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Post by rmf on Jan 15, 2021 4:20:23 GMT -5
danielsan52 Yes those are quartz, If in doubt try to scratch them with a piece of sharp glass. Glass should not scratch them.
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Post by rmf on Jan 15, 2021 4:17:54 GMT -5
wear leather gloves, watch for snakes and other unfriendly locals. figure out what you are looking for and look at images on the web so you are familiar. Look for details that say "these characteristics" defines that mineral/rock. Train you eye what to look for.
For example if I were looking for Galena or Fluorite The first thing is I would look for rocks with cleavege. Know what that looks like. If I were looking for agate I would see if there are banding or moss etc. Look at colors that are different from back ground rock, or a waxy luster. Thing out of place/different
I found a vertebra once because there was a round circle on one end. A perfectly round circle is not typical in nature... ding ding ding check that out.
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Post by rmf on Jan 15, 2021 4:06:18 GMT -5
rockhoundmn If they dont need 60/90 start them at 220. If you dont want to change the shape much and just lightly polish. Use a vib tumbler with 220 grit for 3days or so then proceed with 600 and polish. I once had some small quartz crystals from brazil that were frosted but had nice crystal faces and terminations. I tumbled with 220 3 days, 600 - 3 days, followed by polish in a vib and the outside still had the crystal faces, they were clear and nolonger frosted. Not perfect but sell able.
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Post by rmf on Jan 15, 2021 3:58:21 GMT -5
holajonathan thanks for the kind words and the reply. Just to let you know I also heat with wood when it is below 32deg F. we have and electric heat pump and wood is cheaper than the extra E-heat below 32F. We bought a fireplace insert 40 yr ago figuring we would not use it much. I was not going to buy wood. I love to split it by hand and I have all my wood from our property. I figured break even in 10-15 years now going on 40+ How wierd is that? BTW that is real wood not petrified wood:)
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Post by rmf on Jan 13, 2021 5:42:04 GMT -5
Invisible rocks are truly hard to find. I have spent hours just in my shop looking for them.
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Post by rmf on Jan 13, 2021 5:38:54 GMT -5
holajonathan I like the question you are asking because is shows an analytical mind trying to maximize the rough you have and figure the best way to proceed. This is exactly what the RTH is for and many on here have done the same before one way or another. From my point of view: Lets say the average "rock in the box" above cost you $6.00/lb and there are 45 pounds. Your total cost for the pile of rocks is 45lb*$6/lb=>$270. If you waste 32% in the saw kerf, then when you get done you will have 45lb-14.4lb=> 30.6lb of slabs. If we take the loss at $6/lb*14.4lb=> $86 is the cost of lost rock. If the other method results in 18% loss the 45lb*.18=> 8.1lbs of lost rock. That means the difference between the methods is 14.4lb - 8.1lb => 6.3lb*$6/lb=>$37.80 in incremental loss. What is missing is how long will it take you to slab the 45lb of rock with the big saw and how long will it take to slab with the small saw. If it is 1 hr then you have saved $37.80 in an hour and you can say I am worth $37.8/hour. If on the other hand it will take 4 more hours then that number is down to more like $9+ per hour. So what is your time worth?
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Post by rmf on Jan 12, 2021 13:08:34 GMT -5
kozman Based on pic, and assuming WI, I would guess Red Jasper with Hematite. If you have a saw and slice it it may give a better ID. It sould take a good polish tumbled or cabbed.
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Post by rmf on Jan 12, 2021 12:55:25 GMT -5
NevadaBill I like your work especially the Long Holt Jasper. Where is the coral from that you used for the background? Thank you much for the kind words. I appreciate that. The stone which I often use for my background is a large chunk of Petrified Palm Wood, which I found in the Horse Spring Formation, Nevada, Clark County. I have only found a couple of them though, but I am sure that more thorough searching of the expansive region would reveal more to me.
At first I thought it was Coral also. The end section certainly looks like it to me. But a local geologist corrected me. Several experts on the RTH have also identified the stone as such also. So I am sure of it.
The chunk is about the size of a softball and each side of it reveals a completely different look in to what was once no doubt a palm branch or limb cross section of sorts. So it sits on a shelf in a book case in the family room. I like the natural appearance and probably will not attempt to polish it in any way.
Thanks for the info and correction. Maybe some day I will get the chance to look west of the Mississippi.
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Post by rmf on Jan 11, 2021 3:43:24 GMT -5
I agree that's really cool Chuck! Looks like you took the sad face off a lizard in the slab. Are You sure it is just a lizard? When I looked at it for 15 minutes I thought I could save 15%.
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Post by rmf on Jan 10, 2021 23:06:01 GMT -5
The simple answer is diamond. If you are using diamond make sure you use light pressure. Diamond with too much pressure on a soft stone cuts groves too deep.
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Post by rmf on Jan 10, 2021 11:40:40 GMT -5
BTW hard drives are cheap let your descendants sort them out.
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Post by rmf on Jan 10, 2021 11:37:51 GMT -5
I don't really spend a lot of time taking rock pictures. I have a total of 10,041 images in my Images directory, This includes other interests as well including 246 fossil images from the Sternberg fossil museum in Hays KS, 259 Steam Tractor images, family images etc. In my Cabbing rough image database I have 1372 images I use to ID lapidary rough. This directory gets a lot of use and I am always on the lookout for new rough images
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Post by rmf on Jan 9, 2021 21:38:38 GMT -5
nicely done
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Post by rmf on Jan 9, 2021 10:08:50 GMT -5
Although I agree with those above. If I were to tumble them I would use a small vib tumbler like the Mini-sonic tumbler. I would start with pea gravel and 220 grit to minimize grinding loss and breakage. Polish with Al2O3.
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Post by rmf on Jan 9, 2021 10:05:02 GMT -5
I have a moss agate Lake Superior I purchased when I stopped at Kingsley North some years ago(it was cheaper but I had not seen it before), I have seen Lake Superiors with Copper in them in a museum at Houghton, MI these are rare. Other subdivisions of Lake Superior Agates I do not know.
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Post by rmf on Jan 8, 2021 15:16:26 GMT -5
NevadaBill I like your work especially the Long Holt Jasper. Where is the coral from that you used for the background?
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Post by rmf on Jan 8, 2021 7:59:37 GMT -5
As stated above the first images looked like a granitic pattern. But the last images look like neither wood or granitic. The latter images look like stratomolite.
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Post by rmf on Jan 8, 2021 7:55:45 GMT -5
Tumblers I have seen don't beep. sounds like an electrical issue. make sure the drum is 75% full though.
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Post by rmf on Jan 8, 2021 7:49:19 GMT -5
petoskeycheryl I had read that felt wheels work good for polishing Jade. I picked one up in a collection and tried to use it. The big problem with felt is that it builds up heat rapidly. With Jade I ran into problems because the jade handles the heat well the dop wax did not. Try polishing the petoskey stone with a little oxalic acid mixed in with your tin oxide. this gives a good polish on calcium carbonate materials (petoskey stone, marble, travertine). I use muslin buffs for most finishing with generous amounts of water. I just put up with the strings. I like polishing on leather best but leather belts stretch and polish pads are not convenient. Hope this helps.
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Post by rmf on Jan 7, 2021 2:37:12 GMT -5
Is this from GA? If so one of the problems with it include pits that are not filled and also some of the bands have a layer of koalinite which causes them to separate. Have not found a suitable treatment. However I am looking into treating with sodium silicate and Citric acid to see if that works. If it does I would think rough tumbling first then seal. followed by the finishing the tumble. just a guess though
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