unclestu
Cave Dweller 
WINNER OF THE FIRST RTH KILLER CAB CONTEST UNCLESTU'S AGUA NUEVA AGATE
Member since April 2011
Posts: 2,298
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Post by unclestu on Apr 15, 2012 8:41:31 GMT -5
I am so happy that there are some more entries as today is the last day. Helen I love that material. I think it is also called Sci Fi because of the lightening bolts that are sometimes in the scenes. In fact I have a big beautiful slab that I received as a gift from one of my main sources for high quality material, Easyguy on Ebay. In fact the cab that I entered for this months contest came from Easyguy as well as that big display slab of Rolling Hills. Helen you are making nice progress with your cabbing. Kurt I was a little concerned about you, as you generally are the first one into the pool. That is a great looking cab. I love the shape and I to have seen that material before but i can't remember it's name. I know there are a lot of great cabbers out there and there is still time to enter  |
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Post by kk on Apr 15, 2012 9:06:13 GMT -5
Kurt I was a little concerned about you, as you generally are the first one into the pool. That is a great looking cab. I love the shape and I to have seen that material before but i can't remember it's name. Nahh will take my time from now on. a.) I got too many cabs and no real new material to practice on b.) You guys are just too good for me to get a few votes LOL Will see, if I get better pictures tomorrow before the contest closes, I might still change the material as I got two sub-herb cabs ready, including a super hard Rhyolite fresh out of a candy-store, but darn it, can't get a decent picture of them. In the meantime, my other post in Heavy Metal Guitar, is all I got to show for myself, and that one is not allowed to enter here . LOL |
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Post by helens on Apr 15, 2012 15:56:46 GMT -5
Thanks Kurt and Stu! Stu, I know you have some gorgeous slabs, would love to see a pix of your exotica when you get the chance. Krystee sending me this exotica was the first time I had seen it in person, and I am really grateful to her ... I LOVED it the first time I saw it... the colors, the complexity of the patterns, everything! My taste in rocks may be a bit different from you guys, mostly because everything I do being 'shiny' to start with, the matte natural finishes of rocks is what attracts me to them. Glass people spend a huge amount of time and extra effort/cost to create that natural matte effect.... from sandblasting, to acid etching, to rough tumbling, glass to get that 'sea glass' flat/satin look. Shiny is a given with glass, matte is difficult... and rocks COME THAT WAY! If you look at glass lampworking, you find that many lampwork artists' entire objective is to make shiny glass look like matte rocks. When I got here, I was surprised to discover that rock people spend a lot of time trying to make matte rocks look like shiny glass. Before I found rocks, I spent a huge amount of time trying to make glass look like rocks too. You would be surprised to know the time I spent making this glass bead (to look like a rock):  Bead closeup of above:  That bead above was made on my torch, with attention paid to making fake cracks and vugs, then hand rough sandpapered down, then acid etched in sulfuric acid to get it to have the identical satin finish of my above exotica cab. AFTER getting it made this was an additional few hours of work, and playing with noxious and lethal sulfuric acid... just so I could make it look like a rock. Doh. Small wonder I like rocks just as they are:). LOL! Now I can just shape a rock, and... it ALREADY looks like a rock! I don't have to spend hours making it look like it already is, and the real deal is obviously better than a fake rock:). I'm just explaining my taste preferences in rocks, because it may not make a lot of sense to you guys:). |
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Post by kk on Apr 15, 2012 17:32:11 GMT -5
Fantastic work you are showing there.
Deserves a separate post.
To few people drop in here to see it.
Will Pm you a bit later some of the pics.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2012 18:36:11 GMT -5
That bead is gorgeous and all the cabs are awesome. Way to go all.
Jim
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 15, 2012 21:23:24 GMT -5
 Helen, that is beautiful!!
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Post by kk on Apr 15, 2012 22:29:17 GMT -5
So here we go. Rhyolite that Jason send me last week. 58 x 35 mm in seize and of course a shape that will put off a lot of people. But,.... it would not be me otherwise, ....... I simply love freestyling. Here is the rough, (had to take it from another picture as I had already erased the intended picture for the rough).  Fantastic color variation, no dendrites but takes a shine to leave most Jaspers behind. Its hard as hell. Got more troubles getting some scratches out of that one than even a Montana Agate. Here is some shadow-play  And finally, showing the colors at its best  Thanks for looking, and sorry for the last minute thing. LOL |
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Post by helens on Apr 15, 2012 22:33:39 GMT -5
Oh, that's a really interesting shape!!! How do you polish if you don't have a wheel Kurt? Do you hand rub with sandpaper, or use grits and wheels, or something else?
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Post by kk on Apr 15, 2012 22:46:26 GMT -5
Sand-paper all the way to 2000 grid and then I use 50K diamond-paste on Cotton-burr followed and finished on leather burr (they are about a half an inch in diameter and some are conical).
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 16, 2012 12:00:00 GMT -5
 Hi, kk, I really love your pieces, and wondered how long does it usually take you to cab material such as agate and jasper by hand? What kind of sandpaper do you use?
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 16, 2012 14:14:40 GMT -5
Awesome work Helen!!!!!
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Post by helens on Apr 16, 2012 20:55:17 GMT -5
Thanks Fossilman, and everyone else:). I think the cabs here are marvelous, and I wish more people would enter too!!
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pporky
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2007
Posts: 1,932
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Post by pporky on Apr 17, 2012 5:35:03 GMT -5
WOW there's some fantastic cabs once again this month, its gonna be a challenge picking a fave from these beauties thanks and good luck to all.
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Helen, that is beautiful!! 
Hi, kk, I really love your pieces, and wondered how long does it usually take you to cab material such as agate and jasper by hand? What kind of sandpaper do you use? 
