New faceting machine FINALLY!!

[SneakyCuttlefish]

What a protracted, pain in the proverbial of an effort it has been to get my hands on a new faceting machine.

I originally opted for a Hall Extra from the local guy in Cairns. I am a strong believer in supporting Aussie Made and local businesses wherever possible and I was under no illusion of the long waiting list for one of these machines so, after having a very encouraging discussion with Peter from Unamit who informed me it was a 4-5 month wait on a machine, I put my name down for one and started playing the waiting game. 4 months later I contacted him to see where we were at and he said my machine was another 2 months away.

No worries, I knew it was going to be a long wait.

2 months later I rang again and was told 3 weeks. I was starting to get excited.

3 weeks later I rang again and was told 2 weeks. No big deal. I have come this far whats another 2 weeks.

2 weeks later I rang again and was told another 2 weeks. Ok. Suspense is killing me but I guess I can wait another 2 weeks.

I left it for 3 weeks this time and waited for the call that it was ready. After I didn't get the call even a week after his own deadline I rang him.

Another 2 weeks to wait. Now I'm starting to get a bit disheartened. It was getting very close to Christmas at this point and I had planned to spend my holidays hold up in an air-coned room cutting a heap of fine material so I decided to give it one more run. I waited the 2 weeks, and rang, and was again disappointed.

I came to the conclusion that even if my machine was just around the corner I had been strung along far to many times to take this bloke seriously. What if something broke on the machine in the future? Would I be up for a 10 month wait for a replacement? So I went back to my second choice I had made many months prior.

I started chasing up a new top of the range Gemmasta. I asked the shell lap guy what the lead time was on a machine (knowing full well that there is a wait time for this model as well) and was met with a scoffing chuckle and was told at least a few months, if I'm lucky. Considering my previous experience alarm bells where ring loud in my ears and I decided not to waste my time any longer.

Thoroughly disappointed, I decided that I would go for my original choice way back when I first started this hobby. I shot an e-mail off to Andrew Lane from Aussie Sapphire and 6 weeks later (including Christmas down time) I now have a brand new Facetron sitting on my work bench with all the accessories I need. He was very helpful and kept me informed of any progress with my order and most importantly he didn't bullshite me at any point in the transaction.

As for the Hall, I stopped calling to ask about it. Its been 2 months now and no one has contacted me about my order that I still haven't cancelled. I have no doubt that the Hall and the Gemmasta are top quality machines but as far as I'm concerned Aussie Made can go to hell. Manufacturers are just not serious about meeting demand and the customer service is up to shite. I completely understand that others may have had positive experience with these suppliers but this is my story and in my opinion BUY AMERICAN!

 

[shivan]

Wow that is one hell of a time to get stuffed around. Its one thing to get told its a 6 month wait, but to be told 2 months and not kept up to date on progress or lack of it after that is ridiculous.

One really bad thing about buying a faceting machine made in the USA though can be parts as i have found the hard way. I have an ultratec and there are no Australian distributors 8.( So with shipping and paying in USD it can get rather expensive. At least you shouldn't have that problem, Aussie Sapphire are generally good for spares.

Hope you finally have some fun with the new machine.

 

[SneakyCuttlefish]

Thanks Shivan.

The parts and repairs issue was the main reason why i opted for Aussie made in the first place. But after this little exercise and considering "time is money", I am convinced I could send my machine back to the US, have it repaired and returned to me with less relative cost than if I had to deal with an an Australian Manufacturer.

 

[dam it]

Hey :Y: love ya work Bench ( how Australian is that ) OZZIE OZZIE OZZIE

 

[Kingsolomon]

Thanks Shivan.

The parts and repairs issue was the main reason why i opted for Aussie made in the first place. But after this little exercise and considering "time is money", I am convinced I could send my machine back to the US, have it repaired and returned to me with less relative cost than if I had to deal with an an Australian Manufacturer.

I completely understand all of this .
But first , congratulations on purchasing a well proven machine that I consider one of the machines that will get you results one deserves from a substantial investment . A machine is a tool that will generate more expenses ! Laps polish and ect . As long as one understands this , then one won't be more discouraged . Top facetors use this machine . Saying that though , I had an older machine , ( ultratec ) and it had some problems , yet were overcome from some replacement bearings and adjustment ( didn't send back , yet as shipping to US and service cost was ... High ) purchased a new machine from ultratec , was happy with it , yet didn't overly improve my faceting to say it was completely justified for the expense . Yet to upgrade the older one with say , an alignment quill. ( with a better transfer block ) and have a digital gauge ( not exactly neccassery , yet many feel it has improved thier faceting , I feel the older anolog gauge easy to use to set at fine incriments , and a good system , once understood , easy to use )
All that said , I produced stones( my first ones ) that would stand up to ones I have done today , on a machine that had the majority of it loosened ( was being used by a commercial cutter , so freed it up a bit ) and bearings that had just had thier time up , not such a hassle to fix , yet I didn't know ! Or how to fix it . Thankfully that fell into place without having to send back to the states . In the end , what I'm saying is , that it's more about the facetor , than what you are working on , a better machine will help produce results with less fiddling . Yet don't expect a machine to facet a stone for you , a new machine will still want you to adjust to get things right .
As for your fine rough , please don't attack it first . As I'm sure you will do a good job . A little practice with other materials will help you forgive mistakes with your teething on the machine , and not waste your yield . Funny things happen when changing machines .
As for buying australian , I sort of kicked myself purchasing an offshore machine , yet I bought when the dollar was over the US .and when I've had problems with my Ultratec , they are responsive and have replaced parts free of charge , quickly . As for sending one back to the states , the shipping is the killer . Yet I'm sure most issues could be resolved here from someone with a little experiance and know how . I thought the aussie machines should have been first on my list , and have wondered if I would have had made a better purchase buying one here . As for returning for service and such .
Yet , as your story tells , and what I have heard from others , and I also know of two others waiting for thier machines also . Seems repairs/service ( and I've heard this is not a priority ) may take longer .As for Ultratec , an email is responded to within days , replacement parts delivered within a week , courteous and helpfull inquires about the machines problems or just about anything from Joe Rubin . Also , about a three week wait till it ships , maybe I should be a rep !

 

[shivan]

Thanks Shivan.
The parts and repairs issue was the main reason why i opted for Aussie made in the first place. But after this little exercise and considering "time is money", I am convinced I could send my machine back to the US, have it repaired and returned to me with less relative cost than if I had to deal with an an Australian Manufacturer.

I hope you wont have any problems with your new machine to have to find out Will look forward to hearing what you think of it.

As for Ultratec , an email is responded to within days , replacement parts delivered within a week , courteous and helpfull inquires about the machines problems or just about anything from Joe Rubin . Also , about a three week wait till it ships , maybe I should be a rep !

Just out of curiosity did you order through the Australian rep or straight through the web site? I had to order a 96 index wheel so i ordered through the Aussie rep. He was quick at answering emails, but the part took well over a month to arrive as apparently it had to be machined. That would have been alright but i had to constantly chase things up and cost close to AU$200.
I am just now starting to have a bit of problem with movement in the gears that set the angle, not enough to affect the cut so long as i remember to hold the dial with my thumb whilst i set the angle. Was not sure if it is easier to go straight through the ultratec website rather than the rep this time to get a spare gear.

 

[Kingsolomon]

There is a spring set in that gauge that will act like you say over time , luckily it is replaceable, as Ultratec machines are updatable and replacement parts for the machines are compatable for models old and new . . I am on that step in refurbishing my older machine , so will be happy to order a second set if you wish , when I do my order . The rep is Brent I think if sydney ? , yet Joe Rubin of ultratec has always been responsive and helpfull . I saved some info and whatnot to do this repair oneself , sure I can get more info so it can be easily fixed personally . I will get back to you shortly . Hope that helps .

 

[shivan]

I will send you a PM a bit later so we don't hijack the thread, but that is very helpful thank you.

 

[SneakyCuttlefish]

Well I cut my first stone on the new machine today. Wanted to see how everything works but wanted a challenge at the same time. So, I tackled a tiny little piece of faint blue topaz I would have never touched with the old machine.

I learnt on an old graves Mark I. So worn out that it would take me days to get meet points right on big stones. No way I would have ever attempted a small fiddly one. I agree with you solomon. The machine is only as good as the person using it. In a way I am glad that I learnt on an old run down machine. Mostly because I had to learn all the tricky things like compensating for play and re-aligning facets that didn't work out right. I feel that the switch hasn't necessarily made me a better faceter but it certainly has cut down my frustration and work hours massively and made the experience more enjoyable.

I have to admit the difference is like comparing welding slag and diamonds. The facetron is a great machine. Very easy to use and the dial indicator makes a huge difference. Cutting to the right depth is easier with it, rather than having to rely on a hard stop and constant eyeballing to get it right. My only gripe is that there is no bump stop for resting the quill in the up right position. The stone rests against the mast. ( but I already knew that before I bought it)

Took me a while to get the hang of it and had to refer to the manual a few times because I forgot which way to turn things here and there. But all up I think it turned out well.

1.11 carat
Highlight Brilliant design.
As per usual picture doesn't do it any justice. Taken on an Iphone.

 

[Phil_In_Boots]

Fantastic job Sneaky, that topaz looks great!

Philip

 

[Nena]

Looks fantastic! Nice! Hopefully i can start soon! My fingers are tingling when i see this!!!

Greets Christian

 

[tailormarc]

Very nice! Love to get something like this and learn how to do it

 

[LONEWOLF]

Nice job SneakyCuttlefish , Wish I had the patience for Cutting.. ....BTW no luck on any Garnet or Amethyst from Minerama... Seems a little hard to get at the moment....Or so they say

LoneWolf....