For what ever reason, I just can’t bring myself to purchase an Atoma 140. For the heck of it, I made this abomination with a piece of aluminum square tube, a bit of leftover epoxy, and a 230x80mm 120 grit diamond plate.

Hot glued a piece of plastic from a food container onto one end of the tube and poured epoxy in it to give it some heft and stability. Sanded the slides and ends to make it look pretty. Then a few drops of CA glue to secure the diamond plate.

All in, it cost me about 1/7th of an Atoma 140. I can swap the diamond plate about ten times and still be in for less than an Atoma. I have no delusion that this is equally good, but as a super coarse chunk, it works as intended. Also, there is no need for a stone holder with this one. Chocera for scale.

  • That's pretty impressive! On the scale of cheap vs lazy I guess I fall much further towards, the lazy end.😂 That looks like a lot of work but it turned out nice.

    parent

    Thanks! It really wasn’t difficult at all. Mixing and pouring epoxy is easy (but potentially REALLY messy), and sanding is … well … repetitive but easy.

    parent root

  • Hot glued a piece of plastic from a food container onto one end of the tube and poured epoxy in it to give it some heft and stability.

    Huh. I can't understand this sentence. Can you elaborate?

    parent

    Tube has two holes. He covered one hole with the plastic and poured epoxy into the other side.

    parent root

    Exactly! I cut a piece out of the bottom of a container of grapes and glued it to one end of the tube to seal that end. Poured epoxy in the other end and hoped that the hot glue sealed it sufficiently, which it almost did.

    parent root

    😂 almost!

    parent root

    Indeed! The "top" end is quite concave, as a little bit seeped out as it cured. I had it standing in a plastic bucket, so nothing got ruined.

    parent root

    How does a tube of epoxy become a rectangular prism?

    parent root

  • I dont understand ,if you use epoxy ,how in hell are gonna change the plate?

    parent

    The epoxy is only to fill the tube. Both to give it some weight, to give it some stability against the force from grinding, and just because I had the epoxy sitting around. The diamond plate is glued with a few drops of CA glue. When I need to change it, I can wick some acetone into to crack to dissolve the glue.

    parent root

    a ok,thanks.I only have experience with small tubes of epoxy

    parent root

    Ah, okay.
    This is the two-component kind in large jugs that you mix 1:2 and cast in whatever form you need. Not a glue per se.

    parent root

    I think he meant the epoxy is just in the tube.

    parent root