Thanks for making a video. I’ve been searching for my own knowledge for a few years and always scratched my head on why this has been such a guarded secret. I heard it was a 1:1 mixture rather than 2:1 . Can you use this on opals?- Any stones? Can you add dies?
Great video and lots of information. Much appreciated. How many times would you reuse the same liquid? If you remove the rocks after stabilizing and then add more rocks, how many times can you re-use the stabilizing liquid? Does the liquid discolor or separate over time and does that color end up being transferred to other rocks? Lastly, is there a minimum amount of time that you would leave the rocks in the solution?
You can keep reusing it for 2 to 3 months...just make sure not to forget about it and shake it up now and then to keep it mixed. I haven't noticed any discoloration left on the rock, but obviously if you feel that the solution is getting too discolored then change it and mix up a new batch. Some rock will discolor the solution more than others. You should leave the rock in there for a minimum of 7 days. The longer you leave it in, the more time it has to seep into your rock and work out any air pockets. Be sure when you take it out though to leave it sit for about a week. You'll notice it getting less and less tacky.
Not yet, that's an interesting idea though. The current ratio works great for slabs and such though. This isn't my own invention, it's been used before... It's just hard to find information on it.
So, I first time tried to stabilize some Idaho garnets that were crumbly around the edges. They were very clean, having been soaked for a few days in muriatic acid, thoroughly rinsed off, then hand scrubbed with Dawn dishwashing liquid and a toothbrush, and then thoroughly rinsed again. They air-dried for the past 3 weeks. The second I dropped them into the acetone/apoxy jar, they began to bleed purple fast, like Alkaseltzer in water. Not air bubbles so much, but looks like they are dissolving. I can't find a thing on the net that says that this stabilizing process will hurt garnets. Do you think its safe and not to worry? The acetone is now purple like grape juice.
Acetone shouldn't hurt most inorganic minerals at all. It's mainly used for dissolving organic substances off of minerals, like glue. Are you sure they haven't been dyed and are 100% natural?
What size epoxy? How many ounces? Just holding up the tube and saying "One of these guys" does not help, when there are more than one size on the market. J-B Weld makes a 0.47 FL. OZ. size (14 mL), and an 0.85 FL. OZ. size (25 mL). Which one should be used with the 2 cups of Acetone?
@@LukiLapidarythis was my question also as I have some chrysocolla I want to try this method on. I zoomed in on ur video & it looks like u used a .47 fl. oz tube here???
@@LukiLapidary hey there. I have same question. The link says .85 FL. Oz so that's what I got. Dying to try this on some chrysocolla, but I swear the video has u using a .47 FL. Oz. Any help would be great. I don't want to use too much epoxy and screw this up. Stones and chemicals aren't cheap in 2024. Thanks✌️
Just tried this and after a week my epoxy had cured inside the air tight container and ruined my gemstones. Any ideas? I was using Epoxy for casting maybe this was the downfall. Any help would be appreciated
Ouch! That's horrible to hear.... Soaking in pure acetone may eat the cured epoxy. What material were you trying to stabilize? Typically the epoxy I use is JB Weld - Clear weld - 5min.
@@LukiLapidary Thanks I will try that, I was using Ethiopian opal, do you think your method would fill the cracks or just stabilize it? Cheers I will try your epoxy next
Ugh those are temperamental... 😂. Yes, it should fill in the cracks if you're dealing with a rough opal... There's really no point to do it on a polished piece. Make sure you close and tighten the lid so the acetone doesn't evaporate. The purpose of the acetone is to dilute the epoxy so it's particles can fit in the cracks, then even you pull it out after a week to dry, the acetone slowly evaporates... leaving behind the epoxy to harden and "glue" the microscopic fractures together. Please let me know how it goes on the second try!!!
@@LukiLapidary Amazing thank you I will definitely update, may I ask why there is no point with a polished piece? Is it because it is not as porous or? And would it work if you roughed it up first then did it then re-polished it? Thanks again
Well the point of stabilizing opal is so it doesn't crumble apart when you shape it. If you stabilize afterwards, the residue will be on the piece and take away all the work you did to polish in the first place.
Is there any way to dissolve or soften epoxy resin? I have an electronic board from a washing machine and I needed to move it, but it was resined with epoxy. If you can help me I will be grateful.
Best lapidary stand-up. Thank you
I believe you did a good job of explaining this process. It seems so simple I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the Info!!!
Cool video, it really helped me , thanks bro
Glad to hear it!
Thanks for making a video. I’ve been searching for my own knowledge for a few years and always scratched my head on why this has been such a guarded secret. I heard it was a 1:1 mixture rather than 2:1 . Can you use this on opals?- Any stones? Can you add dies?
I honestly don't know if dies would do anything. I personally wouldn't use it for opal, but I don't claim to know everything 😂
Thank you. I will be trying this on turquoise.
Good luck! I'm glad this is helpful!
Great video, thank you! Did you say you can use the solution over and over or does it loose strength overtime?
Great video and lots of information. Much appreciated. How many times would you reuse the same liquid? If you remove the rocks after stabilizing and then add more rocks, how many times can you re-use the stabilizing liquid? Does the liquid discolor or separate over time and does that color end up being transferred to other rocks? Lastly, is there a minimum amount of time that you would leave the rocks in the solution?
You can keep reusing it for 2 to 3 months...just make sure not to forget about it and shake it up now and then to keep it mixed.
I haven't noticed any discoloration left on the rock, but obviously if you feel that the solution is getting too discolored then change it and mix up a new batch. Some rock will discolor the solution more than others.
You should leave the rock in there for a minimum of 7 days. The longer you leave it in, the more time it has to seep into your rock and work out any air pockets.
Be sure when you take it out though to leave it sit for about a week. You'll notice it getting less and less tacky.
@@LukiLapidary Awesome! Thanks for the tips and the quick reply. Much appreciated.
Thanks
What brand of epoxy to use, can it be any clear epoxy or a certain kind.
Cool video! Have you experimented with different acetone to epoxy ratios?
Not yet, that's an interesting idea though. The current ratio works great for slabs and such though. This isn't my own invention, it's been used before... It's just hard to find information on it.
So, I first time tried to stabilize some Idaho garnets that were crumbly around the edges. They were very clean, having been soaked for a few days in muriatic acid, thoroughly rinsed off, then hand scrubbed with Dawn dishwashing liquid and a toothbrush, and then thoroughly rinsed again. They air-dried for the past 3 weeks. The second I dropped them into the acetone/apoxy jar, they began to bleed purple fast, like Alkaseltzer in water. Not air bubbles so much, but looks like they are dissolving. I can't find a thing on the net that says that this stabilizing process will hurt garnets. Do you think its safe and not to worry? The acetone is now purple like grape juice.
Acetone shouldn't hurt most inorganic minerals at all. It's mainly used for dissolving organic substances off of minerals, like glue. Are you sure they haven't been dyed and are 100% natural?
Will this work on wood?
The video appears to show this but I'll ask anyway. Does the material retain a wet look after the epoxy/acetone mixture dries?
Sorry for the late reply! Yes, in my experience it does.
What size epoxy? How many ounces? Just holding up the tube and saying "One of these guys" does not help, when there are more than one size on the market. J-B Weld makes a 0.47 FL. OZ. size (14 mL), and an 0.85 FL. OZ. size (25 mL). Which one should be used with the 2 cups of Acetone?
Here is a link to what I use...
www.walmart.com/ip/J-B-Weld-50112-ClearWeld-Epoxy-Adhesive-Clear/23848096?athbdg=L1600
@@LukiLapidarythis was my question also as I have some chrysocolla I want to try this method on. I zoomed in on ur video & it looks like u used a .47 fl. oz tube here???
@@LukiLapidary hey there. I have same question. The link says .85 FL. Oz so that's what I got. Dying to try this on some chrysocolla, but I swear the video has u using a .47 FL. Oz. Any help would be great. I don't want to use too much epoxy and screw this up. Stones and chemicals aren't cheap in 2024. Thanks✌️
Just tried this and after a week my epoxy had cured inside the air tight container and ruined my gemstones. Any ideas? I was using Epoxy for casting maybe this was the downfall. Any help would be appreciated
Ouch! That's horrible to hear.... Soaking in pure acetone may eat the cured epoxy. What material were you trying to stabilize? Typically the epoxy I use is JB Weld - Clear weld - 5min.
@@LukiLapidary Thanks I will try that, I was using Ethiopian opal, do you think your method would fill the cracks or just stabilize it? Cheers I will try your epoxy next
Ugh those are temperamental... 😂. Yes, it should fill in the cracks if you're dealing with a rough opal... There's really no point to do it on a polished piece. Make sure you close and tighten the lid so the acetone doesn't evaporate. The purpose of the acetone is to dilute the epoxy so it's particles can fit in the cracks, then even you pull it out after a week to dry, the acetone slowly evaporates... leaving behind the epoxy to harden and "glue" the microscopic fractures together. Please let me know how it goes on the second try!!!
@@LukiLapidary Amazing thank you I will definitely update, may I ask why there is no point with a polished piece? Is it because it is not as porous or? And would it work if you roughed it up first then did it then re-polished it? Thanks again
Well the point of stabilizing opal is so it doesn't crumble apart when you shape it. If you stabilize afterwards, the residue will be on the piece and take away all the work you did to polish in the first place.
Do you think this would work with Ulexite?
I'm not sure what that material is.
Amusing at best.
Thanks for watching!!
I have a piece of Mona Lisa turquoise I want to stabilize so I can cut it into a few pieces.
Is there any way to dissolve or soften epoxy resin? I have an electronic board from a washing machine and I needed to move it, but it was resined with epoxy. If you can help me I will be grateful.
Sorry for the late reply.....I would assume that acetone would dissolve epoxy. It just may have to soak for a while.
How deep does it soak in?
From what I noticed it soaks in all the way through a 1/4 slab...I haven't done anything thicker yet
Can this same method be used with wood???
yes. 330 epoxy is also popular. so is "cactus juice" (designed for stabilizing wood), but it's horribly expensive ($100 gallon)
You fo realize the headaches is not the issue with inhalinh acetone?😅😅 unøess you've got a built in fuøter it might mess ya up