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Quality Lapidary Equipment and Supplies Since 1946!
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Here you can find helpful information regarding the Graves faceting machines, FAQ's, and other faceting related topics as will be posted from time to time.
Faceting FAQ Section: We are building a FAQ based on questions submitted to our sales and tech people. It is a work in progress and we hope it helps! How do I replace the speed control on the Mark IV faceting machine and can I do it myself? The
part number is 19-087, speed control. If you look
under the machine (unplug first!) you will see a round
circuit board attached to the cabinet. That is the
speed control. Replacing one is a matter of removing
the control knob on the front of the cabinet, it just
pulls off. Next remove the nut that is behind the
know, a 7/16" socket works best. If you are not comfortable with doing the work yourself simply
send the machine to us and we will do it for you. The machine would be in our
shop for no more than 1-2 days and returned to you. You pay the shipping. I have somehow managed to lose the tiny set screw in the dop spindle for my Mark IV faceter. The screws are a 6-32 x 1/8" flat point set screw. You
can also order them at our website: I have two solid copper laps that came with a Graves faceting machine over 30 years old. I used the laps up to about 3 years ago. The laps have begun to get splinter metal flakes on them. Do you know of a way to salvage the laps? We used to be able to re-face the copper laps years ago. We no longer do so. If you really want to restore them, the best bet is to contact a machine shop and see if they will turn them for you. I have an Ultra Tec Faceting Machine Model V2. Which one of your products would I purchase to replace the nut which holds the lap down to the platen? What is the difference between the Quickie Nut and the Lap Nut? The lap nut will work on any machine with
1/2-20 right hand thread. It will work on your machine as it has the same
threads as the quickie nut and lap
nut. The quickie nut simply slides onto your spindle, then with a quick
turn (get it!?) you can quickly (I can't help myself!) tighten the lap down. Boy is this a tough question! Generally
we estimate that laps for hobby use will last 2-4
years. Depends on MANY, MANY
things though! The biggest issue we get from customers is
when their coarse lap or wheel just doesn't cut like it used to. It is an
abrasive and abrasives by their very nature wear away as they work. We recommend
that you acquire the coarsest lap you can afford to do the rough work. Our
Topcutter line is excellent for this and priced far
below a standard faceting lap. The left hand location of the mast is not a factor in
its use. The machine's controls are designed such that I recently bought a used Graves transfer fixture. I have the model with a centering device. Can you tell me how to use it? The center post of the 3 post transfer fixture allows you to align the offset shapes more accurately. Offset shapes being marquise, tourmaline cuts, and high ratio ovals. Simply use the 3rd post as a touch gauge and rotate the dop the make sure your stone is centered. You will use it mainly when transfering to a VEE dop. I have a blue Mark IV faceting machine with serial # ****. Which drive belt do I need? You need Item No. 19-201. The best rule of thumb is if your Mark IV has a blue housing it was manufactured before 1979, thus requiring the longer/thicker belt. Machines with a white housing all use Item No. 19-202. These may be ordered on our Spare Parts page. Can the Graves faceting machine cut diamonds? Diamond cutting is a whole other world in the field of gemcutting. We have known people who have modified the Graves faceting machines to cut diamonds but we do not recommend or support such endeavors. The
faceting lap is supposed to be flat and parallel to a tolerance of +/- .001".
There is no such thing as an absolutely flat faceting lap. To get the best
performance, make sure your master machine plate is absolutely clean, the bottom
of the facet lap is clean and free of nicks and scratches, as well as checking
for any nicks or scratches on the machine disc. Graves does not use a permanent key in their dops. The reasoning being that a keyed dop limits how you orient the stone for the best cutting. The flat and cone dops have a 1/16" hole on the centerline for folks who may want to remove the stone before completion then go back to the same spot. To do this, use the brass pin that came with the machine. Insert it into the dop's hole then into the spindle notch. The Graves Deluxe Transfer Fixture enables you to use this feature to transfer from one dop to another. You would start cutting using the above procedure. When transferring, you would insert the brass pin into both dops (an extra is supplied with the fixture). The fixture has a flat machined into it that is centered so that with the pin resting on this flat, your transfer will be oriented to the dop's pinhole. The transferring method described in the manual is by far the most accurate way to transfer a stone. More accurate than any keyed system. Even with a permanent key system you have to tweak the cheater to get the alignment perfect after the transfer.
How do I clean my spool polisher to ensure it hasn't been contaminated? Sand it with some fine sandpaper while it is running,
then wipe it down with some denatured alcohol. Should
as good as new. Polishing a cab in the setting ... When polishing any stone that has
become abraded it is necessary to remove all the old remaining polish from the
entire stone. Otherwise, the surface will always show a difference in polish
usually indicated by a line between the two. Having said that, tourmaline will
polish very well with diamond at the 50k level or Linde A on a soft leather
wheel. Chrome Oxide on soft leather will also give a good polish but is messy
to work with. \
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Send mail to
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