Onyx

[Chasboy1]

Hi Folks, hope I'm in the correct section with my odd question. I'm going to be removing an onyx counter from our wet bar and feel terrible about wasting that beautiful material. Is it possible to turn onyx, perhaps for a pen?

Thanks !

 

[RKB]

The Mohs Hardness Scale And Chart For Select Gems

The Mohs hardness scale measures a mineral's resistance to scratching. Find the traditional scale here and a chart of select gems ordered by hardness.

www.gemsociety.org

Edit: Onyx is listed as Chalcedony

 

[qquake]

That doesn't list the hardness of onyx, that I can see. This says it's 6.5-7. But according to RKB's chart, that's about the hardness of a steel nail.

Onyx - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Mach4]

Yes, it is possible, but requires custom drills and drilling equipment. It also requires a lapidary lathe utilizing diamond tooling. Diamond polishing materials are also needed. Water is needed for cooling and keeping dust down to help prevent silicosis.
It's possible, but you'll need to design and build your own setup.

 

[Bats]

Yes, it is possible, but requires custom drills and drilling equipment. It also requires a lapidary lathe utilizing diamond tooling. Diamond polishing materials are also needed. Water is needed for cooling and keeping dust down to help prevent silicosis.

So just tossing it on the lathe and going at it with an angle grinder isn't the right approach, I guess.

It's possible, but you'll need to design and build your own setup.

But just think how pretty the results will be!

 

[Aurelius]

You could also reach out to Ryan Krusac. I know he's worked with stone on some of his pens.