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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 6, 2024 18:53:56 GMT -5
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 5, 2024 18:08:04 GMT -5
Thanks, Patty! I copied the link and then forgot to do that dang paste thingy. SFB!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 4, 2024 23:27:40 GMT -5
That's interesting, Gary. Is that something you have to disclose or is it industry standard kind of thing?
I wouldn't quite call blackening the epoxy an industry standard, Tela, but it's very common. I've generally not disclosed it online, but I really should mention it. Something like this ought to suffice:
"To maximze the brightness of the opal layer, it has been backed with <black jade, black jasper, ...> and cemented with black epoxy."
Gary, that's actually perfect wording. I am going to steal it if you don't mind.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 4, 2024 23:06:14 GMT -5
The more look at everybody’s work I keep wondering where your templates are coming from. I have a basic set with standard shapes circles ovals and pears. Some of the shapes that get posted here are fantastic the shapes and materials. I’m still working on finding decent slabs, being so new to this it’s hard to judge good from something I should pass on. Well thx for reading. Here are some templates you can download. A lot of people get templates from Cabtopia on Etsy. I have some of them and they are quality templates with different shapes than the standard cab shapes.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 4, 2024 10:28:46 GMT -5
I assemble opal doublets with 330 epoxy and always blacken it with a small amount of either carbon black or mars black. That's interesting, Gary. Is that something you have to disclose or is it industry standard kind of thing? Tela, it's standard practice for opal doublets. You always want to back an opal with a black backing because it makes the colors pop. I used to use black opal potch for my backings, but that has become hard to find now and if you can find it, it's stupid expensive for just black potch. Likewise, if you're doing inlay, you want the inside of the setting you inlay in to also be black for the same reason.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 3, 2024 21:06:39 GMT -5
Dang, you sure have gotten to be a pro at those hooks. They're beautiful.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 3, 2024 21:03:53 GMT -5
Holy sh*t! Gorgeous stuff!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 3, 2024 11:01:23 GMT -5
That’s really cool, the limb within the coprolite. I’ve never been a huge fan of coprolite, no offense, just never grabbed me. But I do like that limb inside the larger coprolite. I could see displaying that. It tells a story.👍 It doesn't really grab you, just kind of clings on!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 2, 2024 22:23:43 GMT -5
Awesome wraps, rockbrain! They are very unique and I would call the hammered ones "your style", too. Kudos! You have a really good eye for design and a great imagination to go with it.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 1, 2024 22:13:52 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 1, 2024 22:05:09 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona!
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New
Feb 29, 2024 21:21:36 GMT -5
Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 29, 2024 21:21:36 GMT -5
Hi and welcome from Northern Arizona!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 29, 2024 21:19:59 GMT -5
Welcome from Northern Arizona! You are in perfect company here. We all have rocks everywhere and will enable any additional rock acquisitions you care to make.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 28, 2024 22:55:04 GMT -5
Beauties!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 28, 2024 21:18:47 GMT -5
Take him to a groomer or the vet who can put a muzzle on him while his nails are getting clipped. He won't be mad at you for too long. Funny you mentioned that. That's exactly what I told my wife...either he calms down while I do it...or we get a muzzle...or we take him to a groomer and have them do it! Better to pay for him to be mad at someone else!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 28, 2024 19:59:21 GMT -5
Rick, they are all beautiful, but the half dome is phenominal! Vince would have been proud. Thanks Robin. He did a fantastic job of finding the good rutile but some pieces tested my cutting ability to the max. Wish he were here to critique them! Oh, he's critiquing them. You can be sure of that.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 28, 2024 19:43:04 GMT -5
Rick, they are all beautiful, but the half dome is phenominal! Vince would have been proud.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 28, 2024 8:17:52 GMT -5
Someone needs his nails trimmed. You're not kidding!! I love this dog...and he is a love bug...until I try to cut his nails. He won't let me do it. I've done it once in the last several months...and it was dicey. I gotta figure out how to do it so be doesn't try to bite me when I'm trying to cut them. He hasn't nailed me...but I'm not convinced he wouldn't. It's the only thing he won't let me do! Take him to a groomer or the vet who can put a muzzle on him while his nails are getting clipped. He won't be mad at you for too long.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 28, 2024 7:57:26 GMT -5
khara I did have a good laugh! Thank you! My rocks are strewn all over. There are rocks everywhere! They are "somewhat" organized. My studio has most of the higher dollar stuff in it. I have flat files full of slabs and smaller rough that are pretty organized. Most of the slabs that I bought years ago off of Ebay I either taped the description and price that I cut off the receipt on them or put it in the plastic bag it was shipped in. This is my "too pretty to cut" material, which was a good idea back when I bought the stuff, but now I'm wondering what the hell I was saving it for? Nobody but me really cares about it and it will all get sold for way less than what it's worth when I croak. The saw shop has rocks in boxes on racks and in cabinets stuffed full. There is no extra space in there for any more rocks. There are rocks from club members houses that I've sold all around my house outside and on the back porch. Behind the saw shop is a rock pile of stuff including a mess of Serape that Vince bought a couple of years ago from a lady whose husband had owned a rock shop. Crazy lace from that same purchase is in crates in the greenhouse. I need to get serious about getting rid of a lot of it, but it's a bit overwhelming now that it's just me.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 27, 2024 23:04:50 GMT -5
When you buy rough or slabs, how do you track the cost that you paid, and also the names/locations/vendor that you purchased from? How do you organize your slabs and rough in a way that you can find what you paid for them originally? Or do you even care, and instead consider current market value only?
Purchased cabs are easy, a price, name, and locale can be written on the baggie. This can also 'sort of' be done with slabs. Not so easy though with rough unless there is already a cut face.
Receipts aren't so much my question. I can easily find and see my receipts for a year. But those are in my computer, or in a file folder. My rocks are spread around stored in boxes. How do you connect the two??? How do you find the original receipt from 2017 for a rock you are cutting and potentially selling today, and you don't actually remember that it was purchased in 2017, or even remember the name of it?
Back when I was a kid and started collecting rocks, I learned about the inventory system where you put a numbered sticker on the bottom of the specimen and keep a log book of info. Ya... that sounded like too much work at the age of 11, and... I also probably couldn't find a cute enough notebook. This sounds smart, if you start it at the beginning, which, obviously I didn't. But, it also sounds not very realistic for rough rock.
Thoughts appreciated!
Surely, you jest!
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