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Post by HankRocks on May 19, 2024 9:00:55 GMT -5
Here's a few pictures of the latest model of the rock clamp that a good friend built for me. It's the Miller-3000, or the 3rd version of the clamp. The first version was built for my 20 inch saw which has a vertical clamp. It's was built for clamping geodes and could accommodate geode type rocks up to about 6 inches in diameter, the holding arms were fixed metal. The 2nd version introduced heavy duty bike chain as the holding devices. The latest version was modified to fit both the 20 inch saw and the 24" saw with it's horizontal clamp, and the cutting clearance height was increased to take advantage of the 24" saw. Here is a picture of the clamp with a larger Brazilian agate secured in the Miller 3000 and ready for cutting on the 24 inch saw. In the picture there is a 9 X 7 inch Septarian Nodule I just cut this morning. Cut is smooth with no wobbles. Should polish nicely. Have a few more Septarians to cut along with a good number of large Brazilian Agate and odd shaped agates. IMG_6037 by Findrocks, on Flickr Another picture showing the device secured in the horizontal saw vice. because of the box design it will also clamp in the vertical vice on the 20 in saw. IMG_6038 by Findrocks, on Flickr A view of the chain clamping devices. They were the trickiest to build. The chains can be clamped independently at different levels for a odd shaped rock by changing to a different level hole. IMG_6040 by Findrocks, on Flickr Now it's on to our next project, a better, more efficient Vibe Lap. High level discussions are in the requirement gathering stage, sometimes over games of Pool in my game room. Henry
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Post by HankRocks on May 19, 2024 8:38:42 GMT -5
Here's a picture of what's left of the tree and some of the limbs from it after the crew did their work IMG_6041 by Findrocks, on Flickr
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Post by HankRocks on May 19, 2024 7:19:40 GMT -5
They have some large tumblers available at Lowe's. Just need to change the baffles and come up with a lid. At $319. They're less money than a mini Sonic mt4! Your neighbors will love you!!!
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Post by HankRocks on May 19, 2024 6:58:09 GMT -5
This past Thursday evening a bit before 6:00 pm we got a weather alert of severe weather approaching from the northwest. Radar showed a very dark band with 2 or 3 swirl patterns and tracking directly for our immediate area. Wife and daughter emptied enough of the under the stair closet to shelter in and I quickly moved a few chairs in from the front porch and on the deck. Less than 10 minutes later all heck broke loose as the winds and driving rain hit and power went out. We heard later that we had winds in excess of 90 mph. Fortunately no damage to the house or to my trees. A large oak at the cul-de-sac entrance home completely uprooted and fell across the street effectively blocking access to 4 houses including ours. Within about 20 minutes after storm had passed folks started gathering at the fallen tree and before you know it the tree is being attacked. There was probably 20 people armed with various cutting tools removing the the tree small limb by small limb. One neighbor had a good chain saw and knew how to use it properly. As he cut bigger and bigger limbs I made sure that everyone was out of the way. After about 45 minutes we had opened one side of the street for cars to get in and out. (And no one worried about how anyone else votes, wish the media and the politicians would get the message!!)
The reports later confirmed 2 EF1 tornadoes had briefly touched down in the system. One of closest was as best I could tell was in a direct line for our house, fortunately it lifted about a mile or so away. We still had the 90 mph winds but could have been worse. We were out of power for 46 hours, a minor annoyance. I walked a good part of our subdivision and the main damage was to older fences and a few trees, we were lucky here.
When the 90 mph winds got to the downtown Houston area they made quite a mess. If anyone has been an area with multiple large building you are probably aware of the wind tunnel affect as any winds increase as they blow between large buildings. Pictures showed lots of windows on those buildings blown out.
Sadly there were 7 confirmed fatalities in the area due to the storm.
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Post by HankRocks on May 7, 2024 17:09:17 GMT -5
Hang in there, we are always here and I am glad you have some good tasks to focus on. One of the 4 inch an hour rain we have here would clean that granite off!! Diane enjoyed the dog picture. Henry No shortage of tasks here to burn off discomforts Henry. Lesson learned, deal w the aches and pains and avoid the painkillers. Was it hurricane Rita that dumped 50 inches on Houston. Incredible. 4 inches in an hour can be so destructive too. Texas does everything big. Liking those specimens you cut and buffed up. The wood looked very familiar. Texas also has fine silica. Denise took that photo of the pups. Harvey dumped 40 to 50 inches on Houston Galveston in 3 1/2 days. The Beaumont - Port Arthur area had 60 plus. You really cannot drive in a 4 inch an hour rain, although that doesn't seem to faze some fools. The worst I have been thru was the 2016 Tax Day Flood, we go almost 16 inches of rain in about 5 hours. We had between 8 and 10 inches during the Memorial Day 2016. It was a very wet month and half!!
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Post by HankRocks on May 7, 2024 6:25:56 GMT -5
Hang in there, we are always here and I am glad you have some good tasks to focus on.
One of the 4 inch an hour rain we have here would clean that granite off!!
Diane enjoyed the dog picture.
Henry
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Post by HankRocks on May 2, 2024 12:14:43 GMT -5
Don't have a great method, especially for the smaller slabs as I just fill the plastic shoe boxes. For the larger slabs I have used an assortment of re-purposed plastic containers that my wife sends to the garage. Tried organizing by type, but it breaks down with too many one off's. Problem now is that to impose a system would require a lot of table space to lay them all out.
I sold slabs for the first time this past February. Filled 2 square plastic containers about 15" x 15" maybe 5 inches tall. One had the larger slabs in two stand up rows and the other had the smaller ones in 4 rows. The large slabs were individually priced and the small were a set price for each with a discount for multiples. Both containers get set out on the table as is. One thing I have done since the Show that as I cut slabs, say 5 large slabs from the same rock I will put 2 or 3 in the sell container after they have been de-oiled. Did find 2 more square containers in garage attic and will start filling those as Show slabs.
One thing dawned on me about a year ago, pack as many sell items in flat plastic trays with lids. Most small to medium sized items will work that way. Get to the show, lids off and underneath the container on the table. Have about 40% of my show material in ready to set out containers and hope to get to about 70 to 75%. Set and pack up becomes a lot easier. The only items that will resist that method will be the larger pieces, minerals and large polished geodes, wood or agate.
Always looking to streamline the processes, especially since the force of gravity is getting stronger!!!
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 24, 2024 15:48:45 GMT -5
When I found my 24" saw I was not really in the market for one, just happened be browsing Craigslist about an hour after it was posted and promptly e-mailed the seller. As it turned out it was 15 minutes before the 2nd buyer e-mailed. In life one has to recognize opportunities when they arise and move on them. The seller threw in about 400 pounds of agate and geodes for free as he was retiring and moving out of the country.
A couple things about my 24 inch Highland Park model, it occupies a good bit of floor space, That and it can cut rocks that I cannot safely place on the carriage without help from someone. There are folks who can place a 50 pound rock gently on the carriage, I am not one of them. It also takes about 15 gallons of oil to fill. And cleanout is a character builder!!
Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 24, 2024 8:57:08 GMT -5
I would say that unless you have a need and you are able to find a real bargain do not buy one. In my case I had a good selection of large pieces and access to more and I lucked into a bargain 24" saw. In addition I have also developed a bit of a business, 3 to 4 shows a year, to recover "some" of my expenses.
Good luck Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 20, 2024 13:12:08 GMT -5
victor1941 Good looking flowers and fruit crop. What variety of apricot and peaches do you have? We have way too much humidity and critters for most fruit trees. The squirrel problem in my neighborhood is really bad. They are way over populated and will wipe out a fruit tree long before the crop is ready. I have counted 5 in my back yard at one time and that's just the ones I could see. Built some screen covers any for new seeds in the ground otherwise they would dig them all up. The hawks don't make much of a dent as the squirrels duck into bushes and thick foliage trees where hawks can't safely go. Our dog was pretty good at squirrel control until she got too old for the game. Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 20, 2024 5:36:11 GMT -5
It looks fine to me. My bet is someone will buy it for the color that happens to go with what they like to wear, or they just like the color.
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 17, 2024 10:07:43 GMT -5
Anyone familiar with Baseball and the book "The Boys of Summer", Carl Erskine the last player from that Brooklyn Dodger team passed away earlier this week. A short article with a brief write up on his life, a truly wonderful person. If you have never read the book, it is a really good read. The setting is baseball but the book is really about life. I have read it 3 times and plan on starting it again in a few days. Henry Carl Erskine
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 17, 2024 5:39:41 GMT -5
I'm glad you're not Lost... The wife and I were watching the Masters golf tournament this past Sunday and noticed, no cell phones. They are not allowed at the tournament. What a refreshing idea. The spectators had to actually watch what was going on. ...." and the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they made".... Those words ring true even louder these days.
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 12, 2024 5:45:00 GMT -5
The larva in the pet wood really caught my eye because of its counterpart I've found in coprolites. Can you tell if it's the remains of a larva, or the cast of its dung, or something else related? I said Larva, however it's probably Pupa or a Cocoon stage from some worm creature that lives in mostly dead or dying trees. I have seen the giant white caterpillars that you see when you break up old dead trees. I do not really see any internal structure. There is a void in part of the wood from this same piece that seems to indicate there was some decay in the original tree and the critters were working on it when it was buried in whatever preserved it. That's as much speculation as this amateur entomologist cares to engage in!
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 11, 2024 19:26:49 GMT -5
Here's a few pieces I have finished in the last month; Not sure what this is, looks to be river tumbled Jasper-Agate, not sure of the source. it's comes in at 1-3/4 pounds; IMG_6028 by Findrocks, on Flickr If you remember my "Mickey & Minnie" Thunderegg halves, it appears they had twins, Zombie-Apocalypse twins; IMG_6029 by Findrocks, on Flickr Piece of West Texas Petrified Wood. These are adjacent pieces. I did not notice what I think to be a Larve of some sort that was preserved in the wood; IMG_6031 by Findrocks, on Flickr Closer view of the Larve? IMG_6032 by Findrocks, on Flickr A polished thick slab of West Texas Petrified Wood measuring 8-1/2" x 6". Not sure the pic shows the all of the different colors in this one. I have 6 more 1/2" thick slabs cut from the same rock to polish(Vib Lap). Also have the remaining un-cut piece glued to a double 4x4 piece of wood. Probably get 2 maybe 3 more thick slabs befor the piece starts tapering down. IMG_6034 by Findrocks, on Flickr The last piece I call "howling at the moon" piece of white chalcedony from Round Mt collecting area in Arizona. IMG_6035 by Findrocks, on Flickr Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 11, 2024 5:21:12 GMT -5
I believe I have 2 or 3 cubes, maybe 3 inch, that were going to be trimmed up for spheres. They are in a flat with various other cubes for sphere trimming and shaping. When my back get's a little bit better I will pull them out. Was not aware of the value of these, they were in a bucket full I brought home several years ago. Here's a piece that was ready for the sphere machine that I tumble polished; IMG_4340 by Findrocks, on Flickr
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 10, 2024 13:51:32 GMT -5
I am probably a week or two away from freeing a tumbler to run them in. I was thinking about adding a few scraps of the Neoprene I used to cut out new lid liners. I have have both 1/16 and 1/8 inch thick pieces. Not sure how it will affect the tumble, however I should be able to move the pieces from stage to stage as they will wash out easier. Also thought about putting less grit, especially in the coarse, so that I can clean out more often and check on everything.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 10, 2024 12:33:31 GMT -5
I just bought about 10 pieces of obsidian grapefruit size, all different types. So I have no choice but to use the 12lb barrels but I will tumble them only with cushioning small pieces of something. Found 3 - 1 gallon Ziploc bags of Snowflake Obsidian in a bucket of material I bought 5 years or so ago. Sizes ranging from 1 1/2 to 3 inches. Will pull a few tumble candidates out of the bunch and give them a try. I have successfully tumble polished Apache Tears. The larger size will be the challenge. That and being sure to bleed any produced gas off every 2 or 3 days, especially during the coarse stage. Hope to run several of these in a single batch with lots of smalls. Also have about 3 buckets of large pieces including a few that will not fit into a model B barrel.
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 4, 2024 19:02:59 GMT -5
I usually give most people the benefit of the doubt as it's not always possible to know what personal issues they may be dealing with. Everyone has a different tolerance level for the troubles that happen in life.
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Post by HankRocks on Apr 4, 2024 18:38:10 GMT -5
Magnets area good idea. The only thing I do is make sure I use darker material so that the magnet is not visible through the rock. That's a personal choice for me. I also use the gel variety super glue so that it stays in a nice drop until I place the magnet on the it. Also have a plastic tweezer to hold magnet while placing it.
Henry
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