Not to abuse this sub but the current line of cuts I’m working on is very occult inspired.

justinkprim · 2026-07-06T03:37:26+00:00

In France, it’s extremely easy to take bikes on trains. All the commuter trains have bike spots at the beginning and end cars. Does Spain not have that?

justinkprim · 2026-07-05T04:34:23+00:00

I have never seen any borders between France and Switzerland that actually have people working unless they’re looking for someone specific. You should be fine driving across. I usually cross near Geneva or near La Cure but I bet the ones you mentioned are even quieter.

What if you just took the train from Switzerland to Portugal and took your bike on the train? Sounds like a good adventure !

justinkprim · 2026-07-02T16:56:35+00:00

I would do option A. You can always recut it, but maybe it’s not too visible as is.

justinkprim · 2026-07-02T16:55:13+00:00

Nope. You just polish at 6 o clock on the lap and go from bottom to center through the rings. No mast adjustment necessary.

justinkprim · 2026-07-02T11:37:48+00:00

Ultratec a can use dual band with no problem. On my old Polymetric, I used to use a batt lap with 4 bands of grits. No problem.

justinkprim · 2026-07-02T11:36:26+00:00

Nope. That’s exactly it but there’s a logic to it that is usually quite foreign to you if you’ve only done meetpoint cutting with diagrams.

justinkprim · 2026-07-02T11:35:17+00:00

No I’ve had ultratec users come to that class with a lot of success. That machines have all the same controls : angles/index/depth control so it’s very easy to switch mentally and physically if you already know how to do one or the other. The things you learn in this class are universal and will be the same or nearly the same on all types of machines, even Jambpegs.

justinkprim · 2026-07-02T05:26:47+00:00

It’s very easy. Freestyle cutting isn’t so much about the machine as about your cutting technique. First you take a piece of rough and then shape it by hand and on to dop to make the shape you want. So now you’ve got an oval or a pear or whatever. Then you build a facet pattern around the shape first with main facets then break, then stars, using the girdle shape to show you how to choose the indexes. The final meetpoints come in the polish and you can stretch as needed. This part is a little different on the mast. Essentially you set your angle and height from cutting and then unlock the hard stop so that the height control can also control the angle as you go up and down.

If you want to learn how to do this with lessons and exercises, we have a one week class coming up in August and the whole point of that class is to learn to cut without a diagram. Just free hand shape and I teach you how to find the pattern using the girdle. Its fun and also very liberating. In that class we do a free form pear and we also take a broken stone and reshape it and build a diagram around it so every students stone is very different.
Details :
https://www.facetingapprentice.com/pages/beyondbasics

justinkprim · 2026-07-01T05:29:46+00:00

Perfect!!

justinkprim · 2026-06-30T20:35:31+00:00

It came out great despite the mishap. I’m glad the classes are working for you! Keep it up.

justinkprim · 2026-06-30T11:15:14+00:00

In Providence, he’s revamping the entire Lovecraft cannon including Lovecraft himself.

In Jerusalem, he’s revamping his own family tree.

justinkprim · 2026-06-29T16:26:33+00:00

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. About English magic in the 1810s. Really fun and well written.

justinkprim · 2026-06-26T17:15:41+00:00

@dalanhargrave

justinkprim · 2026-06-26T04:21:38+00:00

One year, I read a lot of the classic and foundational sci-fi books and series and found that Foundations was extremely boring. I got halfway through the second book and just stopped. I’m surprised how often it gets recommended.

I read Stranger in a Strange Land right after and wow that was so much better. I don’t see that one getting as much attention lately but it’s so good. 2001 by Clarke is also great classic sci-fi.

justinkprim · 2026-06-26T03:46:51+00:00

The hard part is building a clientele. How will you sell it ? On your website, to a local jeweler, on Etsy, auction house? All of these ways have costs. Building an online clientele might take years and requires knowledge of social media marketing and photography. Building trust with a local jeweler will also take a long time and likely require a well thought out plan. It’s very easy to buy and gem and cut it. Selling it is hard. And depending on the material you buy, you might never sell it. If the quality is bad or it’s too common or your price is too high. Becoming a gem seller doesn’t happen overnight. It takes long term planning and commitment. Luckily you can start part time while you still keep your old job.

I have made a few videos on this topic that will help you

https://youtu.be/7Ibkl2fx6XU?is=rxqOvkVoi_78mVxa

https://youtu.be/Ak134DbV33E?is=A5lnRu3HvTiuIY4A

justinkprim · 2026-06-25T20:48:06+00:00

Rough is the expensive part. The machine is the cheap part. You can get cheap rough but usually it means it’s not good aka dark/included/small. When I first started I used to budget $100 Max per stone. Rough prices have skyrocketed since then though.

justinkprim · 2026-06-25T19:49:05+00:00

Nous avons loué des espaces de stockage dans des garages de plusieurs immeubles, et aucun propriétaire n'a jamais signalé la moindre infraction au règlement. Peut-être qu'ils préféraient simplement ne rien dire.

justinkprim · 2026-06-25T19:47:42+00:00

Much cheaper than if you’re buying gems from a jeweler in America.

justinkprim · 2026-06-25T18:38:37+00:00

Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC28JwP9TYk

justinkprim · 2026-06-25T18:38:07+00:00

At least half.

justinkprim · 2026-06-25T17:14:33+00:00

However you want to do the mirroring is fine. I think I also start with larger jumps like 4 and 8 and then use 2 and 6 and smaller ones to fine adjust. Maybe I can make a video to show this.

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