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Post by pauls on Oct 11, 2023 19:07:53 GMT -5
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Post by pauls on Oct 2, 2023 23:32:58 GMT -5
Drying needs to be an extent that the precipitate from grinding is dry and shows up in the scratches. This is a high dome Montana (almost 10mm) that I completed today. Despite careful inspection, I needed to go back to my worn 80 6 times. I think we've all done that.
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Post by pauls on Sept 24, 2023 18:02:06 GMT -5
You need to dry regularly to see scratches, really proper dry too not just a quick wipe. I keep an old towel slung over my shoulder.
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Post by pauls on Sept 20, 2023 0:17:51 GMT -5
What feeds the rock through the saw, push by hand? mechanical feed? or weight feed?
For that size blade you should be using oil for cooling/lubrication. I use cheap generic baby oil, others use feed store mineral oil (same stuff as baby oil)
A diamond saw doesn't cut like a wood saw, it grinds its way through, you have to let the diamonds grind the rock away, if you force it the rock will start peeeling diamonds off. If you are feeding by hand back right off and just let the saw remove material you only push lightly to take up the slack.
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Post by pauls on Sept 8, 2023 18:45:26 GMT -5
Also I've heard of a couple of situations where people accused the person who did the slabbing for them of stealing material because the person having the slabbing done couldn't comprehend how much loss in sludge waste there is when slabbing. So if you do decide to do contract slabbing it would probably be a good idea to try and make sure the cosigner understands that. Yep! I had this happen to me. I had a local guy who asked if I would slab some rocks for him...but he quickly added material to the "pile". I was tolerant about it and didn't create a buzz. He had me slab a "higher end" material...amongst some lower end. When I gave him the cuts, he looked at me and said, "Is that all of it?" with an accusatorial tone. I explained the "loss" of doing cuts...and that was the last time I cut anything for him! I've cut for several people who aren't local...which I KNOW takes a lot of trust on their part... Not so much sawing, which I do by the square inch, 20 25 cents a square inch, covers my time, oil and wear and tear. At least a bit. I have done faceting jobs which are nearly always high value material, and every time before I start I tell them the process will turn about 2/3 of their stone into dust, expect your stone will be only 1/3 the size of the rough, and that's if everything goes well. I have still had people accuse me of stealing part of their stone. I have had it with Opals too, so these days I will insist on them sitting there while I cut it. Really the hassle isn't worth it to me, I do this because I enjoy it, having someone accuse me of stealing kills the enjoyment really quickly.
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Post by pauls on Sept 6, 2023 0:47:12 GMT -5
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Post by pauls on Aug 19, 2023 21:44:16 GMT -5
Hey just up the road from me, Very flat ancient landscape, there's no way you would even think there could be something there. Any time anyone is discussing the most boring place in Australia you can just about guarantee the country around there gets a mention.
Check out Haasts Bluff for an impact landscape that is still visible, the 25Km dia crater is largely eroded to nothing now but the central rebound pile is still quite visible.
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Post by pauls on Aug 13, 2023 21:19:17 GMT -5
I have huge glass vases, the type that church ladies use for enormous bunches of lillies etc. I have 11 of them so far, chock full of delicious eye candy, each is just getting to the stage where any heavier would be a nope. They hold around 8 Kg of polished rocks. They are cheap, $10 or so from the dollar store type places.
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Post by pauls on Aug 10, 2023 1:23:12 GMT -5
Well seeing you name dropped Aussie Sapphire you must be an Australian, Gday from another Aussie.
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Post by pauls on Aug 7, 2023 23:18:52 GMT -5
Gday from downunder, Australia.
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Post by pauls on Jul 29, 2023 19:11:06 GMT -5
Same issue here in Australia. There's talk of banning the stuff which is way off the mark in my opinion. There's plenty of industries around using toxic or harmful stuff in their operations that don't have a problem because the issue of dust or fumes is managed properly. The places using this material need surprise inspections by Health and safety people on a regular basis until they fix the dust extraction and mandate proper use of PPE.
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Post by pauls on Jul 26, 2023 20:44:33 GMT -5
As to the toxicity of things in the tumbler. you don't need to worry too much. Most of the rocks you would likely be tumbling are just variations of Quartz so Si02, (Quartz family). Avoid metallic ores, not that you could even get most of them to polish. Iron will be OK, so Hematite and Banded iron Formation and Tiger Iron, but are really messy. The grits you use will be Silicon Carbide. Polish is likely Tin Oxide which shouldn't be toxic. Cerium Oxide Aluminium Oxide and Chrome Oxide are the alternatives I will leave the toxicity of them to your expertise.
I have never found the need to use Borax, our water here is good and doesn't leave streaks
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Post by pauls on Jul 26, 2023 17:14:47 GMT -5
Hi kallie.
Welcome from another Victorian. Central Vic so if there's anything I can help with give me a shout. Also I have some bits and pieces looking for a home that would be good in your tumbler, free.
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Post by pauls on Jul 22, 2023 1:42:35 GMT -5
Don't worry about any maths. Download Gemcutstudio then go to www.gemologyproject.com/wiki/index.php?title=Faceting_Designs, Gemcutstudio allows you to open the .gem files, from there you can play around in the programme and do software cuts and even design your own. There's a tutorial, follow that and you will soon be up and running. The only thing you need to have to be able to facet is patience, if you require instant gratification then it's not for you, if you can sit down and patiently do a task that may take hours then go right ahead.
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Post by pauls on Jul 22, 2023 1:32:36 GMT -5
There was a fair bit of chatter on here some time back, maybe a couple of years, with a few people experimenting with large rocks. It might have been JamesP and Jugglerguy but I'm not real sure on that. There were a few very successful tumbles.
I did a couple of large pieces and the main thing is you need to have a really full barrel otherwise the large rock is going to pulverise everything else.
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Post by pauls on Jul 20, 2023 21:56:38 GMT -5
Expanding drums are great, replacing a belt is a lot cheaper than replacing a whole Nova. Your Silicon Carbide wheels, use them until you wear them out then get some diamond wheels to replace them. Plated Diamond wheels are reasonably cheap but do wear out and go blunt, you can get a little bit more out of them by taking the wheels off and reversing them. The real bees knees is sintered but they cost an arm and a leg, well worth it though one sintered wheel will cost maybe 6 times a plated and last 20 times as long, I can't give a real estimate of length of service because I have never worn one out.
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Post by pauls on Jul 11, 2023 17:49:30 GMT -5
I always point people to this Web site www.quartzpage.de/For just about everything you need to know about Agate, this page in the site www.quartzpage.de/agate.htmlI am wary of arbitrary definitions for Agate. Agate is so variable that for every arbitrary definition tossed around by people I have seen rocks that are definitely agate but don't fit.
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Post by pauls on Mar 4, 2023 22:24:04 GMT -5
As the little pamphlet says for polishing Jade, also very useful for quite a few hard to polish things, some of the Jaspers for example. When nothing else seems to work give this a go. Use it damp, not wet.
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Post by pauls on Feb 17, 2023 21:26:28 GMT -5
Jason, wow. you are knocking em out of the park.
Favourite, nope I'll pass on that, not possible to pick a best in that lot, they all are.
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Post by pauls on Feb 16, 2023 14:06:26 GMT -5
Looks like a nice efficient corner you set up there. Got a scrap piece of rug for the floor? Cabs can be slippery little buggers and it’s only a matter of time . . . I agree, I grabbed some scraps of old kitchen vinyl flooring, it's easy to mop clean. I also notice your bench top is particle board, to stop it getting water affected, see if you can grab an advertising banner, the type real estate agents use, they are made of thick vinyl and are ideal waterproof table cloths for work benches. Nice looking cabs there.
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