Watch Justin hand carve (dremel) a rough opal piece into a gem opal carving. Justin uses dremel tips that have different abrasives to work the opal into a high polished gem
One of the things I love about lapidary is that you can improvise so many bits for cheap. Those diamond pastes seem expensive, but they go along way. The bag of cerium oxide I bought 10 years ago, will last another 10 years. Love to carve with my Dremel, don't buy Dremel bits, to expensive, tool places often have no brand bits that are significantly less expensive, even if they wear out a bit quicker, buy 3 to 6 for the price of 1 Dremel bit.
@@evelynvongizycki1017 just make sure you get one with a flex shaft. you have to work in water, or use a dripper and you don't want that electric hand held any where near water. p.s. if you can afford a fordom get one they are more powerful and will last longer.
Love this video This is the video that got me into Opal..it’s been almost 2years now..thank you Justin 💖 I really wish we get another carving video like this soon in the future Bless
Mind blown! My living room is filled with purple smoke now!! The dremel bit your father made, how special a tool to have in your arsenal. And it works beautifully!! Always learning from you, much appreciated.
During the Covid lockdown I started watching Aussie Opal Hunters on the Quest tv channel and then had a look on RU-vid to see if there were any more episodes. I spotted your channel and had a look at a couple of your videos. I subscribed and now I'm hooked. Watching you cut and polish is absolutely fascinating and keeps me occupied while I am locked down. I had never given opal a thought before. Never mind how they are processed. Sir, YOU are a gem amongst gems.
Thank you so much for creating this video. That is...by far...the highest polished carved opal I have seen. I love the concept of a carved opal but most have a very poor polish.
Hey, Justin, I’ve been teaching myself to carve and polish all sorts of stones. My pop has passed on, as well, and although he wasn’t an artist or jeweler, he provided some excellent opal rough he brought home many years ago when he and my ma visited Australia. If it wasn’t for RU-vid and you specifically, it would still be sitting in a dusty old box in storage. Cheers, and thanks a million, mate!
Thanks mate just wanted to make that wood tip what a great tip this is so good to learn and thanks to your magical dad for passing down such a great thing
Thank you for your videos! Thinking of you and yours as the fires rage, praying you are safe. Looking forward to getting my opals in the mail so I can get started. Will continue to keep Australia in our hearts here in the USA. Stay safe!
YOU are the best. I've been looking and searching for someone organized and knowledgeable. This was so interesting and so fun. You're Lovely! thank you!!
G’day Justin thanks heaps for the vid …. I had no idea it takes that long wow …. Beautiful job mate 👍 think I might stick with the cab machine for now 😆
I just bought a Dremel yesterday, as well as ordering some opals from Murray Willis. Then I find this video today in my suggested feed. Nice. Thanks, Justin. This video has increased my desire to get some Australian dirt under my nails. Thanks so much for sharing your years of experience, and lessons you've learned from the years your father put in, and passed down to you. Mahalos, love, respect, Aloha. Liked, and subscribed
@@evelynvongizycki1017 I bought the 8100 cordless model. it's great. I've had zero issues with it in the year that I e owned it, other than having to replace the collets, which is minor, and to be expected.
I have just bought 3- parcels of gamble and rough and wanted to be able to get them a bit shaped and polished for natural wrapping. Thank you for this (instruction) video. As there are no other videos about dremeling opal out there!
Love your videos. I being a dental tech know the dangers of silica. When doing dry grinding I recommend vacuum dust extraction and also a mask. Love your show
Watching this while you are on vacation! Hope you are relaxing and fishing 'till your heart's content and providing for your family at the same time. I am about to run out of content to watch. lol! I know I am not the only fan missing you so enjoy but hurry back!
I’m just starting with some opal from Indonesia, practice on some real but not the best stuff first, been doing other things with stones since ‘97, I have made bowls out of stone, cups, and even utensils 🍴, various other things too, about 6 years ago I really got into gems and faceting. I have done private digs for topaz, fossils, Idaho opal, garnets, sapphires, ect, the best part for me is finding a rough dirty stone in the mountains, taking it home, cleaning, and faceting the stone to show some real beautiful colors, I love the journey, thanks for the videos
I saw a very delicately carved antique opal flower for sale years ago and have wanted to make one myself ever since. I'm thinking of starting out with some cheap rough pink opal to learn on.
I've always Loved opals, but never thought of doing my own. I Do have a dremel & mess around w/Fire Agate, so perhaps after watching your video I may TRY! Thanks for the great tips! BTW, does your site sell opal rough like the video?
Your a Very gifted artist thankyou for show casing your talent on social media. Just 1 question though How did they clean and carve/shape the stone before modern technology was used
Thankyou for sharing this video and tips on how to carve a gem. I've collected a few "cheaper" 25$-60$ promising Ethiopian opal clean roughs before trying to tackle my life long dream pendant. I've always dreamed of having a glowing magical looking solid opal dragon like fang shaped fantasy jewelry pendant. I plan by hiding a ice blue tritium vial in the dragon scale cap above the gemstone it will give the look of it glowing of its own power that will last for near a decade straight! The dragon scale cap will be painted with an intense color shifting chameleon pigments that best match the stone and its blue glow. But having never being able to find a solid opal stone that has been already carved like a fang that I could use ANYWHEAR online. So being an sculpting/carving artist I'm hoping that it will help a bit with my first attempt with my crash course learning in dipping my toes in the lapidary work world. Any further advice from you and others in the comments would be more then appreciated. And wish me luck!
Once you get all done, why not tumble it super-super fine? That's the beauty of organics, in nature everything is so fine, they are literally impossible to duplicate. The closer one gets, the more we see literal perfection. It's great fun watching, Justin. Thanks.
please respect the natural opal formations and try to preserve as much as was created. I liked your comment. Unusual shapes following the existing vein would be a treat. You and your Dad are the artists that may set a new standard of beauty and preservation, and different jewelry to optimize the new shapes revealed. Ovals, ho-hum. Do enough to pay the bills but invest in a natural new direction.
I know your father was in an earlier video. You said "when he was around". I don't want to ask if he passed. I'm sorry to hear if that's the case. I really appreciate your videos. I look forward to finishing my little shop and starting my lapidary endeavor very soon. I will definitely be using all that I have learned in the many videos you have generously provided. I'll be ordering a parcel from you shorlty. You seem very honest and sincere in all that you do. Thanks
I just bought my own dermal today for this 😁 I've never even seen opal in person or touched but your videos are amazing and they bring me real joy. I'd like to try and do everything you've talked about and shown in this video 😁 I have no idea where to purchase rough Opal, if you could say a website or a word that I should Google it'd be very very appreciated.
I googled your name and found what I was looking for and more 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁 I'm extremeeeemly happy. Hopefully some day soon you can give me an appraisal on a piece I've touched 😁 I'm excited, never even seen opal besides in your videos and now I'm going to try and carve some 😁 inspiring you are
I been looking forward to a carving video for quite a while now, thanks Justin! In the Cerium Dioxide, Justin, there are obviously "abrasive granules". Would you happen to know the hardness of those things? I only ask because I am toying with having a bash using Welsh Slate. Not as a solid item, but two pieces from the same supply rubbed together to get a good slurry and then using the slurry. An ide of the Ceriums hardness would then allow me to figure a rough working time. Just as you said there "another 20 mins or so". With a soofter grained slurry I'd guess the work time would go up. Which I dont mind but dont want it to take forever to do the same job, as it were. Now I know slate is soft, but I use these things in the solid form to put a polish / hone on my knives which are made from 1095 carbon steel, stainless steel and 01 tool steel too. And man do those knife edges ever shine when you have honed them on the slate! Many thanks mate, Andy.
Black Opal Direct don't worry I won't. I'm hooked... Just need to keep practising, watch all your videos again and buy some more opal soon, I'm just working through my last small pieces.
Hi Justin, I had asked on another video of yours why you didn't use a dremel. After watching this, I think I have my answer. The end product you produce on a wheel is just much better. In my opinion, it's worth the loss in weight to cut stones with saw and rub them on a wheel. Thanks so much for your informative videos.
I just purchased a beginners rough parcel from you and was wondering where in Australia is the best place to purchase the Nova soft tips, felt tips and cirium (?sp) oxide? I have a dremel with a flex shaft and a few tips from various hobbies but they might not be suitable for lapediatry (?sp again lol). Thankyou for making all of these videos and sparking an interest in cutting opals in me.
I believe that it saves you loosing a lot of opal if you were to Dremel the sand before cutting your stones as you can see what is involved with each sand pocket before hand
Hi Justin! I bought everything you used here (except some budget versions of things) and I’m wondering how you clean the opal between compounds and after your finial polish? Would you use a soft toothbrush and dish soap?
I used to get Lightening Ridge rough parcels from JTV, but they pretty much stopped offering them about 3 yrs ago. I still have a small bag of them that I would part with, but don't know how we'd make the transaction.
I love your videos!! I have a question. Hope you can answer it. I recently bou get some jewelry off Amazon. It was śterling silver and the stones were a clear turquoise stone that was called Australian Crystal. Is this the same as Austrian Crystal?
Amazon is like ebay just newer. It could be anything from those websites as they have no regulation nor conscience. Never heard of Australian crystal but it could be from here. But it wont be opal
Hey Opal Man - do you collect and sell opal dust too? I'd love to see a vid on all of that type of stuff - like if you make any products with the crushed opal dust.
Giday mate, I'm just starting out and I would like to know where to buy the diamond paste from please? Also any tips you could give me would be great 😊. I'm starting using a Dremel. I'm going to practise on potch first and I'm wondering if it's exactly the same as grinding opal or is it harder than opal?
What RPM do you use at each stage? Speed is the one thing I've just been guessing. Most motors got from 5000-30000rpm. Cheers Justin, great video as always.
