STABILIZING PROCEDURE FOR CRUMBLY LAPIDARY ROUGH

I have not gone through a stabilizing process yet.

I ordered some Chrysocolla off eBay. Made a few passes with the slab saw and the slabs just crumbled to pieces.

The rough looks very nice and thought it would be worth saving if I could learn how to stabilize.

For me, in this situation, and not being able to get any slabs to try and work with any way means trying to stabilize the entire 5 pound piece of rough as a whole.

I purchased a Liqui-Gem Silica stabilizer. The difference in the process for this gem silica is that both heat and pressure are required, and accomplished by using a pressure cooker.

Apparently, not meant as a replacement for epoxies, but does give more options. The true difference is in the heat and pressure, how it is applied and for how long. An epoxy is not flexible like this. The amount of hardener and setting time limit us. Too little hardener, it wont set. Too much time, it permanently sets. It will age and yellow. It may become brittle. All these things are factors, not all necessarily bad, just factors in use and our choice.

The Liqui-Gem apparently does not have these limits. It is a version of the stone itself. It can be mixed with water for greater room temperature penetration, it can be mixed with oxides in a water solution for dying. Until it is dried/cured it is amenable to whatever changes you want. For surface filing of cracks it is good right from the jar.

Because the process requires a pressure cooker, I have not been able to try it out yet. So can not verify how well it works.

I did let some dry on a piece of tin foil and then added water to it and it dissolved. This was probably not the correct way to cure the gem-silica. I was just trying to see if it was going to be water soluble like what I have heard about the water glass products.

Any way, when I do get the pressure cooker, will post the results.

I am very anxious to give it a try. I also have some other rough that would like to salvage.

I am also anxious to try some dying on some turquoise that I have, and would also like to be able to add some color to some fossilized coral as well.

Another learning project that I just have not been able to experiment with yet

I'm a bit like Mel too! Yikes, even though I suppose if I did it, step by step I wouldn't be overwhelmed. Anyway, in doing a search onthe net, I found this:

STABILIZING POROUS STONES

From ROCKHOUND NEWSLETTER

Via DIGGIN’S FROM DAKOTA l/82

Gen Buresh, Editor

July l982 News Nuggets

If you would like to try your luck at stabilizing a porous stone such as turquoise so it can be cut and polished, the Silvery Colorado River Rock Club offers these instructions:

Take a jar with a lid; add one pint of acetone. To this, add the complete contents of both the resin and the hardener tubes of epoxy glue, mixing well. Add well-dried stones, cover the jar, and let remain for at least four days.

Remove stones and allow a week for them to dry. They should now be stabilized and ready for working.

_______________

Anybody try something like this? Some of the coolest rock from Burro Creek has soft parts. When I get to the hardware store, I may give it a try and I'll report how it goes. Unless I hear beforehand from someone that's tried it and it didn't work!

~d

Well, cool, michaeljohn, that's great to hear! Now I just have to find a glass jar with a wide mouth, and I'll be set!

Hi, sorry I have been away from the board for a while but have been reading this thread with much interest. A while back we bought a pile of soronan moss agate, we have worked some both on the wheels and in the tumbler but so much of it is pitted which prevents a really good finish, although the pieces we have managed to polish have really come up good and have been used in jewellery.

I just wanted to ask if anyone has had good results with the methods in this post, we are really looking to slab all of this stuff and then stabilise it in "bulk", any input would be great - thanks Dave

Ok, so why does waterglass not work so well?

The whole jist of this thread was the methodology presented by Desertdweller was how to make sodium silicate water proof
Woody

Does no one else notice a problem with these instructions from Dee's post?

Take a jar with a lid; add one pint of acetone. To this, add the complete contents of both the resin and the hardener tubes of epoxy glue, mixing well....

I feel like crucial information has been left out. One pint of acetone to...what size tube of epoxy resin and hardener? What brand? Does anyone know, or is it just one of these ideas where the chefs don't want to share the real secrets with the mere cooks? When explaining something to me, it's often best to assume I know almost nothing. Probably everybody else knows what epoxy is being suggested...but I wouldn't know where to begin.

Mitch, do you remember what brand epoxy you used which turned yellow? We want to avoid that one for sure, thanks!

you can do acetone and opticon resin mix, one ounce of opticon resin to 4 ounces of acetone. Use this to soak the soft stone in for at least 3 days and then remove and place in a sandwich baggie and coat with the hardener letting rest for at least 10 minutes. Remove and wipe clean and set in a warm place to cure for another 24 - 72 hours.

this works well for me

If you have a lot of it, and it's worth it, there is a rock shop here that stabilizes for $35 per pound. He uses an acryllic based heat and soak process.

Phil