dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 8, 2006 19:29:56 GMT -5
;D Hi All, Made 5 cabs this morning, hope you enjoy. They took about 30 minutes each. Amazonite Cab  Mahogany Obsidian  Lookout Point Agate  Chinchilla Petrified Wood, QNSLND, AU Looks like Picture Jasper  Tahoma jasper  Hope you enjoyed, TTYS, Dan www.dbrockwerks.com |
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Post by gemkoi on Jul 8, 2006 20:52:54 GMT -5
The wood and the jasper is my fav, i was wondering were you been. Good to see you out cutting up some goodies. Nice job!
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Post by stoner on Jul 8, 2006 20:59:22 GMT -5
Nice job on some interesting stones, I like the pet wood one the best.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jul 8, 2006 21:34:30 GMT -5
nice cabs dankore! love the color of that amazonite.
kim
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dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 9, 2006 9:18:49 GMT -5
Hi Thanks everyone, Sorry I have been so scarce, been pretty busy filling a pyrite order, thought it would take a couple of days, it took 8 FULL days, but got it done. A Gal wanted pyrite to use in a kids gem sluice, for a kids fair. I wish the polish showed better, they all have great polishes, the Amazonite is much better polished than the picture shows, it has a glass like surface, but the irregularities in the stone make it look flawed. I like the pet wood one also, it is just a bit smaller than a tennis ball, a biggun. Thanks again, TTYS, Dan www.dbrockwerks.com |
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Post by gemkoi on Jul 9, 2006 10:45:40 GMT -5
Hey Dan, check these guys out; villageoriginals.com/I will post this link later in the proper thread too. But for anyone wanting wholesale bulk stuff that you find in just abuot everyrockshop around the country. They get it from these folks. All those big Chathreals, windchimes, rock art, carvings, crystals, and so much i cnat even get into saying. BUt the main reason i note is because they have loads of pyrite in bulk for sale. Here in AJ, mining/tourism is a big thing, with the goldfield ghosttown. And two mining stores. They always pester me for pyrite and i send them here. So far they been all very pleased and been buying from them for a few years since i refered them. They are also a great soruce for what i call "cheese". Rings, pendants, tumbled stones, dyed slabs. that kind stuff. BUt when they set up in QUartzsite and Tucson each year. Their spheres and skulls are very reasonable. I bought three large skulls last year for a customer, the skulls were Picasso, Smokey, and a breccaite jasper. Total weight was like 12 pounds(they were very large skulls). costs under $100!!! With resale number. And those large amethyst chathedrals you can get very cheap too at the shows from these guys. MY buddy bought a 4 foot tall ,matching pair with a few large quartz scepters in it, covered in Amethyst for under $300. At any local rockshop or gemshop here in Arizona, the same set would be $3000, and that would be cheap! |
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Post by Cher on Jul 9, 2006 13:45:09 GMT -5
That Amazonite is beautiful, nice cabs, the pet wood is great too.
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dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 9, 2006 18:55:09 GMT -5
Hi Cher Thank you for the compliments. I had to soak the amazonite in acid for a week to get the color to come out. Shain, Thanks, great site, I can see I will have to browse that site for awhile. Thanks again, TTYS, Dan www.dbrockwerks.com |
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Shelbeeray
has rocks in the head
Member since January 2006
Posts: 688
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Post by Shelbeeray on Jul 9, 2006 22:50:12 GMT -5
I like the keychains you're selling on your website - neat idea!
You soaked it in acid? Muriatic acid? How does that bring out the color?
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dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 10, 2006 9:27:55 GMT -5
Hi Shelby, I used "Super" Iron Out, gotta get the Super, it has the good stuff. It's used to clean wood decks. When I got the chunk of Amazonite, it was 40% covered with Iron Stains, the rust looking stains. The SIO will remove the Iron Stains, or most of them. You want to do it when it is slabbed, not the whole rock, gets deeper that way. You want to use it safely, read and follow all safety precautions!!!!! You recharge the SOI every few days. It's done when it's clean, or stops getting any cleaner. Soak in plain water, as long as you soaked it in SOI. SOI is an oxalic acid. Change water daily. TTYS, KOR, Dan www.dbrockwerks.com |
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dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 10, 2006 9:30:34 GMT -5
Hi Again Shelby, Thanks for the compliments on our Keychains, I made 5 more yesterday, should have them on the website in a day or less. Good to talk to you. KOR, Dan www.dbrockwerks.com |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jul 10, 2006 11:53:59 GMT -5
i'm confused. was the iron out just to get the rust stains off or did it make the stone more colorful?
kim
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Post by gemkoi on Jul 10, 2006 12:52:05 GMT -5
Im a strickler for not using acids. Remember Dan, Acids eat into crytaline stones. And rarely does cleaning them with soap water get all the acid out. It gets the acid off the surface, but how deep did it have to go? You can never know
I cut for allot of local jewelers who bring me cabs to recut. All too often they are cabs of crytaline natural like calcite or Amazonite in which the polish was acchived through acid soak from over sea slave labor lapidary houses (rrrr). And everytime i must explain to them even when i recut it, there can still be traces of acid in the stone. NOt the case with cryptocrystaline stones like agate.
So as a lapidary, using acid to me should be a last resort. Its fun to learn how, no dout. But if i were sold a cab that was acid polished or cleaned, and the seller didnt disclose that info. Bad things can happen becasuse even in jewelry, the acid will leach out of the stone if touching skin. And there are allergic reactions i know of from aicd polish stones. Basicly bad skin rash can happen if the person is sensitive. I am, so i tell my cleints when they bring me cabs to recut, if they are aicd polish. They shouldnt be selling them or putting them into jewelry.
No matter how far i recut the stone. Also for folks that dont know, about 75% of all stones coming from oversea lapidary houses are acid polished. All those giant spheres and Onyx chess sets too. And becasue i am very sensitive to such, when at shows there are tents i never go into becasue i can smell the acid.
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dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 10, 2006 23:13:52 GMT -5
Hi Shain, I agree, acid should be a last resort. I was requested to iron out it by the customer, he is a geologist. The iron out itself is a real mild acid, it is even used in water softeners, not that I would drink it out of the bottle or anything, I used light amounts, heavy water, and very long soak times. I would never have used it, but it was specifically requested to do so. I do have a lot of Amazonite around untreated, but the customer wanted to see the results of the iron out treatment. Not my usual practice by any means. But the customer was fully aware of the iron out. I never bother with the stuff other wise. I do have ne cab on our website, the one shown here that was treated, but like I said, lightly, and real long soak times after iron out, with mulitple water changes, but I do agree that you can never be sure it is all out, that's why I went with the light dose, and long soak, I also did a long soak after grinding. As I said not my usual practice, but good skill to know! TTYS, KOR Thanks Shain,
Dan
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jul 11, 2006 6:35:59 GMT -5
 still confused here. you used it to remove the iron, bring out color, polish it, a combination of these, all of the above? what? kim
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dankore
starting to spend too much on rocks
Rocks, Rock
Member since March 2006
Posts: 120
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Post by dankore on Jul 11, 2006 9:18:23 GMT -5
Hi Rocky, It mainly removes the iron stains. They look like rust on the rock. By removing the rust color, it allows the green to come out more. I don't think it actually changes the color, but removes the rust color. Amazonite, from my customers claim has a lot of rust stains on them. he wanted to see if the rust would come off, most of it did. You can still see small traces of rust near the center of the cab, where the dome is highest. Before treating, the cab was 45% rust stain. Hope that helps. TTYS, KOR, Dan www.dbrockwerks.com |
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Post by gemkoi on Jul 11, 2006 11:27:00 GMT -5
Thats what i was Thinking Dan, Thats why i always really like your work. AS when i tell cleints about aicd polishes when they brings such stones. Most are totally un-aware its such a common practice for all that cheese flooding all over the market.
I think its a great thing to note and even share the process if you take photos and do a step by step the next time. IM sure theres plenty of members here that have no clue what you can do with a mild solution.
I have an old slab of Crazylace Laguna agate that was rusted on both sides. I polished one side, but there is still a ting trace amount in a few softer layers of the lace. And i left the other sides still rusted to show its age. And becasue its really more a specimen piece and would never be cut and go into jewelry(becasue the pattern is nicer full). An acid soak would be warrentted just for that reason. I am just very sensitive to all chemicals and dout i will ever do it.
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Post by rocklicker on Jul 14, 2006 0:37:13 GMT -5
Hold on, this is off topic, but I bet I know where Lookout point agate was found! At a... you get the idea. Unless someone was about to get hit with an agate on the nogin and someone said "Lookout!".
Beautiful cabs too!
Steve
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