Post by DeanW on Dec 12, 2007 14:13:30 GMT -5
Hi All, my name is Dean and I'm a Rock-o-holic, lol.
I've visited here once or twice. Been listening to my friend Tony (nephrite) rave about this place for about a year so figured I'd finally try to sign up and visit more often.
My wife and I have been rockhounds for as long as we've been together. She has been one her whole life (gotta remember to thank her parents, again). I've been an "outdoors-man" my whole life so getting into rocks was quite easy.
Our workshop at home is in-progress. We have 30", 24", & 18" slab saws; two 24" vibrating flat laps; two 10# Thumlers vibrating tumblers; One lortone 33B rotating tumbler; a Barranca wet grinder-polisher (actually her Mother's who is afraid to use it); a Richardson's flat sander and a Richardson's polisher; and a 3-head sphere machine. We also have a 10" Lortone slab/trim saw that has a problem so we're looking to swap it out.
Right now the 30" and 24" saws are not quite ready (have to fix lid on the 30" and the 24" is over at the inlaws, again her mother is afraid to use it). And both flat laps need some wiring work. And we don't have room for the sphere machine in the workshop but everything else fits, with room to work/walk too. It has taken us 3 years to build the shop, and about 7 to accumulate all the equipment. We just recently got the 18" saw going and we're slabbing-like-mad! I'm still learning the best way to cinch rocks into the vise. My wife does most of the tumbling and we both sand/polish on the Richardsons (dang dangerous machine, I have the stitches scar to prove it too, lol).
We primarily collect in the high-desert areas through-out the western USA (CA, OR, ID, NV, AZ). Our "rock pile" has lots of thundereggs, petrified wood, geodes, various jaspers and agates, virgin valley opal, and other miscellaneous rocks. We are not cabbers or mineral collectors but more into display pieces like book-ends or other larger cabinet type pieces. One of our other hobbies is collecting Native American artwork like pottery, basketry, and jewelry; again primarily Southwest and Northwest-coast.
We also support our hobbies a little bit by selling, online (ebay and our site) and at several local shows. We offer rocks, tools & equipment, grit, pottery, jewelry, basketry, weavings, and again other miscellaneous items.
I am a past-president and a past-director for the Santa Cruz Mineral & Gem Society. My wife is also a past-director; we share Field Trip chair for Santa Cruz Mineral & Gem Society and I am the field trip committee chair at Santa Clara Valley Gem & Mineral Society as well as the current board-parlimentarian.
This is getting long looking so I'm gonna stop now. Hopefully I'll get to contribute as much as I can.
Dean
I've visited here once or twice. Been listening to my friend Tony (nephrite) rave about this place for about a year so figured I'd finally try to sign up and visit more often.
My wife and I have been rockhounds for as long as we've been together. She has been one her whole life (gotta remember to thank her parents, again). I've been an "outdoors-man" my whole life so getting into rocks was quite easy.
Our workshop at home is in-progress. We have 30", 24", & 18" slab saws; two 24" vibrating flat laps; two 10# Thumlers vibrating tumblers; One lortone 33B rotating tumbler; a Barranca wet grinder-polisher (actually her Mother's who is afraid to use it); a Richardson's flat sander and a Richardson's polisher; and a 3-head sphere machine. We also have a 10" Lortone slab/trim saw that has a problem so we're looking to swap it out.
Right now the 30" and 24" saws are not quite ready (have to fix lid on the 30" and the 24" is over at the inlaws, again her mother is afraid to use it). And both flat laps need some wiring work. And we don't have room for the sphere machine in the workshop but everything else fits, with room to work/walk too. It has taken us 3 years to build the shop, and about 7 to accumulate all the equipment. We just recently got the 18" saw going and we're slabbing-like-mad! I'm still learning the best way to cinch rocks into the vise. My wife does most of the tumbling and we both sand/polish on the Richardsons (dang dangerous machine, I have the stitches scar to prove it too, lol).
We primarily collect in the high-desert areas through-out the western USA (CA, OR, ID, NV, AZ). Our "rock pile" has lots of thundereggs, petrified wood, geodes, various jaspers and agates, virgin valley opal, and other miscellaneous rocks. We are not cabbers or mineral collectors but more into display pieces like book-ends or other larger cabinet type pieces. One of our other hobbies is collecting Native American artwork like pottery, basketry, and jewelry; again primarily Southwest and Northwest-coast.
We also support our hobbies a little bit by selling, online (ebay and our site) and at several local shows. We offer rocks, tools & equipment, grit, pottery, jewelry, basketry, weavings, and again other miscellaneous items.
I am a past-president and a past-director for the Santa Cruz Mineral & Gem Society. My wife is also a past-director; we share Field Trip chair for Santa Cruz Mineral & Gem Society and I am the field trip committee chair at Santa Clara Valley Gem & Mineral Society as well as the current board-parlimentarian.
This is getting long looking so I'm gonna stop now. Hopefully I'll get to contribute as much as I can.
Dean