Dopping with Wax: Getting Started

BEGINNER'S INFORMATION

What Type of Doping Wax Should you Use?

New faceters get confused on which wax to begin doping with; it can get frustrating if you have little or no knowledge at all about these products, and here is what I believe are the suitable recommendations, to begin with.

As you gain experience in doping, you will realize that it is cheap, free from chemicals, and easy to handle, and it is used by almost every faceter on the planet. Wax sometimes acts as a lubricant that can prevent you from hurting yourself because of friction during your faceting.

Different stones require different wax; there are so many with different colours, which melt at different temperatures. Heat is something you wouldn't want to ignore. Some stones are heat sensitive, like opal. Stones like this require green dopping wax.

Commercial stones like sapphire, garnets, quartz, etc., need high-temperature red/brown wax. I use this wax on stones that I know will make me some cash, as an article (Dopping with Wax: Getting Started, n.d.) says.

How Do I Start Dopping with Wax?

Melt the Wax in Alcohol

This wax is not necessarily the wax you might be thinking of; it is more of a substance than wax itself. Faceters call it many names, but doping wax is the most commonly used.

To melt this using alcohol, you need a glass jar with a good lid. Put a portion of wax about 3/8 square in the jar and add some teaspoons of alcohol into the jar. Let it melt for approximately a night, and it will be detached by the next day.

It creates some fillers in the form of crusts, which should be thrown away. Concentrate on getting the lacquer that floats in the alcohol.

Create a Pre-Bond on the Dop and Gem

Use the lacquer to coat the two ends of the dope and the flat spot on the gem when you are ready. Give it some minutes to dry, for it creates a pre-bond that will aid you in adhering the specimens together.

Use an alcohol lamp to melt some wax, probably a lot, to avoid not having enough onto the dop, and make sure you coat the whole end.

Please don't use a lot of heat as this will be boiling, not melting, it will cause the wax to bubble or smoke, and you don't want that. You will have to restart the whole process if something like this happens.

Turn the dop to keep the wax on the dop till it is hot enough to melt it. Stick the stone dope. If it does, then you passed the test. If it didn't, the wax is insufficient; you will have to do it again. I prefer heating the stone first before doping, but it doesn't have to be the case for everyone. It has no harm if you decide to try it out.

Getting the Wax/Stone/Dop Joint Right

Here the extra should be put to when you are holding the stop and the above of the flame when they stick together; you don't want to heat the two so much because the stone will likely fall off. You have to keep turning it to regulate the heat.

Please ensure the joint is heating gradually, holding it at an inch over the flame. This should happen right at the seal where the stone and dop meet. Keep doing this simple exercise that helps you to grow your skills and experience, and definitely, you will become perfect with time.

Avoid using coolants like water or other liquids to cool down the join, as the stone reacts differently to thermal cooling. If it didn't get the right natural time to cool down, it would likely cause damage. You might want to verify that the join is intact together by tugging it. However, it is optional, says a (Dopping with Wax: Getting Started, n.d.) article.

Doping wax

Cone Dop vs. Flat Dop

If you are a first-timer, I advise you to use a cone dop instead of a flat one because the excess wax in the cone and around the dop can strengthen the whole seal. Not to say the flat one isn't good.

How to make dop sticks at home using wax

Get some wood sticks about 5-6 inches; you can do longer sticks if you like, but that is the recommended size. Warm your wax; you might not want to get it over-liquified and not too solidified, play within that zone and make sure you are not missing out on anything.

Dry the sticks to get off any wetness before doing anything else. Dop the sticks one by one in the wax and dip them in cold water to turn the wax solid. This will solidify immediately. If the wax in the pan begins solidifying, you can always warm it up. Because when the wax starts to harden up, you will find trouble attaching it to the stick.

Find a fire source like a candle or something much hotter and manually create perfect shapes for the wax on the dope sticks you just made. You will expose each dop stick to the fire to get the polish to loosen up, and then dip your hand in the water and mould them just like someone making stuff out of clay.

Don't over-burn the tip of the dope stick (wax); it might end up falling off. To avoid burning the wax, turn the dop stick as it receives the heat on your candle, and keep turning it to prevent unwanted results.

Sometimes, the wax might misbehave and stick on your hand even if there is enough water, but that shouldn't stop you from going on.

Warm your stones as you prepare for the first doping because if the rock is too hard, the wax will just run over them. Attach your first stone at the tip of your dop stick and ensure it has stuck there well. You can always use your hand to attach the stone to the dop stick.

Make sure you wait for the doping to cool down, or you can dip the stone on the dop stick in the water to fasten up the cooling. And, there you have, your dope sticks working.

Another way to drop a stone is by the use of tweezers. Here you hold your stone using the tweezer until it is warm and then get your dog ready and dip them, but that is time-consuming and quite hard if you are new to doping.

Pros and Cons of Doping with Wax and Super Glue

Doping with wax pros:

Doping with wax is fast and easy to get off the stone, unlike superglue. All you have to do is warm the rock and wipe it off.

Doping wax can be reused. You can reuse it as often as you want but pay attention when it starts showing signs of getting worn out; it tends to quit working effectively.

Cons:

Stones tend to fall off usually during grinding or doping. This is a real turn-off when you are working and can get you in a bad mood. But, it indicates that your wax is getting old and needs to be replaced with a new one.

Doping with super glue cons:

pros:

It doesn't have to be always a wooden stick; you can use materials like a nail. They work well, too; make sure you use a heat-resistant tool or cloth when heating the nail.

Super glue takes less time to stick the stone on the stick or nail; unlike wax, you will give it a few more minutes to finally work out.

Cons:

Once the super glue is used, it becomes a waste, unlike wax.

Getting off super from a stone is hard. You need to go out of your way and sock the stone in chemicals like acetone to properly remove the super glue that might have stuck in the cracks or fissures of your stone.

Soaking the stone in acetone feels like taking ages; sometimes, it might even require a whole night for the acetone to break down and dissolve the super glue stuck on your stone.

There are many chances of superglue sticking on your fingers during doping if you are not careful. That is messy.

Tips:-

Don't use super glue on heat-sensitive stones like opal; use wax instead. The stone will keep falling off if you use wax since heat is much needed during the doping process.

Give enough time for the cooling of your stone and wax. It should be between 20 and 30 minutes; the stone won't fall off here.

The water you use while doping shouldn't be cold. It should be slightly warm. This little tip will never let you see your stone falling off the dop stick during grinding.

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