Rock Guy 275
having dreams about rocks
Member since October 2011
Posts: 66
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Post by Rock Guy 275 on Jun 20, 2012 8:10:46 GMT -5
Hi there I was wondering if anyone has worked with psilomelane before, I've always been fascinated by the patterns and I got a few small slabs the other day off ebay. I've searched the boards, and all I've been able to find is that it's pretty messy to work with. Anyone else know anything, are there safety precautions I should take (like with bumblebee jasper, or malachite)?
Thanks in advance for any advice, Rock Guy 275
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Post by NatureNut on Jun 20, 2012 8:25:37 GMT -5
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Post by kk on Jun 20, 2012 8:31:49 GMT -5
Hi there, messy yes. Danger breathing the dust, always! Just remember, they call it back malachite for a reason.
Greetings, Kurt
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 20, 2012 18:35:17 GMT -5
Yep, messy black goo everywhere but if well impregnated with silica, it takes a wonderful silver and black polish with great eyes and bands. Much easier to polish than malachite but sometimes the bands are of slightly different hardness which can lead to a ripple effect which I like. Did not know it was any more poisonous than any silica rock dust as it's manganese in silica as opposed to malachite which is copper based and often has a lot of nasty stuff like arsenic, copper sulfides etc included. Thought the black malachite name was more because of pattern than a statement about being similar to malachite in toxicity...Mel
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