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Post by Son Of Beach on Apr 20, 2023 14:25:35 GMT -5
It almost resembles a Botswana, nice find!
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Post by velodromed on Apr 20, 2023 16:45:55 GMT -5
It almost resembles a Botswana, nice find! Right!? Thank you, It really does! My wife and I were talking about that last night. I cant wait to see it fully cleaned up and polished.
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Post by velodromed on Apr 24, 2023 13:59:46 GMT -5
Finding this the other day made me smile. It sure looks like a small piece of petrified wood still stuck in its ‘home’, where it developed. Stuff like this really intrigues me. I could use my Dremel and try to polish just the wood…or leave it as a neat specimen.
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 24, 2023 14:03:12 GMT -5
Finding this the other day made me smile. It sure looks like a small piece of petrified wood still stuck in its ‘home’, where it developed. Stuff like this really intrigues me. I could use my Dremel and try to polish just the wood…or leave it as a neat specimen. I think that would be SOOOO cool to see just that part polished! Leaving the matrix "as is" would be a great "frame" for the polished piece!
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Post by velodromed on Apr 24, 2023 14:37:04 GMT -5
Finding this the other day made me smile. It sure looks like a small piece of petrified wood still stuck in its ‘home’, where it developed. Stuff like this really intrigues me. I could use my Dremel and try to polish just the wood…or leave it as a neat specimen. I think that would be SOOOO cool to see just that part polished! Leaving the matrix "as is" would be a great "frame" for the polished piece! Matrix huh? I’ve heard that term before. Basically it’s the mother rock huh? Yes you are right, it would look very cool. I have small Dremel pads all the way up to 3000 grit that may work. Think I’ll cut a small flat spot on the bottom of the rock so it’ll stand up also. Thanks Jason!!
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Post by velodromed on May 6, 2023 17:12:32 GMT -5
We found a couple more ‘rock presents’ to unwrap next to a construction dig recently. Both were so covered with lime and calcite crud that I almost missed them. Something about the white lumps caught my eye though. First I soaked them in 20% concentrated vinegar for a few days and scrubbed much of the white stuff off. Then I soaked them in Lime Away for a day and pretty much got the rest off. Now I’m trying to decide what to do next. This one here feels lighter and less solid. Aside from all the druzys, I can faintly see what I think is fortification banding. So I’m thinking I’ll cut it in half lengthwise. I put this rock through the same cleaning steps as the one above. It seems more solid inside than the other rock and the fortification bands are more evident. I find all the course grains and small rocks stuck on it very intriguing, but they won’t last long as I really want to tumble it, exposing the agate beneath. It’s like Christmas every day when you love rocks!
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Post by velodromed on May 10, 2023 18:07:26 GMT -5
I’ve no idea what this is other than a loose conglomerate of fossils and course sand. It looked like a big ball of chalk or lime when we found it. I dumped it in 20%+ vinegar and was very surprised when I pulled it out. I do not think this one can be tumbled, so it’ll be a shelf queen. Oh, we found it at a new construction dig site here in far north San Antonio.
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Post by Son Of Beach on May 10, 2023 21:58:29 GMT -5
It looks like some kind of Mac n Cheese dish that one family member brings to potlucks
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Post by velodromed on May 11, 2023 6:57:15 GMT -5
It looks like some kind of Mac n Cheese dish that one family member brings to potlucks With shell pasta yup I like that comparison!
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wpotterw
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 422
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Post by wpotterw on May 11, 2023 9:31:47 GMT -5
I’ve no idea what this is other than a loose conglomerate of fossils and course sand. It looked like a big ball of chalk or lime when we found it. I dumped it in 20%+ vinegar and was very surprised when I pulled it out. I do not think this one can be tumbled, so it’ll be a shelf queen. Oh, we found it at a new construction dig site here in far north San Antonio. In pics 1, 3 and 4 I see what look like tulip shells and auger shells. the oval ones that don't appear to be whorled are tough to even guess.
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Post by velodromed on May 11, 2023 10:30:21 GMT -5
I’ve no idea what this is other than a loose conglomerate of fossils and course sand. It looked like a big ball of chalk or lime when we found it. I dumped it in 20%+ vinegar and was very surprised when I pulled it out. I do not think this one can be tumbled, so it’ll be a shelf queen. Oh, we found it at a new construction dig site here in far north San Antonio. In pics 1, 3 and 4 I see what look like tulip shells and auger shells. the oval ones that don't appear to be whorled are tough to even guess. Thanks! It’s not a super old rock, right? I mean compared to other rocks I’m thinking…
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on May 13, 2023 8:52:32 GMT -5
Texas has some of the best rock collecting too . Nice tumbled petwood...
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Post by velodromed on May 16, 2023 21:38:09 GMT -5
Texas has some of the best rock collecting too . Nice tumbled petwood... It really does and we are having a blast! Thanks, every now and then one has that much color. It usually takes several course tumbles before it starts coming out. I treasure those so much. You should see the petrified log that we found recently, it’s the size of a fireplace log! Amazing. Pet wood is by far one of my favorite rocks and fossils. I can’t wait till I have an entire bowl if it setting on my coffee table someday lol.
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Post by velodromed on May 17, 2023 17:05:21 GMT -5
I found another really cool agate type thing. I am not sure what these are, other than from Texas. But we have a lot of them around her, disguised as a chunk of whiteish chalk/calcite/limestone stuff. This one has more light banding than others that are similar. It soaked for a week in 20% vinegar, then lime away and a few good scrubbing. I’m giving it another quick vinegar soak because I understand if you follow up acid with a baking soda bath, it can remove some of the yellow. So what should I do next? Try to polish it in a vibe? Cut it? I am definitely open to suggestions here…
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Post by Son Of Beach on May 17, 2023 17:22:09 GMT -5
Trim the nasty, and shine the banding!
Maybe you can work out if you 2 smaller samples are possible?
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Post by velodromed on May 21, 2023 17:23:50 GMT -5
Son Of BeachThat’s a good idea. I have a few of these that aren’t quite as high quality that I can practice with. Thinking I’ll try one in the vibe with small pea gravel and 120 SiC, one in the 1lb tumbler with small pea gravel and course SiC, another with ceramics in the vibe and a 4th with ceramics in the small tumbler. I picked up a couple pounds of 3mm sphere ceramics I can try also, but boy are they small. I could also grind the ugly out (like you said lol) with my Dremel first, but think I’ll try the other ways first.
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Post by velodromed on May 21, 2023 17:52:45 GMT -5
Unless someone knows better, I’ll just call it a Texas moss agate. I found this covered with clay and something about the shape caught my eye. I scrubbed it good but still wasn’t sure. Now, after 8 days in course grind…wow am I happy! I can see into it, the yellow, blackish and red (dendrites?)in a sea of dark chalcedony. It’ll take months in the course grit, but I’m super excited about this one. I know I can cut it in half… but I think it’ll look much better tumbled whole. I can cut it in half any time should I choose.
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Post by Starguy on May 24, 2023 15:30:13 GMT -5
I found another really cool agate type thing. I am not sure what these are, other than from Texas. But we have a lot of them around her, disguised as a chunk of whiteish chalk/calcite/limestone stuff. This one has more light banding than others that are similar. It soaked for a week in 20% vinegar, then lime away and a few good scrubbing. I’m giving it another quick vinegar soak because I understand if you follow up acid with a baking soda bath, it can remove some of the yellow. So what should I do next? Try to polish it in a vibe? Cut it? I am definitely open to suggestions… I like to slice those small agate nodules before tumbling them. If they’re big enough, I’ll get several slices out of them. I’ve been slicing a lot of small agates this week. I’d guess I cut up around 12 pounds.
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Post by velodromed on May 27, 2023 6:34:01 GMT -5
I found another really cool agate type thing. I am not sure what these are, other than from Texas. But we have a lot of them around her, disguised as a chunk of whiteish chalk/calcite/limestone stuff. This one has more light banding than others that are similar. It soaked for a week in 20% vinegar, then lime away and a few good scrubbing. I’m giving it another quick vinegar soak because I understand if you follow up acid with a baking soda bath, it can remove some of the yellow. So what should I do next? Try to polish it in a vibe? Cut it? I am definitely open to suggestions… I like to slice those small agate nodules before tumbling them. If they’re big enough, I’ll get several slices out of them. I’ve been slicing a lot of small agates this week. I’d guess I cut up around 12 pounds. I’m going to start setting some aside and try that. I saw what you cut and dang they look good!
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Post by velodromed on May 27, 2023 6:39:11 GMT -5
Mystery rock. As in it is a mystery which rock it came out of. I put a bunch of petrified coral chunks in the vibe overnight to see what would happen. One of them fell apart, leaving this little chunk of shiny chalcedony. I love when stuff like this happens!
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