Thanks for the demonstration! I was stuck using thick resin and starting my grinds back on 80 and 360 grits and not getting very good results. Super Glue is much easier to apply and starting back at the 600 grit wheel is making all the difference in my stones now. Last two batches have been nearly flawless with no white polish stuck in my cracks and pocks. Thanks Gotcha Rocks! :-) Joe--The Local Stone (Lubbock/Marathon, TX)

Not mentioned: 1. Cyanoacrylate glues are not going to make those cracks disappear. They should only be used to prevent cabs from totally cracking into pieces. If you want the cracks to disappear, you need to use a product called Opticon. Otherwise, you will need to lower your expectations of what cyanoacrylates can do. 2. How do you keep the cabs from sticking to the backing materials? I use small sheets of Reynolds Wrap "Release" Non-stick Aluminum Foil. Put the cab on the non-stick side of the aluminum foil, when applying the glue. If any glue seeps through, when it dries, the foil can easily be peeled from the back of the cab. Any other materials (plain paper, copy paper, paper towels, waxed paper, etc) will stick to the cab, if you try to use them. 3. If you use the aerosol Accelerator, you need to be sure that all your cyanoacrylate glues are closed up tightly! In fact, just to be sure, remove all bottles of glue from the place in which you are applying the Accelerator. This is because if even a teeny-tiny bit of the Accelerator gets into the bottle of glue, it will cause all of the glue to instantly harden!

The word from an old cabber/miner friend is: whoever bought the poppy jasper mine in Morgan Hill, California, rather than working the mine/claim by hand with pick and shovel, dynamited it. And thus fractured every sample of that lovely rock from that day forward, which is why you and I and everyone with material from that mine must glue it together to work it. Pity.

You can use any superglue. Satellite City makes Hot Stuff in 3 thicknesses depending on how big the crack. Spray Accelerator is expensive and it is nothing more than baking soda which costs 50 cents. I switched to BS and works just as good as Spray Hardener.

I know I'm old school when I say the wheels are just going to undercut the filler. I would polish the stone and clean, but I would hand sand on sand paper that is on a soft rubber pad. I would start with the highest grit possible like 400 as it is new.

Can you do this on a cracked opal ring? Thank you!

Thank you for the video. I am just beginning to learn lapidary, primarily using a Dremel/Flex and a cheap wet tile saw. I have a few Ellensburg Blue Agates that this may help with.

Looking to start lapidary work been a collector since little and we just opened a rock and gem shop (mainly to sell my fiancé jewelry) but I'd say you won my subscription, just trying to ingest as much content before I dive more in.

Awesome video thanks for the help, I just got a flat lap and have been cabbing a piece of Larimar for a video for tomorrow. As I was shaping it when a crack appeared so I’m going to order this and try this out. Thanks 🤙🔥🔥🔥

I always used Opticon fracture sealer but it is good to know there are other options out there.

Beautiful stone, great job and that Cab-King machine whoa is that cool, you got a killer setup over there.

Gemstones that are repaired with glue are prone to fractures and discoloration. A veteran lapidary artist told me that it ruins an artist's reputation, and he has seen it for himself. They can't compete in a gem show, according to him. Some were even asked to leave according to him. Also, coating gemstones is a big no-no. It will fail too.

The starbond website says the glue cures in 2 to 5 seconds without accelerator so I'm wondering if I really need the accelerator. Maybe the part of the glue that goes deeper in the crack needs more time to dry perhaps and the accelerator helps with that possibly or to make sure its not tacky or not fully hardened for a while.

I want a cab king. Just getting into it

Nice work

What if you do get some glue on the stone itself, rather than just the desired small crack?

There was something swimming in your water reservoir. 🐟

Im having issues with getting the dome, in every cab I do, in the exact same area I can't seem to dome it. Very frustrating! 😊

Thanks!

Great video! I have a labradorite cabochon ring with a crack. Is this method ok for labradorite?

Opal can’t be cleaned with alcohol, it will damage it, how would I go about cleaning an Opal prior to sealing the crack? (I’m planning on using Opticon btw, not CA)

Have you ever tried to use this method to fill or hide fractures in Lake Superior Agates?

Here is my affiliate link to the CabKing machine www.amazon.com/s/ref=as_li_ss_tl?k=cabking&ref=nb_sb_noss_1&linkCode=sl2&tag=gotcharocks-20&linkId=9ee2b0d7bf3a5d46d4f876d8b1168399&language=en_US

How could you fix a large moonstone cabochon that cracks across after being set? Is there a way to stabilize it so it looks ok as it is a beautiful stone?

Hi there! What would you recommend to fill cracks on old turquoise? (I’m no professional, I just collect stones!)

Hello! I am watching your video because I have a little lavender amethyst rock that is in rough shape. It's got a noticable crack that appears to go almost all the way through it. It also had one of its corners break off a while ago which I cannot repair although I do worry about its structural integrity more now. Just wondering if you think this method should work for me? Thanks in advance :)

I use epoxies (Hxtal) since cyanoacrylates like starbond are really resistant to oil based solvents but usually not that much for water based solvents, I'll try starbond to see if it's holding up better, is it made especially for lapidary use?

Great tutorial. I hadn't heard of star Bond before, thank you. Also, I waited for the Code, but it didn't show up, could you please share in the comments? Thanks again.

Hello,this method is much more simple than using the vacuum chamber,but is it penetrating enough to fill the cracks completely ? and is it hard enough? I contacted Starbond asking if they ship to Thailand by courier (faster than post) ,but they didnt reply....

I want to do this to a piece that's set in silver already so it's there a method without the cab king ...could I use a Dremel ?

Will this stuff work on cracks that can ruin a batch in a rotary tumbler? In other words. Can it handle water for weeks on end?

Would this work on larimar stone ?

Here is the link to Starbond www.starbond.com/?rfsn=2506439.e32dfe

Nice haircut! Also, wouldn’t they be exclusions rather than inclusions? Ha! Just dad jokin’ 😁

Hi I'm wondering if super glue can be used instead?

what do you do if you don't have a flat lap Cab King machine and have no intention of getting one

I had a very pretty azurite malachite which I wore all the time, im stupid and forgot I had it on when I went to go work out, long story short I cracked it straight in half, since it's a pretty clean break do I have any chance at salvation? Thank you,!

Hi, is it ok to use alcohol for rose quartz and lapis lazuli cabochon? Thank you :)