First of all, congratulations to Dave Regli for winning the Masters Trophy at the Facetors Fair last January. This competition has become the hot one at this show, involving a large field of master facetors. Dave is an Ultra Tec facetor, which gave him an unfair - or Fair- advantage, depending how one looks at it, (of the four competitions so far, Ultra Tec facetors have won three - not quite as good as I'd like). This is a Single Stone competition, with little room for error. Dave and his wife have every right to be all

smiles about his win. Dave will likely be back for another try in 1988, and perhaps he'll be the first person to repeat a win in this competition. The Ultra Tec trophy for Best Case was not awarded, there being no score high enough. That was a disappointment for us, but we've had this situation once before. Next year, we feel sure there will be someone who adds the extra effort and concentration, and wins.

Our congratulations are due these two smiling gentlemen - on the left 'Badger Bud' Rogers and on the right John Stacy, both Ultra Tec facetors. Between them they recently had won six faceting trophies.

Badger Bud had done very well indeed at the Federation Show in Sacramento, where he won the Johansen Trophy (3 synthetic stones), the Facetron Trophy (single natural stone) and the Golden Bear Trophy (12 synthetics). John Stacy won the Southern California Faceting Guild Best Case Award and the Facetron Trophy (best natural stones) at the September Fair in Anaheim, and at the San Jose Fair, the Golden City Trophy (single piece of jewellery). You could just about bet that Bud Rogers and John Stacy will have their names in the lists of future award winners.

Just a few words on the Tucson Show - as usual it was an exciting show. As in prior years, it presented a chance to renew friendships, and to meet people who had previously been just voices on the telephone. Justina's Gems had a booth (in the Arena of the Community Centre - where we are, too), and Justina faceted on her Ultra Tec while her husband Robbie handled stone sales. They'll be back next year, so that's a chance to see a super professional cutter in action....Here are a few of the people at the show:

If you can attend any of the upcoming faceting shows you will find them fun and instructive. Coming: Sept. 25/26 The So. Cal. Facetors Guild in Anaheim CA, - Oct. 10/11 The Big Sky Facetors Guild, Great Falls MT, - Oct 30/Nov1 The Midwest Facetors Guild, Dearborn MI, - there's information attached about these shows - as well as next year's San Jose show.

Attending the shows, if you can, is the important thing. As I've said in previous letters, awards get a lot of attention, but most facetors find it a 'spectator sport', and the show is the place to see them, see facetors in action, see the displays, hear the lectures, meet people - have a good time.

Don't count out the idea of ever trying competition - you don't start out at the Masters level - it teaches you a lot. You get a judge's score sheet, and an idea of the ways in which you might improve - and you'll get congratulations however low the score. Facetors are nice people - the only ones they ever poke fun at are the people who score 'only' 99 and get beaten out by someone who scores 99.25 - and then, gently.

WHAT'S NEW

We said in the last letter that something new is working its way through Design, and it still is. I think it will be ready for the next Newsletter - hopefully not too long.

Meanwhile, there are a few things to discuss. None of these design improvements are urgent, but they are worth knowing about. A few of you will probably say 'Ah! Just what I need.' For most of you, however they are the sort of thing you might want to think about if you send in your machine for recalibration They are listed on the price list in a last section called 'Modifications'.

- We have improved the tensioning of the fine adjustment screw, to assure a firm stop. The prior design had a feature for that purpose, a spring hidden behind the screw. That design did not provide a way to increase the tension, if desired. What we have done is to add a nylon-tipped set screw, accessible from the side of the yoke, which allows easy control of tension - eliminating any looseness. If your fine adjustment screw feels too loose - it should be nice and firm - this is a good feature to add.

- The Riser Block (which rides -on the Lead screw) has had two setscrew adjustments on one side. We have added two more, on the reverse side. These are positioned to improve stability and we have found that a finer degree of accuracy of calibration is maintained with this feature.

- We have changed to new Lead screw ball bearings. These are capable of a heavy preload - which translates to elimination of backlash in reversing motion - while providing smooth and easy operation of the Vertical Knob. If your machine feels excessively stiff in its up and down motion - or if you detect some degree of vertical backlash - you should consider this.

- The alignment feature of the Dop Chuck has been changed. The spindle modification of about 5 years ago provides improved chuck accuracy, and it continues to. The alignment feature (the internal pin in the spindle aligning with the groove in the chuck), however, for several reasons, has been rethought, and we have now returned to a pin in the chuck which engages an external groove on the spindle - out where you can see it, and of proven sturdiness and accuracy. (The internal pin has been fine for most, but there were enough comments received for us to re-evaluate the feature) It is practical to modify existing product - and we will modify as many chucks as you may have for the same price as modifying one. So, if you are one who removes and reinserts chucks, you may want this modification.

- Also on the subject of the Dop Chuck - we have improved the gripping power of the brass collar, dividing it into four flexing segments. This is useful if you are working on large stones. lf you send your Head in for recalibration, we'll swap you a new collar for a n old one - as many as you may have. If you just want new collars, they are on the price list (and if you afterwards sent us back the old ones, that would be nice).

There is another change, one that does not require any modification of existing equipment. It's a new technique for alignment of the Index Gear, and involves a change in the gear hub. The hub has been larger to accommodate a brass-tipped set screw which will grip firmly anywhere on the Spindle, not needing the flat (and, on new Spindles the flat has been eliminated). Instead of repeatedly aligning the Tabling Block to the Index Gear, the Tabling Block is set once. Subsequent changes in the Index Gear are made by setting the Tabling block in place, holding it down against a flat lap, and setting the Index Gear to it. That's all a lot easier, and a gear can be removed in this method and later reset to the same place. An existing flat on the Spindle is no problem - the Spindle can be rotated so the set screw bottoms elsewhere.

And speaking of Index Gears, we will accept orders for 32 teeth Index Gears. We get many requests for these - people who became accustomed to other machines that do offer a 32 seem to like them, and there are published designs. (We should have them for immediate delivery, but we have a mystery of missing inventory. Could anyone love 32's so much that he wanted a box full? I'm about ready to remake them - at which time the missing ones will appear - but not before. There is some Universal law involved).

Now, that does seem like an awfully long list. I suffer from uneasiness when I ask myself why we didn't do some of these things sooner - there's the old saying: so soon old and so late smart. Actually, these modifications all happened as the result of a specific effort to pay attention to the sorts of things we would see on machines that had come in for calibration, and to fine tune the design as much as possible. I always think we are finally at the end of the line - but there's always something.

FACETING TIPS.

With the growth of the Guilds and the specialized faceting publications that are available, my 'tips' folder is getting pretty skinny these days. That's fine - if you are availing yourself of one or more of those. There are a few worthy things kicking around in that folder, however, so here goes:

- Bob Steel of White Oak Lapidary wrote to us with his recommendations for a basic set of laps. He feels, and I must admit with some justification, that Ultra Tec's recommendation for starting out is too sparse. Bob recommends: a 260, 600, 1200, lucite, phenolic, steel(!), along with a supply of 3000 and 100,000 diamond compound.

I think his letter deserves quoting (with a little editing for space). Bob says: 'I recommend that the 260 be reserved for preforming and...main facets on very large stones. A new 260 is very aggressive...it leaves very deep scratches. This requires a cutting allowance for pre-polishing with the 1200 which is difficult for the beginner to estimate.....

'I recommend the 600 for cutting large facets. It has a rapid cutting action but leaves a much smoother surface for pre-polishing. The beginner can cut close to the final facet size.

'I suggest the 1200 be used for all small facets.... a 1200 cuts quickly and leaves a surface which can be taken to polish, but with difficulty. This is where the phenolic comes in.

'I recommend using the phenolic lap with 3000 diamond compound...after the 1200. The result is a very high pre-polish, easily seen...and easily brought to a final polish. It is a versatile lap and produces a flat facet. It has particular value in polishing corundum. This saves wear and tear on a 3000 diamond lap. ....this has some cutting action so care must be exercised.

'The plain Steel lap can be used to polish stones harder than quartz. I have used Steel with 100,000 diamond compound to polish garnet, peridot, topaz, CZ, beryl, and corundum....It produces a very flat facet and an excellent polish. It should be used at a very slow speed....I apply a very little amount of diamond, spread it with my finger using a little olive oil and then wipe it with tissue while running at low speed...I now use spray diamond sparingly, but still have to wipe it a bit. Too much diamond causes scratches and so will excessive speed....

'I recommend using the lucite lap with cerium oxide for quartz. The other side of the lap can be used with tin oxide for glass.

'All beginners should be cautioned to care for their expensive diamond laps. A good scrubbing with detergent and a stiff brush promptly after use should be a rule...'

Well, I took some editing liberties with Bob's letter, but I think I retained the main thrust of it. Of particular interest is the recommendation to use the Steel lap (he's not named Bob Steel for nothing!), and I still need to try it myself. Also, I've been recommending a 3000 diamond lap with which I've had very good results, but Bob seems to prefer the diamond compound on phenolic - he expresses some concern about the life of the metal bonded 3000 diamond - I haven't experienced that problem. He's also not in love with ceramic laps, but there are many enthusiastic users of ceramic, including most of the competition cutters.

You will get varying advice in regard to laps. That advice, however, is not so much conflicting as it is just other. And they are all 'right' in the sense that they are passing along what has worked for them. There seems to be enough subtle differences in the way individuals polish so that what works for one person may not work for the other. But, you do need to consider the advice that you get, and keep trying until you have the 'right' way.

I get to speak to many facetors, and since I get many questions on polishing, I jot down whatever recommendations I get on polishing laps - so I can pass it along. Well, one question that keeps coming up is how to polish CZ. My jotted down list of recommended laps includes: ceramic, tin, tin-lead, Last Lap, Fast Lap, zinc, and now steel. How's that for a good firm recommendation? - and I'll now get letters letting me in on the real right lap. And you know, every one of those worked for somebody.

Well, as faceting tips go, that was a tip and a half, and I'11 save several others for the next letter.

Miscellaneous happenings....Those of you who may have called Ultra Tec realize that there is a new voice on the phone.

Dee Morrison has retired, after 8 years with Ultra Tec. Her husband retired just a few months earlier and they are doing a lot of travelling. They've been to Egypt and back, and now they are in China. The 'new [voice' belongs to Delores Sanchez.

Delores worked with Dee for about a month, so she's had sort of a head start. If you have occasion to call, I'm sure you will find that she is very helpful .

We were saddened to learn of the death of Dave Miller in an auto accident some months ago. Dave, a resident of Flint, Michigan, was a super facetor, and was known as the 'Grandfather of the Midwest Guild'. He'll be missed by his many friends....to end on a more upbeat note, I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the Southern Califiornia Facetors Fair in September - Stay well.

From your friends at Ultra Tec, and in particular, me.