tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Feb 13, 2014 13:20:23 GMT -5
I had 20# of mixed rough purchased from the Rockshed. I've tumbled through it and ordered more to add to the 10# my wife got me for Valentines day. Some I've finished and posted here. The rest is in following steps and a little I haven't finished roughing. What I have here is the "softer" material that was in the rough. The hardness ranges from 5.5 to 6.5. I started to tumble it with 60/90. It rounded and shaped well but much of it, the Sodalite in particular, developed crosshatched grooves. Switching to 240 grit finished out the roughing and eliminated the grooves. Ten days in 600, 7 days in AO 1000, and a thorough tumble wash in ivory and borax got it ready to polish. Overall I'm happy with the results. The Sodalite ... blue is one of my new favorite colors for a rock, green being the other. Moonstone ... The colored pieces came from Rockshed. The others are leftovers from a batch I did some time ago. Pretty fractured and kinda ugly but helped to fill out the batch. Unknown rock ... the cleavage and scratch test led me to believe this to be some sort of feldspar. Close ups of the Moonstone and the unknown. I tried to capture the sheen Moonstone is known for and the "sparkles" in the unknown. Amazonite (??), Dalmatian, self collected and a couple small pieces of obsidian. This one had a little bit of "blue fire" I didn't notice until polished. Interesting if not spectacular ... self collected piece ... Fox River, Kendall County Illinois. Thanks for looking and keep on rollin' them stones.
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kaldorlon
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2013
Posts: 413
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Post by kaldorlon on Feb 13, 2014 18:50:28 GMT -5
Very nice mix!
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Feb 13, 2014 19:36:41 GMT -5
Nice batch....great shape and shine. I have been wondering how moonstone with the fractures would tumble. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
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carloscinco
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,639
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Post by carloscinco on Feb 13, 2014 21:30:48 GMT -5
Lots of neat looking rocks. I like that moonstone but that last piece kicks butt!
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Post by pghram on Feb 13, 2014 22:08:51 GMT -5
Very nice batch, great shine & shapes.
Rich
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jollyrockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2013
Posts: 409
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Post by jollyrockhound on Feb 14, 2014 12:14:27 GMT -5
Nice looking mix!
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Feb 17, 2014 9:36:38 GMT -5
Blue-green is indeed microcline variety amazonite, as far as I can see. The flesh colored pieces are also microcline.
You did a good job on those; the perfect cleavage can be a real pain with feldspars.
The moonstone should all show a blue flash from one direction or another; examine it closely, should have some nice pieces worth cabbing in there.
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cardiobill
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 879
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Post by cardiobill on Feb 17, 2014 15:04:40 GMT -5
Nice job Shine looks great I personally like the sodalite and dalmations the best Bill
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Feb 18, 2014 10:58:12 GMT -5
Blue-green is indeed microcline variety amazonite, as far as I can see. The flesh colored pieces are also microcline. You did a good job on those; the perfect cleavage can be a real pain with feldspars. The moonstone should all show a blue flash from one direction or another; examine it closely, should have some nice pieces worth cabbing in there. Thanks for the ID. I looked it up to learn more about microcline and happened to find pictures that looked exactly like the rough I started with. As far as cabbing goes ... no equipment, although I'd like to invest in some. I've tried a few preforms on a tile saw with mixed results.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Feb 18, 2014 11:38:07 GMT -5
My favorite is that last one. It's always more fun if you collect it yourself too.
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Post by Toad on Feb 18, 2014 16:02:03 GMT -5
Great looking rocks. Where in Kendall county? I used to live in Aurora and Oswego...
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Feb 19, 2014 10:39:49 GMT -5
Great looking rocks. Where in Kendall county? I used to live in Aurora and Oswego... Hmmmm...small world. It would of been between Plano and Yorkville on the Fox River bank, closer to Plano.
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Post by Toad on Feb 19, 2014 11:03:34 GMT -5
Cool. I only ever got in the Fox at the Hudson Crossing Park in Oswego.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Feb 19, 2014 12:47:28 GMT -5
Cool. I only ever got in the Fox at the Hudson Crossing Park in Oswego. Didn't know there was a park there in Oswego. I'll have to go check it out when it gets warm. Funny story. Last summer I got busted picking up rocks along the Fox. There's a boat launch near Millbrook by an old wood plank and steel bridge. I had about 3# of rock and glass I'd picked up and had just found a nice coral. "Catching anything?" I hear. "I'm not fishing' I'm rockhounding." I reply looking up to see a county policeman. He had never heard of rockhounding and I had to explain what it was. "I don't think you can do that here." he said. After checking the pamphlet he had he determined I was in the wrong and wrote me a warning, being on the park districts dime he had to show them he was doing something for them. I didn't even know I was in a park, and there were no rules posted at the entrance, contrary to the officers insistence. When I told my poker buddies, the next day, "I got busted for picking up rocks." , they all had a good laugh. Anyway I thought it was funny.
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Post by Toad on Feb 19, 2014 20:02:04 GMT -5
Cool. I only ever got in the Fox at the Hudson Crossing Park in Oswego. Didn't know there was a park there in Oswego. I'll have to go check it out when it gets warm. Its right at the bridge where 34 and 31 come together. Nice gravel bars there when the water is low.
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riverrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2010
Posts: 1,395
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Post by riverrock on Feb 22, 2014 9:26:03 GMT -5
A very nice batch. Great photos .
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