Diamond Lap 250 grit 9. Diamond Powder 1200 mesh 10. Diamond Powder 3000 mesh 11. Diamond Powder 14000 mesh 12. Diamond Powder 50000 mesh 13. Cerium Oxide Polish 14. Chrome Oxide Polish 15. Tin Oxide Polish 16. Sapphire Powder Polish Figure 2A 1A Tes Faceter Hand Piece 2A Allen Wrenches 3A Dop Guide Lock 4A Digitial Angle Meter 5A Dop Stick 6A Index Dial 7A Dop Spring 9A Angle Adjuster Bolt 10A Head Piece 11A Dopper Height Set Screw 12A Index Dial Set Screw 13A Head Angle Set Screw

17. Plastic Lap 18. Copper Lap 19. Wax 20. Water Bottle 21. Rubber bands, Soap and Rough

Getting Started - Preparing to facet

The Tes Lap faceting machine is specially designed to facet gemstones and minerals using basic industry techniques and standards. The Tes Lap has been designed to facet stones by hand and the instruments design and construction has been refined and modified to do both custom and hobby faceting. Some of the parts some of the components have been modified allowing the faceter some degree of control and the opportunity to learn the basic techniques and concepts of faceting. Your kit contains all of the items you will need to begin. The instructions are accompanied with video tutorials to demonstrate how to facet from rough to finish. We will be demonstrating one of the more popular and simplest of designs known as simple brilliance. Once you have mastered and grasp the faceting process, you can progress to more designs and even create your own. Our getting started section will guide you through setting up your first project to finishing and polishing of the final product. Before you begin to facet your first specimen you will need a sturdy flat work area. In addition you will need to choose the material to be cut. We will be using a glass marble for this demonstration, included in your kit. If this is new to you we suggest using the marble, although you choose something different. you should begin with a softer stone hardness such as obsidian or quartz. First, you will need to attach your marble to the dopstick . We will be using a special hard wax to attach the marble. You will need from your kit, the transfer fixture, wax, 2 dop sticks and rubber bands. In our example a candle (not included) will be used to melt the wax and attach the marble. If this is your first time, it may take a little practice to get your marble properly attached.

Next, you will set up the Tes Lap to facet. We will be using the instruction table for cutting the simple Brialliant design. We willl cut the pavilion, girdle and crown. Each step will be explained in order with video tutorials to help.

How to Dop with the Tes Lap

Provided with your kit is a transfer fixture, dop wax, dop sticks, and rubber bands. Wax is used to hold the stone to the dop stick. There are other methods of attaching the stone to the dop stick but you you can investigate them on your own

First, prepare the flat dop stick by heating it and the wax at the same time. Melt a small amount of wax on to the dop stick. Be careful not to burn the wax. After a small amount of wax clings to the end of the dop stick, finish evening it out by rotating above the flame. Place dopper onto the transfer fixture.

Now place the second dop stick with the cone indentation onto the transfer fixture opposite the stone and secure with rubber bands. Place the stone between both dop sticks and carefully heat the wax using the transfer fixture

Your goal is to get a nice even seat of the stone onto the dopper. Remove the dopper and attached stone from the transfer fixture. You are now ready set up the Tes Lap to begin faceting.