RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
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Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 26, 2023 21:18:09 GMT -5
There's not a whole lot I've self-collected at this point in my career, but picked up this Mozarkite with a van load of college kids a couple of years ago. I didn't even have a cabber yet back then! It was a great occasion to slab it up!
The slab:
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Jul 26, 2023 21:27:58 GMT -5
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Jul 26, 2023 21:29:36 GMT -5
RocKingRuralMoThat has really pretty colors in it and an amazing polish!
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,323
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Post by rocknewb101 on Jul 27, 2023 7:24:24 GMT -5
RocKingRuralMo - your cab is beautiful! I need to work on better dome too. I'm curious - how thick was your slab? I struggle with really thin, but then seem to not dome high enough on my thicker slabs...
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RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
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Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 27, 2023 7:54:34 GMT -5
RocKingRuralMo - your cab is beautiful! I need to work on better dome too. I'm curious - how thick was your slab? I struggle with really thin, but then seem to not dome high enough on my thicker slabs...
It was a pretty standard 1/4 inch-ish slab. (I can put calipers on it when I go back to the workshop today and show you for sure though.) I like a bold bubbly dome, but have definitely shaped a lot of rocks that don't meet their potential because I get too zealous on the top and maybe not zealous enough in marking a low girdle. To be fair though, not all pieces can tolerate this kind of proportions. A 40x30 oval with a dome of this proportion would be a lot harder to pull off than this medium pear shape. Smaller cabs and narrower both make this dome style easier to achieve. (And to be fair, I only got my first equipment December of 21, and my first cabber in January of this year - there's a definite possibility I'm not doing anything right at all!)
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,323
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Post by rocknewb101 on Jul 27, 2023 8:19:01 GMT -5
RocKingRuralMo - your cab is beautiful! I need to work on better dome too. I'm curious - how thick was your slab? I struggle with really thin, but then seem to not dome high enough on my thicker slabs...
It was a pretty standard 1/4 inch-ish slab. (I can put calipers on it when I go back to the workshop today and show you for sure though.) I like a bold bubbly dome, but have definitely shaped a lot of rocks that don't meet their potential because I get too zealous on the top and maybe not zealous enough in marking a low girdle. To be fair though, not all pieces can tolerate this kind of proportions. A 40x30 oval with a dome of this proportion would be a lot harder to pull off than this medium pear shape. Smaller cabs and narrower both make this dome style easier to achieve. (And to be fair, I only got my first equipment December of 21, and my first cabber in January of this year - there's a definite possibility I'm not doing anything right at all!)
I tend to be flatter on top - will keep working towards a nicer dome - I think you've got it down, but I'm also new and wouldn't want to steer you wrong lol! Thanks!!
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RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
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Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 27, 2023 20:52:16 GMT -5
I'm curious - how thick was your slab? I went back and measured - calipers put it at 0.27 inches, so I short changed it a tiny bit. The big thing I changed to try to make a bolder dome is to try to make a lower girdle than my gut wants to. If I cut the girdle way down it leaves more physical room for a dome but also makes the dome appear higher because it's visually contrasted against a narrower girdle for a base. (kinda like I make myself look taller by standing next to short people in pics.) I may not be doing it right though, so definitely worth asking the better cabbers here how they do it.
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Post by realrockhound on Jul 27, 2023 21:21:09 GMT -5
Good lot so far. I’m excited to see what comes out in the remaining days. I’m going to get up early on Saturday morning and get to grinding.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,513
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Post by rockbrain on Jul 28, 2023 23:47:09 GMT -5
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Post by realrockhound on Jul 28, 2023 23:48:45 GMT -5
Damn.. that’s pretty nice
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,513
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Post by rockbrain on Jul 28, 2023 23:50:45 GMT -5
Thanks realrockhound. I never know if I should leave the light reflections in. I tipped the cab enough so you don't see them but then it doesn't look as shiny!
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Post by realrockhound on Jul 28, 2023 23:57:01 GMT -5
Thanks realrockhound. I never know if I should leave the light reflections in. I tipped the cab enough so you don't see them but then it doesn't look as shiny! I know that feeling
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khara
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2022
Posts: 1,724
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Post by khara on Jul 31, 2023 23:04:11 GMT -5
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goldfinder
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2020
Posts: 227
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Post by goldfinder on Aug 1, 2023 0:34:23 GMT -5
Here is my entry for this month. I went back and forth trying to decide on a few different materials from different places. Finally decided on the moss agate from a place where there I've only found a few sentences mentioning of the deposit and no name, we've been scaling the hillsides but haven't yet located the original source of this type of moss. The little druzy pocket opened up while doming but just rolled with it. Contest photo Size reference I was in a rush and forgot to take a picture of the slab before cutting the cab but this is the nodule the slab came from. Excellent entries by everyone thus far! I'm very surprised of the amazing material y'all have hounded and cut!
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rocknewb101
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2022
Posts: 1,323
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Post by rocknewb101 on Aug 1, 2023 7:38:40 GMT -5
Here is My entry for the month. Clear Creek plasma agate. The last two pictures are for the competition. wow wow wow! Gorgeous! Gotta start keeping a list of materials i want to find OK, here is the one cab I made this month. This is a jasper from Red Top Mountain in Washington. The area produces a swirl of reddish-pinks, purples, grays, browns, creams, as well as a clear agate with black and goldish colored speckles. I had a 2nd cab of the agate going as well but a fracture opened up parallel with the top. I'll either have to take it way down to a super low dome or just let it stay. Haven't decided yet. Back when we collected this material, we only had a tumbler for equipment so most everything was thrown in there. I took a pic of some tumbles too. I managed to get some trim saw slices off of some scraps I found that never made it into the tumbler. I especially like the purple coloring. There really wasn't very much of it in the mix of what we found. Of the slabs, this cab came from the top row, 3rd one in. Beautiful colors here! I love to see purples and blues in rocks. Nice tumbles too - it's cool how similar, but different tumbling can make the rock look... Here is my entry for this month. I went back and forth trying to decide on a few different materials from different places. Finally decided on the moss agate from a place where there I've only found a few sentences mentioning of the deposit and no name, we've been scaling the hillsides but haven't yet located the original source of this type of moss. The little druzy pocket opened up while doming but just rolled with it. Excellent entries by everyone thus far! I'm very surprised of the amazing material y'all have hounded and cut! Another gorgeous cab! Tough competition!! Good luck everyone!
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Post by realrockhound on Aug 1, 2023 10:07:23 GMT -5
Good luck everyone. I’ll be sitting this one out. Wasn’t happy with any of my cabs.
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Aug 1, 2023 14:10:23 GMT -5
rockbrainGary the colors and the polish on that is amazing!! If you ever sell that one let me know!
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,513
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 1, 2023 17:33:33 GMT -5
victor1941 great looking entry. I always enjoy your entries. So often you have something I've never seen. rocknewb101 I amazed at how good your cabs are looking coming off the flat lap. I'm a sucker for colorful Ohio Flint too. RocKingRuralMo I really like the shape of your cab. Kind of ironic because lately I've been leaning towards a higher girdle and a much flatter dome. I was actually inspired to start going more that way by they cab taylor did in the May flowers contest and last months asymmetrical contest. I thought the grind on the Hyacinth Jasper cab was just perfect. khara nice cab from a jasper I haven't seen before. Cool color and I like the design of the healed fractures on it. goldfinder , I love moss and that's a spectacular piece. That's a nice cab with a cool shape. Good luck to everyone!
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,513
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 1, 2023 17:40:32 GMT -5
Damn.. that’s pretty nice Thanks! Good luck everyone. I’ll be sitting this one out. Wasn’t happy with any of my cabs. I was expecting to see something amazing!
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 2,513
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 1, 2023 17:43:45 GMT -5
rockbrain Gary the colors and the polish on that is amazing!! If you ever sell that one let me know! Thanks ashley . I had what I think was one of the most perfect cabs I've made that I cut out of this material. I wrote about it here a while back. I dropped it when setting up for wirewrapping at a beachfront motel balcony. It bounced off my toe and went under the railing on the 3rd floor. I search the street and even the balcony below us and couldn't find it anywhere. This was a small piece I found and I'm still amazed at what has come out of it. These 3 are all from the same slab.
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