johnd
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Member since May 2015
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Post by johnd on Jun 30, 2022 12:52:01 GMT -5
Thanks for suggestions I had CLR cleaner and a rust removal gel at home- tested them and have made some headway- I'll keep working at it
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Jun 28, 2022 14:56:36 GMT -5
Hi
I have a few Dugway geodes which have a brown stain on the white crystals- - it doesn't power wash off reminds me of clay
any suggestions for cleaning? seems like some of the geodes had developed micro- cracks, desert dust got in and is now chemically bound
I haven't tried chemicals of any sort
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Sept 27, 2021 7:29:55 GMT -5
I understand the reluctance people have about sharing rock sites. I've seen a few abundant places depleted over the years - the Wyoming Wamsutter black turitella beds come to mind although there are probably still decent specimens about. I suppose the piles of sugar quartz in the vicinity of Blue Forest are still worth a visit, but the Blue Forest itself looks like it was invaded by giant space gophers, and it takes a lot of digging to find a few pieces worth keeping.
However, there are places that really can't be depleted and are good stops for those on the road looking for a diversion
One place that meets these criteria is Hwy 9 between Cincinnati OH and Maysville KY There are roadcuts every mile for 50 miles and each roadcut has abundant good quality Ordovician fossils. Skull Pass Hwy 50 Utah/Nevada is filled with fossils but the quality isn't to my liking
The Dugway geode beds UT also come to mind- even if whole geodes are getting scarce, the broken pieces that litter the ground can be beautifully cut and polished
Do others here know of places they are willing to share- not secret places with a limited supply of material, but places where a passer-by can pull in and have some fun? Free places are the best, as it seems more like an adventure, but good paid places are worth posting- like Kemmerer WY fish fields
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Aug 17, 2020 9:53:37 GMT -5
Hi
I am trying to find a good source to purchase 8" sticky-back carbide sanding discs-3X 100, 300, 600, 1000, 8000 and a couple carbide wheels
possibly one 50,000- but diamond gets pretty pricey for the work I am doing- I'm mostly just screwing around
There is not a decent lapidary shop within many hundred miles of here- I've been on line and can't really find what I want- I ordered from one place, the supplier claimed to have shipped and gave me a tracking number- the number didn't exist- luckily I used PayPal and they were able to get my money back
If anyone has suppliers they are willing to share, I'd appreciate it
Also interested in the names/locations of some good Lapidary supply stores I can visit when I travel
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Jan 24, 2020 20:37:42 GMT -5
I have an 8" saw and wondering if food grade mineral oil would be acceptable as a cutting oil- I don't have any lapidary supply stores within many miles and looking to find something non toxic, non flammable that doesn't smell that I could get at Walmart or Auto supply store
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Dec 29, 2019 20:39:27 GMT -5
grooves are usually very small
I'm a little hesitant to upload pictures because I dont want to get a cloudinary account
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Dec 29, 2019 17:37:44 GMT -5
not sure which forum to post this so I went general
I have a 6" arbor- it is older than the rocks I work on, but it still runs
I am trying to take small grooves out of slabs- I like using sanding discs but wondering if there is a better way
I use a coarse carbide and work my way finer- but l would like advice on the grit size on the discs if discs seem reasonable
depending on the groove, I kind of do something like 80-220-600-1200-8000-50000
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on May 28, 2018 13:26:25 GMT -5
I just stumbled across this posting
It is really a good read.
Thanks for putting it up
I'll be reading it again several times
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Dec 23, 2017 18:28:42 GMT -5
Pareidolia
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Dec 5, 2017 7:39:55 GMT -5
what are some good ways to wrap small shark teeth? technical details like
wire types, designs, clasp attachments etc
earrings, pendants.......
I have a small box full of teeth I want to give to some kids, and was thinking of various crafts to interest them in
I've read this forum but have never wrapped anything.
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Oct 30, 2017 15:16:29 GMT -5
I often get cracked agates when I tumble- may be my pieces are too big.
what do people here do when they crack things? Tumble into smaller pieces or or make a scrap heap?
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Aug 12, 2017 8:28:35 GMT -5
Thanks for responses-I originally thought it was a naturally worn object, but the more I looked at it, and the way it fit into a hand, got me wondering. The wear pattern in the cup is very different than the wear out of the cup- and it is shaped at the narrow end. I can see it being an omar, a paint pot or a mortar- This area had a lot of Native activity in by gone days (Door peninsula). My uncle found a stone axehead on his beach a few years ago just down the road-
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Aug 5, 2017 20:15:44 GMT -5
this is a beach find from my home along the northern great lakes
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johnd
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Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on May 16, 2017 11:10:39 GMT -5
Is there a difference in the microcrystalline structure of agate formed in fossils (such as the agatized petrified wood of N Arizona) compared to agate in volcanic inclusions (such as Lake Superior agates)?
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johnd
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Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Jan 31, 2017 21:45:18 GMT -5
What is the best way to polish slabs of agatized petrified wood with saw marks?
Vibratry tumbler or rotary device?
Any advise on abrasives like grit polish? How coarse and how many stages?
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Apr 16, 2016 14:28:26 GMT -5
If one mixes fluorite with concentrated muramic acid, will the resulting solution dissolve glass? Or clean gold?
I think HF has less dissociation in water than HCl- so HCl plus CaF2 should result in some HF and CaCl2- I just don't know how much.
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on Mar 23, 2016 15:31:21 GMT -5
It there a quick way to tell pale fluorite from barite from quatrz crystals?
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johnd
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Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on May 26, 2015 20:10:50 GMT -5
very nice link, Gingerkid. Thnx
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on May 25, 2015 21:10:50 GMT -5
Sugar quartz seems to be softer than regular quartz. It is easy to cut and polish. The milky white pieces remind me of white opal associated with petrified wood. I don't know much about it, but it appeals to me as a workable substance.
I found a fair bit of sugar quartz adjacent to the Blue Forest in Wyoming, and the wood in the Blue forest is often partially opalized. I was wondering if there was some relation.
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johnd
starting to shine!
Member since May 2015
Posts: 25
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Post by johnd on May 24, 2015 16:25:41 GMT -5
What is the actual difference in these two materials?
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