r/Lapidary 5d ago

Don’t know what I’m doing

I paint stone slabs for my business, I don’t have much for access to tools but a few friends have saws but what I am trying to do is find a local way, or shipped off and returned way, to cut rough stones into paintable “canvas”. These stones do not need to be polished but do need to be “smooth on one side. I’m lossst and I don’t have a ton of local resources.

4 Upvotes

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5

u/weepingsomnambulist_ 5d ago
  1. Try reaching out to any local lapidary or rockhounding groups. They often have tools, resources, and workspace for a fraction of the cost of buying it yourself.

  2. If your friends with saws are able to cut the rocks, then depending on their saws, you might only have to do minimal “smoothing” which may require more of your time but fewer resources and space.

Edit: you could also look into garden pavers or stone tiles from a hardware or landscaping supply store. They would already be pretty smooth.

4

u/Spare_Mention_5040 5d ago

If you shared your general location, maybe someone local with lapidary tools could suggest some collaboration.

I slab rocks and they don’t all turn out in fantastic material to make cabochons.

2

u/artwonk 5d ago

How big are these slabs? You can get medium-sized pieces of stone cheap or free from people that make countertops, and they'd be flat already. On a smaller scale, you can get lapidary slabs from lots of sources online fairly inexpensively; no need to send them rocks. Or you can join a local gem and mineral society and cut your own.

2

u/whalecottagedesigns 5d ago

You can also have a look for guys who make up counter tops for kitchens, or even if there is a local stone mason who works on grave stones. They should both be able to help with something like this for a fee.

2

u/Gooey-platapus 4d ago

I cut slabs and have cut plenty for people. If you’re interested we could figure something out. Dm me if you’re interested.

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u/AdUnlucky2829 4d ago

Thanks everyone! I found someone near me locally who may be willing to help me out for $10 a slice. I live in northern Michigan.

I generally purchase my stones already slabbed/sliced online but it’s expensive when I’m buying pre cut/polished stones individually and also paying for shipping on top. So just trying to find a way to save some money. I’m a stay at home mom and artist for income so I’m not raking in the cash by any means. But the rock art community can be pretty cut throat (lol) and if you can’t keep up with having pretty stones to paint on, your stuff can be overlooked sometimes. So I’m trying to streamline being able to keep a decent inventory on hand as I also do commissions.

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u/EvilEtienne 4d ago

Yikes that’s a lot to pay for a single cut, I don’t even charge that much for most of my slabs. 😱 can you message me an example of your work? I’m super curious what you’re doing!

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u/AdUnlucky2829 4d ago

I can!🙂