stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 12, 2011 17:18:32 GMT -5
Thanks for taking the time and effort to do this! I've been inspired to attempt my own tutorial. I started on on woodward ranch agate. I think the tears came out pretty dang good considering the flaws. Have you ever had rough like this before? Any idea if these flaqws can bew detected before starting? Thanks again!
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colliel82
has rocks in the head
Member since November 2007
Posts: 664
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Post by colliel82 on Mar 12, 2011 23:45:31 GMT -5
Thanks so much for taking the time to do this. From watching your tutorial progress I see I need to be more selective in the rocks I move on to the next stage and probably need to keep everything in the rough grind a lot longer. If mine turned out like these I would be doing the happy dance.
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Post by MyNewHobby on Mar 13, 2011 0:10:29 GMT -5
I love those!!! Very Cool!
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 13, 2011 2:54:30 GMT -5
Hi Tom, My you got a shine on them
Can I ask if all Glass (Obsidian ATears ect) have that finish with minute bubbles ?
I have never looked at mine under a loupe
Jack Yorkshire UK
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Post by connrock on Mar 13, 2011 8:33:09 GMT -5
stefan,, Thanks for you comments and support!
I've done a lot of Apache Tears and this is the 1st time I have had bad rough like this,,,,figures! LOL I doubt if you can detect these flaws by just looking at the rough.You may be able to see the big bubbles if you look at the Tears through a strong light but those tiny ones would almost impossible to see.
connrock
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Post by connrock on Mar 13, 2011 8:40:24 GMT -5
collie,,, I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is in their selection of rough for tumbling,,,Junk in,,,,,,,,,Junk out!
Another thing is how long the rocks are left in the rough stage.The rough stage is the ground work for the outcome!
If you have an auto accident and just paint over the dents without taking them out you will have a car with painted dents. Same thing with the rocks.If you don't get the "dents" out you have polished dents!
Some "flaws' in rocks don't look bad after polishing.As long as the flaws are sort of "smooth" ,,,like a spoon and don't have tiny cracks and or crevices for the grit and polish to hide.
The key word is "patience"!
Thanks for you comments!
connrock
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Post by connrock on Mar 13, 2011 8:41:15 GMT -5
MN hobby,, Thanks! Wish they came out better!
connrock
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Post by connrock on Mar 13, 2011 8:46:56 GMT -5
Jack,,, If the rough is good rough then you will not have all those "bubbles" and will get a VERY high glossy shine! I don't know if all obsidian is subject to these tiny flaws but I would suspect if these Apache Tears have them then just about all obsidian can as well? ? All I can say is that I have never seen anything like this and wish it didn't happen to me "in public"!! LOL Thanks for you comments and support throughout this tutorial! connrock
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
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Post by quartz on Mar 13, 2011 9:37:20 GMT -5
Thank you for a great tutorial, would imagine you put more time into publishing than into working w/product. I wouldn't be too unhappy with finish, not always necessary to examine w/10x. You tried your best, but Ma Nature always has a say in it too. Larry
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Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Mar 14, 2011 9:23:51 GMT -5
Thanks for your Honesty
jack Yorkshire uk
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Post by connrock on Mar 14, 2011 9:59:59 GMT -5
Larry, You're quite welcome! Yeah after a while the washing,drying,setting up the camera and tripod,etc,etc,etc gets a tad old but as they say,,,1 picture is worth a 1000 words,,,,,and i hate to type! LOL
connrock
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Post by connrock on Mar 14, 2011 10:01:03 GMT -5
Jack,,, Honesty is the best policy and with all the photos,,,,it's hard to lie!!!
connrock
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Post by Tony W on Mar 15, 2011 11:46:42 GMT -5
Well, buddy, you are old and confused for a reason...so you won't be so super over critical about stuff....because you can't see it, and can't remember whatever it was you couldn't see, lol. Those rocks look fine to me! Of course I don't wear a loop in my eye all the time so it is easy for me to see the glory of your polish without worrying about a few dings you need a loop to see Lighten up and take a bow. You've done real good!!! And...I expect you've encouraged a few fledging tumblers along the way. And best of all, you've taught me how to get some tear-tears Tony
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Post by connrock on Mar 15, 2011 12:22:07 GMT -5
Hey Tony,,, Old,confused,tired,forgetful and right now,,,just about useless too!
Those Tears had to stand in a LONG line with all the other things I've been messing up lately!
Don't tell anyone but those stinkin Tears have me SOOOOOO upset ,I'm trying to re-do them as we speak!
I remembered back to the last tumbling competition and how the rocks had "re-occurring" pits.You HAD to know when to stop and start each phase of the process or the pits would pop out again and again.
So,,,,I'm trying to "catch" the Tears between pits! LOL Fat chance but I'll give it a try!
Thanks for you support and "some" of your comments! ;D
connrock
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Post by Tony W on Mar 19, 2011 23:55:43 GMT -5
Well, if anyone can get it, you can! And if it gets you down, do some tube settings to limber you up, lol. T
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Post by tntmom on Mar 20, 2011 0:19:08 GMT -5
Connrock,
I concur!!! Very few walk around with a loupe to critique! I think they look wonderful and I absolutely love this tut!!!
Thank you for taking the time to pursue this for us!!!
~Krystee
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Post by connrock on Mar 20, 2011 8:21:09 GMT -5
Tony,,,, Boy you sure know how to hurt a fella! You very WELL KNOW what I went through trying to make those 3mm and 4mm tube settings from scratch and you ALWAYS bring that subject up! Doing these Tears and making a fool of myself in front of everyone here is NOTHING compared to what I went through with those STINKING tube settings,,,,, At least I had the sense to not do them "publicly"! LOL
connrock
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Post by connrock on Mar 20, 2011 8:31:21 GMT -5
Krystee, A 10 X loupe comes in pretty handy during the tumbling process.
There are times when you don't really know if the rocks are ready to move on to the next stage and by looking at them and comparing them to 1 that you held out in the beginning of that stage you can see the difference in the "texture' of the surface of the rock(s).
It's pretty interesting too,,,,,,The polishing process is nothing more then removing all those VERY tiny "scratches" from each previous stage! These 'scratches' appear as a kazillion tiny "bumps' and the bumps keep getting smaller and smaller as the process progresses!
You can still see these bumps on a thoroughly polished stone too!
I couldn't get a real clear photo of the Tears through the loupe even though I tried for almost an hour! LOL
Thanks again for your comments and interest!
connrock
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quartz
Cave Dweller
breakin' rocks in the hot sun
Member since February 2010
Posts: 3,352
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Post by quartz on Mar 20, 2011 9:10:14 GMT -5
We have a 10x too, and use it a lot, but to say you made a fool of yourself in front of the world, absolutely not. Knowing some about the difficulty of polishing obsidian, I'd say you provided us with a lot of real world information about this sort of project. Granted, less than perfect can be a huge frustration , but quit beating yourself up, you did well.
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Post by susand24224 on Mar 21, 2011 1:32:25 GMT -5
Tom! I haven't looked at this thread for a few days, and Oh My! Regardless of your criticism of yourself, they came out great! How can you disregard the opinion of all your friends on this board and continue to assert that they are not that good? ;D
And yes, I had to smile when you spoke of the Jasper with acne and remember your lecture that a dress with beautiful fabric that is tattered is not as good as a dress with ho-hum fabric in perfect condition. So--you have started with bad, no, mediocre rough and created something beautiful. Your magnifying glass can not take away the beauty.
Three cheers for you, my friend. You have put so much effort into this--the work itself, the photos, and the endless hunting and pecking. What a kind and giving act.
Susan
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