88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Nov 18, 2008 0:28:54 GMT -5
This is a piece of grey/blue/white agate I found the other day... Before: After: She weighs in at 12 full ounces after shaping and polishing. The bright blue reflection on the right is from my TV. I got a crap polish on this one because the lapidary shop's drum sanders had WASTED belts on them, I basically just polished a 400-grit sanded rock...next time I visit I'll see about getting decent belts put on and get a REAL shine on this puppy. In my experience dark, clear agate is very unforgiving of surface scratches, they just seem to show up everywhere until you get a really good finish on the stone with the right sanding belts. It takes a particularly long time to remove scratches on pieces with a large surface area to be polished...*le sigh* I don't have any lapidary equipment besides a few tumblers, so I took lessons at the local Senior Center and I can use their full lapidary shop in the evenings for $1.25 an hour. It's a good deal, really. Sometimes I take a 10x loupe with me to check my polish and am horrified by how many scratches remain after polishing that the naked eye barely registers!
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Post by bobby1 on Nov 18, 2008 0:53:31 GMT -5
If the belts are SIC try using a medium worn belt and sand the piece dry. Wear good dust mask. Feel the it frequently so it doesn't overheat. You will be suprised with the results. I sand almost all of my cabs and geode halves this way. Bob
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Nov 18, 2008 3:03:21 GMT -5
I do tend to run the 600-1200 belts without water at that point, but it doesn't seem to do much good. Here is the sister agate to the one above. Amazing how different yet alike two agates from the same exact location can be. This one weighs in at 14 ounces. Photographed wet. The streaks or 'ghosts' in the agate are tiny tubes or pinhole-type patterns. I may yet cut this one deeper to get past the fractures and pits on top.
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,787
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Post by adrian65 on Nov 18, 2008 6:33:47 GMT -5
There's always a difference between the rough and the polished rock, but this time it's really stunning! Great work, BEAUTIFUL rock!
Adrian
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Post by bobby1 on Nov 18, 2008 10:20:15 GMT -5
I start at 220 grit (medium worn belt) with the dry sanding. You don't get any results at 600 or finer. There's not enough grit on worn belts to grab the rock on the finer belts. Bob
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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 Nov 18, 2008 11:40:45 GMT -5
wow~! that is some choice material ya got right there! ... excellent find and killer shine..
Hey bobby... does that tech work with any kind of rock or just agate.. ?
*smiles*
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Post by Bejewelme on Nov 18, 2008 23:37:05 GMT -5
That is just amazing, I love blue! I would have never thought that piece of rough could look like that, nice job. Amber
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karenfh
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2006
Posts: 1,495
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Post by karenfh on Nov 19, 2008 4:43:01 GMT -5
Well, dang. Yep, you have left me speechless! OOhing and awwhing and drooling. Holy FREAKIN' sapphires, hon. I know it's not a sapphire, but.... wowsers! Very, very neatly done. K
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nansaidh
spending too much on rocks
Jewelry artist, graphic designer, dog lover, car nut (etc.)
Member since August 2008
Posts: 311
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Post by nansaidh on Nov 19, 2008 16:12:43 GMT -5
That's absolutely stunning!! *drool*
Nancy
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Nov 19, 2008 17:16:16 GMT -5
Thank you all! Funny to think that the only reason I found these in the first place is that I took a wrong turn and looked down! lol
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rockwizz
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2007
Posts: 971
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Post by rockwizz on Nov 20, 2008 10:20:01 GMT -5
Wow! the blue color on this puppy is amazing...where did you find it? I'm curious now, with snow just around the corner here in Utah...I'd be willing to go on a trip to your corner to get some of this stuff ;D ;D
Thanks for sharing.
Ozzy
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rockwolf
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since November 2008
Posts: 97
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Post by rockwolf on Nov 20, 2008 12:06:45 GMT -5
I agree with Amber! Would never have thought that that piece of rought would have turned out like that!!
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Nov 20, 2008 20:57:58 GMT -5
Thanks...These are the two biggest pieces I found, the others are all on the order of 1/2"-1" thick. If I find more or slab any pieces that have more in them I'll offer some up for sale! The color is more of a dark grey than it is a blue. I'll have to clean up and polish some more.
This agate comes from a very small rock pit up Applegate Creek near Dallas, Oregon. The road to get there has a sign: "No Motorized Vehicles Allowed", but loggers were working there not too long ago. lol
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Nov 20, 2008 21:03:41 GMT -5
Here's a small bit I cut off a nodule and polished. It has very VERY fine herringbone banding.
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88pathoffroad
spending too much on rocks
Oregon ROCKS!
Member since August 2008
Posts: 305
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Post by 88pathoffroad on Nov 20, 2008 21:28:39 GMT -5
And here's one end cut from a different nodule. They tend to be mostly crystallized quartz with not very much agate, but still...anyone care to guess the number of bands on the left side?
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blarneystone
spending too much on rocks
Rocks in my head
Member since March 2010
Posts: 307
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Post by blarneystone on Nov 20, 2008 22:04:26 GMT -5
The color of that agate is just beautiful.... and that herring bone... man that's fantastic!
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rockwolf
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since November 2008
Posts: 97
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Post by rockwolf on Nov 21, 2008 8:06:03 GMT -5
The herringbone one reminds me a bit of a peacock feather! It's really gorgeous!
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