Post by Tonyterner on Jan 25, 2009 0:14:54 GMT -5
Well my young protege Ben decided it had been too long since he had cabbed so he paid a visit to my shop today. He brought along his father Tim, a good friend of mine, to show him the joys of cabbing. It was only a few minutes before Ben was on the machine grinding away. His attention span for cabbing is amazing considering his young age.
After roughing out two cabs he actually let his father sit down at the machine.
Seems like someone was being watched like a hawk.
Ben, being more experienced than his father, gave him lots of advice on how to make the perfect cab.
It was a productive afternoon with Ben making three cabs and Tim managing to squeeze in one. These were all ground to 1200 and then polished with cerium. For his first one Ben wanted to make one for his girlfriend that was identical to the leopardskin jasper that he had made for himself on his first visit. I told him he was too young to have a girlfriend and he replied that I was too old to have one. lol This one is a bit smaller than the one he has but his girl is smaller than him so its fitting that the cab is smaller.
Next he chose a piece of serpentine. I hadn't cabbed any of this material yet so I didn't know what to expect. He actually chose a fairly technically difficult shape to do and pulled it off quite well. The photo doesn't do the material or the cab justice.
Ben tried to squeeze in one last cab and he rushed it a bit, didn't really grind the girdle the way he usually does, but I think its my fav. He picked a slab I had passed over numerous times because I didn't think it held much promise. He used a one of my templates to draw the shape on the slab and when I cut it on the saw the the tip broke off. He did an amazing job at changing the shape and got a cab out of the slab that was much better than anything I ever imagined could be made from it. I'm not sure what material this is other than some type of agate.
Here is Tim's very first cab. Its a piece of poppy jasper. I didn't tell him this but it is probably the best piece of that material that I've ever gotten. The rock wasn't important but his enthusiasm certainly was.
After they were done cabbing we had a great meal, Tim is a professional chef, and then I made wire wrapped bails for all four cabs and made them into necklaces using waxed cotton cord and magnetic clasps. To be honest I see a cabbing machine in Ben's future. His birthday is only 11 days away after all. He definitely has the skills and the desire to become a very good cabber. Thanks Ben for making my Saturday such a great day.
After roughing out two cabs he actually let his father sit down at the machine.
Seems like someone was being watched like a hawk.
Ben, being more experienced than his father, gave him lots of advice on how to make the perfect cab.
It was a productive afternoon with Ben making three cabs and Tim managing to squeeze in one. These were all ground to 1200 and then polished with cerium. For his first one Ben wanted to make one for his girlfriend that was identical to the leopardskin jasper that he had made for himself on his first visit. I told him he was too young to have a girlfriend and he replied that I was too old to have one. lol This one is a bit smaller than the one he has but his girl is smaller than him so its fitting that the cab is smaller.
Next he chose a piece of serpentine. I hadn't cabbed any of this material yet so I didn't know what to expect. He actually chose a fairly technically difficult shape to do and pulled it off quite well. The photo doesn't do the material or the cab justice.
Ben tried to squeeze in one last cab and he rushed it a bit, didn't really grind the girdle the way he usually does, but I think its my fav. He picked a slab I had passed over numerous times because I didn't think it held much promise. He used a one of my templates to draw the shape on the slab and when I cut it on the saw the the tip broke off. He did an amazing job at changing the shape and got a cab out of the slab that was much better than anything I ever imagined could be made from it. I'm not sure what material this is other than some type of agate.
Here is Tim's very first cab. Its a piece of poppy jasper. I didn't tell him this but it is probably the best piece of that material that I've ever gotten. The rock wasn't important but his enthusiasm certainly was.
After they were done cabbing we had a great meal, Tim is a professional chef, and then I made wire wrapped bails for all four cabs and made them into necklaces using waxed cotton cord and magnetic clasps. To be honest I see a cabbing machine in Ben's future. His birthday is only 11 days away after all. He definitely has the skills and the desire to become a very good cabber. Thanks Ben for making my Saturday such a great day.