| #1~“Arranged
the UT and checked alignment after the move. Previous attempts to polish
a Fire agate (Jelly opal, Mexican opal--whatever name you wish to call
it) wouldn't polish. I don't remember the sequence of how I got to that
point. Anyway, I Installed the LL and gave it two very short shots of
50K diamond. Instant polish within--2-3 seconds at the most. Slow rpm-
moderate pressure. The conclusion, the LL is a fantastic polishing lap
using very little diamond.” <Don M> Hi, I just
want to give some feedback that I am very satisfied with the
lap you sent. It helped me a whole lot to polish blue topaz with which I had
many troubles before. Thank you again, <Bruno in Belgium>
#2~“The LL is good for Tanzanite... I noticed a Tanzie repair job had an
oxidation "stain" on the table. So before I dopped it and hand rubbed it
a few strokes across a stationary LL with just water....instant polished
table! I think I am going to be very impressed!” <Wayne>
|
#15~“Well
so far, I've only worked on one stone on my return. Processed an 11mm
round Rhodolite and the Lightning Lap brought in the polish fairly
quickly using Alumina Oxide. When I state 'fairly quickly', this is from
a 600 Dyna. I did not use a pre-polishing stage in-between. I used the
Norbide stick to 'work the surface' for about 8 minutes prior to
commencing the polishing action. After I completed the polishing stage
on the Rhodolite, it was still possible to see the lap surface's
'machining lines' on each facet of the stone using a 10X loupe.
Regarding the 'machining lines, I believe as others have found that if
you are running the lap fast for a polishing lap [at the 15-20 mark on
my Gem Master II] you should go back over each facet at the slowest
speed, using a single fast swipe to flatten, remove or wipe away the
'machining lines'. I'll let you know how it goes once I've completed a
few more stones.” <Roger>
|
#25~“While on the topic of polishing, I'm still fussing
with the Lightning Lap from Marsh and have found that I can pre-polish with
14K on it (following 600 solid steel) then take it to the sink, scrub it
clean, charge with alumina and bring up a fine polish - particularly with
spinel. I avoid the pitfalls (pun intended) this material often presents in
the 1200-3000 range - those tiny pits or orange peel which naturally show up
on the last facet or two of the crown or the table...
I've also done a 14K charge outside ring and 50K inside ring or 14 K outside
and CeO inside for quartz, again with good results. Why 14K?
It just happens I had a bottle of Crystalite sitting there and I tried it -
no other reason than dumb luck.
Also, I "erase" the charges with a scrub and usually a run through the
dishwasher after I finish in the evening (along with dinner dishes)! This
feature - being able to change grits on the same surface is
actually changing some of my usual practices. For one thing I'm less shy of
using both sides of the lap since they can be effectively cleaned. I had
some bad contamination experiences with metal laps
early in my faceting "career" doing this, perhaps due to the fact that one
cannot really strip the surfaces of charged metal laps. Don't know why this
is but I do not question providence - or Marsh who I
think recommended this approach.”<Jim F>
|
| #3~“Just finished up a small citrine probably heat treated. Started 360
- 1200 - to polishing with Linde-A 99.9% on the LL. I used a Nubond-1200
prior to the LL. Polishing was amazingly fast. The Mixture & slow speed
as you worked up did very well for me. The polishing started as soon as
facet contacted the lap as the tugging & polishing started. This usually
doesn't happen for me. Using Raytech with just slight hand pressure was
all that I needed.”<Peter S> |
#16~“I started to cut two more three more
sapphires this afternoon. They are all man made. I used the same method
I always use for sapphire. I cut with 600 diamond lap then move to 8000
corian and then I went to polish with your LL. I used my paste with 8000
diamond in Corian and then with 50000 on the LL. Both worked very well.
The great advantage is the diamond paste is very sticky and will stay on
the lap for a long time. It is aggressive and produces a very nice
pre-polish and polish. I used plenty of water to keep the stone
cool. Having said that the best way to find out is for you to try it and
see for yourself if it is as good as I am telling.”<Gustavo> |
#26~Ok
FINALLY I have success to report with quartz! I have been trying it on
various things without much luck and had put
it off to the side until I could cut some quartz and now that I am it’s
working great! I really like it over the stupid ultra/spectra laps I’ve
been using. The polish comes in really fast and much finer than the film
laps."<Craig>
|
| #4~“On your LL: I've been using it lately on
Topaz and sunstone with good results too. The clearest advantage I have
seen so far is it doesn't generate much heat. With stones that have
cleavage problems I believe heat contributes to the minute flaking that
occurs during polishing. The LL seems to solve some of that problem. It
has greater slip but still polishes faster than most composites. I would
definitely recommend people to try the LL. I think it would also be a
great choice for the concave facet polishing applications. The LL has
the advantage of being two sided. I don't think the LL can polish to the
flatness of a ceramic. However under a microscope the LL doesn't seem to
scratch as much as a ceramic.” <Dalan> |
#17~“I just finished a Peridot small round brilliant of
about 2 carats. I used 360 - 1200 Nubond- to LL with 99.9% Linde-A.
Polishing has been the most ENJOYABLE step so far. The LL did not have any
problems with the Peridot. Polish works up as soon as facet makes contact
with LL, pulling, tugging & an excellent polish in short order. I believe
that the LL w/oxide has gotten better as it gets broken in. Very nice
indeed!”<Peter S> |
#27~I finished polishing the pavilion of my pink YAG last
night with Aluminum oxide and the LL. Marsh, I really think you can add YAG
to your list of materials that are supported – it did super! This piece is
smaller than my norm of late and probably more realistic. There was only one
facet that gave me some fits and I got it mostly there. But on the other
facets, I was able to just have the lap running at maybe 20 on the dial, use
the paintbrush loaded with slurry, and with medium pressure polish them in
maybe 10-15 fairly quick sweeps. The pink YAG looks incredible!<David G.> |
| #5~“I had a 7ct oval topaz I to do from the rough. On a
lark, I began using loose 600-grit on the LL with a small amount of WD-40 to
pre-form and bring in initial meets, pavilion breaks, plus girdle outline.
It went quickly. I went to 8K for pre-polish, then 50K for polish and
putting in the mains. I used the same procedure on crown. Beautiful flat
facets! Great polish! All on LL, no lap changes, but good scrubbing in
between grit changes. Never would have believed it!”<Wayne> |
#18~“I definitely will buy one. I've just finished a 10mm spinel and a
10x12 sunstone oval and the lap worked great on both. In some ways the
LL has given me new respect for a plain oxide polish w/o diamond after a
3K prepolishing – I have not done that with corundum. So, quartz,
spinel, sunstone, rutile, garnet (spessartine), and golden beryl have
all been well behaved on this lap. I'm using my dishwasher to clean up
between runs after a quick scrub with a stiff brush.”<Jim F> |
#28~ |
| #6~“I've tried polishing Rutile, which is a bitch to polish, using
alumina on the LL without any treatment to the lap. The stone came up
quickly with a fine polish following 3K on copper. I was really
surprised because it had given me such trouble before on other laps. I
simply misted alcohol slurry once onto the LL and spritzed it with water
before each facet. I had tried polishing the rutile on a 50K BATT, but
it left an unacceptable surface.”<Jim F> |
#19~“Well so much for the beryl that wouldn't polish on another lap. Took
maybe thirty seconds on the LL for each of the main pav facets and
they're pretty good size in this design-- there are only eight pav
facets altogether. The breaks are tiny but before I polish them, going
back to polish the girdle, will use the LL even if it is a bit awkward
to pull down the splash pan edge and apply the cerium (done it before,
just prefer not to when possible), because I sure can't get results like
this with the Spectras. You got yourself a winner here my
friend.”<Steve D> |
#29~ |
| #7~“Anyone can form a stone, but only a true facetor can
polish one. The LL is that answer. I particularly like the fact that using a
scrub brush and lava soap takes you back to your original starting point on
the LL. I give it a 10 for polishing but I think it will do more. I would
definitely buy one!”<Don M> |
#20~“One of the best attributes of the LL is the ability to scrub the lap
and be right back to square one. And it certainly zips through quartz, I
can tell you that. The LL is faster than the Spectra by quite a
bit.”<Steve D> |
#30~Home |
| #8~“I am convinced your lap will be successful. We have taken these LL
laps into hour hearts, as they have helped us improve the time we spend
polishing. Let me know when you get some more made. I will get two
more.”<Gustavo>
#9~“Please
note that as a preliminary user, (slow also) that I must admit that the
LL has found a home here as my Oxide Polishing LL. So far, so good, and
YES I would definitely recommend beginning & accomplished facetors to
buy it. I don't believe you will regret it. In my opinion it would rate
right up there near the top of the 10 scale, much better than the
Ultralaps or equivalent thereof that tend to roll up for me. Solid, flat
& produces very fast polishes. The LL will probably last a facetor’s
lifetime as a quality polishing lap. Nicely Done!”<Peter S>
|
#21~“In my commercial shop my cutters are amazed about the lap. It is
polishing so fast, that they are saying they may be polishing with the
fastest lap they have ever used! The speed of the polishing is so good
that they are now able to polish three stones instead of one when they
were using the corian lap with diamond. We are using 50K diamond paste.
We don’t see the need to use 14K anymore. All of the staff is amazed and
want to thank you and God for providing us with such a wonderful lap.
They want you to know how much they appreciate your input into their
work. They will be able to earn a lot more money for their work. I
predict we will be able to start accepting twice as much work in the
coming days. I am tired and going to bed. It has been a long but
deliciously exciting day thanks to the LL. You have got a winner. I have
no doubt about that. I am going to start to save up to buy a couple
more.”<Gustavo> |
#31~Here is a picture of my
most recent accomplishment with the LL. I fought this piece of Syn. Lt.
Blue Spinel until it was headed for the dumpster (if you get my meaning). I
was having a hell of a time with chipping in the pre-polish stage, BATT
3,000 and BATT 14,000 for the record, anyway I would just about get things
settled down and bang a chip and of course another chip from the chip and
on and on. So I went to my LL play book and took the LL lap that was the
most aggressive and double charged it. 3,000 on the outside and 14.000 on
the inside, I was able to get through the final shaping and pre-polish stage
without any chipping but the 14,000 still didn't do the pre-polish that the
BATT 14,000 would do excluding the chips of course. To finish the polish I
used my tame LL and put 50,000 diamond on it with a anointment of cerium
plus a little WD-40 for lube and you can see the finished product. I am
very happy with it. I guess the thing that still has me in total amazement
about your LL's is the fact that a person can do what ever the hell they
want to do with them, I haven't tried cooking pizza on them yet but I have
the feeling that would work too. Marsh, you have yourself a real winner
here and I am one happy customer. Thanks again.
Use the picture if you
want........... for the record is the a 10.5mm 4.10ct
Synthetic Lt Blue Spinel.
<David H>
|
| #10~“I have found that the LL produces a level of polish that is equal to
other methods, such as BATT and Ceramics. But the LL offers an
advantage... it is quick, and oh so CLEAN and easy to switch out the
grit size without any apparent cross contamination.” <Terry> |
#22~“I am working on a 3ct Tsavorite re-cut. Put some 3k on
the outer inch of the LL, 100K on the inside. The 3K cuts it like butter,
VERY fast. A Rhodolite polished rapidly on 100K with no problems.”<Wayne> |
#32~ |
#11~“I was one of the first people that Marsh asked to
test his new lap. If you
polish a lot of Quartz, or any material that you would normally use
Cerium, this lap works wonders. The Lightning Lap and oxides are made
for each other! I use one side with Cerium and the other with Alumina
and both work equally well. For me the Lightning lap has done what it
was designed to do, Polish Stones. So far, I have polished Apatite,
Beryl, Feldspar, Garnet, Quartz, Scapolite, Tourmaline and Zircon with
no problems. I have no monetary interest in this venture. Would I buy
this lap? You bet! <Greg> |
#23~“The LL-GP1000 lap works wonders so far. Fastest polish I have ever
gotten on large facets with Cerium. Boy do I love this lap!” <Greg>
#24~“The lap works great on the corundum..... I used
diamond slurry and it was FAST. I went directly from 360 (SS) to 14000
on the LL!!! Truly amazing! The surface of my lap isn't as shiny as
yours, but it’s getting there after polishing the corundum. You have
developed a winner.” <Terry> |
#33~ |
| #12~“I just finished polishing a 14mm spinel in an apex cut and was able
to take a 600 surface to polish with alumina on the LL. Not a perfect,
competition, polish mind you but one which is quite acceptable and most
importantly very fast!”<Jim F>
|
#24A~ |
#34~ |
| #13~“Well I am Blown Away! Wayne endorsing something
other than a BATT or Ba5t????? I can't wait to try it. Congrats Marsh
and I hope they sell like Hot Cakes!”< Mike > |
#24B~ |
#35~ |
| #14~"I found that if I go from a 600 Steel to 14K on the LL I can avoid
all of the nasty surface pitting I see with spinel which can show up on
on the odd facet with either 1200 Steel or 3K on copper. I can move the
meets around as well. Boy does that take the tension off!" <Jim F>
|
#24C~ |
#36~ |
| |
#24D~ |
#37~ |
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