UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Aug 28, 2008 0:11:26 GMT -5
Not sure just where to post this. I have been posting my equipment builds, and on other topics. I guess it is time to show you what I have been doing with them. I have a spot where I can collect Tuft(volcanic ash) that is part of an extinct hot spring. Makes for some really great colors and patterns. I slab it to make displays for my other stones. You can't polish it, but dipping it in Urethane Enamel makes it look great. This is a Thunder Egg or Geode. Have a spot where there are thousands of them. This one is a quartz vain I cut into. Used a little CLR to clean it up, and it turned out great. Cut and polished some obsidian from Fillmore, then done a little wire tie on it. This one is some Moss Agate I found. Tied it in gold wire. The wife laid a claim on it before it was even done. This is the only ring I have made so far. The stone is Opal, non precious. The metal is a Nickle I pounded flat, cut and filed. Turned out good, but to much work to do again for a time. Thanks for looking, and may your road be rocky. ;D
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MidNight~Rocksi3
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2008
Posts: 1,716
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Post by MidNight~Rocksi3 on Aug 28, 2008 2:51:05 GMT -5
Oh now that is some down right Bytchin Skills you got there! I love that obsidian and the Awesome way you did that all up! ..and the wifey has a good eye for Bling!...... and the classy way you "tied it in gold" Looks like a PRO! Not to mention your Ring and display mounts~!!!! I'm bout ready to ask for the Secrets to your rings and "ties"....
*smiles*
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karenfh
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,495
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Post by karenfh on Aug 28, 2008 3:20:10 GMT -5
Haha, I am with Roxy; what she said. She said it so much better than I could have! Geez, I'm just boring! I love what you did with the obsidian, nice job tying the gold stuff, and that ring! Holy cow! Yep, you have some bytchin skills!
PS, Roxy, I about spit my coffee on the ******* keyboard, when I read the "wifey has a good eye for bling!"
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Post by Bikerrandy on Aug 28, 2008 4:19:53 GMT -5
Cool stuff, the two pendants are great!
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Post by texaswoodie on Aug 28, 2008 9:50:21 GMT -5
That really is a variety. I really like the quartz specimen.
Curt
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UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Aug 28, 2008 23:25:04 GMT -5
Thank you for your kind words. Means a lot to see what others that have rocks in their heads think. ;D Little more time tonight, thought I would add a few more. This is some Petrified Wood from Vernal Utah. I picked this up at my Grandmothers Coal mine about 40 years ago. I was only 13 then. I wrote it off as long lost. Then out of the blue, it turned up in a storage shed in a old cooler. I have only cut a couple pieces, but it sure it nice stone. This is a key chain made from some rock in the mouth of Marysville Canyon, south end. BLM land, ripe for picking. It is a mixture of Obsidian and Quartz. Really nice patters in some pieces. This was just done on a whim. When I was a kid, I always wanted a Bear Claw necklas. Never could get one, so after all these years, I made one from obsidian. As a matter of fact, I have made several. The kids around here love them. This was my first Bracelet. I gave it to a lady at work. I work with her and her husband. They are Rockhounds, and helped me find some really great places to hunt. It was the least I could do to pay her back. Thats it for tonight, got to work tomorrow.
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Aug 29, 2008 0:24:11 GMT -5
utahrockhound;
The key Chain, ? the Obsidian the two can not form to gather in a fortification formation, Simply because the quartz is sedimentation and the Obsidian is Igneous.
Jack
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1rockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2008
Posts: 286
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Post by 1rockhound on Aug 29, 2008 1:43:35 GMT -5
utahrockhound; The key Chain, ? the Obsidian the two can not form to gather in a fortification formation, Simply because the quartz is sedimentation and the Obsidian is Igneous. Jack Jack, I have to completely disagree with that statement. Snowflake Obsidian contains the mineral Cristobalite which is quartz and Tridymite a polymorph of quartz. Granite is also an igneous rock that contains Quartz. The pegmatites that are found in Granite can sometimes contain quartz crystals. So quartz and Igneous rock can and do form together.
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Aug 29, 2008 3:35:27 GMT -5
70% of silica, and Quartz, Plagioclase Feldspar Granite is a Secondary formation. 1rockhound...."""""""""""""""" "I have to completely disagree with that statement. Snowflake Obsidian contains the mineral Cristobalite which is quartz and Tridymite a polymorph of quartz. Granite is also an igneous rock that contains Quartz. The pegmatites that are found in Granite can sometimes contain quartz crystals. So quartz and Igneous rock can and do form together."....................99% of the rock NOT minerals, contain Silica / Quartz / Silicates. How to Identify Snowflake Obsidian By eHow Hobbies, Games & Toys Editor Rate: (4 Ratings) Obsidian is lava that has cooled too rapidly for crystallization to occur. It is not a true mineral but is sometimes classified as mineraloid. It has a smooth, glassy appearance and the fracture edges are extremely sharp. Obsidian consists of at least 70 percent silicon dioxide (SO2) but impurities can create a wide range of color and visual effects. The following steps will show how to identify snowflake obsidian. * Post a Comment * Add to Favorites * Email * Print Article Instructions Difficulty: Moderate Step1 Realize that obsidian is relatively unstable in geological terms. Although the silicon dioxide molecules are initially unorganized, they will slowly rearrange into crystal patterns over time. Quartz is a simple type of silica crystal. Thus, obsidian will eventually turn into quartz over a period of more than 20 million years in a process called "devitrification." Step2 Find obsidian with white snowflake patterns in it. These "snowflakes" are silica molecules that are beginning to change into quartz through devitrification of the obsidian. Step3 Notice that this obsidian is beginning to lose its conchoidal fractures (very sharp edges) and glassy texture. Step4 Examine snowflake obsidian microscopically to see that the "snowflakes" can be more accurately described as small inclusions of radially clustered crystals of cristobalite, a polymorph of quartz and tridymite. Cristobalite is not truly stable below 1,470 degrees Celsius, hence its eventual change into quartz. Step5 Study the chemistry of cristobalite to see that it is relatively stable below 1,470 degrees Celsius because its transition to quartz and tridymite requires the silica crystals to be broken up and reformed. This requires considerable activation energy and happens very slowly. www.mindat.org/min-8520.htmlmineral.galleries.com/minerals/Mineralo/OBSIDIAN/OBSIDIAN.htm70% of silica, and Quartz, Plagioclase Feldspar Granite is a Secondary formation. Just can`t form in a banded sedimentation formation. And for the hydration of silicate to take place the material would go back to solution.
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UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Aug 29, 2008 8:26:37 GMT -5
When it comes to the mineral content of rocks, I take a back seat. I know most of my rock but not how they are made. I leave that up to the ones that have an interest in the field.
Like the wife and I say when we are hounding, see any shinies. If not, it's a leaverite.
I will do this. If anyone is interested, send me your address, and I will be glad to send you a sample. There is a mountain side of this stuff, and in no short supply.
Not sure just how this would play into it, but where they come from is the base of a extinct volcano. This area is rich in old volcanos.
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Post by sitnwrap on Aug 29, 2008 15:40:38 GMT -5
Those are really beautiful. Lucky co-worker who got the bracelet. Even steven, I'd say.
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textiger
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2005
Posts: 946
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Post by textiger on Aug 30, 2008 8:08:46 GMT -5
Utahrockhound,
Really like your work. Your ties are great and the material terrific. Whatever the obsidio-quartz stone is, it's awesome looking. Are patterns like that common?
matt
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UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Aug 31, 2008 0:22:55 GMT -5
Bakers Choice when it come to what you want for a pattern. The big one is about the size of a football. You can see the swirls in it. If I cut it, the swirls will extend through the rock. Very easy rock to cut and shape. I have thought of doing some carvings with it. Maybe try it on the lathe.
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UtahRockHound
spending too much on rocks
Sometimes your the Windshield, sometimes your the Rock.
Member since May 2008
Posts: 301
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Post by UtahRockHound on Aug 31, 2008 0:49:04 GMT -5
If anyone is interested, or close enough. In Central Utah is the small town of Marysville. About 5 miles north of town, in the mouth of the canyon, just stop at the first place you can pull over, and hunt the west side of the road. This is also where you find a very rare mineral, or gem. For the life of me, I can not remember it at the moment. It is silver, and common occurrences are as big as a pin head. Easy to find, but only way to view them is with a good magnifying glass.
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DeanW
has rocks in the head
Member since December 2007
Posts: 721
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Post by DeanW on Sept 1, 2008 0:19:39 GMT -5
Most excellent map and stuff. Could a copy, repost, or move happen so that this valuable information is also in the "Location Location Location" forum?
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