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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 11, 2024 22:00:43 GMT -5
This blue chalcedony is rather pretty, has interesting little dots in it, that I do not see in the Namibian Blue.   |
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Post by liveoak on Oct 12, 2024 6:21:19 GMT -5
WOW, what a polish !! Really pretty one 
Patty
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 12, 2024 7:06:28 GMT -5
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agatewhisperer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2020
Posts: 836
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Post by agatewhisperer on Oct 12, 2024 7:36:22 GMT -5
Look at the shine on that!! The dots are subtle but add that little something
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Post by chris1956 on Oct 12, 2024 8:04:31 GMT -5
Great polish! You can see every detail in the reflection. Really like the color too.
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 12, 2024 9:29:22 GMT -5
Thank you guys! :-)
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rocknrob
has rocks in the head
If Costco only sold slabs in bulk...
Member since May 2024
Posts: 655
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Post by rocknrob on Oct 12, 2024 10:10:56 GMT -5
Wow, you can lose yourself staring into that one! Nice!
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Post by victor1941 on Oct 12, 2024 11:31:52 GMT -5
Really nice with a great cut and polish.
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Post by jasoninsd on Oct 12, 2024 15:40:47 GMT -5
Great Googly Moogly that polish is top-shelf! That's gorgeous! |
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 12, 2024 19:58:07 GMT -5
Thank you so much folks! And from my workbench, I use Linde-A on leather straight from the 3K wheel for my quartzes. Macro, micro and cryptocrystalline versions (Thank you to guru Sinkasas' book). Seems to be my silver bullet. And while I am also very happy with Zam on a yellow buff for Malachite and Turquoise (thank you Lapidary Dave), I am still figuring out the other mixed mineral and undercutting types. Learning like crazy!
My next learn is the what's and wherefores of the crazy mechanical/chemical mysteries of Cerium Oxide polishing on leather/felt. So much conflicting information out there. Roy Rocks who is a propers scientist says for the chemical part of the polishing to work (quoting the scientific papers), you need more water, other folks including guru Sinkankas say that the slurry should reach "almost - but not quite drying out" for the best polish to happen. Confusing much?
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 15, 2024 0:12:47 GMT -5
Thank you so much folks! And from my workbench, I use Linde-A on leather straight from the 3K wheel for my quartzes. Macro, micro and cryptocrystalline versions (Thank you to guru Sinkasas' book). Seems to be my silver bullet. And while I am also very happy with Zam on a yellow buff for Malachite and Turquoise (thank you Lapidary Dave), I am still figuring out the other mixed mineral and undercutting types. Learning like crazy! My next learn is the what's and wherefores of the crazy mechanical/chemical mysteries of Cerium Oxide polishing on leather/felt. So much conflicting information out there. Roy Rocks who is a propers scientist says for the chemical part of the polishing to work (quoting the scientific papers), you need more water, other folks including guru Sinkankas say that the slurry should reach "almost - but not quite drying out" for the best polish to happen. Confusing much? Confusing is right! I haven't used cerium oxide. I stick with diamonds though I know there are better results with some stones.
I love your cab. It reminds me of some pink limb cast I had- different color but great chalcedony material.
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 15, 2024 1:04:40 GMT -5
rockjunquieI suspect the aluminium oxide (Linde-A) works very similarly to diamonds, in that they likely mainly polish mechanically, and while the aluminium oxide is only Mohs 9 where Diamond is a 10, that is similar enough for practical purposes. I think the Cerium is much more likely to go the chemical/mechanical route due to it being a Mohs 6. There is also the added advantage of the Mohs 6 Cerium "breaking down" because it is a softer material into smaller and smaller particles as you polish, and that would also bring about a smoother and smoother surface. And of course there are different grades of Cerium too, the pink unpurified stuff which seems to vary from 8000 grit to 17.5K or even more. And Super Cerium (also called French Cerium Oxide) which if I remember correctly has a grit equivalent of as much as 50K. And of course, every other person you speak to, has a different opinion about all of it, and sometimes rather forcefully so! :-) And there is the silliness of sandpapers and diamond hard and soft wheels being named in grits, while the powders are in microns for some or other stoopid reason. There are grit equivalents for the microns, so why not just use that, unless you just want to sound more clever, like the old time priests doing mass in Latin! Sorry, little rant... :-)
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 15, 2024 4:13:41 GMT -5
rockjunquie I suspect the aluminium oxide (Linde-A) works very similarly to diamonds, in that they likely mainly polish mechanically, and while the aluminium oxide is only Mohs 9 where Diamond is a 10, that is similar enough for practical purposes. I think the Cerium is much more likely to go the chemical/mechanical route due to it being a Mohs 6. There is also the added advantage of the Mohs 6 Cerium "breaking down" because it is a softer material into smaller and smaller particles as you polish, and that would also bring about a smoother and smoother surface. And of course there are different grades of Cerium too, the pink unpurified stuff which seems to vary from 8000 grit to 17.5K or even more. And Super Cerium (also called French Cerium Oxide) which if I remember correctly has a grit equivalent of as much as 50K. And of course, every other person you speak to, has a different opinion about all of it, and sometimes rather forcefully so! :-) And there is the silliness of sandpapers and diamond hard and soft wheels being named in grits, while the powders are in microns for some or other stoopid reason. There are grit equivalents for the microns, so why not just use that, unless you just want to sound more clever, like the old time priests doing mass in Latin! Sorry, little rant... :-) Thanks, that was helpful and even funny. |
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lapidary1234
spending too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 325
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Post by lapidary1234 on Oct 17, 2024 16:32:11 GMT -5
Thats a really nice one! I was actually working on a small blue chalcedony cab yesterday when I lost grip of it and it flew into the blackhole behind my table. Searched high and low, never found it.
I've had 4-5 stones just vanish to never reappear!
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 17, 2024 19:41:22 GMT -5
lapidary1234 Thank you kindly! Sometime in the future you are going to find a whole batch of pirate's treasure behind there! :-)
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lapidary1234
spending too much on rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 325
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Post by lapidary1234 on Oct 17, 2024 21:37:02 GMT -5
lapidary1234 Thank you kindly! Sometime in the future you are going to find a whole batch of pirate's treasure behind there! :-) Funny enough, I found a isle royal greenstone that had disappeared while I was looking for the chalcedony  |
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adrian65
Cave Dweller 
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,790
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Post by adrian65 on Oct 18, 2024 15:31:50 GMT -5
Beautiful material, excellent shape on the cab!
Adrian
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Post by whalecottagedesigns on Oct 18, 2024 19:30:04 GMT -5
adrian65 Thank you Adrian! I am seriously going to have to ask the vendor for more of the same! :-)
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