The content for this article was submitted by one of our customers Jay Ailworth. He can be contacted at jayailworth@gmail.com
Jay starts off by telling me "I do 90 percent of my work out on my driveway here in Florida with 4 basic tools. I have a tile saw, a Covington grinder, a drillpress and a rotary tool. Everything is set up to be portable so I can use them one at a time with my garden hose as my water supply". After Jay has his beautiful slices of jade ready to use this is how he assembles his buckles.
1. Mark the jade for drilling the buckle holes.
2. Drill the holes and check for fit.
3. Lay out the tools to insert the brass pins (side cutters, rods, file in a clamp).
4. Rough cut the pins.
5. Use the file to bring the pins flush to the buckle holes.
6. Placing the pins in the glue (cyanoacrylate type) can be difficult so sometimes, using a pair of needle nose pliers can help keep your fingers free of glue.
7. Once the glue has set overnight use a razor blade to trim the glue so the buckle sits flat. The magnifiers are a big help in seeing where there is still residue.
8. To prep gluing the buckle to the stone use a rotary tool to rough both surfaces.
9. Glue and clamp everything together and let it sit.
10. Put your new buckle on a belt!
Thanks for sharing your process with us Jay!