peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Jun 15, 2012 11:26:08 GMT -5
We just cut up some Optical Quartz that might be good for mini type pendant carving. I am holding some back to experiment on, and I put some up for sale on the buy/sell/swap forum here: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=buysell&action=display&thread=53234Actually, I already experimented with working one of the stones, but now I have idiotically misplaced it and can't find it to make a photograph. I shaped it as an oversized rounded piece with a waist and then polished it in the tumbler. The idea was to have a polished, shaped rock but something that looks like it could have been discovered sparkling in a mountain stream...only with better rainbows and polish. Urgh. When I find it, I will post a picture because my verbal description isn't too great. I don't like the material for cabs. The clear Quartz, to me, needs to get some "oomph" from shaping since it doesn't really have color going for it. Curious to know if anyone else does much with this material. I used to see a lot of facets but, again, they are so clear that they have little value because they don't have color going for them. They used to be given away as freebies in Hot Springs as Hot Springs diamonds, if anyone remembers that. :-) I'm thinking it's the carvings I've seen with this material that really stand out for me. |
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Post by Rockoonz on Jun 16, 2012 7:51:34 GMT -5
The best use for quartz IMO is caps for doublets and triplets.
Lee
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on Jun 16, 2012 10:05:41 GMT -5
That's true, Lee, but I have a good bit of this material, and I haven't (yet) made even one doublet because I'm a little scared of epoxy...so I was looking around for other ideas. Although I am thinking of getting together some of my thin-sliced stuff and putting a couple of doublets/triplets together soon.
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 16, 2012 12:03:13 GMT -5
The best way I've found to make doublets is to rough trim your cab and glue the clear cap on before shaping and sanding. Everything blends in nicely. If you've done a good job of gluing everything, you can barely see where the colored slab and cap meet. Just be careful when mixing your epoxy so you don't mix air bubbles into it. A thin epoxy works best for me. Use a couple of spring clamps to hold the parts together and let them cure overnight. Clothes pins will work.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on Jun 16, 2012 12:40:24 GMT -5
What epoxy are you using, Don?
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 17, 2012 8:37:54 GMT -5
I've always used Epoxy 330. I cures crystal clear. It helps if you lap the 2 pieces perfectly flat to about 600 grit. Any lines left from previous grits will show in the finished product.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on Jun 17, 2012 9:59:17 GMT -5
Thanks, Don. Alas, lapping a very thin slice prior to the epoxying has been the stumbling point. Don't quite see how I can do that without breaking the piece. Will have to review the tutorial.
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 17, 2012 10:16:53 GMT -5
If you want a really weird effect, try cutting a thin slice out of the clear parts of a Montana agate. A lot of the clear parts have a bubbly look to them. Makes for an interesting looking effect. I learned that one by mistake when I needed a clear cap and was out of optical quartz.
Unless your caps are already cut, try lapping the face of a thick piece of quartz. Then either glue it to a block of wood for the second cut, or hold it in a slab grabber. It doesn't matter if one side is rough. You're going to grind and polish the rough side anyway.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on Jun 17, 2012 12:05:16 GMT -5
Thanks, I'll try that. No caps are already cut, so I'm open to experiments.
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Post by gingerkid on Jun 19, 2012 11:55:19 GMT -5
Is optical quartz man-made??
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Post by jakesrocks on Jun 19, 2012 11:57:11 GMT -5
Some is. Some is harvested from optically clear natural quartz crystals.
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Post by gingerkid on Jun 19, 2012 12:00:30 GMT -5
Thanks, Don!  |
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on Jun 21, 2012 10:31:58 GMT -5
I should have been more clear. My specimens are from natural Quartz crystal. Optical quartz can also be grown for electronics but I don't have any pieces of manmade stuff that I'm willing to sell, although I have one large display piece.
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