[squbrigg]

Carve marble....no thanks, I have a hard enough time with wood. Works on the same principle, and even stone has grain, at least granite does. But too hard for me though. I'll stick with Butternut, Walnut and alike.

All the best,

Bob

[BasketballJones]

Bob, I learned this either from this board or the yahoo board. You can clean the gunk by soaking the bit in a degreaser, or oven cleaner. I've also used WD-40 to clean the burrs.

[BobD]

Actually, I was only fooling around with the marble--it is too hard to work with. I have a few chunks I saved from an old marble top pizza board, but haven't done anything with them.

Actually, I haven't used the burrs that much. My wife wants me to use them to etch some glasses for holiday presents, but I want to get some sort of good dust mask before I try to breath glass dust...

Ah, what does it matter, I used to smoke menthol cigaretts, and they have fiberglass in them anyway, hehehehehe

Anyone else fooled around with glass at all?

Bob

[AlArchie]

Not with a rotary tool but have tried one of those abrasive, air powered etching guns....think I still have it in the basement somewhere. Worked pretty darn good for a cheap tool. Think I quit using it because I ran out of abrasive, and couldn't find any locally.

Al

[Donna_T]

I was taught to use a slower speed for situations when you're moving more wood. Faster when you're doing little details and want a smooth effect. I have the best luck with the Carbide Kutsall bits or blue Typhoons runninng at a medium speed when I've got lots of 'hogging' to rough out a carving. Diamond is pretty much a finishing grade tool, although a cheaper quality may be a bit rougher than others.

A steel bit can be 'torched' with a butane lighter or torch to remove some buildup---but don't do it for long periods or you're ruin your bit---and be sure to hold the bit in a pair of pliers--not your fingers! Ouch...

I've not tried marble--all the carvers I know who work with it use hand tools and mallets.

Donna T

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

BobC...I have a paragrave and have done quite a bit of glass engraving......do not....repeat....do not do glass engraving without a mask that will remove the very fine dust/particles...you can get silicosis from glass dust!

[BobD]

Hi Ho,
That's what I told my wife. THe whole inhalation thing makes me nervous. I helped my dad put up some of that fiber board insulation this weekend and insisted on wearing a dust mask for that. I smoke a cigar once in a while (less and less lately--they make me dizzy) but there I'm choosing to put the stuff in my body...and I don't choose to put glass in my body...

I guess I also need some direction on what sort of mask is best. I get frustrated by the 3m disposable masks because they fog up my glasses. If I'm etching glass, what is the best kind of mask (that is also affordable).

Bob

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

the mask that comes with the paragrave is the small one that covers your nose and mouth, with a cloth 'sock' on the inside and the clip that holds on the filter on the outside...not expensive...last one I bought (been awhile!) I think was 3.95. Â*but you have to read what they filter, you want it for fine dust.....I should clarify that..they come in different types to filter different materials! get the fine dust filter...there..did I get it described that time? lol