SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Dec 20, 2008 14:17:47 GMT -5
In my last cab posts..Tony mentioned I should try doing a doublet of that red plume. What exactly is a doublet and how is it done?? Thanks for your help. Steve
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1rockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 286
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Post by 1rockhound on Dec 20, 2008 14:33:35 GMT -5
Steve A doublet is usually used with opals. Usually on doublets there is a black basalt or other dark rock epoxied to the back of the stone and then grind as you normally would a cab. A triplet is when you use a black back the stone your wanting to show usually opal and then a clear piece of quartz is placed on top then cut as normal.
Jason
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Dec 21, 2008 11:16:25 GMT -5
Thanks Jason. I guess I'll have to experiment with that concept. I can't imagine doing a triplet. You'd have to have a very clear fratcure-free piece of quartz. Steve
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Post by Woodyrock on Dec 24, 2008 2:02:19 GMT -5
Steve: You need a piece of optical quartz for the cap. Clear glass will work, but is softer than quartz. Midway in hardness is lead crystal glass. Chasfire gave me a very thin piece of the red moss/plume, and I will do a doublet with it, since it is too thin to cab. Most rock shops have optical quartz........a lot of which is left over WWII stock. The 'crystals' in old radio sets were optical quartz. You glue the two pieces together with 303 epoxy starting on one edge so the air bubbles will go out the other side. For a real special effect with material like the red moss/plume, you can do a triplet with a quartz cap, and and an abalone backing. Woody
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2008 19:35:23 GMT -5
I LOVE making doublets...........if I could make only one type of cab, doublets would be it. I do not use optical quartz for doublets though as I do not want to waste what little optical quartz I have capping off stones that dont really need it. I would only use the quartz on cabs that need a protective "cover" like opal triplets. Most agates are stable enough to not need a quartz cap. My purpose is to highlight really great plumes so I use a contrasting piece of material on the back of the agate. An example is the piece I made for my sister to wear at her wedding.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 29, 2008 19:46:11 GMT -5
I don't do many doublets but occasionally I use a quartz crown for a Texas plume agate or something of that nature where the plume is a little soft or porous. The clear epoxy layer between the agate slice and the crown fills the porous area giving the agate a sort of wet effect and a domed quartz crown actually kind of magnifies the pattern....Mel
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Post by bobby1 on Jan 2, 2009 0:35:46 GMT -5
If I have an especially good piece of cabbing material but when I get through removing all of the undesirable matrix and it is too thin to survive normal wear and tear I will put something either on the top or bottom to reinforce the cab. I make a lot of triplets, especially with Spencer Opal. Sometimes I will make a doublet or triplet to get a special effect. The material that I made this cab from was just black and clear. I wanted to create the illusion of looking at a lone tree on the horizon at sunset, so I backed it with a piece of Carnelian. I flatten the surfaces by moving the material in a figure 8 pattern on a piece of window glass with wetted tumbling grit. I start at 220 and work down to 400 or 600. Do this until the pieces are perfectly flat. Don't polish the surfaces. You need a slight roughness for a good grip with the Epoxy. Bob
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Post by Bejewelme on Jan 23, 2009 22:22:48 GMT -5
My Tony made some with Howlite as the white backing, he just flattened and superglued them together and then shaped them both together. Obsidian is a good choice for a black background. I have one started just as Bobby said, the piece of stone I had was very thin, so Tony epoxied it on to Howlite, so now I can dome it and it won't crack, just experiment, you will be fine!
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