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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 19:14:55 GMT -5
I'm finally getting closer to stabilizing. I've got a med bin full of problematic stuff including chrysocollas and azurite. I'm also throwing in some test pieces of Sonora Sunrise and Indian Paint stone. All soft stuff.
My question is: How do I put them in the vacuum pot? Can I stack them? That doesn't seem right. It seems like it would trap a lot of air. I can try to lean them on their sides, but if something fell over, it might break that one and others. I have a 5 gallon pot and I will be putting a bucket inside of it. I'm using cactus juice.
Thanks!
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 4, 2023 20:01:20 GMT -5
I have never stabilized before. I bought an expensive piece of blue dot chrysocolla. The seller had another piece of the material and his comments were stabilized with starbond. I asked him if my piece was also stabilized. He said if it was shiny on the outside it probably was. I got a large slab of jellybean. I saw fracture lines and some small pits. I dropped it on the table a few times and it fractured a lot. Better now than later. I bought some starbond thin on Amazon and it seems like a simpler process.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 4, 2023 20:10:15 GMT -5
I'm finally getting closer to stabilizing. I've got a med bin full of problematic stuff including chrysocollas and azurite. I'm also throwing in some test pieces of Sonora Sunrise and Indian Paint stone. All soft stuff.
My question is: How do I put them in the vacuum pot? Can I stack them? That doesn't seem right. It seems like it would trap a lot of air. I can try to lean them on their sides, but if something fell over, it might break that one and others. I have a 5 gallon pot and I will be putting a bucket inside of it. I'm using cactus juice.
Thanks!
Hmmmm. I don't know of course, but I think what I would do is maybe put one or two slabs flat on the bottom the then lean the rest along the sides of the bucket with their edges against the one(s) on the bottom. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 20:13:26 GMT -5
I'm finally getting closer to stabilizing. I've got a med bin full of problematic stuff including chrysocollas and azurite. I'm also throwing in some test pieces of Sonora Sunrise and Indian Paint stone. All soft stuff.
My question is: How do I put them in the vacuum pot? Can I stack them? That doesn't seem right. It seems like it would trap a lot of air. I can try to lean them on their sides, but if something fell over, it might break that one and others. I have a 5 gallon pot and I will be putting a bucket inside of it. I'm using cactus juice.
Thanks!
Hmmmm. I don't know of course, but I think what I would do is maybe put one or two slabs flat on the bottom the then lean the rest along the sides of the bucket with their edges against the one(s) on the bottom. That's pretty much what I was thinking, but I have a lot of slabs to do. Maybe I should run some experiments first. I'm so torn! |
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 20:15:16 GMT -5
I have never stabilized before. I bought an expensive piece of blue dot chrysocolla. The seller had another piece of the material and his comments were stabilized with starbond. I asked him if my piece was also stabilized. He said if it was shiny on the outside it probably was. I got a large slab of jellybean. I saw fracture lines and some small pits. I dropped it on the table a few times and it fractured a lot. Better now than later. I bought some starbond thin on Amazon and it seems like a simpler process. Starbond works for quick fixes, but the cactus juice actually sinks into porous material. It's not meant for cracks per say. For cracks I have Art Resin. |
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Mar 4, 2023 20:20:13 GMT -5
rockjunquie I'm assuming you're stabilizing preforms? I would think you could put something thin like a toothpick between them and stack them up. Then the juice could work it's way in between them.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 20:23:59 GMT -5
rockjunquie I'm assuming you're stabilizing preforms? I would think you could put something thin like a toothpick between them and stack them up. Then the juice could work it's way in between them. Nope, slabs. At some point, I know I'll do some preforms, too. Some chrysocolla slabs need stabilizing just to cut.
That's a good idea and I thought of that. I wonder if the wood would be an issue? I wouldn't think so. But, I don't know. I have plenty of match stick type wooden pieces.
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Mar 4, 2023 20:33:23 GMT -5
The wood should be easy enough to scrape off if it gets stuck
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 20:39:45 GMT -5
The wood should be easy enough to scrape off if it gets stuck True. I think that's the way to go. Thanks. I think I needed another brain to agree with my thoughts. LOL! |
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 4, 2023 20:42:11 GMT -5
From JB:
Starbond EM-02 Thin CA is a "wicking type" super glue. This means that the watery-thin CA glue infiltrates hairline fractures, pores, and narrow slots through capillary action. The EM-02 is well suited for stabilizing porous and fragile material such as soft wood (balsa), unpolished rocks and minerals, fossil bones, and crumbling objects. For inlay applications, the adhesive easily penetrates and hardens the filling component.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 4, 2023 20:45:38 GMT -5
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 20:46:10 GMT -5
From JB: Starbond EM-02 Thin CA is a "wicking type" super glue. This means that the watery-thin CA glue infiltrates hairline fractures, pores, and narrow slots through capillary action. The EM-02 is well suited for stabilizing porous and fragile material such as soft wood (balsa), unpolished rocks and minerals, fossil bones, and crumbling objects. For inlay applications, the adhesive easily penetrates and hardens the filling component. Each to their own. I have used it a lot and found that it isn't suitable for stabilizing slabs. Maybe preforms. |
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 4, 2023 20:51:16 GMT -5
From JB: Starbond EM-02 Thin CA is a "wicking type" super glue. This means that the watery-thin CA glue infiltrates hairline fractures, pores, and narrow slots through capillary action. The EM-02 is well suited for stabilizing porous and fragile material such as soft wood (balsa), unpolished rocks and minerals, fossil bones, and crumbling objects. For inlay applications, the adhesive easily penetrates and hardens the filling component. Each to their own. I have used it a lot and found that it isn't suitable for stabilizing slabs. Maybe preforms. I plead ignorance and am just starting the journey. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 20:54:43 GMT -5
Each to their own. I have used it a lot and found that it isn't suitable for stabilizing slabs. Maybe preforms. I plead ignorance and am just starting the journey. Don't get me wrong. Starbond has it's uses. If you had a gem bone preform with some softness around the edges, you could heat it up and put some starbond (CA glue aka crazy glue) on it and it would probably suffice. But, I can't really do several pounds of slabs at once with it. |
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 4, 2023 21:03:56 GMT -5
I've played with superglue on Morgan Hill partially healed fractures and the glue just sits on the top. The thin starbond is supposed to soak in. I'm going to try it on some trim saw preforms. The blue dot rough was 1 pound and I am surprised he didn't use cactus juice.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 4, 2023 21:27:19 GMT -5
I've played with superglue on Morgan Hill partially healed fractures and the glue just sits on the top. The thin starbond is supposed to soak in. I'm going to try it on some trim saw preforms. The blue dot rough was 1 pound and I am surprised he didn't use cactus juice. I'm gonna test a piece of MHPJ in the vacuum chamber, but I'm thinking the Art resin would work better. We'll see. When you use the starbond, heat the piece up real good first. It will give off some fumes, so don't be too close. |
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,176
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Post by rockbrain on Mar 5, 2023 9:30:37 GMT -5
Stacking the slabs with the toothpicks sounds like the perfect solution. FWIW I've never done this, just watched videos. The Cactus juice is made for wood so the toothpick shouldn't cause any issues. Isn't the Juice still wet when you remove the rock from the vacuum? I don't think you'll have any issues with it sticking. I don't even think you'll really need the toothpicks. I'll be watching closely. I already have 6 or so good vacuum pumps so I figured I'd go this way soon.
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 5, 2023 10:05:45 GMT -5
Stacking the slabs with the toothpicks sounds like the perfect solution. FWIW I've never done this, just watched videos. The Cactus juice is made for wood so the toothpick shouldn't cause any issues. Isn't the Juice still wet when you remove the rock from the vacuum? I don't think you'll have any issues with it sticking. I don't even think you'll really need the toothpicks. I'll be watching closely. I already have 6 or so good vacuum pumps so I figured I'd go this way soon. Yeah, it doesn't harden until you heat it. So, I agree, the wood should be fine.
I'll be posting about my experience.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Mar 5, 2023 10:13:32 GMT -5
Stacking the slabs with the toothpicks sounds like the perfect solution. FWIW I've never done this, just watched videos. The Cactus juice is made for wood so the toothpick shouldn't cause any issues. Isn't the Juice still wet when you remove the rock from the vacuum? I don't think you'll have any issues with it sticking. I don't even think you'll really need the toothpicks. I'll be watching closely. I already have 6 or so good vacuum pumps so I figured I'd go this way soon. Yeah, it doesn't harden until you heat it. So, I agree, the wood should be fine.
I'll be posting about my experience.
I can't wait to see how it works for you! What are you going to heat the slabs in? |
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Post by rockjunquie on Mar 5, 2023 10:15:37 GMT -5
Yeah, it doesn't harden until you heat it. So, I agree, the wood should be fine.
I'll be posting about my experience.
I can't wait to see how it works for you! What are you going to heat the slabs in? From everything I have seen, I shouldn't have to heat them and I'm not. The Cactus Juice hardens at fairly low temps, so I would assume that it would harden on a hot slab. Dunno, but no heat anyway. |
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