ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Mar 3, 2018 17:48:02 GMT -5
Inspirational! Those are all crazy beautiful. Sometimes I get impatient and want to see shine, when I really ought to do another grind and erase some imperfections. Really lovely work.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Mar 1, 2018 1:03:15 GMT -5
I was given a batch of really crappy polish one time when I was starting out - don't even know what it was, it was just labeled "polish" - but It that left an awful white filmy residue. Do you know what your polish is? You might try a different polish, if you think it could be the problem.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Mar 1, 2018 0:57:08 GMT -5
That's looking like a great candidate for that this is. Thanks so much for the good link to the images!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Mar 1, 2018 0:41:55 GMT -5
Ooooo - I love working with Unakite and other granitics. Can't wait to see them progress! Thanks for letting us share the journey.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Feb 24, 2018 1:47:34 GMT -5
Chloritic schist is sounding like a good candidate - thanks everyone! I'm going to read up on it some more. What I have doesn't appear "flakey," but the twisty, ropey-ness does suggest metamorphic rock of some sort. I think you've got me pointed in the right direction. Cheers!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 18:59:24 GMT -5
Is it possible Covellite?? Now that's a possibility... Though it was called "flakey" on one site. Though my rock is not super hard, it's also not brittle. No chipping in the vibe. But that's the closest suggestion yet. No iridescence, however... Hmm. I'll have to look into that one some more though - thanks!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 18:22:44 GMT -5
Great photos - thanks so much for sharing them. I apparently have a very odd rock, as it's just not quartz-like at all, in either the blue or silver areas. Still scratching my head. This is one I picked up last weekend at Area 54
Do you have any more of what it looked like before it got tossed in the vibe? Or what state/country it came from?
Before it went in the vibe it was already rounded, like a river rock, and just kinda looked like gneiss. It was already slightly undercut. It didn't look like it had been tumbled before, but I could even be wrong on that. I'm afraid I just have zero idea where it came from, because if I had to guess, I think it came in some buckets of stuff that my old rock club was invited to rescue out of someone's backyard when their estate sold the home in Washington State. So it's possible it's from Washington, but I wouldn't even vouch for that.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 18:05:04 GMT -5
Great photos - thanks so much for sharing them. I apparently have a very odd rock, as it's just not quartz-like at all, in either the blue or silver areas. Still scratching my head.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 18:03:35 GMT -5
ingawh Can you try to scratch it with a steel knife or something steel? I think its blue quartzite, which is what dumortierite is? Try googling “azul macauba” and you will see many blue quartzites from Brazil. I googled it, and that is some gorgeous stuff! I want to do my house in that! But I'm sure it's not what I've got.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 18:01:09 GMT -5
Can't we just call the sparkly bits - druzy quartz? Sadly, it's not that easy. Definitely not druzy. I'm realizing that, although a picture is worth 1000 words, in this case, it just begs 10,000 more!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 17:58:37 GMT -5
I should add that there is also a very similar blue chert material that I've found at "Area 54" in central California. I'll try to scare up a picture if I can find it. Thanks for the thought. If it were as hard as chert, I'd have gotten more of a shine on it though, I'm sure. I've polished up lots of cherts, and this one just doesn't take a gleam like they can. I think it's a soft material. (But I WISH I could say it was from "Area 54!!" )
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 17:56:01 GMT -5
It almost looks like Pet wood. Lynn I'm afraid that's a result of the photo - it's got that ropey pattern, but I'm sure it's not wood. Thanks, though!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 17:54:57 GMT -5
I can’t help either but I have found 2 denim blue stones in a stream here in Mississippi that look identical to that without the silver. They even have the same wavy pattern. When I put one to a wheel it gave off a slight sulfur smell. I picked them up because of the beautiful blue color. I'd love to know if you find out what it might be. Thanks!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 17:53:02 GMT -5
Thanks to everyone for the thoughts and ideas. It is not quartzy, however, in either the blue or silver parts. I've polished blue quartzite before and am familiar with how it processes. There are two very distinct materials running through this. The silver stuff looks like a very fine crystalline metallic substance, but it's not embedded grit - I promise. Because of that crystalline graininess, it did undercut severely (though I have to admit, I like the ropey effect that created.) The blue part must be pretty soft - if it had been even remotely hard, I think I'd have gotten more of a shine on it. The photo just can't capture it, so I may need to find a rock shop that can take a look at it, because it's still a puzzle. Thanks, everyone, for jumping in to help.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 4:14:43 GMT -5
2018-02-23_12-32-06 by Inga Holmquist, on Flickr This came out of the vibe without much shine, but it's just so cool, I wondered if anyone has an idea what it is? It is a denim blue, so it doesn't really look like either lapis or sodalite. I've gotten a lovely shine on sodalite before, but this never took more than a soft luster, and it really just doesn't look like either of those blue stones - to me anyway. What doesn't show well in the photo is how sparkly the silver parts are. If I've actually been tumbling some kind of off-color lapis, I'll feel pretty silly... I should add that I have no idea where it came from. Sadly.
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 23, 2018 1:27:41 GMT -5
Hi Robot - Welcome to the hobby!
Actually I don't sell my rocks. I do this for fun, keep the ones that are favorites, and give away a lot - especially to kids.
Prepare yourself for the fact that: 1) This is a delayed-gratification activity (it takes lots of patience), and 2) You'll probably be frustrated by early results. But hang around this message board and ask questions, and you'll soon get a feel for it and start having real fun.
I just really enjoy the rocks and rock-hounding, so when I started tumbling, I was less worried about producing results than in enjoying the learning a process of how to coax pretty shapes and shines out of them. If some never took a shine, that was OK too. If you can enjoying learning from the tragedies as well as the triumphs, you'll be great at this!
Best wishes,
Inga
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Feb 21, 2018 19:41:32 GMT -5
I'm afraid I have to agree with the suggestion above - you'll probably be happier if you stick with the harder stones, like Agate and Jasper, while you're still getting your sea-legs at this. I think the rainbow obsidian would be a major frustration until you have a few shiny batches under your belt and have a feel for your equipment and process. The thing about rock tumbling is that you learn a whole new timescale for patience. Best wishes
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 21, 2018 14:34:05 GMT -5
Me too! :-) Just put a full load of garbage in last night. Some of them have lots of small pits, but I think they'll still be purty. Some of them have a lively pink hue in addition to the striations. [/quote]
Love that! I often throw any old thing in, and have had some bloopers, but also some beauties. I don't care much about pits either. Since I usually only do two stages, clean up is not really an ordeal. Cheers!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
|
Post by ingawh on Feb 21, 2018 2:50:31 GMT -5
Cool! You never see marbles anymore. Now I know where they went!
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ingawh
starting to spend too much on rocks
The rock wants to shine, I just help it get there
Member since February 2011
Posts: 194
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Post by ingawh on Feb 21, 2018 2:48:28 GMT -5
Just about my favorite thing is to take the overlooked, the ugly duckling, and see if there are some swans lurking in there! Sometimes they don't quite shine up, but you can often coax a luster. Love the little sample piece! Looking forward to more photos. Cheers!
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