wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Dec 12, 2019 4:56:08 GMT -5
If someone can put a name to this I would really appreciate itl. Looks like mica, layered like mica and has a similar hardness of around three but the gold color is more golden than gold. It does not crumble like fools gold and when I mash a tiny piece on paper with a knife it will smear like hard butter and leave a gold streak. Semi translucent but doesn't taste like candy. The last photo has the best color but it does have some slightly red areas but cant tell if it is natural or something else adding the red. Thanks in advance for any input and hello everyone. Still rockin but slower. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Dec 7, 2019 7:29:03 GMT -5
Use a heavy gauge aluminum wire to scratch the surface of the stone then do not move to a finer grit until all of the aluminum is gone. The aluminum marks the bottom of the scratches but does not soak into the stone. Do this with each grit and if the aluminum won't go away the jump in grit size is too much.
A glass cutting blade for the tile saw will give a much smoother surface to start on. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Jun 1, 2019 2:02:42 GMT -5
You are so lucky Vince. First of all you got the name Vince which means they were/are very smart. I got the name Jim in front of Brown, I thought I would be really smart too and gave my son the same honker. He and I are guilty of every type of breaking the law that there is on this planet. The other way you are lucky is that you have a saw that will actually give you a win in a crap shoot. I have a Lortone 12 that you will look at and sometimes talk to it asking "how in the hell do you make almost perfectly even slabs when front to back of cut is a minimum of 1/4 inch out of line? Tried to fix it once when I was in Q, Didn't have the correct tools so I think I just made it more obvious. Still working 4 or 5 years later.
Save a little of the credit for yourself, saws are not self sufficient. Those are robots, look out humanity, Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 30, 2019 20:57:41 GMT -5
I found Waldo, I found Waldo. Upper left corner of fourth photo, dog in corner with Waldo or who ever just below it. Killer slabs. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Feb 10, 2019 4:38:26 GMT -5
Hello Robin. I haven't been on for a long time and something told me I should come here. If you have that much power handle it very carefully. I cut a bunch of Welo opal a few years ago and it was nothing like fire agate where the tiny change in depth can ruin everything. The flash in my stones was all the way through no matter the quantity or quality of the flash. The thing that changed the most was the amount of haze but even that wasn't enough to spend a lot of time trying to hit a more clear part.I will admit that most of the stones were quite small but the one larger one pretty much followed the same rules. I worked all of them with just files and hardware store sand paper because I did not have much experience with the rotary tool. The only way I could work such small stones was with bamboo skewers and super glue for dop sticks. I am not sure if I got those photos moved over to here but I will check and post them later. If all else fails I still have the larger stone in a ring and some of the smaller stones loose. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 18, 2018 10:47:58 GMT -5
Billings by the way. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 18, 2018 10:47:06 GMT -5
If you can get motors cheap you can run them till they die and replace.
I use drill presses. The whole thing and run a belt off a one half inch chucked up shaft but the motors will work great alone. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 17, 2018 13:05:47 GMT -5
Thank you for the input pauls. You got a very lucky break. I spent ten months in China and saw some incredible carvings including a large ship (+ - 6 feet long) and these still left me speechless. Needless to say my carving learning curve got extended by miles there instead of shortening. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 16, 2018 21:34:54 GMT -5
I am speechless. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 13, 2018 8:44:36 GMT -5
Sweet. I carved one in wood and gave up at the third link. If you have the patience it will be awesome. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 6, 2018 23:26:19 GMT -5
I would center the wire on the back behind the hole, bend both around to the front, push both ends through the hole, bend them up and make a bail. They will be cinched on both sides and very simple. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on May 6, 2018 23:09:27 GMT -5
Wow, you put some serious whup a$$ on some stones and silver.
Speaking of a$$ thank you for the laugh and I hope it is with you. I have no idea why my eyes hit first on your fingers behind the ring in the photo of you showing the side of the ring with the arched line at the top. Probably just my warped eyes mind. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Apr 30, 2018 21:19:21 GMT -5
Roy, you gotta be the best finder on the planet. Always great stuff. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Apr 30, 2018 21:02:34 GMT -5
Very interesting thread James. A man of many talents and questioning whether you are making art/not making art is a no no. You even make figuring stuff out an art form. Doesn't seem to matter what it is you are going to figure out 1. if it is possible 2. the best way to make it happen 3. make a lot of people say WOW. There are many art forms and you cover several. Most people don't cover one and many only think they do.
Going to be interesting to see how this turns out. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Apr 27, 2018 15:12:09 GMT -5
Holly samoly, looks like you could open your own Mall full of stores. 400 stickers, you need a gaggle of kids to help you out there.
I really like the marketing idea. Tough to sit in a booth for two days. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Mar 30, 2018 17:43:48 GMT -5
Good on you. I am impressed by anyone that will take the time to teach kids new things. I had the opportunity to do the same when my daughter was teaching seventh and eighth grade students. My presentation was on rock carving and my trip to China. The kids were like magnets after the slide show and I brought out the rocks. They loved it but I don't think they loved it nearly as much as I did. Middle school kids are a hoot because they are still really curious but not so old they have developed an attitude. Jim Thanks, Jim. I enjoyed sharing what I know with the kids. I told them up front, I'm not a geologist and I don't know near enough about the rocks I work with and how they were made, but I have a curiosity and an appreciation for them. That keeps me interested and learning each day. Hopefully, it will do the same for them...whatever their interests are. There is no excuse for not being informed these days, with the wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. I bet there will be a few google searches for 'tumbled stones' this weekend. No doubt about it. My daughter told me that the kids kept bringing things up for weeks. I really should get back into it. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Mar 30, 2018 13:53:52 GMT -5
Wow, good luck with that. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Mar 30, 2018 13:51:28 GMT -5
Good on you. I am impressed by anyone that will take the time to teach kids new things.
I had the opportunity to do the same when my daughter was teaching seventh and eighth grade students. My presentation was on rock carving and my trip to China. The kids were like magnets after the slide show and I brought out the rocks. They loved it but I don't think they loved it nearly as much as I did. Middle school kids are a hoot because they are still really curious but not so old they have developed an attitude. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Mar 30, 2018 13:24:45 GMT -5
MsAli , are you drilling those in water? I have a small tray set up for the Dremel when I drill to keep the stone under about an 1/8 of an inch of water. In this case maybe the diamond bit wore out and would not drill anymore. The one hole does seem to have signs of fractures from the high heat indicating a wore out bit. Tried my hand at Wire Wrapping, did not have enough patience to get to be just average so I have stuck with the Pinch Bails. Not near as elegant as the work I have seen you folks out here turn out but I have managed to sell them. I did have it in water . It hit that spot and poof it went . Almost like I hit a piece of metal. Weird Tried another bit and wouldn't go through either My wrapping is so not good. I do want to try some pinch bails My guess would be that a diamond came off the drill and stuck in the glass. After that it was diamond drilling diamond and the only fix I know for that is to finish the hole from the back side. I am quite sure, but not positive, (couldn't see something that small) the same has happened to me. Drilling from the back side popped it right out. Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Mar 6, 2018 11:12:26 GMT -5
There ya go Bob, sticking with the easy ones. haha Two inside curves on one cab is brutal and maybe a record. Always enjoy seeing your work. Jim
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