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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 3, 2023 10:43:32 GMT -5
My plans have obviously changed. I went to the Eastern Shore to visit my sister. I was supposed to be back Sat to finish this long drawn out project. The weather changed and wicked storms rolled though, which shut down the bridge/tunnel. We had a mini tropical storm. The wind was warm and wet. No going home. The wind restrictions ended Sun. But by the time I got home, I was wiped out. I find it hard to sleep in a strange bed. With any luck and barring any emergencies it will be this coming weekend.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 3, 2023 10:53:56 GMT -5
Glad you made it home safe Tela- the bridge/tunnel in high winds sounds downright scary ! Hope you at least had a nice visit 
Patty
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 3, 2023 12:11:21 GMT -5
Glad you made it home safe Tela- the bridge/tunnel in high winds sounds downright scary ! Hope you at least had a nice visit
Patty
Yeah, going across 20 miles of bridge and tunnel is enough- add winds and it gets insane!
I did have a good visit. My daughter was there, too. Just us girls. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 23, 2023 16:44:16 GMT -5
We were supposed to run a batch today, but we ran into a few snags getting it up and running. Turns out, a 3 gallon bucket does NOT fit and neither does a 2.5 gallon. We ended up needing a 5 quart. The video I saw was definitively wrong. That's ok, though, just a bump. Then it was play the game of find the right socket. You ever notice how the one you really need is never the one you find? But, we got it all together and added and adjusted the oil. We ran 2 test runs and have declared it safe for tomorrow's rocks. We could run it tonight, but it's pushing 6 now and I have no idea how long it will take.
One thing that was kinda funny... the gauge is off quite a bit. So, when it reaches top pull and should be pegged, it keeps going. The first time I saw that, I kinda panicked and was yelling at DH- "Turn it off, turn it off!" He had the switch side, I had the oil window side. (Had to watch the oil the first time.) My adrenaline got up and I was sure something was going to blow up. All I could think of was the ending of Willy Wonka. LOL!!! Which is silly since it would implode not explode.
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 23, 2023 17:16:32 GMT -5
I would've been in "panic mode", same as you! LOL  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 24, 2023 9:11:00 GMT -5
My slabs are burping!!!!!! I tried to upload a video to cloudinary, but couldn't. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 24, 2023 9:15:17 GMT -5
How exciting! Are you timing how long it takes for all the bubbles to stop?
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 24, 2023 9:24:09 GMT -5
How exciting! Are you timing how long it takes for all the bubbles to stop? Yes. I have to stop the pump periodically to let it cool for abt ten minutes every 20 or 30 minutes. I started it at 9:30. It isn't bubbling too hard anymore. It's not like rough turquoise, but slabs, so not so much air. Then it has to soak for twice as long as the pull. Ideally, it would just sit overnight, but since I started it in the morning, I'm hoping to get it finished by mid evening.
I forgot to put some experimental slabs in. I'll run those with the next load of dino bone. The temps this week are very cool, so ideal time to do this. Last week it was the 90s. No can do since our big a/c is on the fritz.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 24, 2023 10:53:52 GMT -5
Yeah!! the process begins.
Patty
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 24, 2023 14:12:57 GMT -5
First batch in the oven and the second in the vacuum chamber. I was expecting a lot more odor. I'm doing it indoors. There is a faint smell, which isn't bad. The pump itself has a small exhaust and of course the is some smell with the oven, but nothing terrible.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 24, 2023 14:30:59 GMT -5
So are you inviting us all for milk & cookies when they come out of the oven ??
Patty
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 24, 2023 14:44:28 GMT -5
So are you inviting us all for milk & cookies when they come out of the oven ??
Patty
I'm afraid they will be a bit hard. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 24, 2023 14:46:32 GMT -5
Oddly enough, the bone is barely bubbling. I expected more.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 24, 2023 14:57:10 GMT -5
Maybe it just depends on the type of dinosaur. Like a pterodactyl might have more air in their bones, but a T-rex might be more solid 
Patty
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 24, 2023 20:06:36 GMT -5
I started the bone at 3:00. I ran it until 8:30. I did have to stop the pump to cool a few times for 10 mins each. At first, it bubbled a lot (not frothy bubbles) and then slowed down to big percolating bubbles. Very different from the other batch. It's going to soak in the pot all night and I'll bake it in the morning.
My gauge is NOT off. I was looking at it and noticed a small sticker that said to cut off the nipple on the top of the gauge. Hmmmm. I think it burped the oil in it. It now reads zero, like it should.
Keeping the oven at the right temp was a challenge. I had to keep adjusting it, but I think I have it set right now. My new oven has 2 temp dials and convection. I'm not used to it.
Most of the pieces I pulled out of the oven had some baked on CJ on the bottoms. I don't think it will be a big deal. Most of it scraped off with a blade. The pieces lifted easily off the foil. I was worried about that, but they didn't stick.
I noticed that it didn't fill any of the larger cracks and I didn't think it would. I will be examining them more carefully in the morning and comparing the few I took pictures of.
It was a long day spent babysitting the pump and the oven. Definitely time consuming, but I did do a lot of slabs.
We'll see how easily the clean up is in the morning.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 24, 2023 20:30:00 GMT -5
Just a thought that I've found with epoxy, but not sure it would work the same with the CJ in the oven - but Parchment paper seems to work without sticking & it can handle the heat.
Glad to see you're getting it - you had a lot of slabs to deal with.
Thanks for keeping us updated on the process.
Patty
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 25, 2023 8:56:05 GMT -5
Bone is in the oven.
I inspected the cured batch and compared the before pictures. before and after:
The very small hairlines appear healed with CJ.
before and after:
Some of the hairlines appear healed.
Everything looks great!
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Post by liveoak on Apr 25, 2023 9:24:13 GMT -5
Looks good Tela, But the proof is in the cabbing !
Patty |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 25, 2023 9:45:49 GMT -5
Looks good Tela, But the proof is in the cabbing !
Patty Most of the blue ones -azurite complex- fell apart on the saw. I'll be happy if I can cut it. A polish is a benny. LOL!
I'm checking the oven every 15 minutes till I get it right. I really need to keep it as close to 200 as possible to prevent bleed out in thinnish slabs. I don't think it would be as crucial for rough.
After smelling the CJ, I realize that I have cut stabilized stones before.
With any luck, I'll be able to cut tomorrow and cab Thurs.
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Post by liveoak on Apr 25, 2023 9:47:54 GMT -5
YEAH
Patty
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... to the New Guys from The ChatBox V.2 Crew