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Post by bobby1 on Nov 29, 2007 23:22:20 GMT -5
Any cabs that I layer with Basanite, Quartz, Opal or Agate I classify under the general heading as assembled stones, be they doublets or triplets with the host material on the front or in the middle or back. Here is a Dendritic Agate that was so thin in the rough that I had to assemble it with Synthetic Quartz to make it durable enough to cab. The agate is on the front.  Here is a photo of the side view showing the clear Quartz.  Here is an Australian Opal triplet. It has a Quartz cap, a very thin layer of Opal and a Basanite backing.  These next two are also opal triplets, but they are made from Spencer Opal from Spencer, Idaho.   Thanks for looking. Bob |
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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 Nov 29, 2007 23:51:07 GMT -5
You know how to use beautifull materials that eitherway would be lost due to their fragility.
Is that syntetic quartz a sort of glass? Maybe high quality for not being wavey or inclusions?
What do you use as glue?
Adrian
PS. Sorry, now I've noticed your exhaustive answer in your other thread. Thank you very much.
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Post by bobby1 on Nov 30, 2007 0:03:59 GMT -5
The Synthetic Quartz is chemically identical to natural Quartz thus the hardness is identical to Quartz. Most uses for it are in the electronics industry, particularly in the manufacture of silicon wafers. They make huge crucibles in which they grow the crystals of silicon for making wafers. It is virtually flawless. They make it in very large ingots (think 3 feet thick, maybe 8 feet in diameter). A freind of mine got a large piece and had an 18" sphere made of it. He forgot and left it in front of his window and as the sun shone through it , it acted like a large magnifying glass and burned a noticable hole in the carpet. OOPS!
Bob
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Post by Tony W on Nov 30, 2007 1:26:51 GMT -5
Beautiful work! That dendritic is so thin it is amazing to be able to use it with breaking it. Tony
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fossilbrain
spending too much on rocks
Cookie Monster agate
Member since October 2007
Posts: 360
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Post by fossilbrain on Nov 30, 2007 4:00:11 GMT -5
I'm never going to discard a particularly spectacular heel into tumble rough ever again, hearing about this!
I have a dendritic blue agate heel, now, which would yield so thin a slab as to be otherwise useless, yet is patterned like I *can't* abandon. This could save it. I like All-natur-All, and everything, but I'm seriously taking notes, here.
Thanks!
Whoa -- wait a minute -- you can magnify and fortify a rare, thin slab with, like, a clear quartz lens and/OR back it...
Holy mommafrigging COW!
saWEEEET!
Sincerely learning,
Jeff
Just WOW
I mean, if we're trying to bring out and preserve natural beauty using man-hands, then that's just exactly what we're doing.
Seriously impressed and inspired.
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Post by bobby1 on Nov 30, 2007 12:35:40 GMT -5
Please don't puff up my ego so much with the praise. I really don't want to have to live up to such a level. Too much pressure! Too much pressure! I'm going to have to do something drastic like ........jump off my roof into my pile of rocks.
Thank you for the compliments. I often enjoy the teaching as much or more than the lapidary or jewelrymaking. I fear that today's youth will be so mesmerized by electronic games, television and computers that these skills and associated knowledge will be lost forever. I'm determined for that not to happen. What I have found is that if you light the spark in the young ones' minds that it will light their fire for the hobby sooner or later in their life. Most of my students are middle lifers who have discovered a vacant place in their life that their electronic gadgets (television included) doesn't fill and they want to get back to making something with their brains and hands. This hobby will fill that open spot and we have to be there to pour the knowledge in.
Rambling again!
Bob
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deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on Nov 30, 2007 13:48:22 GMT -5
I'm in your fan club too, sorry Bob!  It's just a new thing for me to see these assembled cabs and go "wow" and now I want to learn about it and give it a try. You were so good in your descriptions and pics, you made it accessible for someone like me! I'm a school teacher, and I'm being subversive by introducing a rock tumbler into my 2nd grade science curriculum of erosion and weathering and ROCK!! We opened up our tumbler from the first stage yesterday, had the kids 'wash them off' for me, and then set them in a bowl on my desk for the day. They love them! In there are Apache tears that Jamie and all helped me collect at Burro Creek for my 3rds mostly, who study Native Americans in Social Studies. Bwahahahaha!! Seriously though, where do you get the clear quartz for your doublets and triplets? Buy the clearest and largest point you can find and slice it?? I know, this is probably a dumb question, but I'm wondering if there's an easier source to try this out with... Thanks~! |
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Post by Tonyterner on Nov 30, 2007 14:16:31 GMT -5
Bob those are just amazing. How do you get such a thin piece so flat that they match perfectly?
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Post by bobby1 on Nov 30, 2007 18:01:53 GMT -5
I don't use natural Quartz, though I could if I wanted the cab to be "all natural". Natural Quartz in sizes that are large enough and inclusion-free is hard to find and expensive. There is a local dealer here that sells the man-grown crystals that I get my raw material from. If you are interested I can get his contact information for you.
Tony,
The activity of grinding the pieces on the glass in a figure 8 pattern naturally ensures that they come out flat. The only precaution is to keep equal pressure on the piece and not press down harder on any particular edge.
When making Opal triplets I flatten the Opal down to the best color layer, flatten the Basanite and glue the two together. After it hardens I saw the excess opal matrix off the piece and use my cabbing unit to grind as much of the remaining Opal off as I can without getting into the good color. After that I grind the remaining Opal off by hand on the glass. Go slowly and look often here. You don't want to blow through the Opal color layer. Generally the thinner the Opal the better the color that shows up. You want it thin enough for the black Basanite to emphasize the Opal color. When you are happy with the look, glue the prepared Quartz cap on and cab it.
Bob
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deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on Nov 30, 2007 20:30:03 GMT -5
Yes, thanks Bob, I'd really like the contact information! I have some really dense black moss, and I bet it would be amazing to do a doublet (I'll work my way up to triplet) with it!
~Dee
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Post by cina on Nov 30, 2007 20:54:19 GMT -5
puff Puff PUff PUFf PUFF!! I am on the WOW that rocks bandwagon Thanks for sharing.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2007 21:22:43 GMT -5
Bob, Those are beautiful. Its truly amazing what you can do with materials that most would consider not usable. What I have found is that if you light the spark in the young ones' minds that it will light their fire for the hobby sooner or later in their life. Bob, Not to cut in on your thread but I agree 100% with what you said above about getting children interested in lapidary. I am so happy that my youngest daughter has caught the rock bug as well and its why these photos are so precious to me. Rain or shine, it doesnt matter to her....she's always ready for a rock hunt. Lillie cabbing  Lillie & I digging for moss thundereggs at Richardson's Ranch, Spring 2007  Lillie on her birthday last year with new rock stuff!  This year she will be getting her own tumbler and a stereo microscope for Christmas. ;D Her older sister likes rocks too.......well, kinda. She likes them if she can purchase them at a rock show or if mom or Lillie digs them for her but she's not about to get her hands dirty LOL. Funny how two kids raised exactly the same can be so different. Bob, you should post some photos of you and your grandson, I know he likes his rock trips with grandpa. Shannon |
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raqy
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2007
Posts: 799
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Post by raqy on Nov 30, 2007 22:40:11 GMT -5
Thanks Bob this thread has been very informative. The cabs are great too.
Shannon Your daughter is too cute!
Raquel
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deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on Nov 30, 2007 23:35:45 GMT -5
Oh my gosh, weeshan, that top pick of your daughter should go in an editorial of what kids these days SHOULD be doing, instead of vegging in front of gaming systems! She's adorable, and I bet she's going to be great at swinging that big 'ole rock hammer! In the pics from Burro Creek, in the pic that Dave took of the 'youngest' and the 'oldest' the 'youngest' part was my daughter, who got the rock bug herself on that trip!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2007 13:22:36 GMT -5
Dee,
There's just no better feeling than getting your kids involved in a worthwhile hobby that can last their whole lives. My daughter has some issues with learning and retaining information. She is a "tactile" learner and does best when things are hands on. This hobby is perfect for her. She even talks about being a geologist or a paleontologist when she grows up. Well, that and a magician LOL.
That top photo is being enlarged and will be hung on the wall by my cabbing area in the dining room.
Shannon
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2007 18:48:58 GMT -5
Those are really great photos! I like the first one. Both of them looking at the same thing and that look of awe on your grandsons face. Priceless.
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Post by bobby1 on Dec 1, 2007 21:09:00 GMT -5
The source for Synthetic Quartz is:
Bob Lewis
Cell - 1 650 773 9964
I think he is asking about $12.00 a pound. I've known and dealt with him for about 20 years so far.
Bob
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jimrbto
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since April 2007
Posts: 94
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Post by jimrbto on Dec 1, 2007 22:01:29 GMT -5
If anyone is interested, Morion company sells all manner of "man made" stones including all colors of the quartz family. You can view their web site at : www.morioncompany.comjim |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Dec 2, 2007 20:04:25 GMT -5
Yeah, Bob's "What do you see" thread was a lot of fun. It would be a good one for this forum.
Shannon
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Post by Tonyterner on Dec 3, 2007 13:34:34 GMT -5
Shannon, That photo of Lillie is priceless. I'll have to show it to Autumn.
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It's just a new thing for me to see these assembled cabs and go "wow" and now I want to learn about it and give it a try. You were so good in your descriptions and pics, you made it accessible for someone like me!
