rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Jan 14, 2017 3:56:47 GMT -5
I ordered some sterling silver settings before Christmas they were due to arrive a couple of days before Christmas. I thought they had gone a stray but the seller had assured me that they were almost there and expect them any day. I started to think I was getting the run around, but sure enough they turned up 3 weeks late. They are the first stones I have set. I know that I have to work on my bezel roller over more. I think I work hardened the one on the lower right.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Jan 14, 2017 3:34:51 GMT -5
I'll be first. I didn't have any picture jasper except for the piece of Owyhee that Tommy had sent over. Had actually planed it before Christmas but I was waiting on the silver settings to arrive before I got cutting. The settings finally arrived last week.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 28, 2016 6:38:20 GMT -5
Best thing is it's a 2 minute drive then a 10 minute walk. Not much time wasted in traveling
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 28, 2016 0:15:14 GMT -5
Looking for something to do today. I knew that there was a quartz reef not too far from home in bush land. The reef can be traced for about a quarter mile and up to about a foot and a half thick. Started below the reef and worked up to it. The individual point were mostly retained on a quarter inch sieve, there not that big, but really a nice way to spend a few hours. Generally clear with smokey tips. There were plenty more but the were mostly broken or very milky. Finally worked to the reef and got a few clusters. I only uncovered about a yard of the reef, so I hope that there is a few more nice clusters left.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 25, 2016 19:54:22 GMT -5
I don't mind sending some warmer weather over if you can send some cooler weather this way. First I need to find a very large box, shipping might take a while, so expect delivery in a few months.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 24, 2016 21:09:45 GMT -5
It Christmas morning (afternoon now) and time to spare, so what better to do than have a play For size the turquoise is 13.8mm long Zircon, Zircon, Poor ruby, smokey quartz, Chrysoprase Amethyst, Prehnite, 2 lace agates Chrysoprase, Opal, Jasper, opalised wood Opalite, Turquoise.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 24, 2016 4:38:52 GMT -5
Don't be embarrassed. If this can stop another person from doing similar or worse then this post has been useful. I almost lost half of my left index finger to a table saw doing something I knew I should have set up properly but it was the last cut. Kicked myself for months over that, still do now 3 years later. Even with plastic surgery I still don't have much feeling down one side or the tip, but otherwise still have full use of it.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 24, 2016 4:20:36 GMT -5
Starting to get hot over here at this time of the year, expected to be 38c (100F) for the next 5 days, so I doubt I'll be spending much time in the shed. So here's my entry Jasper from Tanunda South Australia If it's allowed I would like to enter my wife's first cab. If not, just sharing that I got my wife to try. She grabbed one of the preforms that I had started, and went from there. Bloodstone. It took me a while to find a photo of the rough. Forgot to take a photo and had to rely on one that was taken when I picked up the old collection it came from. Hoping everyone has a safe and happy Christmas. Less than 4 hours to go before the 25th.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 24, 2016 3:26:50 GMT -5
Picked this up at a local shop, it was sold as a Zircon from Madagascar. I only grabbed it as the crystal shape didn't fit in well with the rest of the zircons. It didn't cab very well as it was full of cracks, but I gave it a try anyway. Is it a zircon or sapphire? Whats everyones thoughts?
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 23, 2016 16:51:18 GMT -5
Looking at having a try at electroforming. Has anyone tried this? What are peoples experiences? Any tips, I'm looking at starting with copper electroforming with mounting stones/cabs
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Dec 21, 2016 0:23:14 GMT -5
Happy birthday from the land down under
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Nov 30, 2016 2:23:51 GMT -5
Wow I didn't expect that. Many thanks to Gemfeller for the chance to get some new materials. Tommy PM sent.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Nov 11, 2016 7:37:18 GMT -5
The saw isn't going to be coming to my home. The seller did a bit of research and realized they were selling it too cheap, and it is now going to a club near them. I'll keep looking and maybe one day soon I'll get one.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Nov 10, 2016 3:17:43 GMT -5
Looking at buying this saw, as my first slab saw. Looking for thoughts on the type of clamp? and any extra advise. Judge on the size of the bricks in the photos, I'd say the blade is 18" maybe 16. Comes with a spare blade. At a price of $200 australian about $150 us. Only problem is someone else has the first offer, other than that it might be mine, plus a 700 mile round trip to collect.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Nov 8, 2016 2:22:14 GMT -5
Actually happy i didn't make the deadline because these are all great! Nice done everyone, hope that I some Day in the future will be able to give you some competition😀 If you don't enter you won't win... but furthermore you won't push yourself to do your best and become better by doing so. If you compared my cab from this month to my first one I made last year you would notice the difference. Mostly due to competitions and pushing myself to try new things on my own. I agree. I started this year, when I got a flat lap in April, not quite true I did 2 back in January, when I shaped them on a grinder and sanded with the dop mounted in the wood lathe chuck, never polished them.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Oct 22, 2016 3:42:36 GMT -5
As promised. heres my entry for the month, it doesn't have nice patterns or any at all. But something keeps drawing my attention back to it when it's sitting with the other I done. Australian Chryoprase Must be getting better I can see the reflection of the clouds
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Oct 22, 2016 3:23:57 GMT -5
The first is from an old collection I picked up a few years ago, I don't look local to me (Australian) but could be wrong, the collection had a fair bit of material from overseas This is from my drive today, I know it's not local to most of the folk on here but I'm just trying to help with the ID. A rough cab to see how it was going to polish. The surface of the material was a weathered green/white. There are some areas that are green/grey at a depth of a about an inch from the surface it becomes a green grey black. The second photo shows where this meets the host rock (basalt) with pyrites (10x magnification) I found the spot about a year ago and the suggestions so far on the material has been phrase or quartzite, What everyones thoughts? Hope it is less fractured than this bit. I brought home 10 pounds that I chipped out of a seam - more like a spread out nodule, then a little latter picked up a 33 pound boulder. Some of it is already in the tumbler.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Oct 4, 2016 2:23:55 GMT -5
I'll be in, now to find something pretty out in the shed. Then the right shape. Then to actually do it. Then to be happy with it. oh so much hard work, maybe I'll sleep on it.
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rivarat
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 140
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Post by rivarat on Sept 22, 2016 3:09:01 GMT -5
This has been a great way for me to improve my skills, pitting my efforts against everyone else. This time I picked a rough, cracked piece of petrified fern deeply pitted in parts. Thanks for participating, challenging oneself is how I learn and improve myself. Interesting material you have. as for the broken pieces superglue them back together and grind / polish the glue until you are down to the stone. Sometimes you can't even tell it was broken when completed. Someplace I may have a photo of some pieces i repaired including one i'm currently working on. you can pm me for some photos. This will be an interesting month, my cab already sold so I can't get more pictures but i'll be making another like it shortly only the colors wont be so creamy. Might be hard, its been swimming in the rotary for the last week.
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