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Post by HankRocks on Dec 10, 2020 17:23:54 GMT -5
Last week I toured the Wesley Bolin Plaza Park at the Arizona State Capitol Complex. The Pearl Harbor name display emotionally affected me. Went back yesterday and captured some pictures. All the 1,177 names from USS Arizona are stamped on metal slabs and individually hung. The artist/architecture of Arizona are real ingenious about capturing the sunlight & solstice shadow. the Memorial is difficult to capture in with my photo skills Hope you enjoy them for what was solemn occurrence have an interest there is plenty of information on the Memorial and USS Arizona en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Bolin_Memorial_Plaza My wife and I went there many years ago and also took the shuttle boat out to the Arizona memorial. Seeing those 1177 names on the wall was an emotional moment that neither of us will ever forget. Thanks for posting.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 9, 2020 9:39:15 GMT -5
I seen Roy was cleaning his shop out because he had only game trails to get around. Well my game trails were blocked by more pails. Well I bought a container. Now I have room for another couple hundred pails abd more equip. I guess I can start with the last trailer load. I have one more yet to haul. When you "Throw down the Gauntlet" you don't mess around, did it have to be the nuclear option!! Guess I need to do a bucket inventory to see where I stand!
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 4, 2020 14:11:03 GMT -5
Thank you very much, 1dave ! I appreciate the kind words, and you know that I enjoy the whole process of learning, and putting the pieces together some come full circle on these Stromatolite guys.
I also agree that lapidary is an art which is evolving for me. When I started out, I used templates for all of my grinding. Dop sticks, templates. This produces a most pleasing result if you are patient and skilled. There is some extra beauty added to a stone which is geometrically shaped or symmetrically fashioned. But I have drifted more towards freeforms this past year. I am trying to let the stone tell me what it wants to be. If that makes any sense! But I believe that each stone has an intended shape or design in mind, and that I just need to find out what that is. I try to allow every stone be that best that it can be. But I am too inexperienced to really be able to do this very often with success so early in my lapidary career.
Wow! Will you look at that!! Your pictures are amazing! All of those little rock guys sitting naturally out there on the plains, waiting to be discovered like that! The coloration of the Eastern Utah ones which you found are incredible. Much richer in color than the ones in my Southern Nevada neighborhood. I was going to spend a bunch of time on the RTH this morning, but your like has me more than intrigued. I am going to have to follow the link and begin to read up on the rocks found in Eastern Utah (where I have spent a great deal of time lately, Gunlock & Holt). Your Rocks of Paradise article was very inspiring and timely for me as well. I appreciate your time very much! "....Be the Rock..."
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 3, 2020 18:01:00 GMT -5
For the last year or so, I have had terrible tip of the tongue syndrome. Words just escape me. They are right on the tip of my tongue but I can't for the life of me remember what they are. I don't think it is a side effect from my daily meds. I also forget things, where I never really did before. Here lately, I've been really worried about my memory and some kind of (early) dementia. My dad had vascular dementia. So, I did some research and ran across a test online. Turns out it's normal age related memory issues. But, man- it sure scared me!!!
Any of you notice this issue as you age? Yes. Doesn't matter who I am talking to, or what the subject is. Some words just escape me. I'll be talking with my Dad, and more and more often, I find myself telling him "I lost my words." Happened today talking with my DH, but did come up with it an hour or so later. I wonder if there is an island of lost words somewhere? LOL. I think there's a whole chain of islands, one for all the missing Pens, and another for all the missing socks. And there has to be one for all the words my wife said she told me but never got to my ears!( I know I am thin ice with that one!!)
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 3, 2020 13:40:17 GMT -5
Oh I am gonna have so many pics...! Thanks Jason and I forgot to add earlier - good point about the 40lb. I would have no trouble keeping it running during warmer months but may come up short during winter. One other point about a 40lb tumbler. It needs to be picked up and moved around every cleanout. I consider myself in decent shape and with decent strength and I would not even consider wrestling a 40lb model on a regular basis, the strain on my back would be an issue. I have 3 - Thumler's Model B's and that gives me the flexibility of running 3 different types of loads. Plus they are reasonably easy to tote around.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 2, 2020 17:27:48 GMT -5
Used Ceramics for a couple of months but switched to Pea Gravel as a cheaper alternative. It is only used for a Run of Slabs/Pendant Preforms or a Run of Arkansas Quartz. In most cases for the Slab/Pendant Preform run I usually have enough trimmings from the Preforms to add and only add the Pea Gravel to make up any difference. For the Quartz I happen to have come into possession of about 3 gallons of small Apache Tears that I use as the smalls. On the Quartz I usually make a couple coarse runs to get enough material to move to the later stages.
I did use Plastic Pellets for a short time, but decided that they were a pain to mess with so I dis-continued their use.
I never add any Pea Gravel to a normal run of Agate, Jasper or Wood. Try to have a size balanced load, but sometimes not. Have a load of Petrified Wood in Pre-polish that has no smalls at all and everything is in the 3/4" to 1.5" range with a few larger
The only time I add Pea Gravel to a Agate/Jasper?Wood run is for Polish as I am moving from a 15 pound Thumlers B to an UV-18 Vib machine. I end up adding about 3 pounds of previously Pea Gravel.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 2, 2020 7:38:18 GMT -5
I suspect that anybody who asks you to make a sphere has no real concept of the work involved. The Saw time alone it daunting. And not just the cutting, the setting up the cuts. At one time I thought about making a few just to do it. I backed off once I understood the work and time required. I had much better ways to spend my time.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 1, 2020 19:08:24 GMT -5
I would say not petrified wood, don't see the grain.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 1, 2020 13:29:31 GMT -5
It seems to me that the 46/70 will breakdown to a extremely fine grit, just not sure it will ever be a true polish as it is still has it's sharp edges. It might give you a close to great polish, but not quite the high polish. Only one way to find out.
I would also think that you will be able to judge progress by the sound. I can usually tell if the run is getting too much slurry rock noise disappears, or getting a smooth finish which gives a different tone to the rock to rock hits or so it seems in my mind.
Talk about patience!! as I quoted the other day, "Beware the fury of a Patient Man!!"
Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 29, 2020 8:18:28 GMT -5
"They swept in out of the frozen wastelands of the North, pillaging as they went. No collection or equipment was safe from this marauding hoard"!!!
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 29, 2020 7:46:53 GMT -5
To kind of give perspective. Here's the trailer. Now that's a "collecting" rig!!!
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 28, 2020 18:13:49 GMT -5
Tela, Belated Happy Birthday!!
At least none of us are getting older!!!
Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 28, 2020 18:10:01 GMT -5
....and a partridge in a pear tree!!!
Seriously, nice haul.
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 28, 2020 7:43:19 GMT -5
1dave Happy Birthday, a bit late but in Geologic time not so much. You are truly the Sensei of this Forum and your efforts to educate are most appreciated.
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 23, 2020 7:51:39 GMT -5
I bought 3 Super Balls of about the same size for my Lortone 20 Vib Lap. Think they have been in use for over 2 years. Not familiar with the Raytech machine but I suspect it's the same as the Lortone and needs three to replace the original hard rubber balls.
Found mine in the Dollar store.
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 22, 2020 4:45:48 GMT -5
I have no consistent process. My first stage can consist of 3 different grits; 46/70 SiC, 60/90 SiC, 80 SiC. The selection of which depends on the type of rocks being run. If it's mix of Agate/Jasper/Pet Wood, then the first stage will be 46/70 for initial, then about 3 days another re-charge 46/70, then 3 more days and last re-charge of 60/90 and 3 to 4 days to empty. After first stage is sorting time, advance or repeat. If advance then it goes into the "ready for 2nd stage" bucket. My logic was that the last re-charge was with slightly finer grit so to breakdown to a slightly finer grit finish. The re-charges give me a chance to check slurry and rock level. I sometimes add a few rocks at recharge time.
One main reason I use 60/90 is that I came into 50 plus pounds from my old friend, so I use it, otherwise I would go with 80 for the last re-charge. If I were to come into a slightly different coarse grit, I would adjust my process to use it. Size of first grit is not set in stone(no pun intended!!)
Then at some later date I take a batch the Agate/Jasper/Petrified Wood and most times I go straight to a 600 SiC 2nd stage followed by an 80 AO stage followed by polish. In some case I add a 220 SiC stage before the 600 SIC stage. That's really just because I feel like it, no solid reason other than maybe just a bit more fine grinding.
If the Initial load is "flat" run, all slabs/slab-ettes/pendant pre-forms and smalls then I start with 80 SiC and no re-charges for about 10 days. I do add a bit more grit than the Agate/Jasper/Pet Wood run. My thought is that the Flat rocks of this load will breakdown the grit slower and thus grind slower. I always do a 220 SiC stage with the flat run, again more grinding. Then a 600 SiC run followed by a 500 AO prepolish. My feeling is the flat run is the better suited for a 500 AO run due to the slower breakdown rate. After that it's polish run. My finish on Pendant stones and slabs has been really good so I don' change it.
My Arkansas Crystal Quartz runs are treated like Agate/Jasper/Pet Wood initially, then like a Flat run for everything after.
(note; every stage except polish is in the Rotary, and Polish except for the a VLR(very large rock) is in the UV-18)
I do tend to add extra days to various stages if I feel the need. The old wisdom that a few more days here-and there are not really harmful, and are usually helpful to the final product. Runs can also be extended for time constraints and weather, or I just don't feel like doing it today. Extra days can be your friend.
"Beware the Fury of a Patient man"!!
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 20, 2020 13:24:59 GMT -5
Always like the petrified wood.
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 19, 2020 22:50:43 GMT -5
RWA3006 Not really sure where it came from. It does not appear to be any of the West Texas Wood. It's was probably in the material I bought from my late Central Texas friend. One problem with is that he had bought a good bit years back from an "old rockhound". That tends to really obscure the origin. jasoninsd The halves are just over 6 inches tall so they would make good bookends. This piece of wood had a very tortured history, there are a couple of color shifts along fractures that are difficult to explain, it resembles an in-lay in two or 3 spots.
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 19, 2020 21:12:15 GMT -5
Polished this end cut in the last Pendant/slab tumble. I believe it's Needle Peak, maybe even Lajitas Mesa. When I look at it I see one of the Middle Earth Forests, Lothlorien as I see Galladriel's light just to the left and below center. IMG_2312 by Findrocks, on Flickr
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 19, 2020 21:04:13 GMT -5
Pulled this Petrified Wood from the Bone Yard a couple weeks ago. Cut a flat base and then split it. Had not seen one that the color patterns were so segmented. I used 4 wooden wedges to clamp it in place on the saw for the split. One of those fingers-crossed cuts! IMG_2307 by Findrocks, on Flickr IMG_2308 by Findrocks, on Flickr Exterior IMG_2309 by Findrocks, on Flickr
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