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Post by MyNewHobby on Jul 14, 2012 1:15:18 GMT -5
Fire Agates ... I have some that I got from wonderful friend and tried to work with them but stopped. Can they be handled the same as any other normal hard agate?
Opals ... I still have my small bag and I have always avoided opals as they crack easy from what I can understand.
I do not have flat lap, so I am not sure what other options there are for these.
As Always
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2012 1:47:00 GMT -5
Before you start working fire agates you should do some research on how to work with them. I read a really good tut on them but do not remember where it was. Christopher and some others on here will chime it on this. They have a lot more knowledge about fire agates than me. It is very time consuming and you have to be very precise. If you go too deep you will loose the fire. They say that it can take years to get really good at it. I am not trying to scare you away from them. This is just what I have learned so far.
I have an opal sitting right here and that is going to be my next and first time project so I can not help you there. Jim
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jul 14, 2012 8:45:13 GMT -5
Both of these materials, in my humble view, require a wheel or lap. People do tumble fire agate, but when I tried it, I guess I went too far and I tumbled the "fire" away. Waste of an expensive material. (It was very expensive in those days.) Opal, it takes a very light touch and I do it by hand when I do it at all. Mainly, it's too futzy for me, and there are many good Opal workers already out there, so I have little motivation to improve. It may be more cost effective for you to sell or swap the fire agates and opals and get material that is more suited to the equipment you have. I recently shipped out some Black Opal that had been hanging around on my "to do" list for over 20 years. Honestly, I just felt a sense of relief at this point. I would rather play with my more rough and tumble stones...but that's just my idea.
If you do choose to work these stones, I just don't see them as tumbler items, if you are to get the best results.
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Post by MyNewHobby on Jul 20, 2012 21:52:47 GMT -5
Jim ... thank you so much. With some of them I think I did just that. I worked them a bit too long in the rotary and think the "fire" has been diminished. Live and learn!!!!
Peach ... I have yet to even look at the opal funny as I know it is very persnickety. No worries ... I will leave those little beauties in their baggie until I know for sure..
Thanks All
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Post by connrock on Jul 21, 2012 8:28:58 GMT -5
I am (by FAR) NOT a fire agate expert but from the little I know, and have worked with them, I don't see how it's possible to tumble them and be able to get any fire other then pure luck. Even doing them by hand,it's difficult to know when to stop without loosing the fire and in tumbling them you have little if no control over how much material you are wearing down.
I've worked with a few opals,,,,Australian,matrix and Ethiopian, but, again by hand, as I don't have the financial resources to dare tumble a full load.
Good luck,,,,
connrock
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Post by Pat on Jul 21, 2012 12:39:49 GMT -5
I've started working with some fire agates, but actually know very little.
Advice I've received: Take the white off with a big grinder (Genie, flat lap sort of things). Grind just a thin layer off at a time with a Dremel or Foredom.
I've been told that under the dark brown spots, there is usually a whole lot of color. It is a little nerve wracking, and interesting always.
There are some fire agate experts here. Hope they chime in.
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Post by NatureNut on Jul 21, 2012 13:01:07 GMT -5
I call fire agate and opal my drinking stones, cuz having something nearby to steady my nerves is a necessity not an option. Lol
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