Post by RockHead on Mar 15, 2005 0:17:31 GMT -5
Hello everyone! Stoner suggested I post information about myself and family so here goes 
(good idea Stoner).
As a child I remember watching my dad (and sometimes helping) make jewelry. I remember him teaching me to use the buffer/polisher/grinder "thing" but didn't know much. After he passed away I didn't really think much about rocks, gems, or jewelry. I'm allergic to metals so I don't own too many pieces.
After having my son John, named after grandpa, we drove on many trips to California and Florida from Arkansas. On every trip my son had to stop and find "just the right" rock or stone. He's done this ever since he could crawl. He's 7 now. I can only think his fascination came from my dad. At age 5 he wanted a tumbler. If he really was interested I wanted to get him something that would last. Not a "cheap" discount store tumbler. I waited for almost a year and a half to see if he was still interested. Yes, he still was.
I called my step-mother to see what was left of dad's stuff but they couldn't get the motor going so it wasn't worth paying for the shipping from California to Texas (where we are now). She offered to buy him a new one for a combination Christmas/birthday present. I explained how I wanted to get him one that was going to last so it would probably be more than she thought. She didn't care and bought him a Lortone 33B kit (with 3 1.5 barrels and grit, etc). The hobby was ON!
We've since started buying rough from a local dealer, got some beautiful sodalite) and also from eBay. I've read every book in our area and John has taken before/after stones to school for show and tell. He made (with my guidance) several pieces of jewelry and a couple keychains for Christmas. If you ask him he can tell you where the color in the stone comes from.
We have all 3 tumblers going right now. We've run some Mahogany Obsidian and thought it would be done but a piece broke. I guess we didn't check it well enough and several of the pieces will need to be redone. Yes, we're still learning. It's very confusing with all of the information out there. So much conflicting information.
The information that came with the tumbler said to put 4 tablespoons of 60/90 grit in a 1.5 lb barrel. Most everywhere else says to use less - much less. Some say 1 ounce per pound, some say 1 tablespoon per pound. So how do you know what to do? Also, some places have 5 step grit processes. Most places don't. Is the first step necessary? I have tons of questions, but I'm sure I'll find information on this wonderful site!
A final note - I chose the name Rockhead because it sounds so much better than Blockhead! Sometimes I definitely feel like one when it comes to lapidary work.
Thanks for listening to me ramble!
Jeanne
You can see John's first tumble here:
www.jean-ealogy.com/john.jpg
Also, this was sent to John in pieces. Dad had started it but didn't get to finish it.
www.jean-ealogy.com/dadsclock.jpg
(good idea Stoner). As a child I remember watching my dad (and sometimes helping) make jewelry. I remember him teaching me to use the buffer/polisher/grinder "thing" but didn't know much. After he passed away I didn't really think much about rocks, gems, or jewelry. I'm allergic to metals so I don't own too many pieces.
After having my son John, named after grandpa, we drove on many trips to California and Florida from Arkansas. On every trip my son had to stop and find "just the right" rock or stone. He's done this ever since he could crawl. He's 7 now. I can only think his fascination came from my dad. At age 5 he wanted a tumbler. If he really was interested I wanted to get him something that would last. Not a "cheap" discount store tumbler. I waited for almost a year and a half to see if he was still interested. Yes, he still was.
I called my step-mother to see what was left of dad's stuff but they couldn't get the motor going so it wasn't worth paying for the shipping from California to Texas (where we are now). She offered to buy him a new one for a combination Christmas/birthday present. I explained how I wanted to get him one that was going to last so it would probably be more than she thought. She didn't care and bought him a Lortone 33B kit (with 3 1.5 barrels and grit, etc). The hobby was ON!
We've since started buying rough from a local dealer, got some beautiful sodalite) and also from eBay. I've read every book in our area and John has taken before/after stones to school for show and tell. He made (with my guidance) several pieces of jewelry and a couple keychains for Christmas. If you ask him he can tell you where the color in the stone comes from.
We have all 3 tumblers going right now. We've run some Mahogany Obsidian and thought it would be done but a piece broke. I guess we didn't check it well enough and several of the pieces will need to be redone. Yes, we're still learning. It's very confusing with all of the information out there. So much conflicting information.
The information that came with the tumbler said to put 4 tablespoons of 60/90 grit in a 1.5 lb barrel. Most everywhere else says to use less - much less. Some say 1 ounce per pound, some say 1 tablespoon per pound. So how do you know what to do? Also, some places have 5 step grit processes. Most places don't. Is the first step necessary? I have tons of questions, but I'm sure I'll find information on this wonderful site!
A final note - I chose the name Rockhead because it sounds so much better than Blockhead! Sometimes I definitely feel like one when it comes to lapidary work.
Thanks for listening to me ramble!
Jeanne
You can see John's first tumble here:
www.jean-ealogy.com/john.jpg
Also, this was sent to John in pieces. Dad had started it but didn't get to finish it.
www.jean-ealogy.com/dadsclock.jpg
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