dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Aug 26, 2023 13:27:19 GMT -5
I am interested in how that black skin agate polishes up. I've seen some vendors charging quite a bit for it, so I'd like to know why it commands a high price. $4 a pound from Richardson's seems very reasonable! How high have you seen it? I've seen it up to $25 lb for high end stuff cut into slabs. |
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Aug 26, 2023 13:28:23 GMT -5
dillonf I just unloaded the rebel 17 (ouch). Put most the petrified wood aside and loaded it with a mix of black skin agate, rainbow agate and even got a chunk of serepe Jasper and graveyard point in there. I also kept the weird rock and a few of the really nice pieces of petrified wood in it. So in a couple of weeks we’ll see how they look. Oh, I also put two of the smaller Thunder eggs in. That's awesome! Can't wait to see them! |
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Post by velodromed on Aug 26, 2023 14:32:09 GMT -5
These are my neck issues. The side view is my favorite because I can see the surgical stainless steel screws clearly. The parts that look like a bike chain of sorts, are titanium, my favorite metal. Yes, I set of metal detectors. What you can’t see is the degenerative disk disease and ruptured disk running all the way down my spine. All are trauma related from a life of craziness. I also have a twice rebuilt shoulder, rebuilt knees, the left half of my face is plastic surgery (went through a windshield age 17) and numerous other injuries. Last October I had a spinal stimulator installed. It’s like a pace maker for my central nervous system. The device is implanted in my hip and the implanted leads run up my spine on both sides of T3/4. It intercepts some of the pain signals from damaged nerves and turns them into non-pain signals. But it can’t help my neck area, just t-3/4 and down. Took two surgeries last year to install, but then it broke several months ago so I went through the same damn thing again. It definitely helps but not as much as I hoped. I can walk and mostly function at least. For every hour on my feet it takes several to recover. So if I whine or complain about pain and forget or get things mixed up, this is why and I apologize for it.    I hated to like your post. That looks agonizing! I have some pretty big issues with my lumbar back. I'm getting the nerves ablated at 2 3 4 and 5 next week. Hopefully that will help. It’s OK, I look at the ‘like button’ as simple acknowledgment of having read the post. I’m really sorry about your back issues. They are awful. I tried having my nerves burned 18 months after my surgery, when my thoracic spine was giving me bad issues. But it backfired. When I went through that windshield as a teenager, a lot of my nerves in my neck and upper spine ‘rewired themselves’ during the short coma and numerous surgeries. At least that’s what my doctor figured. So 30 years later when they tried to kill the nerves to stop pain, it did the opposite and resulted in three months of constant excruciating pain. I’ve seen it work very well for so many other people, including my mom. I’m sure it’ll really help you. My doctor said it normally helps over 90% of people that try them and he had never seen anyone have a reaction like I had. So instead, I would have epidural steroid injections, where they would run a ‘breaker needle’ to get through all the scar tissue and hard stuff, up my spine to the base of the fusion and then run another needle through it to inject a cocktail of all sorts of crud. I can’t really use anesthesia except for major surgery, so I would have them done while I was awake and aware. It was…interesting. Extreme pain can really help me reflect on things in a way nothing else can. I had them done for many years, but now I have bad reactions to steroids. So I had to stop them last year. I wish you the best with your procedure! It will give you relief. Just remember it’ll take a while before that relieve hits. Depending on the person, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. I’m free to reach out if you ever need to chat. One thing I’ve learned from dealing with this for 11 years, talking about it helps. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 26, 2023 14:42:39 GMT -5
I hated to like your post. That looks agonizing! I have some pretty big issues with my lumbar back. I'm getting the nerves ablated at 2 3 4 and 5 next week. Hopefully that will help. It’s OK, I look at the ‘like button’ as simple acknowledgment of having read the post. I’m really sorry about your back issues. They are awful. I tried having my nerves burned 18 months after my surgery, when my thoracic spine was giving me bad issues. But it backfired. When I went through that windshield as a teenager, a lot of my nerves in my neck and upper spine ‘rewired themselves’ during the short coma and numerous surgeries. At least that’s what my doctor figured. So 30 years later when they tried to kill the nerves to stop pain, it did the opposite and resulted in three months of constant excruciating pain. I’ve seen it work very well for so many other people, including my mom. I’m sure it’ll really help you. My doctor said it normally helps over 90% of people that try them and he had never seen anyone have a reaction like I had. So instead, I would have epidural steroid injections, where they would run a ‘breaker needle’ to get through all the scar tissue and hard stuff, up my spine to the base of the fusion and then run another needle through it to inject a cocktail of all sorts of crud. I can’t really use anesthesia except for major surgery, so I would have them done while I was awake and aware. It was…interesting. Extreme pain can really helps me reflect on things in a way nothing else can. I hope for many years, but now I have bad reactions to steroids. So I had to stop them last year. I wish you the best with your procedure! It will give you relief. Just remember it’ll take a while before that relieve hits. Depending on the person, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. I’m free to reach out if you ever need to chat. One thing I’ve learned from dealing with this for 11 years, talking about it helps. That's a very kind offer, thank you.  I may take you up on it. I had the 2 rounds of lidocaine (I think). The theory is that if it improves your pain, then the ablation should work. She showed me the x ray images of my back. It's really messed up. I supposedly have psoriatic arthritis, but it may be more like AS Ankylosing spondylitis- the verdict is still out. My si joints are fried, too. My first round didn't do as well as the second. The second, they added the left side of L2. So, I'm getting it bilaterally except for L2, which is just the left. Fingers crossed.
Yes, chronic pain and excruciating pain are forces to be reckoned with.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 26, 2023 17:43:50 GMT -5
It’s OK, I look at the ‘like button’ as simple acknowledgment of having read the post. I’m really sorry about your back issues. They are awful. I tried having my nerves burned 18 months after my surgery, when my thoracic spine was giving me bad issues. But it backfired. When I went through that windshield as a teenager, a lot of my nerves in my neck and upper spine ‘rewired themselves’ during the short coma and numerous surgeries. At least that’s what my doctor figured. So 30 years later when they tried to kill the nerves to stop pain, it did the opposite and resulted in three months of constant excruciating pain. I’ve seen it work very well for so many other people, including my mom. I’m sure it’ll really help you. My doctor said it normally helps over 90% of people that try them and he had never seen anyone have a reaction like I had. So instead, I would have epidural steroid injections, where they would run a ‘breaker needle’ to get through all the scar tissue and hard stuff, up my spine to the base of the fusion and then run another needle through it to inject a cocktail of all sorts of crud. I can’t really use anesthesia except for major surgery, so I would have them done while I was awake and aware. It was…interesting. Extreme pain can really helps me reflect on things in a way nothing else can. I hope for many years, but now I have bad reactions to steroids. So I had to stop them last year. I wish you the best with your procedure! It will give you relief. Just remember it’ll take a while before that relieve hits. Depending on the person, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. I’m free to reach out if you ever need to chat. One thing I’ve learned from dealing with this for 11 years, talking about it helps. That's a very kind offer, thank you. I may take you up on it. I had the 2 rounds of lidocaine (I think). The theory is that if it improves your pain, then the ablation should work. She showed me the x ray images of my back. It's really messed up. I supposedly have psoriatic arthritis, but it may be more like AS Ankylosing spondylitis- the verdict is still out. My si joints are fried, too. My first round didn't do as well as the second. The second, they added the left side of L2. So, I'm getting it bilaterally except for L2, which is just the left. Fingers crossed.
Yes, chronic pain and excruciating pain are forces to be reckoned with.
You’re welcome and I mean it, anytime. Talking about this helps me also. Yes, if you responded to the test it should work. It’s a strange process. I’m pretty sure we’re talking about the same procedure. They refer to it informally as ‘burning’ the nerves but actually it’s done with cold water, which deadens the nerve for a period of time. Ugh, apsoriatic arthritis and the other I’ve heard and they are hard. Sorry you have it. The arthritis that I have are from injury and overuse. I take 2 opioid meds (norco and morphine sulphide) but only started them less than 3 years ago when I literally wanted to die from the pain. I take bare minimum strengths, so still have to supplement with non opioid meds my pain doc prescribed: 5% lidocaine pain patches. I put them all over my upper back/shoulders and neck, 12 hours on and 12 hours off, and they are amazing. Voltaren gel is a big go to especially in the mornings. I’d bathe in it if I could lol. They have 1% and 3% strengths. Tramadol is a lower class pain med with no side affects and isn’t addictive. It really helps. Diclofenac Sodium is like advil on steroids but better. One if the few things that helps control the severe migraines that I get. Especially if combined with 100 mg of caffeine. Dronabinol (Marynoll) is synthetic thc that literally numbs my nerves that are on fire. Some folks have problems with that particular ‘medicine’, but doesn’t bug me and really helps. Lyrica is the only nerve medication I’ve ever found that helps me. Because I am adhd, most of the ones out there make me feel like I’m going insane. Lyrica helps and doesn’t make me feel weird. It does make me wobbly, I run into wall sometimes, but that’s no big deal. It also stops the optical migraines and I get, which are basically a type of mild seizure from too many head injuries. I ice and heat constantly throughout the day. 20 minutes on 20 minutes off for each, every couple hours. I have seven or eight large ice packs I’m constantly rotating through. I don’t use ice when I get steroid shots though. Supposed to use heat for the first day when you get steroid shots so the meds can spread out. hang in there! |
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 26, 2023 18:14:48 GMT -5
That's a very kind offer, thank you. I may take you up on it. I had the 2 rounds of lidocaine (I think). The theory is that if it improves your pain, then the ablation should work. She showed me the x ray images of my back. It's really messed up. I supposedly have psoriatic arthritis, but it may be more like AS Ankylosing spondylitis- the verdict is still out. My si joints are fried, too. My first round didn't do as well as the second. The second, they added the left side of L2. So, I'm getting it bilaterally except for L2, which is just the left. Fingers crossed.
Yes, chronic pain and excruciating pain are forces to be reckoned with.
You’re welcome and I mean it, anytime. Talking about this helps me also. Yes, if you responded to the test it should work. It’s a strange process. I’m pretty sure we’re talking about the same procedure. They refer to it informally as ‘burning’ the nerves but actually it’s done with cold water, which deadens the nerve for a period of time. Ugh, apsoriatic arthritis and the other I’ve heard and they are hard. Sorry you have it. The arthritis that I have are from injury and overuse. I take 2 opioid meds (norco and morphine sulphide) but only started them less than 3 years ago when I literally wanted to die from the pain. I take bare minimum strengths, so still have to supplement with non opioid meds my pain doc prescribed: 5% lidocaine pain patches. I put them all over my upper back/shoulders and neck, 12 hours on and 12 hours off, and they are amazing. Voltaren gel is a big go to especially in the mornings. I’d bathe in it if I could lol. They have 1% and 3% strengths. Tramadol is a lower class pain med with no side affects and isn’t addictive. It really helps. Diclofenac Sodium is like advil on steroids but better. One if the few things that helps control the severe migraines that I get. Especially if combined with 100 mg of caffeine. Dronabinol (Marynoll) is synthetic thc that literally numbs my nerves that are on fire. Some folks have problems with that particular ‘medicine’, but doesn’t bug me and really helps. Lyrica is the only nerve medication I’ve ever found that helps me. Because I am adhd, most of the ones out there make me feel like I’m going insane. Lyrica helps and doesn’t make me feel weird. It does make me wobbly, I run into wall sometimes, but that’s no big deal. It also stops the optical migraines and I get, which are basically a type of mild seizure from too many head injuries. I ice and heat constantly throughout the day. 20 minutes on 20 minutes off for each, every couple hours. I have seven or eight large ice packs I’m constantly rotating through. I don’t use ice when I get steroid shots though. Supposed to use heat for the first day when you get steroid shots so the meds can spread out. hang in there! PM sent |
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 26, 2023 21:31:40 GMT -5
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Post by velodromed on Aug 26, 2023 22:52:30 GMT -5
I just want to point out most of us on here have a screw loose...but Velo is going out of his way to show pics that his screws are all in there pretty tight!!   Yeah… the doc actually had that checked 3 times in the first couple years after it was done in Nov 2016. I guess it’s been an issue for some, which is crazy. Fortunately all screws are secure in a literal sense. Figuratively though, yeah I’m held together with staples and tape. |
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Post by velodromed on Sept 4, 2023 13:05:48 GMT -5
$4 a pound from Richardson's seems very reasonable! How high have you seen it? I've seen it up to $25 lb for high end stuff cut into slabs. Well, the black skin agates are extremely rough, I mean with tons of indentations and weird things going on. The first course stage barely showed any difference, so I put them straight back in. Maybe in a week there will be some difference. I see them taking many months of course stages basically. So, do either of you want some? There’s no way I’ll tumble them all. I can send a small freight box too one or both of ya. |
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Sept 4, 2023 16:17:34 GMT -5
I've seen it up to $25 lb for high end stuff cut into slabs. Well, the black skin agates are extremely rough, I mean with tons of indentations and weird things going on. The first course stage barely showed any difference, so I put them straight back in. Maybe in a week there will be some difference. I see them taking many months of course stages basically. So, do either of you want some? There’s no way I’ll tumble them all. I can send a small freight box too one or both of ya. Yeah I'll take some. I can send you some cathedral and quetzal agate in return. |
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Post by velodromed on Sept 4, 2023 16:23:50 GMT -5
dillonf jasoninsd Well, the black skin agates are extremely rough, I mean with tons of indentations and weird things going on. The first course stage barely showed any difference, so I put them straight back in. Maybe in a week there will be some difference. I see them taking many months of course stages basically. So, do either of you want some? There’s no way I’ll tumble them all. I can send a small freight box too one or both of ya. Yeah I'll take some. I can send you some cathedral and quetzal agate in return. That works! I’m feeling better so should be able to get it together this week and in the mail. Shoot me your address, I forget if I have it or not. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 4, 2023 20:47:53 GMT -5
I've seen it up to $25 lb for high end stuff cut into slabs. Well, the black skin agates are extremely rough, I mean with tons of indentations and weird things going on. The first course stage barely showed any difference, so I put them straight back in. Maybe in a week there will be some difference. I see them taking many months of course stages basically. So, do either of you want some? There’s no way I’ll tumble them all. I can send a small freight box too one or both of ya. Thanks for the offer on this Velo! I'm glad dillonf took you up on it. I've still got some Black Skin Agate preforms and slabs that I haven't worked yet. One of the ones I did work actually had green tubes/moss running through it...I posted cabs quite some time ago. |
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Post by velodromed on Sept 5, 2023 17:53:53 GMT -5
I have 2 boxes on the way! The one from michiganpebbler should be here today and a 26lb box from vegasjames should be here in several days or so! Oh snap, I need to check the mailbox…
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skmcconnell361
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2023
Posts: 125 
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Post by skmcconnell361 on Sept 5, 2023 19:20:34 GMT -5
I have 2 boxes on the way! The one from michiganpebbler should be here today and a 26lb box from vegasjames should be here in several days or so! Oh snap, I need to check the mailbox… My turn to wait for the box also, although I only ordered 7 pounds for Vegasjames but should be here before the weekend |
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Post by velodromed on Sept 11, 2023 16:30:44 GMT -5
I’m doing my happy dance knowing a box from dillonf is on its way! This will be my last trade for awhile since it looks like we’re moving soon. Moving feels overwhelming…but so exciting at the same time. I will be able to set up a really nice shop and have a yard and garden to play with. |
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Post by velodromed on Sept 13, 2023 15:55:06 GMT -5
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Post by velodromed on Sept 13, 2023 16:05:57 GMT -5
I have really enjoyed trading rocks with others here on the forum. Be it rocks from your state that you find or extras that you’ve bought, it’s a good way to share and expand horizons. I’ve traded around half a dozen boxes now and it all be began when jasoninsd sent me a box, completely out of the blue, containing over 20lb of prairie agate. I’d only been on the forum a couple weeks and his actions definitely made a positive impression. I intend to keep doing this over time. But not for couple months or so because we’re moving, but towards the end of the year I’ll pick back up and start mailing boxes of Texas rocks (among other rock) to folks. So if you’d like to do a trade down the line, let me know. We have so much interesting rock from all over Texas that we’ve saved up, and the flat rate postage deal is great. Might as well take advantage of it. |
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Sept 13, 2023 17:43:28 GMT -5
You're welcome Doug! Glad you liked everything. |
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michiganpebbler
spending too much on rocks
Member since April 2023
Posts: 344 
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Post by michiganpebbler on Sept 13, 2023 18:36:10 GMT -5
I have really enjoyed trading rocks with others here on the forum. Be it rocks from your state that you find or extras that you’ve bought, it’s a good way to share and expand horizons. I’ve traded around half a dozen boxes now and it all be began when jasoninsd sent me a box, completely out of the blue, containing over 20lb of prairie agate. I’d only been on the forum a couple weeks and his actions definitely made a positive impression. I intend to keep doing this over time. But not for couple months or so because we’re moving, but towards the end of the year I’ll pick back up and start mailing boxes of Texas rocks (among other rock) to folks. So if you’d like to do a trade down the line, let me know. We have so much interesting rock from all over Texas that we’ve saved up, and the flat rate postage deal is great. Might as well take advantage of it. Speaking of trades, I’ve got a few you sent me rolling along, velodromed . I agree, this is a fun way to give, receive and learn about rocks from different locales.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 13, 2023 20:17:07 GMT -5
I love this forum... |
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I may take you up on it. I had the 2 rounds of lidocaine (I think). The theory is that if it improves your pain, then the ablation should work. She showed me the x ray images of my back. It's really messed up. I supposedly have psoriatic arthritis, but it may be more like AS Ankylosing spondylitis- the verdict is still out. My si joints are fried, too. My first round didn't do as well as the second. The second, they added the left side of L2. So, I'm getting it bilaterally except for L2, which is just the left. Fingers crossed. 
Yeah… the doc actually had that checked 3 times in the first couple years after it was done in Nov 2016. I guess it’s been an issue for some, which is crazy. Fortunately all screws are secure in a literal sense. Figuratively though, yeah I’m held together with staples and tape.
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