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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 28, 2023 6:55:10 GMT -5
That's really weird!! I didn't use any foil when I did it. But, I doubt that's your problem. Sorry I can't help.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 28, 2023 7:03:28 GMT -5
I can't answer your questions about "what went wrong" as I haven't used Cactus Juice...but I have used Art Resin to try and stabilize...and have also met with results far lower than what I was expecting! My first thought...not an "answer"...just speculation...is when you got them wet, perhaps you didn't give them time enough to dry completely. I suspect the material is porous...and the water remained in the rock when you went the second go around.
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chris1956
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2022
Posts: 1,233
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 28, 2023 9:39:19 GMT -5
I have been using catus juice for a couple years now. I agree with Jason that you should not have any wet stones when you go to vacuum with the juice. I started drying mine in the oven typically for at least 4 to 6 hours before I vacuum. You should let them cool back to room temperature before vacuum. I have been doing it at 200 F but wondering now if I should go above boiling. You also want to make sure the rocks are clean. So I let them sit in water and clean them prior to drying in the oven.
Oil is another no no as I understand it. I always treat first and cut second so I avoid that issue. But if not, I think I have heard members on the forum talk about soaking in acetone to remove the oil.
Now the real question is does it work. I am always kind of questioning this because air is removed from the rock and then you release the vacuum and let the juice go back in. The directions say to allow twice as long for the juice to get into the rock. I always wonder if this works because the liquid is so much more viscous (not sure that is the right term, thicker?) than air and I wonder if it can really get back into the voids, especially the small ones. Another issue is if you have larger cracks near the surface, does the juice leak out before it gets cured in the oven. I thnk I have seen people on the internet that swab some additional juice on the rocks before they dry them in the oven. I wonder about this.
Anyway, I had some white quartz that was composed of small bits of very clear quartz and small bits of "milky" quartz. So I treated a rock and didn't treat another rock. Then cut thin slabs from both rocks. The treated one was very solid and survived drop test on the table. The untreated slab kept cracking everytime I dropped in on the table. So I think it works, but it may not be perfect for everything.
Hope this helps,
Chris
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chris1956
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2022
Posts: 1,233
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 28, 2023 10:16:45 GMT -5
If you are dealing with mostly slabs, you might want to look at a product called Opticon. I haven't used it but as I understand it, people use this to stabilize slabs.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 29, 2023 11:06:55 GMT -5
Wow! You really did have a lot going on...and it seems like there were multiple places where it could have gone sideways!
I was looking at picking up an ultrasonic the other day...then read there are several materials which shouldn't be put in an ultrasonic. One of the things said, was porous material shouldn't be put in due to the damage which can occur due to the "air pockets" within the material. Not saying this was your problem necessarily...just read it the other day, so it was sticking out in my head when I was reading your process...
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,513
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Post by rockbrain on Nov 1, 2023 14:58:29 GMT -5
You can also dry them out by putting them in the vacuum chamber and pulling a vacuum on it. If you get a good enough vacuum you'll lower the boiling point of water enough that it will all boil off.
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 550
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Post by wargrafix on Nov 2, 2023 8:21:39 GMT -5
I am learning alot here. After watching some rockhouding channels, I have gained a new appreciation of the work that goes into stabilizing rocks and fossils
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