Peanut Obsidian + Stablizing Cabs
Nov 26, 2022 11:16:24 GMT -5
adrian65, QuailRiver, and 15 more like this
Post by liveoak on Nov 26, 2022 11:16:24 GMT -5
I'm not sure why this stone is called "obsidian" as I didn't feel it had any of the same characteristic as the glassy obsidian,
but I'm sure there must be a reason & maybe someone can enlighten me.
But I'm getting ahead of myself -
I was gifted a couple of wonderful box of rocks/slabs from wpotterw (Thank you again Bill),
and among the first box was a couple of pieces of Peanut Obsidian.
I had never seen it before & the flowery pattern in it is quite striking.
The only problem is, the pieces were brittle.
Bill suggested that they might work for a doublet & I indeed plan to do that with the next piece I tackle.
But I wanted to cab a piece & get on it with 
So first I had to stabilize it.
And I have to say after cabbing this one, after stabilizing, I can absolutely say 100% that my quick & dirty epoxy stabilizing works.
The Peanut obsidian was less than cooperative at first getting a polish, and I worked & re-worked it and finally tortured it into submission, and never had it even thought to crumble again.
You can see the larger pieces still have the overflow of epoxy showing.
And the little broken pieces were typical of the character of the lot.
So for the record ( although I've posted it before)-
Patty's Quick & Dirty stabilization recipe:
First I take my preforms & put them on a warming tray, or in a toaster oven on low.
Then I mix my optical clear epoxy (could be 330) I actually used Easy Cast , as it's what I have on hand.
First you mix the epoxy to the instructions.
This specific epoxy is equal parts 1-1 mix.
Then you stir the epoxy and keep stirring it until it starts to get thick & a little warm (starting to "kick")
then and only then do you add the acetone.
In other words you have to let the epoxy react BEFORE you put the acetone in it.
I add NO MORE acetone than 1/3 of the amount of epoxy you mixed.
I use a syringe to add it.
If you put too much acetone in, it will keep the epoxy from fully cross-linking & defeat the purpose.
Same thing if you add it too soon.
After stirring in the acetone, I take my warmed pre-forms and set it in a silicone mold,
or on a piece of plastic or wax paper & flood it with the epoxy mix to completely cover the cab.
Then you just let it cool naturally.
As the stone cools, it will tend to draw the epoxy into any of the pores.
After leaving it overnight to cool, I put it under an incandescent bulb for the next day to fully cure the epoxy.
Once the epoxy is hard, grind away
Works for me
Patty
First I take my preforms & put them on a warming tray, or in a toaster oven on low.
Then I mix my optical clear epoxy (could be 330) I actually used Easy Cast , as it's what I have on hand.
First you mix the epoxy to the instructions.
This specific epoxy is equal parts 1-1 mix.
Then you stir the epoxy and keep stirring it until it starts to get thick & a little warm (starting to "kick")
then and only then do you add the acetone.
In other words you have to let the epoxy react BEFORE you put the acetone in it.
I add NO MORE acetone than 1/3 of the amount of epoxy you mixed.
I use a syringe to add it.
If you put too much acetone in, it will keep the epoxy from fully cross-linking & defeat the purpose.
Same thing if you add it too soon.
After stirring in the acetone, I take my warmed pre-forms and set it in a silicone mold,
or on a piece of plastic or wax paper & flood it with the epoxy mix to completely cover the cab.
Then you just let it cool naturally.
As the stone cools, it will tend to draw the epoxy into any of the pores.
After leaving it overnight to cool, I put it under an incandescent bulb for the next day to fully cure the epoxy.
Once the epoxy is hard, grind away
Works for me
Patty
