I use a foredom flex shaft and mostly ufo wheels to make wave patterns

Can anyone give any guidance on tips on how to remove these scratches?

Ive had better luck doing it by hand. I’ve worked up to 2000 grit wet/dry sandpaper, and it’s had some improvement. But I don’t know if I just need just keep going, moving up in grit, or do I need to start over at a lower grit?

How do i get the actual polish done with the rotary tool? The bits I could find locally were not labeled and were just ‘medium’ or ‘fine’ grit or whatever. Working on some laguna lace agate, i have it quite flat on the surface but i cannot get a shine. I found some polishing paste on amazon but jt’s pretty expensive. I wonder if I can polish using the actual polish grit for tumbling but applied with a fine grit bit? I checked locally and the rock shops have weird hours. I have a ton of the loose grit for tumbling though so i mean, why not?

I have a smoky quartz sphere that's around a quarter inch larger than I need it to be. I purchased it online and it was supposed to be 50mm but is slightly larger. It needs to fit into a predesigned encasement. I have a dremel and diamond stone cutting, grinding, sanding, polishing bits etc. Am I going to completely fuck this up if I try and reduce its size so that it fits? Should the technique be similiar to sanding i.e. locking the quartz in place and slowly applying the bits?
Any advice or videos that might be instructive would be greatly appreciated.

Just like the title says. Winter is setting in and it's too cold to work in my garage anymore.

Obviously I'd drill in water and keep anything I'm carving wet. Been using an N95 outside, but would get a full respirator for indoors, but I'm worried that the dust would hurt my furnace long term. Anyone else have experience with this and want to weigh in? My house is small and my basement is too. Only one room.

Thanks for any guidance on this!

I have searched and searched this question and, either I don't know the magic Google words or it's a trade secret or something...

How fast should my tool be turning?

I know that it's variable for the hardness of the rock and the bit you're using. So. A more detailed question:

For a soft stone (like opal) and a hard stone (like quartz or agate), what's the range of rpms for:

1. Diamond bits
2. Sintered diamond bits
3. Sandpaper drums
4. Resin points (like Nova points)
5. Diamond paste with buffing wheels

Assume I am using so much water my fingers are permanently pruned and I always always always wear eye protection and a mask. (Which is the only consistent advice I can find anywhere...)

Hi! A Mod over at r/rockhounds recommended this sub when I asked if anyone uses a rotary tool for lapidary work. Little did I know it's 'a whole thing'! I'm really happy to find this sub and learn. I've been collecting rocks and gemstones for decades but never did any lapidary work. I looked at rock tumblers online and wondered "Couldn't I do this with my rotary tool and have more fun?". I then found a Youtube video of someone doing it and immediately came to Reddit to learn more.

I welcome any advice for beginners. I will be starting out on a small, simple basis with various rocks I find on my hikes, nothing large or fancy; just cabochons to start. Most of what I find is various quartz and some agates.

Some general questions I have are:

1. Safety: I would wear gloves, safety glasses and a mask. Do you all wear cloth masks or respirators? I'm thinking my respirator is probably needed?
2. Dust: As a follow-up, what do you do with the dust? I played around with my rotary tool and a smoky quartz last night outside, but I quickly realized dust will be an issue indoors, where I would normally prefer to work. Do you have exhaust fans or are you working in dedicated workspaces or what?
3. Wet or dry? What's the difference and when would I do each?
4. Equipment: I already own a cordless Dremel, a second corded offbrand Rotary tool, a flex-shaft, a Dremel Press/Workstation (for fixed-point work), safety stuff and a worktable. Anything else?
5. Bits/Tips: This is probably my biggest question, what do I need for bits to cut, grind and polish? Any links or names of specific bits would be appreciated.

Thanks so much!

I collected small pieces of quartz pebbles on the beach in Denmark. I thought that I should try to polish them (with a Dremel lite) and perhaps even carve them in the future.
But right now I'm only in the planning stage. I read about the toxic stone dust when you carve and when you polish - some people use a drop wet system to prevent the dust.
I have however no workshop, garage or anyplace to work except outside the garden and the possibility to use a drop wet system is zero.
However - I have a tub (previously used for washing the dishes). Is the tub filled with water an option for me to use while polishing and later carving?
I will of course use both a protective mask and safety glasses.
Thanks in advance!

What should I do with the waste dust/water when working with a water bath/drop system? I have a septic tank if it matters. Would it be best to bury the waste?

I'm just getting into carving and just wanted to think ahead.