# who uses homemade crushed stone?



## Dvoigt (Dec 6, 2007)

I was thinking about venturing out into the crushed stone inlay arena for pens and bowls. From what I can tell $10-$20 an ounce is the appropriate price range... and an ounce is about a tablespoon worth. 

Now that would last a while for pens, but I feel that you would use up an ounce quickly on a bowl. 

Anyone crush their own? I was looking around for rough solid stones like turquoise and didn't find much. Anyone do this?


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

If you want to, you could use reconstituted turquoise and break it up into chunks with a hammer then put it in through an old garbage disposal. 
Reconstituted turquoise is not as hard as the real stuff. 
I buy mine from a place in AZ that grinds stone for the wholesale jewelry market, but they have no web presence. I also buy their floor sweepings. for inlays.
Your prices quoted seem a bit high. 
Have you checked a product called "Inlace"?
Gene


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## del schisler (Nov 5, 2009)

Dvoigt said:


> I was thinking about venturing out into the crushed stone inlay arena for pens and bowls. From what I can tell $10-$20 an ounce is the appropriate price range... and an ounce is about a tablespoon worth.
> 
> Now that would last a while for pens, but I feel that you would use up an ounce quickly on a bowl.
> 
> Anyone crush their own? I was looking around for rough solid stones like turquoise and didn't find much. Anyone do this?


go here to this site they have some that you mite like 

http://www.inlaceonline.com/text/products/kits.html


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## Dvoigt (Dec 6, 2007)

I looked at the inlace products and have heard that they are easier to use. But I sort of have a purest mentality about it... like why use a stone look alike when i can use actual stone... sort of like how some people use mahogany stain on oak instead of using actual mahogany..


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## Joe Lee (Jan 24, 2014)

I've started using it, along with Red Coral, Tiger Eye, and Oyster Shells ground up. I've even used Brass shavings, most any place that cuts keys will gladly give you all they have...just be sure to carry a big ziplock baggie. I have even gotten an old piece of copper pipe and taken a file to it to get copper shavings. They all do awesome jobs, different colors look better on different wood.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

there was a tip in the AAW journal a good while back on using a pipe with caps on both ends. Put a cut off piece of steel inside and simply rap the thing on your workbench of a solid surface a bunch of times. Keeps all the stone encapsulated until your done breaking is into smaller bits.


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## 20/20 (Nov 7, 2013)

Might be a stupid question, but hey I'm still curious.


> I have even gotten an old piece of copper pipe and taken a file to it to get copper shavings.


. Would this turn the would green over time?


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

20/20 said:


> Might be a stupid question, but hey I'm still curious. . Would this turn the would green over time?


If the piece is finished with poly or varnish it wouldn't turn green as long as the finish remained intact.


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## john lucas (Sep 18, 2007)

Copper won't change color if you put finish on it or use it in a substrate like epoxy or clear inlace. 
I also like the INlace chunks because they are the same consistency as the Inlace itself so it sand more evenly. It's also fun to use the other color chunks and not just turquoise. 
I just did a search of the Journal and could not find the tip. I did find an article on using crushed stone and they recommended putting the stone in a coffee can and using hammer end of a stone cutting chisel to break up the stone.


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## Bonanza35 (Jan 20, 2011)

I bought 5 oz of sleeping beauty turquoise from Indian Jewelers Supply www.ijsinc.com and can't tell that I've made a dent in it after 2 years. I don't tend to fill large voids, just small accents, and an ounce goes a long way like that. Unstabilized turquoise is pretty soft so it breaks up easily. I just use pliers to crush it but the capped pipe thing sounds like it would work well. I paid $12/oz back then. I'm like you in that I like knowing its real stone but in reality I doubt that you could see much difference.


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## Joe Lee (Jan 24, 2014)

20/20 said:


> Might be a stupid question, but hey I'm still curious. . Would this turn the would green over time?


Only if Oxygen can get to the shavings.


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## sawdustfactory (Jan 30, 2011)

John I remember that same article. Works well.


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## 44260 (Aug 29, 2013)

I have have been thinking about trying stone inlay. I had an idea of trying to crush the stone that is used in fish aquariums. Has anyone ever tried this or know if it will work?


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## cuerodoc (Jan 27, 2012)

dirty-curty said:


> I have have been thinking about trying stone inlay. I had an idea of trying to crush the stone that is used in fish aquariums. Has anyone ever tried this or know if it will work?


 1. check the stone first--a lot of that stuff is painted rock. 2. a lot of the mineral rock that is in aquarium gravel gets on up there in the Mohs Hardess scale--translating to being tough on chisels and hard to sand. Just 0.02 worth...


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Dirty-C, I'd stay away from aquarium rock. As dave said, most of it is too hard. 

I buy Turquoise by the 1 lb. bag. $20 per bag. It's all stabilized. No matter what anyone will tell you, you won't find much unstabilized turquoise any more. All the stuff mined today is really soft and since it's sold mostly for jewelry, it must be hardened.
My high tech crusher is a 10" piece of water well drill rod (probably weighs 2+ lb), a circular plate about 10" in dia. and a 6" high by 8" section of steel well casing. The casing sets loosely on the plate and I use the drill rod to crush the stones. When it's crushed, I just lift the casing off and scrape it off the plate into a small container. A grease splatter screen serves as a sieve. My crushing process results in powder, as well as small chunks. 
There is a plethora of free stuff you can use as inclusions with your crushed stones. Brass filings from your local hardware's key making machine, silver solder splatters, iron pyrite (fool's gold). Not free but cheap are the high silver dental filling capsules. Of course you'll need a jitterbug to mix it. Some dentists will give them away. And, there's always the fake gold leaf. I've even used sterling silverware filings. Pretty, but a lot of work. 
I've not tried any inclusions with Inlace, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.


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## Joe Lee (Jan 24, 2014)

*Turquoise by the pound*



Gene Howe said:


> Dirty-C, I'd stay away from aquarium rock. As dave said, most of it is too hard.
> 
> I buy Turquoise by the 1 lb. bag. $20 per bag. It's all stabilized. No matter what anyone will tell you, you won't find much unstabilized turquoise any more. All the stuff mined today is really soft and since it's sold mostly for jewelry, it must be hardened.
> My high tech crusher is a 10" piece of water well drill rod (probably weighs 2+ lb), a circular plate about 10" in dia. and a 6" high by 8" section of steel well casing. The casing sets loosely on the plate and I use the drill rod to crush the stones. When it's crushed, I just lift the casing off and scrape it off the plate into a small container. A grease splatter screen serves as a sieve. My crushing process results in powder, as well as small chunks.
> ...


If you don't mind me asking, where are you buying Turquoise for $20 a pound?? The last pound I bought I paid $ 65.00 per pound.
Last time I was in Phoenix I bought about 4 pounds for 25, but that was 3 years ago, now that source has dried up.


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## Gene Howe (Feb 28, 2009)

Joe,
I buy my Turquoise from a small, Indian owned, jewelry supply outfit in St. Johns, AZ. It a short drive from where I live. He sells small stabilized and tumbled nuggets of approx. 3/8". He also has larger ones but, since it all gets crushed, size isn't a factor to me. The smaller the better.:thumbsup:
While working on the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni Reservations, I got to know a few jewelry and furniture makers and always followed their advice on where to buy supplies. None buy in the Phoenix, Scottsdale area. 
An online resource near here is Thunderbird Supply in Gallup, Flagstaff and Albuquerque. Not as cheap, but a great variety of stones and quality. 
If all one doing is crushing or breaking into chunks, reconstituted Turquoise is an inexpensive option, also. 



Joe Lee said:


> If you don't mind me asking, where are you buying Turquoise for $20 a pound?? The last pound I bought I paid $ 65.00 per pound.
> Last time I was in Phoenix I bought about 4 pounds for 25, but that was 3 years ago, now that source has dried up.


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## Hwood (Oct 21, 2011)

I have hammered some rock down into small bits and used it before in an inlay. Nothing a guy would turn after, to hard of rock. I left it rough for more of an organic feel.


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## 20/20 (Nov 7, 2013)

Thanks for the answers folks


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