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Post by Tony W on Nov 19, 2008 22:07:44 GMT -5
I managed to clean the melted plastic off some of these ok....I sure hope they all lived! It'll take days to clean them all off. Don't want to put melted plastic on my diamond wheels, or belts, so it is finger nail scraping and water soaking.... at first anyway. These were all on the bucket when it burned and most are still in the melted plastic lump now. I'm trying to imagine it is a lump of treasure at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.... all that is left of a treasure galleon.. but it isn't working to well. Just looks and smells like a horrid mess of melted plastic T Koroit .... this one is son of Lil Sparky... lots of glimmer for its pea size. Koroit Koroit ...another view Koroit Koroit And the other side of Sharky from my last post. Forgot to mention it was a double. tonywaterer.home.comcast.net/~tonywaterer/rocks/shark flip.jpg[/img] Thanks, Tony
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Post by Bejewelme on Nov 19, 2008 22:40:29 GMT -5
Tony: They look good, do you have them sealed with super glue? I thought maybe acetone, or covering them with a thin cloth and tapping a not too hot iron on the cloth to soak up the plastic? Or if all else fails, the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, I have a little 8 year old, and he has made some large messes, I swear by those, they clean up everything. I am glad all is not lost. Wish we were there to help you with such a mess. Amber
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,777
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Post by adrian65 on Nov 19, 2008 23:31:23 GMT -5
A deep bow to all you opal cabbers here! I tried one thosedays and found it SO difficult! While the dark brown was solid, the lighter brown was undercutting horribly All your cabs above are beautiful, but the seccond to last one really stands out. Adrian
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Nov 20, 2008 7:42:11 GMT -5
I was going to suggest acetone, but Amber beat me to it. If you're worried about acetone penetrating the opal, you might try soaking in water first. I doubt that would stop the acetone from penetrating, but it should at least slow it down.
Not all plastics dissolve in acetone, but it's worth a shot if it will save you a lot of time. Maybe you could apply it carefully to just the plastic and just enough to soften it up.
I feel for you. I can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be.
Chuck
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Post by Titania on Nov 20, 2008 7:52:31 GMT -5
These must be extra special to you, knowing what you had to go through to save them. My favorite is Sharky. Is it possible to get out a blow torch and heat the melted plastic just enough for it to be maleable?
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Post by Tonyterner on Nov 20, 2008 9:32:57 GMT -5
Great job on a tough material. I hope you manage to get the plastic off of the others. I can imagine what a mess that must be. You were lucky with the fire dying out on its own so maybe your luck will continue and the plastic will come off easily.
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Post by sitnwrap on Nov 20, 2008 14:31:30 GMT -5
You did a beautiful job cleaning them up. That second to last one is gorgeous. I hope you find and easy way to clean them.
I do have a question for you about these Opals in general. Will extreme cold cause them to crack? I have one that I have to send via mail and it is freezing in New England right now. Is there anything I can do to protect it? I figure since your the King of Opal, you might know
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Post by frane on Nov 20, 2008 18:52:12 GMT -5
So far, these survivors look pretty good. I sure hope you find many more!!! Fran
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Nov 20, 2008 21:19:51 GMT -5
Yep... looks like they suffered no ill effects from the fire. That's a good thing too because it sure would be a tragedy to lose those beauties.
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Post by Tony W on Nov 21, 2008 1:10:40 GMT -5
Thanks, ya'll I've got good news. Say you wake up one day and think it would be neat to blow torch all your cabs and coat them in melted plastic.... and say later you decide that was a crazy idea, and you've changed your mind. Well, it turns out melted yogurt cups is the way to go!! I have managed to pick most of it off with my trusty swiss army knive. Never go anywhere without it! One thing I didn't count on was how much a burning and coating will affect your shine. It flat goes away. Oh, well... I'll put on old belt on and clean them off good, then repolish all of them. It'll take some time, but it looks like I haven't lost any stones, at least so far. So I am content. Lori.... the cold won't bother them, I would guess. They are pretty tough.... if they are able to survive cutting and grinding they hold up good as cabs. All mine got burned and plasticized, then it went down to 23, and they survived. Just make sure you insure them when you mail them.. and you could dress them in layers See my pm. Tony
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2008 1:20:24 GMT -5
Those are SWEET! Glad it had a happy ending.
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Post by texaswoodie on Nov 22, 2008 10:21:23 GMT -5
Great Tony!
Hmmmm, even in a fire they protected themselves in melted plastic. I told ya they were aliens. And not that they've started their destruction of life as we know it, you've sent them to my house!
Curt
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Post by Tony W on Nov 23, 2008 0:18:19 GMT -5
Curt.... buddy... don't be so paranoid! I told you you won't feel anything... at first you won't even know you are altered. It is only when you can't find any more workable rough in the house, that the cravings will begin. It's all good T
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