FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Ning]

I have some clear acrylic blocks, a dremel, a mask and some long tourmaline crystals. Is there an easier/better process rather than a trial and error subtractive process?

Are there best practices for making fitted mineral stands for long thin mineral specimens? I assume the ones you see at mineral shows are made using a different technique. Perhaps photo-telemetry and a CNC router or some chemical process.

Thanks.

L

[carlo11]

They are all made with a CNC. Hand making a functional and stable base is like trying to do a mouth guard without a mold, it won't fit snugly 99% of the time. If you don't want to spend money on a CNC and all the stuff needed to re size and polish acrylic, you can always just use a resin 3D printer and make digital models with photogrammetry or a laser scanner.
It sounds more difficult than it really is I have done it before and I still have to work on some details, but I got really decent results.

[Juan Roberto Rivera]

[ngocnhungplaza]

Great question — making custom-fitted stands can really elevate a display. Many collectors still use the manual approach with Dremels, files, and heat bending, but it’s definitely time-consuming and prone to trial and error.

A good tip is to use soft modeling clay or silicone putty first to create a quick mockup of the base, which helps avoid mistakes when shaping the acrylic. For more precision, some people are indeed using 3D scanning or photogrammetry combined with CNC milling or 3D printing — though that requires more gear and setup.

For fragile crystals like long tourmaline, it’s best to avoid pressure points — build the stand to “cradle” the piece in at least two spots with gentle curves rather than tight fits.