richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Aug 31, 2017 21:41:12 GMT -5
Hi all, long time no see. The whole Photobucket thing really messed me up but now I have some time and am trying to figure out Flickr so if no photos so up it is because I haven't figured it out yet. Anyway, a while back a friend gave me these two Botswana Agates and I threw them into my tumbler with a bunch of other found rocks and after what seemed like forever they have finally finished the polish stage. They are quite shiny, probably the shiniest rocks I have ever produced but the cracks in them sort of spoil the appearance of the rocks. Does anyone here think it might be worth throwing these back in the coarse grind to try to wear down the cracked areas so I can get a better final appearance? What would you do? Untitled by Rich Wray, on Flickr image by Rich Wray, on Flickr image by Rich Wray, on Flickr image by Rich Wray, on Flickr image by Rich Wray, on Flickr Thanks Richard
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Post by Pat on Aug 31, 2017 22:02:01 GMT -5
I'm not a tumbler; however, I'd grind down those cracks on the Genie. You might be able to finish the polish on the Genie as well. Good luck! Worth saving.
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Post by coloradocliff on Aug 31, 2017 22:09:01 GMT -5
Yeah a lot of nice agates have the cracks and chips. Bots and Montanas especially. Grinding them out is the only way I can think of. Many people leave them as is. I got a whole pile of bots and Montanas that I will rework when I get the time and then tumble them again. So pretty not to want to make them perfect. How did the hurricane treat you Richard? Btw Did you cushion your rotary when you rolled these nice stones with a slurry so they wouldn't bang around and cause these bruises?
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Aug 31, 2017 22:24:42 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice, I think that is exactly what I am going to do. The shine is so nice I can hardly bring myself to rough them up again but hopefully the end result will look much better.
My mom's car got flooded and we got six inches of water in our house but everyone is safe so we consider ourselves lucky. Many of our neighbors got a lot more damage than we did.
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Post by spiceman on Aug 31, 2017 22:54:01 GMT -5
Well, I've had the same troubles. Cracks seem to show up better after polish. A fix that has worked for me but not all the time. I use nail polish... "Hard as Nails " It will fill the crack maybe because it takes longer to dry. Give it a try.
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Post by coloradocliff on Aug 31, 2017 22:54:28 GMT -5
Glad that you ducked a bullet. When the streams go down, get out there and collect some nice agates.
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Post by parfive on Sept 1, 2017 0:07:01 GMT -5
Second one, I’d live with. First one gets smacked right on the crack with a sharp chisel, preferably before it left 60/90.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Sept 2, 2017 7:27:03 GMT -5
Thanks all, will try to rework them and report back.
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Post by spiceman on Sept 2, 2017 15:10:41 GMT -5
I would agree with parfive. Fixing it could work but to save time and hassle, just brake it.
I know I talked about trying to Fix it, but it is a big if.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Sept 2, 2017 20:01:17 GMT -5
I've been ripping out drywall all day and have a bunch of work to do so I'm taking the lazy way out for now and tossed them into the coarse stage a few minutes ago. I started to try to chisel the big crack but chickened out at the last minute. Darn those cracks, I really liked the first one save for the cracks.
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Post by coloradocliff on Sept 2, 2017 20:29:01 GMT -5
Yeah Richard, we all have ben there, done that, and find ourselves back to there. That drywall or in your case, wet wall is heavy work. You can always chip out that crack later.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Sept 2, 2017 22:09:08 GMT -5
richard, that's the dilemma when tumbling nice material. Bots, Lagunas, lakers and such cost a bit, so you don't want to tumble them to nothing, or ruin the attractive features of the stone by breaking it. Sometimes, you just live with the faults in them. I'll still try to tumble them until the faults are 'as good as they're going to be' without ruining the rock. And that's totally a judgement call, up to you. You certainly got a good shine on those Bots!
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Post by captbob on Sept 3, 2017 9:00:46 GMT -5
Ripping out drywall at your house or working helping others? Hope you and yours survived Harvey and any damage or losses are bearable.
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Sept 3, 2017 9:22:00 GMT -5
We got a foot of water in our house and flooded car that looks like a total loss. Tons of work to do and so much stuff ruined but I was helping my neighbor yesterday for a little while ripping their carpet out and they got it much worse than we did. None of us have flood insurance so plenty of stress. Playing with the rocks is a nice distraction from the reality of the flooding situation. All said I'm very thankful that we came out of this as well as we did. It stings but we will make it through it.
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