wargrafix
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Member since June 2023
Posts: 1,020
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Post by wargrafix on Aug 5, 2023 15:41:44 GMT -5
Hi all. A rough slab of tiger eye, can I hand polish it? Or must it be tumbled?
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Post by Starguy on Aug 5, 2023 15:56:31 GMT -5
You need to use water to avoid creating silica dust which can lead to silicosis. Hand polishing is possible but it will be slow going.
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ashley
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Member since February 2023
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Post by ashley on Aug 5, 2023 22:57:37 GMT -5
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 1,020
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Post by wargrafix on Aug 6, 2023 8:13:09 GMT -5
I did the flat face by hand, there were deep grooves hand polishing did not work, but its much better than how it was when I now got it!
Wet sandpaper for the win. :-) It was quite the workout
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wargrafix
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Member since June 2023
Posts: 1,020
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Post by wargrafix on Aug 6, 2023 10:10:41 GMT -5
Here is a shot of the piece
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wargrafix
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2023
Posts: 1,020
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Post by wargrafix on Aug 19, 2023 10:51:40 GMT -5
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rockbrain
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Post by rockbrain on Aug 19, 2023 14:28:56 GMT -5
Clean up everything when you're done. With tiger eye it's not just silicosis, it contains asbestos.
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Post by Mel on Aug 19, 2023 14:39:03 GMT -5
Hand polishing is for the motivated and stubborn. I throw mine in the tumbler or wheel.
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 716
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Post by docharber on Aug 19, 2023 17:06:54 GMT -5
I had a patient when I was a medical student who was a monument maker and smoker who didn't use his respirator. He died a slow, horrible death from silicosis. Many fibrous silicate minerals break up into microscopic fibers which are either/or/both piezoelectric and pyroelectric. They work their way into your lung tissues when inhaled and stimulate tissue growth and sometimes cancer- in their immediate vicinity. Most of us are familiar with the use of electric stimulators to speed up bone repair and that weight bearing whe the bone has healed sufficiently aso stimulates its growth. In the lungs, these microcrystals stimulate fibroblasts resulting in scar tissue formation, hence silicosis. Siicosis patients ar often smokers who can't clear their mucus and thus their inhaled silica and ar more cancer prone as a result. Oddly, mesothelioma, a connective tissue cancer, is fairly specific to asbestos. Chrysotile is more carcinogenic than other asbestos types. Rocks like serpentine may contain asbestos and induce silicosis as well, as can nephrite dust. There shouldn't be a significant hazard if you keep things wet.
Mark H.
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wargrafix
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Member since June 2023
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Post by wargrafix on Aug 19, 2023 17:26:50 GMT -5
Chriiisssttttt.
To be fair, I kept things very very wet. But I don't play with asbestos. With not be acquiring and more rough tiger eye.
I am very very stubborn. There is no mountain I won't look at and think "yeah, I can climb over that"
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Aug 19, 2023 21:04:33 GMT -5
Just wear an N95 mask or respirator when you're cutting it. Using water will keep a lot of it out of the air and the mask should stop most of the rest. You would have to suck a lot of it in to cause a problem. Like being a drywall person and doing it all day long for extended periods of time. Hell, a lot of us grew up with asbestos all over our houses in some form or another -- insulation in the house, in the linoleum, etc. and we're still kicking (at least for today). Just take some easy precautions and it's not a big deal. BTW - you should always wear a mask when cutting any copper bearing minerals. Truly, if you thought about how much silica you breath in daily just by being outside, it would make you a hermit.
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docharber
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2008
Posts: 716
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Post by docharber on Aug 30, 2023 15:44:33 GMT -5
Sorry to seem alarmist but individual susceptibilities vary to exposure levels. Smokers are at much higher risk because they have lost much of their ability to clear their airways of debris through ciliary action. Their chronic airway inflammation also aggravates their response to silica exposure. In tiger eye, the asbestos has been largely replaced by quartz, though some asbestos remains intact. Serpentines, nephrits, and a lot of other minerals contain small amounts of asbestos. Keep it wet and you'll be okay. One other thing to be aware of is that different types of asbestos carry different levels of risk. Chrysotile used in insulation/construction is most hazardous to my recall. The riebeckite and crocidolite species in tiger-eye are considerably less dangerous. Ordinary quarts can also trigger silicosis, though, if not mesothelioma which appears to be almost exclusively asbestos related. Many former navy personnel who worked as mechanics, pipe-fitters, and in other occupations where there was a lot of active exposure have developed severe disease, many more minor problems (silicosis, not mesothelioma which fortunately remains uncommon even in more regularly asbestos-exposed individuals). Again, smoking is a huge aggravating factor. I mention naval personnel because of their higher level exposures and becasue they worked in conditions where we are able to collect population-exposure data far more easily.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Aug 31, 2023 8:37:16 GMT -5
docharber What you say is true. Cutting rocks is not without its risks. It's knowing how to mitigate the risk that's equally as important. Using lots of water, wearing a mask when working certain material and having good ventilation in your work area are paramount. Most of us aren't production cutters, so while it's still important to follow safety procedures, we're not at the same risk level and people who work with these materials 8 or more hours a day.
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