[Rockhounds] sphere-makers: how do you make very tiny spheres?

[Kreigh Tomaszewski]

Don,

The traditional approach uses a bead mill, but they typically only go 
down to 1/4 inch.

	http://www.cabbingmachines.com/sphere-bead_machines.shtml

But you should be able to get smaller spheres using just a tumbler. 
Take thin slabs and cut them up into tiny cubes. Tumbling will 
selectively round off the corners to make mostly round balls. You may 
need to start with a mid-grade grit instead of coarse. And if you don't 
want to be slabbing tiny cubes forever to fill a tumbler, you might 
need to make a tiny tumbler out of a film can.

Or you could get an agitator bead mill and go to sub-micron sizes.

	http://news.thomasnet.com/fullstory/23415

Have a ball making beads!

Kreigh


On Saturday, Mar 14, 2009, at 16:16 America/Detroit, DonH wrote:

>
> Hi,
>
> I know some of you make spheres, usually of the 1/2" to 6" (or 
> whatever) variety.  I know how these are made and have seen the 
> equiment.
>
> However, is anyone familiar with making extremely tiny spheres, less 
> than 1 millimeter in size?  I would imagine the milling process as I 
> know it doesn't scale down that small.
>
> Thanks,
> Don
>
>
>
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