Post #396304 by kiwishaman on Thu, Jul 24, 2008 4:08 PM

Hi surfin

I asked the same questions, and the guys put me onto a few things. . . but i find what i use the most is my bench grinder - once i bought that and the diamond wheels, life became much sweeter.

so - a bench grinder - i bought a cheap but reliable one down at the hardware store - then some diamond wheels - bought off a guy on ebay - who was it Tama??

Then you will need a dremel tool - i prefer one with the flexidrive, so i can work under water

then you need some burrs - diamond ones - and the ones i find i use the most is the 2mm and 4mm balls, and a teardrop one, and get a point carver if you can - they just are so easy to use! you may also find a flare helpful - and a point, and i like the big cylinders 8 - 10mm - great for getting in and removing stone you cant get at with the grinder.

so long as you can get slabs the right size, you wont need to cut them yourself - otherwise you need a saw with diamond blade - i use an old drop saw of an uncles, that i can use fully down like a trim saw.

you may want a small cutter for cutting off excess before you use the grinder - i find these pieces are great for my toggles.

lastly - you will need some sandpaper to sand - i use small bands that go on my dremel tool, and then progress to diamond cloth then wet and dry sand paper.

I have some picks on my thread of the things i use

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=24565&forum=7&start=30 and half way down the page

Please, Benz Tama or Paipo, any other suggestions?

Good luck Surfintiki

KS