Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Jan 18, 2016 22:08:13 GMT -5
Howdy folks, These are my 2 entries in the upcoming local winter festival art show in the lapidary/silversmithing category. There is flaws for certain but the damb camera just makes them show up more. Thats my story and I am sticking to it:) First up is a ring that is chrysocolla, malachite and gem silica from some old stash. It has copper, bronze and brass embellishments on it. Next entry will be this Ammolite pendant with black Spinel 2 mm gypsy set stones for a slight highlight. I did not want to distract from the beauty of the stone but needed some flair. The camera can do no justice to this 63 million year old fossil. This is a doublet, very nice solid slate/shale natural matrix with quartz cap.
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Post by toiv0 on Jan 18, 2016 22:27:29 GMT -5
To quote the late David Bowie "ground control to Major Tom"
I think they're out of this world....Great.
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icatz
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2015
Posts: 453
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Post by icatz on Jan 19, 2016 5:33:48 GMT -5
Amazing. Good luck, hope you win!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 6:29:56 GMT -5
Wow!!!!totally digging the ring.see I told you he does works of art as well.and the ammo is off the charts,can't wait to work mine Dave
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Jan 19, 2016 9:16:06 GMT -5
Very nice Tom.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 19, 2016 9:32:51 GMT -5
Very nice, Tom!! I especially like that last one. Good Luck!
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Jan 21, 2016 10:41:28 GMT -5
They are both awesome but that ring is totally my favorite!!!!!!!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,158
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Post by jamesp on Jan 21, 2016 12:29:07 GMT -5
In shock. Someone is good. Tom is the man.
Did you make the marks in the punch used on the first one ?
Mixed metal mix is so cool.
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Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Jan 21, 2016 18:49:36 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for the kind comments. The punches are made from 65 mm concrete nails that I ground on the Cab King end wheels. I have from 80 to 3000 mesh hard diamond wheels that go on the end. Anyway the punches are polished to 600 mesh, yet as we can see from Mr. Nikon even the 600 leaves marks. I rather like them but really can't see them with the OLD eyeballs.
Thanks again, lots of time went into these, a real jeweller would cut 75% of the time I spent on these off. But they were fun, and different.
Tom
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Intheswamp
Cave Dweller
Member since September 2015
Posts: 1,910
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Post by Intheswamp on Jan 22, 2016 7:35:07 GMT -5
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, really nice work...beautiful, Tom!!!! Btw...did I say WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (gotta be green for honest envy )
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,158
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Post by jamesp on Jan 22, 2016 13:05:44 GMT -5
Thank you everyone for the kind comments. The punches are made from 65 mm concrete nails that I ground on the Cab King end wheels. I have from 80 to 3000 mesh hard diamond wheels that go on the end. Anyway the punches are polished to 600 mesh, yet as we can see from Mr. Nikon even the 600 leaves marks. I rather like them but really can't see them with the OLD eyeballs. Thanks again, lots of time went into these, a real jeweller would cut 75% of the time I spent on these off. But they were fun, and different. Tom Yes, remember now your mention of masonry nails. They are harder than ever, handy punches w/flat head. Brilliant Tom.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 22, 2016 15:23:09 GMT -5
WOW! Beautiful work!!!
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Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Jan 23, 2016 9:27:20 GMT -5
Thanks again for all the Kudo's, I drop them off at the art center tomorrow and then the show is sometime in February. jamesp you are right (as usual) that the concrete nails are very hard. Shaping them on cabbing machine keeps them cool and does not remove the temper. I don't think its hard on the hard wheels if common sense is used, don't jam the tip in the wheel for instance. I reshaped and polished the point burnisher out of a broken burr the other day and I did the polishing on the soft wheels. I kept the point down and was very gentle with it. It now has a beautiful rounded pointed polished tip. I use this for the gypsy settings. I think a person could make and ton of texture punches pretty easy doing this. I am going to try and make some out of soft steel and then tempur them, really any sort of pattern would work for texture and if they can get some temper they would last me a long time. I would love to purchase punches but they are pretty expensive. I bought a couple sets of letter punches from Rio when they were on clearance, I have yet to use them and had them 3 years LOL. Thanks again for the compliments on the items I crafted up, the prize is a hundred dollars so if I manage to win maybe I will buy some punches LOL.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,158
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Post by jamesp on Jan 23, 2016 13:01:06 GMT -5
In doing anvils and hammer faces I am very particular about the surface finish. I use one of those wet diamond hand grinders with 50-100-200-400-800-1500-3000 pads to finish. On a rail road iron it may take well over an hour to get scratches and dents out. Those diamond pads love hardened steel. Use that grinder on ball bearings welded to a block of steel from 3/4 to 2 inches diameter. They are darn hard. Any odd hard tool steel shapes for hammering on. can't have enough anvil shapes. Never thought about those hard fat masonry nails being used as decorative punches. I think you could hammer one of these fluted ones thru mild steel. They are stone cold hard
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cbokay
off to a rocking start
Member since January 2016
Posts: 3
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Post by cbokay on Jan 26, 2016 9:17:51 GMT -5
These pieces are exquisite. What a fantastic art form.
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metalsmith
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 30, 2016 8:11:10 GMT -5
Loving the Ammolite.. tidy work on the flush setting the spinels too.
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bushmanbilly
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Member since October 2008
Posts: 4,719
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Post by bushmanbilly on Jan 30, 2016 11:29:18 GMT -5
Great work Tom. When and where is this show. I have to go to Edmonton in the near future. May as well time it with the show.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 30, 2016 16:25:56 GMT -5
Let us know when you hear anything....
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Tom
fully equipped rock polisher
My dad Tom suddenly passed away yesterday, Just wanted his "rock" family to know.
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,557
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Post by Tom on Jan 30, 2016 19:42:48 GMT -5
Bushman, the art show is here in Prince Albert so don't worry about making the dates work LOL. Judging is sometime before Feb 12 with the awards that night. You here me talk about Edmonton because my daughter lives there. Which reminds me its time to go and see that grandson of mine.
Thanks again everyone for all the good wishes and compliments on my work its much appreciated.
Tom
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