rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
|
Post by rollingstone on Mar 15, 2007 14:53:26 GMT -5
This is some limb cast agate that Stoner (Ed) sent to me about a year ago. He warned me that it was really rough and gnarled stuff and would take ages in coarse grind and, well, he was right! ;D I guess most of these pieces would technically be called chalcedony, but there are a few banded ones in there, so I'm going to call them all agate. Because it was such tough stuff, I used a pretty aggressive grind. No pellets until the polish stage, and even then I used only about 1/3 what I would normally use, so things were banging around pretty good in the barrel. However, that sped up the polish remarkably -- these were done in 8 days, instead of the 21 days I've been using for most polishes lately. Anyhow, Falcon was asking about not using pellets in another thread, so this is *almost* not using pellets. But I wouldn't try this unless I was sure the material was pretty solid and not prone to fracturing. (A couple did chip, but no more than usual). Thanks for the rough, Ed! -Don Thanks for looking!
|
|
|
Post by Cher on Mar 15, 2007 14:56:45 GMT -5
What a stunning shine Don. I've got some of Ed's limbcast too, and it does take forever but it's so beautiful when done it's worth the wait. I love the translucency of them too. Beautiful! Awesome job!
|
|
|
Post by sandsman1 on Mar 15, 2007 15:35:10 GMT -5
man that stuff is pretty , and worth the wait --- nice job rollin
|
|
SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
|
Post by SteveHolmes on Mar 15, 2007 15:35:24 GMT -5
That is a "Blinding" shine there Don~! What a great batch...and a primo example of what being patient will get you. Steve
|
|
|
Post by Jurrasic Jonje on Mar 15, 2007 17:06:07 GMT -5
Don That is one great looking batch. You never stop amazing me with your shine.
|
|
|
Post by Bikerrandy on Mar 15, 2007 17:08:13 GMT -5
Dude, those are cool!!!
|
|
|
Post by Tweetiepy on Mar 15, 2007 17:30:43 GMT -5
I don't see no shine on those! Well I'm blinded by the glare you say? Those are amazing!
What exactly is limb cast? I have visions of little pieces of an agatized substance in tree limbs!!
|
|
rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
|
Post by rollingstone on Mar 15, 2007 17:53:53 GMT -5
Tweetie, that's not far off! With limb cast, the tree limbs get buried but rot away, leaving an empty mold (cast) that gradually fills with chalcedony or acts as a chamber for agate to form in. It is different than petrified wood, where the silica gradually replaces the wood tissue in place before the wood has a chance to rot away and leave a hollow. So with petrified wood, you can have remarkable replacement of the original cell structure. But with limb cast, it's just a hollow being filled in with agate, so you end up with clear agate, not any type of tree structure except the shape of the cast.
And thanks everyone for the compliments! -Don
|
|
rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
|
Post by rollingstone on Mar 15, 2007 18:05:49 GMT -5
BTW, here's what the material looked like, rough.
|
|
|
Post by beefjello on Mar 15, 2007 18:47:01 GMT -5
Incredible shine!!! Thanks for including a pic of the rough.. whatta transformation! Niceee!!!
|
|
falcon
starting to shine!
Member since March 2007
Posts: 44
|
Post by falcon on Mar 15, 2007 18:51:50 GMT -5
beautiful shine, man. i think the rough is terribly interesting too. F.
|
|
|
Post by Condor on Mar 15, 2007 19:21:00 GMT -5
D-D-D-Dang! Those are among the best polished stones I've ever seen. The shapes they took coming from the picture of the rough are unbelievable. Great job RS.
Condor
|
|
|
Post by krazydiamond on Mar 15, 2007 19:37:10 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Toad on Mar 15, 2007 19:50:52 GMT -5
Wouldn't have thought one came from the other. Great shine and pleasing shapes & colors.
|
|
earthdog
Cave Dweller
Don't eat yellow snow
Member since June 2006
Posts: 2,731
|
Post by earthdog on Mar 15, 2007 21:07:20 GMT -5
Thats some sweet looking stuff!
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
|
Post by Sabre52 on Mar 15, 2007 23:27:15 GMT -5
*LOL* Man oh man do you have patience. That stuff is hard as tacks and really takes a long grind. You did those up as nice as I've ever seen them polished! Wow! great!....mel
|
|
|
Post by Tweetiepy on Mar 16, 2007 7:22:25 GMT -5
Don, now I understand, but if I'm looking at the clear pieces I can see what they are but why would I not think the "woody" looking pieces are pet wood?
|
|
|
Post by larrywyland3 on Mar 16, 2007 8:01:40 GMT -5
WOW what a shine:)
|
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
|
Post by stefan on Mar 16, 2007 9:02:24 GMT -5
Tweet what you are seeing is the Exterior Mold- so yes it would look like wood!!! Don AMAZING- Did I miss how long they coursed for???
|
|
|
Post by cpdad on Mar 16, 2007 17:26:08 GMT -5
first class..top notch...excelent batch....kev.
|
|