DISCLAIMER: The advice given below is of a general nature. Due to a wide variety of materials and operating conditions beyond our control, we suggest that all products be tested on a sample piece to observe acutal results.

Q: I have a black marble fire hearth and it is cracked down the middle and has a few small chips missing from the top. The polished surface is in very good condition. It cracked after purchase apart, when I dropped it 10 mm to the wooden planks I placed to rest it on. The hearth came from a demolition. Given it is fairly solid granite piece,  I suspect I either weakened it during transportation or it already had a flaw when I purchased it.
The crack is a reasonably clean break. I want to glue it back together and place it it back as a fire hearth in a room I am renovating. When replaced it will be glued to a concrete slab (correct adhesive glue)
Do you sell a product that I can glue the granite pieces back  together. Ideally the glue will need to be  black in colour or have an additive that will make the glue black? OR perhaps if you do not have a product could you direct me to someone who could supply the glue?

A: I'd suggest a transparent polyester resin if it's marble, it is available in black.
Bear in mind there will be almost no strength in the join, due to the weight of the material and the lack of surface area on the join.
Also, it's a flammable product, so has to be shipped road, and have a D.G.S. which makes it expensive.
http://www.hoskindiamond.com.au/prod1056.htm

Q: I do some grinding of lips in concrete and taking the glaze off ceramic tiles. I am interested in the HV180 but have a couple of questions. Does this shroud fit a 9'' angle grinder but only takes a 180mm diamond wheel ? I have a Protool dust extractor - will the hose fit straight into the shroud ? Also how much is delivery to Brighton QLD 4017 ?
 
A: The HV180 does fit a 9" Grinder, and takes the largest cup wheel available, 180mm. The dust takeoff has fit all vac hoses so far, normally held with a hose clamp if it's a bit loose. There are various inserts to suit different grinders, let me know the model number and brand if possible. Freight would be $ 15 to QLD, if there are any issues with the hood fitting your machine or vac you would be welcome to return it for a full refund minus the freight.
 
Q: We are looking for edge profile machine for 20mm and 40 mm granite edges. Can you please send us details and specifications, and how to use this machine details as we are really interested in buying one.
Your prompt response will be highly appreciated.

A: The Flex LWW2106VR is quite a simple machine to operate. It has variable speed, and the connetction is standard to suit all profile routers.
There is internal and external water feed, and it also has an inline safety switch.
I assume the machine is not approved for use in Fiji, but it is approved in Australia if that is enough.
Many builders and landscapers use the machine here with great success.
Any more questions please let me know,

Q: I am installing a kitchen and chasing a blade to cut 12mm thick stone that is stuck to a 25mm MDF base (the bunnings OZStone benchtop). I found the Segmented Granite Turbo and the Granite Turbo blades that you have listed on your website, but not really sure which one would be better suited? Also is the MDF likely to have any detrimental effects to the blade or the cut edge of the stone? Would I be able to cut the entire slab with either of these blades or would it be best to set the saw depth to just cut the stone and use a normal blade to cut the MDF separately (I am not too worried about the condition of the MDF after the cut as it will not be visible)? I intend to mount the blade in a makita circular saw and use a saw guide/fence to get a straight cut. Also would you have any guides/tools/suggestions on making the mason's mitre easier for someone who has never installed a benchtop before? Thanks for your help, it is much appreciated.

A: Use the segmented granite turbo to cut the stone, and a timber blade for the MDF (it will burn if you try to cut it with a diamond blade...).
Using a makita circular saw is a good way to get the cut right, using a guide, but also stick some tape or plastic on the stone to avoid scratching it!
 
Q: I'm trying to find a small tool with a diamond blade no larger than about 20mm diameter that can handle cutting steel and stone.  Something like a miniature angle grinder.  Is there anything you have available or can suggest ?
 I have a chrome plated steel floor waste in the middle of a travertine tile floor that I want to cut into small pieces so I can remove it without chipping the tiles around it.
 I also need to cut through some standard tiles plus in another area a travertine tile so I can carefully remove it without damaging surrounding tiles.

A: Cutting the stone is no problem, but diamond tools are not suited to cutting steel. With products like reinforced concrete, they do manage, as the concrete surrounding the steel keeps the diamond cutting edge exposed.
Can you give me some more information on the type of stone, as well as the size of the steel being cut etc? There are small blades mounted on a shaft that are designed for sculpting stone which should be suitable. The shafts are 6mm to suit die grinders but can be used in a power drill at high speed.


Q: Gentlemen, we are looking for a machine to allow us to machine corals into spheres from pre machined rods or Cylinders that have been taken from the coral heads.
 We need to produce these in the size range from 12mm through to Say 40mm, thought the majority will be in the 14 to 24 mm range
 The product can be cut with a conventional hand saw so it is not as hard as Marble for example, would even consider a copy lathe if it was practical..
 Would also like some info on your core drills as we have to remove the product from the Head to be able to machine
 Thank you

A: We can't help you with the machining, but can supply the core drills.
Look under "granite core drills" http://www.hoskindiamond.com.au/category99_1.htm
These would be best, we supply to several universities taking core samples from coral.

Q: Hi, I get good offcuts from my son in the granite kitchen and bathroom industry. I have purchased a 15 cfm compressor and ordered a wet polisher. I will only be rounding edges off and remainder of square cut edge. Do I really need all those grades of grit to do this, I am a pensioner and these hobby coffee, telephone tables, breadboards etc would need to get considerably dearer if all grades are required. I was told by a friend he saw sets of  5 pads in 4 inch, to achieve polished result from a cut edge, so in that instance some grades must have been dropped. Your prices seem competitive and I would buy from you, I am just trying to cut down my hobbyist inventory. Hope you can advise, thank you

A: Yes, you can skip grades, it just means that for example, using a 400 grit pad after a 100 grit pad (skipping the 200), means the 400 is trying to remove large scratches left by the 100, as opposed to removing smaller scratches left by the 200.
Essentially it will take longer to remove those scratches, kind of like using 400 grit sandpaper after 36 grit or similar...
Since the pad is spending more time polishing out those scratches, it will wear down more.
Did you order the polisher from us?...I didn't see an order come through, that's all....
Hope this helps, feel free to ask any questions

Q: Good Morning Nic, I have a requirement for a drill for installation of steel posts into sandstone of varying hardness. We have a series of sinkers etc. but need larger diameter for our applications.  We work in the bush with only generator power so perhaps petrol power such as the Tanaka unit on your www would suit some sites. Any info regarding the above towards solving our at present problem would be most appreciated.
Thank you

A: Either the Tanaka or the Stihl would be ideal. Both under $1000 set up with water swivel to pump water through the core bit.
You're looking at approximately $2/mm eg 50mm about $ 100 etc for the core drills themselves.
We can make specialised sandstone core drills at about double that price (Aus. made), but our standard ones vary between 10-30m of drilling which is pretty good, especially if the stone is on the harder side.
Would take a couple of days to get the package together, let me know what size core bits you need and their length (400mm is std), and i'll get a quote together


Q: I am Australian but currently live in Thailand but  may  wish to have your products shipped to me.

 We have creamy marfel  marble for our kitchen countertops and on tabletops in our covered outdoor deck (in total, quite a bit of surface area, say 20 sq metres across all counters/tables).  The marble (particularly the kitchen counter) appear to have water spots on it that I would like to remove.  There is not reliable vendor where I live to do the work so I would like to do it myself.  The Lithofin product range appears to the solution however, there appears to be many different variants of the products.  Can you suggest which products I should use for:

 (a) removing/cleaning away the water spots/residue;

(b) maintaining the look of the marble thereafter.

 Do I need to use a polishing disk?  If so, do you have any that I can attach to an electrical drill (or I may buy a hand polisher).

 I assume you can ship to Thailand. I look forward to your reply.


A: I'd suggest the Power Clean or Easy Clean, depending on how bad you think the staining is. The Easy Care would be best for ongoing maintenance.  Both could be shipped to Thailand, let me know quantities and i'll arrange a price


Q: We are looking at manufacturing a rock saw for attachment to a 5 tonne excavator. Of interest are your 600mm and 800mm blades.
Perhaps you could help with the following questions:
 
Do you have any recommendations as to the type of arbor/mounting hole we should use? We need to be able to make consecutive cuts against the same face to achieve the required depth so this is important.
 
Correct cutting speed in sandstone (typical Sydney sandstone)?
 
If we use water on the cut, will this improve the blade life?
 
Do you keep these blades ex stock?
 
Can you re-tip these and what is the approximate cost?
 
Many thanks for your assistance

A: That size blade would normally have a 60-100mm bore size. I assume you'll countersink holes and attach the blade to a single flange. Perhaps the flange should have a raised section to fit the inside bore of the blade as well for extra support. I think you would need an engineer to work out the proper mounting though...
1200 - 1600 RPM (slower end of scale for larger diameter, faster end for the 600)
Water would greatly extend the blade life.
Most of these sizes are in stock, we have 600, 900, 1200 but could easily get 800 in a couple of weeks and stock them if required in the future. We can also manufacture them with bore and mounting holes as per your specs.
Retipping would depend on how worn the steel centre of the blade gets, often too thin in this application. Price normally 15% less than new. But it can be more trouble than it's worth with blade tensioning, cracks etc