amyk
fully equipped rock polisher
I'm a slabber, I'm a cabber, I'm a midnight wrapper.
Member since January 2010
Posts: 1,331
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Post by amyk on Mar 24, 2011 19:14:36 GMT -5
I have 2 small chunks of boulder opal which I got at a yard sale.
I cut the first one in 2 and cabbed it. One half has a lot of small sparkle spots in it. But it looks like If I grind it down a little more it may have more sparkle. I am afraid that the sparkle will disappear completely instead. That is what happened on the other half of the stone. almost all of the sparkle came off.
The sparkle seems to be in very thin layers in the stone. My question is, how do you know where to cut the stone to get optimum sparkle? And how do you know when to stop grinding to not go to far? Or is it just luck? Should I cut against the layers or go with the layers?
Any tips about boulder opal would be appreciated. I really like the stone, but don't want to ruin them.
Thanks Amy
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Mar 24, 2011 20:09:19 GMT -5
Ah, the age old question of how far should I grind on that opal!
I'll let the experts chime in here.
Good luck Amy! Nate
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rocpup
spending too much on rocks
Pink Limb Iris
Member since March 2011
Posts: 465
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Post by rocpup on Mar 24, 2011 20:18:29 GMT -5
Yes experts please! I have lost so many that way over the years.
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Post by stoner on Mar 24, 2011 20:46:56 GMT -5
Well, the best thing to do is quit now, cuz you don't know if it's going to get better or not. Then later, after you have a better feel for these opals, you can decide whether or not to go further. Most of the time with these opals, it's just plain luck cutting into them. I've cut into a chunk and split a nice nut in such a way that it was ruined, then I've cut into a rock and hit the jackpot. There is skill involved too, but that comes with just experimenting. Now, let the experts chime in.
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amyk
fully equipped rock polisher
I'm a slabber, I'm a cabber, I'm a midnight wrapper.
Member since January 2010
Posts: 1,331
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Post by amyk on Mar 24, 2011 23:29:35 GMT -5
thanks, any experts out there?
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amyk
fully equipped rock polisher
I'm a slabber, I'm a cabber, I'm a midnight wrapper.
Member since January 2010
Posts: 1,331
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Post by amyk on Mar 25, 2011 19:40:26 GMT -5
no experts out there?
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drjo
fully equipped rock polisher
Honduran Opal & DIY Nut
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,581
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Post by drjo on Mar 25, 2011 20:19:36 GMT -5
Give it a little time, after all it is Friday nite and you are trying to coax trade secrets out of the Opal gnomes ;D. (maybe you should offer up some pix of your work as bait ) Stoner's got it pretty much right, but luck gets replaced by skill with enough experience. Buy some more and keep practicing. Dr Joe .
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Mar 25, 2011 20:52:11 GMT -5
Lmao. The experts will tell you to buy better rough. The more you spend the more you get! But in all honesty the only way to learn opal is the work it. I have read just about everything the internet has to offer (well at least 10. Pages worth of google) and none of the "experts" agree. A couple things I've learned is to not chase the color, if you think a little more grinding will show more color- it probably won't , and no matter how much you think you can get more color out of a stone- you can't. Opal is a stone of patience. Study the stone, think about it, study it again, wet it, study it under a loupe, study it naked eye, put it down and think about it. Then just grab it one day, follow a plan and grind away. The really rewarding part of opal is like stoner said... taking a nothing stone and having a vein open up to reviel the true beauty! Of course of already started to learn the downside- one turn of the grinder wheel and all that beauty ends up as cloudy wastewater.
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amyk
fully equipped rock polisher
I'm a slabber, I'm a cabber, I'm a midnight wrapper.
Member since January 2010
Posts: 1,331
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Post by amyk on Mar 25, 2011 21:12:28 GMT -5
Thanks guys. That actually helps. I guess.
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Mar 26, 2011 8:17:54 GMT -5
Watch ebay for soe of the cheaper parcels of rough. You don't get as much flash but you don't feel as bad if you mess it up. You can usually get a couple nice pieces that make the purchase worth while. Oh I also use worn belts for roughing the stone. They grind slower giving me more time to catch any good spots.
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Post by Tony W on Mar 27, 2011 12:04:13 GMT -5
Pin fire doesn't usually go very deep, but often when you grind some away, more opens up. Pin flash won't get any bigger. It will always be tiny glints that catch your eye when the light hits right. Larger opal patches are another thing. Sometimes they get bigger, most times they don't I always figure it would have gotter bigger if I didn't grind on it, but it usually goes away if I do grind on it, lol. YOu need lots of patience and tough skin to work opal. Best thing is to get lots of it and practice, practice, practice. The more you have the less it hurts to ruin it, and the easier it is to stop when you get scared. YOu can just go one to the next. You learned a good lesson when you ground the first one away..and that tells you you best leave the second on as it is. Best thing with opal is to not beat yourself up too much over it, and buy more so you can practice, practice, practice. By the way...Stoner is pretty much an expert...don't mind his humble ways, lol. And Stefan speaks opal truth! One trick I've learned is to use a high res. digital camera to shoot the stone in the sun. The camera show things your eye can't see, and it can help you plan your cuts. As to grain..sometimes if I cut against the grain I should have cut with it, and vise versa I have studied some rocks for a year or more, but in the end I just had to gut up and cut it..and hope for some luck. The opal mantra...grind a little, look a lot!!! And keep a spray bottle close by so you can clean it each time you look. T
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,095
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Post by stefan on Mar 28, 2011 12:28:55 GMT -5
OH and just an FYI I know people will say you can't tumble B.O. but that is HOGWASH!!! I tumble it in my rotaries very often. I'm a cheap tightwad and can't stand to waste one little scrap of rock. I save all my opal chips and edge cuts and toss em into the tumbler at the 120/220 stage (with other stones- mostly agates and such). Yea they do grind down a bit- but the opal comes out wonderful! So if you total screw up a cab (or have one break like I've had) and you don't (or can"t) grind it- just toss it in the tumbler.
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