How to Make a Michigan Magnet from Petoskey Stone

Рет қаралды 12,803

5 жыл бұрын

In this video, I'll show you how to make a Michigan shaped magnet from a Petoskey stone from start to finish. I'll cut a slab from a Petoskey stone, cut it to shape on a trim saw, and polish it on a flat lap.
Worried about my fingers? I've got a video for that: • You'll Cut Your Finger...
Here's my video on how to hand polish a Petoskey stone:
• How to Hand Polish a P...
More detailed video on cutting shapes from rock:
• Cutting Shapes from Rock
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/ michiganrocksrob
- INSTAGRAM -
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- KINGSLEY NORTH -
Kingsley North is a lapidary store in Michigan's U.P. They make a great cab machine and sell many other brands too. They have a huge selection rough rock, tumblers, grit, jewelry supplies etc. at good prices. I buy most of my coarse grit from here in 45 lb. bags. It's the best price I have found. If you buy using the following link, I make a small commission.
bit.ly/3MerxdI
This is the cabbing machine I use:
kingsleynorth.com/kingsley-no...
- THE ROCK SHED -
I buy a lot of lapidary supplies from The Rock Shed. I don't make money from your purchases there, but they have good prices and good service. This is where I buy my finer grits and polish.
rockshed.com
- AMAZON STOREFRONT -
I also have an Amazon storefront. This is where you can find other products you may have seen in my videos. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn't cost you extra.
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On Michigan Rocks you can join me on relaxing rock hunts in picturesque Michigan. I'll also show you how to polish rocks and teach you other lapidary techniques. New videos are posted every Friday and some Tuesdays. Subscribe now so you don't miss any upcoming videos!
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Пікірлер: 57

@storytimewithunclebill1998 2 жыл бұрын

You really have a nice set up over there. Stones came out amazing. Was fun to watch. Great video

@patriciamckean4186 Жыл бұрын

Zam, I must remember that name. Thanks fir sharing. Beautiful!!!

@MichiganRocks Жыл бұрын

You're welcome, Patricia.

@CityRockhounding 2 жыл бұрын

Love the design, home state. I like both the flat and rounded design. Cool video!

@MichiganRocks 2 жыл бұрын

I like both too. It's hard to pick a favorite.

@Brenda-sk6ev Жыл бұрын

You have to know your saw's well to not slab your fingers!! Nice work!! ❤

@MichiganRocks Жыл бұрын

Watch this, you'll feel better about my fingers: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e9hkjK-fmcy8hXU.html

@NUGGETSHOOTER 5 жыл бұрын

Love this video, brings back memories from 50+ years back watching my grandfather Fred Looze in his rock shop in Charlevoix MI making same. These stones were common on the beach, not so much now though.

@MichiganRocks 5 жыл бұрын

I love walking beaches looking for them. They're still out there. I looked at your channel briefly last night. I plan to go look at some more. I'm fascinated by finding gold. I've only found flour gold in the black sands on Lake Superior, but even that is fun. I built a little Miller table from instructions on a KZfaq video. I always bring a little black sand home to play with during the winter in the basement.

@dancrites453 4 жыл бұрын

That was great. Thank you...

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@danfish4life249 5 жыл бұрын

Starting on my first ones but I'm going to do the "upper half" Tks for the video nothing helps more that watching it done while hearing the details of how to do it.

@MichiganRocks 5 жыл бұрын

Dan Fen I do the U.P. sometimes too. I feel bad when I don’t, but then again, I don’t think there are Petoskey stones up there.

@bumblebee0369 3 жыл бұрын

@@MichiganRocks ...no but they do have these really cool stones called "Yooperlites" that glow a beautiful fiery orange when you use a black light. They are found all over the beaches on Lake Superior Otherwise, this rock looks like an ordinary dark color rock you'd never know unless you use a black light. But im sure you are well aware of this....

@MichiganRocks 3 жыл бұрын

@@bumblebee0369 Yep, even made a video. I have some in the tumbler right now too. That might be next Friday's video.

@chantalrochon3566 4 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your video! Our family love to be in nature. I think this would be fun an inspiring to do. Now I have to make a budget for equipment! Any idea? New fan from Québec.

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

A lot of my equipment was purchased used. OI bought my tumblers new, but that's about it. A lot of people also use tile saws. I have never used one, but I hear they fling a lot of water around, so you might not be able to use them inside.mm

@joysutherland6786 4 жыл бұрын

I am a beginner and I am just wondering if these can just go in the tumbler once cut out. I love your videos.

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

Not the Petoskey stones, but other rocks can be finished in a vibratory tumbler. Petoskey stones are too soft. A rotary tumbler will change the shape too much, but a vibe will keep the shape and make them shiny. Check this video out: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/d7iHjJurqJjNipc.html

@donnaa572 3 жыл бұрын

Hello. I just received my first container of Zam. It arrived without any covering and appears to be pretty hard like chalk. Is this normal? Your picture of Zam looks more creamy soft rather than chalk hard? Thanks for any advice.

@MichiganRocks 3 жыл бұрын

That's what it's supposed to look like. You need to use it with some sort of buffing wheel. I use a felt wheel on a Dremel.

@lindakile1229 4 жыл бұрын

Very interesting! It's a wonder you have not cut your fingers off! That's the grandmother in me talking! Lol Save all those little triangle pieces and make a pita sky pizza.. Enjoyed.. Still can't spell it.

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

On my list of videos to make is one where I start the saw and then try to cut my finger off. I have demonstrated in a couple videos that I can touch the blade and it doesn't cut me. Diamond saws have very fine diamonds embedded in a smooth blade (although sometimes they're notched). They grind through the rock, rather than cutting like a wood saw. With an un-notched blade like this, I think it would be impossible to cut your finger off, even if you tried.

@lindakile1229 4 жыл бұрын

@@MichiganRocks Ok great! Just please don't try.. Love the way those turned out.

@rebeccagoldberg8333 Жыл бұрын

Wonderful video. Where do you buy saws like that?

@MichiganRocks Жыл бұрын

I don't know of any company that makes a saw just like this one. Mine is a GemLap and that company went out of business a long time ago. You can buy lapidary saws at places like Kingsley North or the Rock Shed. There are links to both in the description, but they won't have anything with the arbor above the table like I have in this video. You can always make a ramp to accomplish the same thing, but that's not quite as convenient.

@LavenderScent 3 жыл бұрын

So does this other one also doesn’t cut your finger off? Is it the same kind of blade? I love your videos ☺️

@MichiganRocks 3 жыл бұрын

All my trim saws are the type that won't cut my fingers.

@lukebrown8701 5 жыл бұрын

i have never done stone cutting before...looks fun though do you have a shop or business?

@MichiganRocks 5 жыл бұрын

I have a small shop in my basement. It’s more of a hobby than a business.

@lukebrown8701 5 жыл бұрын

very cool hobby....and saticifying im sure.

@boo-boolip7528 4 жыл бұрын

Which brand of rock tumbling machines do you Use?

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

My tumbler is homemade, but the barrels are Lortone. Before building my own tumbler, I used Lortone tumblers. For all the stages after the first stage, I use a Lot-O tumbler. The Lot-O is awesome.

@rachaelmcintyre6569 4 жыл бұрын

What kind of saw do you use? I am fascinated. I have tons of petoskey stones that I use in jewelry. I have just been collecting the larger ones not knowing what to do with them. I live on Charlevoix and my beach is flush.

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

I have several saws. The one in this video is a GemLap. I have another GemLap that has the arbor below the table. I like this one better. I also have a 10 inch Frantom saw that I use for hand slabbing Petoskeys and other rocks. In the garage is a 10 inch Lortone ST-10 that has oil as a coolant (my other saws use water). With that saw, I can clamp in a rock and it has an automatic feed to slowly move the rock through the blade. None of these saws are in production anymore, but you might be able to find them used like I did. New saws are very expensive. A lot of people use tile saws that are much cheaper, but also get you pretty wet when you use them.

@thinkcivil1627 4 жыл бұрын

Do you use mineral oil or water for both saws? I'm almost always cutting agate, or jasper, so I use mineral oil on the trim blade, but stay with water on the slab saw. On softer minerals, such as a Petoskey stone, do you stick with the same liquid on your blades?

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

Think Civil I use water in my trim saw and mineral oil in the slab saw. The Petoskeys all get cut by hand on a trim saw with water. They’re usually not shaped well to fit into a vice.

@thinkcivil1627 4 жыл бұрын

@@MichiganRocks Have you ever tried a type of vegetable oil, instead of mineral oil when cutting slabs? Some people do, but I'm not sure what type they use. I'm still picking for the season, but when snow comes I'll be in my LAP work area. Mineral oil seems to keep going up in price, so a quality alternative would be nice. But, only if it produces the same results.

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

Think Civil no, I haven’t. I think vegetable oil spoils eventually. I used to buy oil in pint bottles at Walmart. It seems like it would be cheaper in gallon jugs, but the tiny Walmart bottles were actually a good deal. A couple years ago, I bought four gallons from scahealth.com, but I just tried the site and it wasn’t working. I’m not sure if they went out of business or if the site is just down temporarily. They sold a brand called a Ultracruz that was very reasonably priced.

@thinkcivil1627 4 жыл бұрын

@@MichiganRocks Thanks for the reply. After asking a couple other fellow pickers, I would not try any type of vegetable oil. One friend actually tried it years ago and he said it took a long time to get the rancid smell out of the basement, and also the rocks. Even if there was a vegetable oil that would work, I doubt that it would be less expensive than the tried and true mineral oil. Looking forward to slab cutting this weekend. There are always surprises, as well as disappointments. It's known as "Duds or Studs".

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

@@thinkcivil1627 I just cut up some rocks the other day. Like you said, some are really cool and others not so much. I intend to post a video of the results.

@twocents8282 3 жыл бұрын

😱 Is there a way to cut shapes without getting my fingers so close to the saw? I'm a bit of a scaredy cat, uncomfortable just using buffing wheels.

@MichiganRocks 3 жыл бұрын

I guess you could cut bigger shapes. This video might make you feel better: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/e9hkjK-fmcy8hXU.html

@twocents8282 3 жыл бұрын

@@MichiganRocks thank you so much!

@marcegalbo 4 жыл бұрын

some of my stones are old and damaged....Could I contact you to do that type of work? how ? please let me know I am in Michigan !!!

@MichiganRocks 4 жыл бұрын

Marcela Rodriguez Between my full time job, being very active with my church, and making a KZfaq video every week, I don’t have a spare moment. Thanks for asking though.

@jimisleib7627 Жыл бұрын

Hey! Where's the REST of Michigan (the best part!) J.I. Munising, MI

@MichiganRocks Жыл бұрын

I do the U.P. too sometimes. It really shouldn't be done out of Petoskey Stone though. Kona Dolomite might be a better choice.

@lisacotter6227 5 жыл бұрын

Do u sell your work?

@MichiganRocks 5 жыл бұрын

I sell a few things in a couple local gift shops, but nothing online.

@lisacotter6227 5 жыл бұрын

Well darn.

@MichiganRocks 5 жыл бұрын

Lisa Cotter sorry about that. : (

@lisacotter6227 5 жыл бұрын

You should look into selling on Etsy.

@timkrauss6653 3 жыл бұрын

How long should a blade for your saw last? I have a few questions. I am new, and I have been cutting stones for a while and I am having some trouble. I don't know if the rocks are really hard, or my blade needs to be changed. I have some other questions.

@MichiganRocks 3 жыл бұрын

It's hard to tell you how long a blade lasts. They last longer if you don't use them a lot. Less long if you use them all the time. I know that's obvious, but it makes it hard to explain. Harder rocks are going to wear the blade faster than softer. You can put additives in the water to prolong the life, but I stopped doing that because I think I was paying more for the additives than I was just buying blades a little more often. The blade is worn out when there's no diamond layer left around the edge. That part of the blade just gets narrower and narrower until it's gone. In other words, the diameter of the blade decreases. If you're watching me cut Petoskey Stones and it seems like I'm cutting really fast, that's because Petoskeys are very soft. One thing you can do is dress your blade. I don't do that very much, so I'm speaking without a lot of experience. But the idea is to expose more diamonds. You cut something very hard that wears away the metal, leaving the diamond sticking out more. Some people recommend cutting a brick, or specifically a fire brick, or an old silicon carbide grinding wheel. You can also buy a stick of material for just this purpose. I think it's called a dressing stick.