goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Oct 18, 2017 20:47:02 GMT -5
Weird. I had two 2-barrel HF tumblers going for a year and a half straight and not once broke a belt. I'm tumbling some more glass and trim scraps and it's working just fine. One of these days I'll get a Lortone I know a few other people that say the same thing....Makes a guy wonder what goes on with their machines...LOL Yep, me to. Bought my double barrel just before the last Christmas and have run it 24/7. Never thought about the belt but if you need to buy a bunch I've found great product/price/service at: www.durabelt.com/roundoringinfo.php
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Oct 18, 2017 20:43:09 GMT -5
My friend has a HF and it feeds off belts,like we eat burgers..Belt being replaced every few months! (Not good)!!! A few other people around here have some too,pure junk! They won't tumble when its hot out,the motor gets to warm.. A friend of mine had one that just quit on him... I'm going to tear it apart to see how and why it gave up... Should be interesting.. Yes save the extra $50.00 and get a nice tumbler that will last for years to come! I have my Dad's old Lortone 3A,its over 35 years old,going strong.. Well then you wanna go here my friend: www.durabelt.com/roundoringinfo.php
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Oct 9, 2017 18:30:23 GMT -5
yes !! a 2 stage separator ! Prelude to coarse grit diamond grit seperation. COUP de GRAS Making an offer on your patent Well sure, but don't forget to use the lightest stuff to polish your fogged car lenses. And it polishes the car very nicely too! Make sure all the scratchy stuff goes somewhere else. Only made that mistake once.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Sept 22, 2017 15:36:35 GMT -5
Not Amethyst. I purchased the oval stones years ago and cannot remember what they are. Know I have seen some on here before. Ametrine is the rock. Dang it I just saw the picture. Ain't ametrine.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Sept 5, 2017 19:23:49 GMT -5
Just me. And little boat. I am staying at the Western Inn in Quitman. Never been there. It's small town off the beaten path about 15 minutes from the collecting area. Interstate hotels all booked due to Irma. I have no structured plans other than hitting the river during day light. Can't wait to see what you find.....be sure to send pics. Andrea Passed over the 'cooch yesterday; it was up about two feet and turgid. Lotsa rain.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Sept 5, 2017 19:04:15 GMT -5
I have to admit that after five years of tumbling, I haven't figured out how to throw away rocks. I keep almost everything in the tumbler until it gets smooth or it disappears. I do occasionall throw a rock away, but very occasionally. I tumble a lot of crap. I am going to commit right now that I will do a better job of throwing out more rocks. I don't understand how you inspect wet, Drummond Island Rocks . Do you do it under water, or fresh out of the water? For me, the water sort of smooths over imperfections. I like to inspect freshly dried rocks. I wipe any questionable rocks with a rag. The water stays in the cracks and makes them show up better against the dry surfaces. Obviously bad rocks I sort wet. Whatever you do, it's working. Nah, just take jamesp's advice about "crap in, crap out" Way less to pick up and way less to throw out.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Aug 25, 2017 15:58:45 GMT -5
PC disclaimer: If I have insulted any actual prostitutes, I do apologize.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Aug 14, 2017 20:08:42 GMT -5
I have been tumbling small slabs, 1 to 2 inch. Most of them I shaped(preformed) on the tile saw and then smoothed the edges on an 80 grit diamond wheel. It does take more time, but the shapes generally come out nicer than just plain slices of rock. I am tumbling them in a Thumler's B -15lb tumbler usually with 30 to 40% small pebbles or scraps from the tile saw stage. Have started adding 6 to 8 bigger slabs up to 5 inches in the load. Sometimes I leave a good slab as it is cut with good Plume or Bouquet just trimming away any soft area and preserve as much Plume or Bouquet as possible. One day I might graduate to doing Cabs, might even need to go to Cab School!! Tumbling with what sized grit please?
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Aug 14, 2017 19:49:35 GMT -5
Looks like private property to me All of this is private property?
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Aug 3, 2017 17:51:34 GMT -5
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
|
Post by goatgrinder on Jul 14, 2017 16:45:39 GMT -5
Looks like maybe hematite? Very common for hematite to cover minerals here in Georgia.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Jul 14, 2017 16:44:32 GMT -5
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
|
Post by goatgrinder on Apr 25, 2017 20:32:13 GMT -5
And this 265 lb stump was carried by my son (who found it) down the river in a leaky raft, loaded it into the car and unloaded it in my Pet Wood cemetery. Thanks to Steven King. Oh pooh, the pic was too big; that is one big chunk of wood.
Any pointers on how I can get the picture in here? It's only about 115Kb.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 25, 2017 19:30:00 GMT -5
Kinda looks like ocean tumbled serpentine?
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 25, 2017 19:25:33 GMT -5
You can go farther with Lake Superior agates, we find those in the alluvial deposits at mines in Mississippi where we also hunt fossils. Best.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 25, 2017 19:23:08 GMT -5
That's super cool! You got an early start today. Love it. Question about ME. Are all stromatolites Mary Ellens or only certain patterns and/or colors? I have a piece or two that I collected near Wamsutter Wy, but they are just dull brown stromatolites. Mary Ellen Jasper got its name as this reddish material was originally found at the Mary Ellen iron mine I believe in Gilbert MN. So any of the stromatolites in this area are called Mary Ellen no mater what mine they are from, even the ones we find in the pits. Mary Ellen is usually the reddish orange (laurentian mine) or brick red and black (Mary Ellen mine) and inferior material in different mines. Everywhere else I believe they just refer to them as stromatolites. There is material that has formed in mats instead of the defined columns we usually associate with the stromatolites. I will try and get a pic of that. The material found in the pits can be orange, purple and any color inbetween. This is cause by the staining of minerals in the soil. The material in the mines is blasted out during their regular operations and turned in to steel. It is ancient iron rich mountains, and forms in thick seams. The material in the pits are the same origin but deposited in the glacial till about 7 to 11 thousand years ago in this area. If it is like Lake Superior agates it would be found as far south as Kansas and west to Nebraska. Kind of long winded and I hope this didn't confuse.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 25, 2017 19:18:46 GMT -5
What everybody above me said.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 24, 2017 15:13:24 GMT -5
As a knife maker you should already have a belt sander and grinder. SiC belts are available for wet or dry shaping and come to very little $$. Easy to use, fast and easy to clean and change out for finer grits and use of polishing belts of other material. I should add that my 7in tile saw was picked up at GoodWill for $20, and I've had it for years. Best of luck.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 13, 2017 18:31:07 GMT -5
Great photo. Post more if you gottem please, or close ups of the original will do.
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goatgrinder
spending too much on rocks
Make mine a man cave
Member since January 2017
Posts: 368
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Post by goatgrinder on Apr 13, 2017 18:22:06 GMT -5
Hit it with a hammer?
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