RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 9, 2014 9:33:25 GMT -5
I just got back from the El Paso gem show and have more than a full plate for the next few days. So please be patient and I'll post more info and some pixs soon.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 5, 2014 23:09:06 GMT -5
RocknCritter, You had those great LED light bars, right? I still want to build some. Lynn Yup. That was me. If you need any more info on the lights, let me know.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 4, 2014 21:26:40 GMT -5
Yes, I knew that the Cactus Juice is pricey. The guy has stabilized 75 lbs of various materials & only used 1/4 gallon so far. Anything he'll be stabilizing, he cuts in water. Yes, RocknCritter, that was me in the corner at Moab. I'm glad you like my work. I'll be in that same corner next Oct. I'm going back to Moab tomorrow for the Holiday Art & Craft show in a building at Swanny Park. Lynn I was the high-end cab vendor setup directly across from you on the inside corner. Maybe it's time for mandatory RTH tattoos for all vendors. Good luck in Moab. I'm in El Paso this weekend for their annual show. See you next year!
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 4, 2014 20:59:47 GMT -5
If you don't want to spend $100 per gallon plus buy an old dedicated oven and then drop another $200-300 on a vacuum chamber and pump, etc., there is an alternative.
Just mix half an ounce of each part of 330 epoxy in a pint of acetone. (Be absolutely certain everything is well mixed.) Put your rocks and the 330/acetone mix in a jar. Make sure the 330/acetone covers the stones completely. Seal and leave for 2 weeks. Open and let the acetone evaporate. It might not be fast yet it is very, very effective and none of the ingredients have a shelf life, you don't have to worry about the moisture content of the stones and it's inexpensive.
On another note. Lynn - were you the guy in the corner of the Moab show setup between Ken and Billy with the azurite mine? If so, you do really nice work.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 24, 2014 11:32:29 GMT -5
you can get an epoxy that won't let loose. get one of the glue-on-the-back belt buckle findings form the rock shed "4FN15 This is a make your own belt buckle, you can glue on any kind of stone you would like to create a unique look. They measures 1 3/4" in length by 1" in height." If you go this route, make sure to to grind a small spot on the back of the slab where the buckle will be glued in place. You do not want a perfectly smooth back. You want an area that is rougher so the glue has a place to really adhere. Also, roughen up the back of the buckle for the same resaon.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 11, 2014 11:29:34 GMT -5
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 11, 2014 9:14:43 GMT -5
#6 reserved for bsky4463.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 11, 2014 9:07:23 GMT -5
#1 and #3 reserved for Chassroc.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 10, 2014 14:09:58 GMT -5
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 7, 2014 10:46:14 GMT -5
The brand of machine isn't nearly as important as the person operating it.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 7, 2014 9:57:40 GMT -5
I have a meteorite pendant that got wet at a gem show this summer and there is one spot with a little rust. Below is what my supplier recommended.
Remove the rust with CLR (Calcium-Lime-Rust remover). Then use 90% rubbing alcohol to remove all traces of the CLR. This is a very critical step. Any CLR left will turn the meteorite yellow. So repeat several times. If you need to re-etch the piece, leave it in PCB Etchant/Ferric Chloride - available from Radio Shack. (He didn't mention the length of time.) Spray with Deft wood finish to protect the meteorite.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 2, 2014 15:32:27 GMT -5
Booo-tiful!
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Oct 2, 2014 5:36:27 GMT -5
what is that design called? it rocks! How about the "The Eternal Struggle For Bliss of Ti Chi-Kwan Do"?
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 30, 2014 21:24:27 GMT -5
Great pics and story. Why was fire such a big danger. Imagine there were a lot less trees back in the hey day. Just a bunch of marble laying around. Forgive my ignorance... Good question. I'm guessing that most of the cutting was done dry and the fires resulted from sparks. There ahere pictures at the mill site showing the aftermath of one inferno. They also built a 60' wall to protect the building from avalanches. The mill was almost 1400' long, shut down in 1941 and was dismantled. There's a lot of good information at link.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 30, 2014 19:11:11 GMT -5
This is a piece created through a joint effort between myself and another artist. It was partially inspired by my visit to Marble - link. The material is jade. Next up is some green Marble.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 23, 2014 21:53:02 GMT -5
Dude, you rock! I use to spend a lot of time in Llano before moving to Colorado.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 22, 2014 10:49:08 GMT -5
The second and third ones look like (probably are) dendretic opalite from Australia. The first one is unlikely marble since the hardness is above Mohs 3-4. Possibly opal? Without testing, a positve i.d. is never possible.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 20, 2014 8:47:52 GMT -5
Cool stuff! The second group kinda has a septarian look to it. The "agate" looks more like calcite. With a Mohs hardness of 7, it's the world's hardest calcite. It's actually agatized calcite with marl and chabazite. Over the years, three commiments have been made about the Simbercite. #1 Despite being used in all types of jewelry - rings, bracelets, pendats, earrings, etc. - without scratching, chipping or otherwise being damaged, it's just calcite. Yet, almost every geologist, gemologist and jeweler who has actually seen and handled the material has not disputed the fact that it is an agate. I have recut a few pieces for jewelers that need a specific shape (and one piece that I dropped on the concrete floor at the Creede show) and it was definitely not calcite. There is one well known gemologist (with a PhD) that was selling it a few years ago as calcite. She also believes that the opalized fluorite we know as Tiffany stone is named Picasso marble........................ #2 The yellow-gold portions of Simbercite is amber that is surrounded by pyrite. Nevermind that amber and pyrite don't form in the same geological environment and that amber is a mineraloid. #3 It's man-made Coincidentally, I don't sell many at the gem shows in Utah. Most of the locals think it's just some kind of fancy septarian nodule. Thanks for looking.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 20, 2014 8:31:15 GMT -5
Super cool. Do they sell specimens that haven't been ground and polished ? I'd like a raw piece in my fossil collection. For better or worse, the Russians only sell the finished pieces. The mine doesn't produce much and I think they realize there is value in doing the lapidary work themsleves. If they ever did decide to sell the rough and they attended a major show like Tucson or Munich, they would probably sell out within minutes.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Sept 19, 2014 22:04:25 GMT -5
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