RockingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 137
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Post by RockingRuralMo on Apr 20, 2024 18:59:07 GMT -5
I just got a 20+lb chunk of this stuff a couple of weeks ago and finally got a few pieces going. I'd love any advice you guys could give re: the finish. I'm not happy with it yet. I used a 50K diamond belt after the 3k wheel. Not sure that's the best approach for this stuff, but it undercuts and I didn't want cerium-filled micro pits to detract from the finish. I'd hate to stop short of meeting its full potential. (and it's my first time using the belt, so not sure if I'm giving it enough time, pressure, etc.)
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Post by Pat on Apr 20, 2024 20:13:51 GMT -5
I love that stuff! Beautiful! I bought a handful at our last club show.
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 20, 2024 20:22:47 GMT -5
Beautiful!
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 20, 2024 20:22:50 GMT -5
RockingRuralMoI just worked some of this material. You can see mine in this thread: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/104305/eyebrow-raiseYes...It does undercut between the different colors of brown. You can also see in my pics where the "wispy" fortifications in the black areas cause a "ghost" undercutting. It's kinda cool to me! I could not get this material to "shine" or polish like an agate or hard jasper. I really do think it's the nature of the material. If you do a google search of cabochons from this material, look at a lot of the images. They don't have a high polish. There are some that do...but I'm not convinced those weren't "treated" with a stabilizing product. However, Noreena Jasper is another material where some will take a polish...and others won't. It could very well be the same with this material.
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RockingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 137
|
Post by RockingRuralMo on Apr 24, 2024 8:30:12 GMT -5
RockingRuralMo I just worked some of this material. You can see mine in this thread: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/104305/eyebrow-raiseYes...It does undercut between the different colors of brown. You can also see in my pics where the "wispy" fortifications in the black areas cause a "ghost" undercutting. It's kinda cool to me! I could not get this material to "shine" or polish like an agate or hard jasper. I really do think it's the nature of the material. If you do a google search of cabochons from this material, look at a lot of the images. They don't have a high polish. There are some that do...but I'm not convinced those weren't "treated" with a stabilizing product. However, Noreena Jasper is another material where some will take a polish...and others won't. It could very well be the same with this material. wow! Those are beautiful! I'd love to develop that kind of finesse with my shaping. It does make me feel better to know that other people don't get high gloss out of this stone consistently either. A fellow lapidary gifted me an imported cab of this and it's shinier than mine, but it could be treated. I may try sticking some in the tumbler on a polish stage for a while and see if there's a noticeable difference. It's my first time using the 50k belt instead of cerium on felt, so I wasn't sure how much of it was the material and how much the method. The ghosting in the black part was a bit of a surprise because I didn’t notice it at all on the slab when I was choosing my cuts, but I actually really like the extra dimension of interest! I don't know if anyone else does, but ya know... the elongated shield (I'm sure there's a better name for that) has tiny crystals running through it that didn't show up too well in my pictures. It's a super interesting rock to play with, and I'm glad I have a bunch to last a while. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Apr 29, 2024 21:49:56 GMT -5
RockingRuralMo I just worked some of this material. You can see mine in this thread: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/104305/eyebrow-raiseYes...It does undercut between the different colors of brown. You can also see in my pics where the "wispy" fortifications in the black areas cause a "ghost" undercutting. It's kinda cool to me! I could not get this material to "shine" or polish like an agate or hard jasper. I really do think it's the nature of the material. If you do a google search of cabochons from this material, look at a lot of the images. They don't have a high polish. There are some that do...but I'm not convinced those weren't "treated" with a stabilizing product. However, Noreena Jasper is another material where some will take a polish...and others won't. It could very well be the same with this material. wow! Those are beautiful! I'd love to develop that kind of finesse with my shaping. It does make me feel better to know that other people don't get high gloss out of this stone consistently either. A fellow lapidary gifted me an imported cab of this and it's shinier than mine, but it could be treated. I may try sticking some in the tumbler on a polish stage for a while and see if there's a noticeable difference. It's my first time using the 50k belt instead of cerium on felt, so I wasn't sure how much of it was the material and how much the method. The ghosting in the black part was a bit of a surprise because I didn’t notice it at all on the slab when I was choosing my cuts, but I actually really like the extra dimension of interest! I don't know if anyone else does, but ya know... the elongated shield (I'm sure there's a better name for that) has tiny crystals running through it that didn't show up too well in my pictures. It's a super interesting rock to play with, and I'm glad I have a bunch to last a while. Sorry for the delayed response... Thank you!  I'll be curious to see if the tumbling makes a difference. I've seen some decent chunks for sale lately...but none of them have that "flame" looking brown section, like yours and mine had. I think that's what makes super killer cabs! |
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Post by liveoak on Apr 30, 2024 6:27:11 GMT -5
Your cabs are really nice. The Palm root is very interesting looking stuff.
Thanks for sharing, Patty
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