www.slipperyrockgazette.net VOLUME 22, ISSUE 260 THE BEACON OF THE STONE INDUSTRY FEBRUARY 2016 My New Year’s Cleaning ike a shiny new penny, Jodi Wallace the upcoming year offers Owner, Monarch Solid us the opportunity to look L Surface Designs through new eyes with optimism and excitement for adventures of April) are always my biggest yet to come. Having survived stress months, since jobs are usu- the holiday madness, we now ally slow in coming. I make a lot have the chance to reflect on the of follow-up calls to customers, previous year with less stress trying to get them to commit to a and less emotional attachment. signed contract, and gently nudge It’s a chance to review and give to get things actually scheduled thought to what worked and what and started. Nothing feels worse didn’t, evaluate ideas you may to me than having to call my guys have had simmering on the back and telling them not to come in Stone Pro and Braxton-Bragg have a proven history of burner, or brainstorm new oppor- because there is no work in the introducing tools and products that solve a fundamen- tunities for the coming year. shop. tal problem facing fabricators and installers. We review But I also view some of this these three new products that raise the bar for efficiency. There’s usually work for our quiet time as an opportunity for shop in January, whether it‘s a “new year’s cleaning” (my ver- finishing up jobs that started in sion of a spring cleaning, except December, or jobs that I have it’s for my business). Although Three New Fabrication Inventions been able to talk homeowners we aren’t making money if we into delaying, with promises of aren’t working the jobs that pay, from Stone Pro and Braxton-Bragg reduced lead times since things it’s an opportunity for the guys tend to be on the quieter after the to prepare for when things pick ust when you thought tools Peter J. Marcucci than traditional technology has al- holidays. But February – March back up. for stone fabrication couldn’t lowed to this point. Additionally, (and occasionally the beginning Please turn to page 7 Jget any better, they just did. technological leap is needed. Elipse pads are stickier and, there- Stone Pro, in conjunction with Allow me to introduce fore, hold onto diamonds longer Braxton-Bragg, has raised the “TrifectaMate Technology:” a before being released, yielding The Stone Detective bar with the new Elipse polishing physically and chemically dif- more linear feet of polish per pad system, Stone Pro Seam Machine ferent material far superior to with faster results. The “Eat More Cold Cuts” Case and Stone Pro Vacuum Template. conventional resins, and propri- Moreover, Elipse pads use poly- Getting it right the first time just etary to the Elipse 3-step & 6-step crystalline diamonds (PCD)— the t’s starting to get cold Frederick M. Hueston, PhD got a whole lot easier. polishing systems available from same diamonds used in oilfield here in Florida. This Braxton-Bragg. drilling where a 100 percent duty Imorning, I think the ther- it’s cold outside, that’s all.” I The Revolutionary Elipse Put simply, the TrifectaMate cycle is required. They are little mometer plunged down to almost broke out in the song, 3-Step Wet & 6-Step Dry resin allows a higher concentra- more expensive than conventional 59 degrees; guess its time to Baby It’s Cold Outside, but I Polishing Systems are the tion of diamonds (more than twice diamonds, but offer substantial break out the winter flip-flops. can’t sing worth a darn. And New Kings of Cool! as much, depending on the grit) gains in performance. besides, Flo would not thank For over two decades, pads Please turn to page 2 Due to the brisk air I was me for driving out her (tip- made of phenolic resins have been in the mood for a cup of hot ping) customers! the de facto standard of the indus- chocolate rather than my Just as Flo replaced try. They undoubtedly get the job morning cup of joe. So off to my joe with a cup of hot done but are severely limited by my favorite greasy spoon I went. chocolate, my cell phone rang. It two things: their ability to hold I walked in and sat on my desig- was one of my steady clients, a higher quantities of diamonds, nated stool, said hello to several manufacturer of a stone sealer. and worse, “diamond dropout” of the locals. Flo poured me a They had a problem with a cli- renders them useless, often pre- cup of joe and I looked at her and ent who used their sealer, and the maturely. This technology has said, “Not this morning, Flo – countertop was still staining. been pushed to its limits, and, in give me a cup of hot chocolate.” Let me first tell you about this the past few years, has gotten as She had a look of shock on client. They have a 100 percent efficient as current manufacturing her face. The locals all gave me money-back, replacement guar- technology can make it. To bring a stare, like I might be off my antee for life. polishing pads to the next level, a rocker. I laughed and said, “Hey, Please turn to page 8 Shop www.braxton-bragg.com for Stone & Tile industry products Visit www.slipperyrockgazette.net for more Stone & Tile industry news | 2 FEBRUARY 2016 SLIPPERY ROCK GAZEttE to keep you from polishing one Curing the Decades-Old Three New Products area too long. You get a better Problem of Seam Warpage polish with less fatigue in the Stone Pro’s new and mighty field or in the shop. As a plus, any Seam Machine will help bullet- center water feed right angle tool proof your installations will work.” If you’re not fully confident about the way you’re finishing So what prompted Brandt to seams these days, take a good look think in this direction? “Well,” at the Stone Pro Seam Machine. he continued, “for over 40 years, No, it’s not just a remake of the I’ve been infatuated with the same old – same old — it’s a re- stone industry, and I always made think of the standard, and by all tools to make the job easier and criteria, it breaks the mold. improve quality. The orbital mo- tion of an orbital sander sands a How is the Seam Machine dif- lot faster and cleaner with less ferent from the others, you ask? motion from the operator, but Barry Brandt continues, “We’ve the mechanics while trying to made seaming tools in the past, incorporate the center water feed but they were all rigid and had through an orbital motion, one rods that ran from one side to that would last, was a tough and the other, and the only flex that expensive task. But when I got to you really got was if you were Continued from page 1 thinking about it, it’s no different pushing and bending the stone. One last point: due to the Unfortunately, by doing this, makeup of the patented TrifectaMate formula, the Elipse final polish pad will achieve a superior finish on all materials, even engineered stone, with no worries of color transfer from pad to material. Putting a New Spin on Polishing: The Innovative Elipse Backer Pad Perfected and manufactured by longtime fabricator/tool designer Barry Brandt, the cutting-edge Elipse Backer Pad is the capstone of the groundbreaking Elipse from a tire that’s out of round. many times you’re pulling the cup Polishing Systems. You simply counter-weight it to loose from the stone, because the What’s so great about this keep it balanced. So that’s what tool had to flex. backer pad? Simply put, it rotates we did! “We made the Seam Machine with an elliptical motion, and “Some natural stones are dif- so it pivots. Each arm comes out There are plenty of seam setters on the market, but none match when coupled with Elipse 3-step ficult to polish, especially the independently, so when it lifts the features of the new Stone Pro Seam Machine. The arched or 6-step pads, introduces addi- ones with both hard and soft one side of the stone, it pushes design allows you complete access to clean up seams while it is tional performance to the system, spots, making it very difficult if the other side of the stone down, still setting up, while holding the stone locked in place. Brilliant! explains Brandt. “It flat out does a you’re not moving the polisher independently. Not only that. We better job and also keeps the fab- fast enough. The elliptical motion put an arch design in it, so you can ricator from fatiguing, because of the Elipse Backer Pad takes a get your hand underneath to clean the polishing head is moving in lot of the human error out of the the seam while it’s setting up. an elliptical motion. The backer process because of the crosshatch “Unlike all other seaming tools, pad is offset and balanced with pattern. It allows someone with ours has no obstructions to pre- the pad, not just by itself, so you less experience to get professional vent you from cleaning. None don’t get any vibration.” And results, immediately. That’s the of the other seaming tools on the that’s only one of the notable dif- key, allowing almost anybody to market offer this.