jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
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Post by jspencer on Jul 19, 2012 23:11:34 GMT -5
After a couple of years of this sitting on my workbench I decided it was time I learn to work with the stone. So I cut this slice from one piece I had. I`d call it a score wouldn`t you? Any suggestions or secrets you want to share with me are appreciated. I have a flat lap, a regular 6" cabber w/expando drum+flat polish pad and a diamond spool polisher to work with. Should I slice it close to 1/4" or more/less? Thanks in advance! Attachments:
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QuailRiver
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 20, 2012 1:34:42 GMT -5
I cut a bit of this material back in the 1970s. It was very soft & porous and had to be stabilized with Opticon. Another option that would avoid having to stabilize it would be to use it to make Opal Doublets. Using Epoxy 330, glue a clear slice of quartz over a thin slice of Honduras black Opal and then dome and polish the clear quartz top.
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itsandbits
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Post by itsandbits on Jul 20, 2012 3:01:36 GMT -5
I think, maybe mistakenly, that you may be thinking of the andamooka stuff which is in a real crumbly matrix. The honduran of any quality comes in a much harder matrix and should polish up without having to cook and sugar and acidize it to turn it dark the way the aussie stuff needs to. A friend of mine had some and it was in a basalt like material. I have a pd. of it coming but will have to see when it gets here.
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Jul 20, 2012 9:29:58 GMT -5
The Honduran opal is opal in black basalt and loves to get hot when polishing. It gets the best shine that way. The only areas on it are little gray spots that will be soft.
Yours has more of the gray spots and opticon will help. I soak mine at the prepolish stage.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
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Post by jspencer on Jul 20, 2012 14:56:45 GMT -5
Thanks guys, the gray spots are actually a small part of it. The picture doesn`t do it justice. Most of the interior has a green tint to it and looks like good clarity. I cut this one slice only and will play with it. It is a good 1/4" thick and has a small gray clay matrix cutting off a small island of color. I`ll trim it off and start with the small piece. I have another rock of the same stuff but has a deep black color to it. But being a somewhat rookie to cabbing I`m not sure I follow how to do it hot. Do you mean no water, a little water? Or if polishing on my phenolic resin spools with diamond would I just use it with no extender? Thanks again for your advice.
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Jul 20, 2012 15:42:23 GMT -5
the only place I use water is the grinding shaping
I don't use water at all to polish the honduran stuff - just diamond compound on a flexo and let the stone get as hot as you can handle
I dop them on a large head roofing nail with super glue and hold that in a pin vice to work it as it will get too hot to hold. after I have it polished I treat the soft spots with opticon and re polish if needed
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jul 20, 2012 18:59:59 GMT -5
Thank you FrogAndBearCreations! Maybe I`ll get a chance tomorrow to trim out the soft spots and make a small test piece to start with. I will hopefully be coming back here and show some glowing results soon. The price I paid was outrageously under the $50 per lb. price tag on it now.
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QuailRiver
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 22, 2012 2:10:31 GMT -5
Nah, Itsandbits it was the Honduras material. I bought it from the tow guys that were mining it back in 1977. What I bought had the gray porous spots and was too soft to wear well in jewelry so it need to be stabilized.
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Post by gingerkid on Jul 22, 2012 8:28:53 GMT -5
Hi, quailriver! Sure hope you'll post pics of the Honduran opal after you cab it, and please share with us how you worked the material. Have heard that a lot of the material seen on the market today has quite a lot of pits in it.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 22, 2012 22:32:32 GMT -5
Hey Ginger. I think you may have confused me with jspencer. He is the one currently cutting the Honduran black opal. What I cut back in the 70's first I had to preform and then treat with Opticon 220. Then I sanded and polished with diamond paste on Crystalite resin belts and pads. I don't remember if I stopped at 14,000 diamond or 50,000 diamond. I used spray silicone for a lubricant on the Crystalite pads. But would not recommend using spray silicone anymore for health concerns.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
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Post by jspencer on Jul 23, 2012 22:05:51 GMT -5
Yes Ginger it`s me trying to do an opal for the first time. I did no treatment to it and used a little water on the grinding only in rough stage. Then put on resin spool polisher using the minimal amount of diamond extender to keep it working without grabbing it from my hand and it did get hot. I am going to try it going back to 600 and starting over. The green I saw is still there and so is blue and red glitter but it doesn`t reflect light off of it even close to a good shine. It took a shape well as I freeformed this from a small piece. As you can see it is in a pin vise superglued to a roofing nail. I follow advice I receive from the pros here. I have another rock of this I am going to go cut into and see if it is any better color than is showing in this test piece. Attachments:
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
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Post by jspencer on Jul 23, 2012 22:43:41 GMT -5
Ok.just cut this small piece from the other rock. It has a lot darker color to it than the other one did and I cut it a tad thinner. Maybe tomorrow I`ll give it a shot. Attachments:
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Jul 24, 2012 0:46:05 GMT -5
The green is looking good and that black one is like the stuff I have. Just went out and did one thats curing from the opticon after polishing. its fun stuff to work with and if you don't start it on too aggresive a grit for the grinding/shaping it will polish up pretty quickly
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jul 24, 2012 22:53:38 GMT -5
Thanks F&B for your guidance on this. I just had a few minutes to test out the stability of the black piece and found it seemed softer than the green but not fragile. The black has more colors to it but I can see that both need to be stabilized to take a polish. This is a pic of the black shown wet after first grind. Attachments:
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jul 24, 2012 23:06:15 GMT -5
This green one I took from the large solid part of the slab shown originally. I took it thru 1200 on resin spools and am stopping to stabilize it. I will probably dig around for some other stones I need to treat. I have some of the Bond-Optic mix and built a Cajun microwave from an old computer case with reflective interior and foil backed radiant barrier insulation for end caps. Installed a double 100 watt fixture and can keep them toasty to help cure the mixture. And I doubt I ever use my dop pot again! I have melted them loose before by heating up cabs on the polisher and popping them off the stick. Attachments:
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jul 29, 2012 19:43:53 GMT -5
Ok........I have a dumb question here. If I already have my cab superglued to the roofing nail and I stabilize it, will it be affected by acetone to remove the nail mount? Or should I remove it from the nail and then reattach after stabilizing the opal and turqoise I want to treat? I figure dumb questions are free but dumb mistakes are not. ;D
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 29, 2012 20:32:41 GMT -5
Acetone will affect most epxoies. I would treat the cab before dopping and dop with wax. But I'm old-school and never use glue for dopping when cabbing.
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Jul 29, 2012 21:02:44 GMT -5
I remove the cab from the nail to stabilize
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Jul 30, 2012 16:42:43 GMT -5
This is my first time to use superglue for dopping with. I normally use wax but as hot as I got the opal while polishing it I think it would have cut loose from a wax dop. And holding it in a pin vise worked great and is easier on the hands for me. I suppose I`ll remove from the nail, treat them and use wax afterwards. I still need to do 8,000, 14,000 and finish with 50,000. Thanks guys.
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jspencer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2011
Posts: 929
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Post by jspencer on Aug 19, 2012 22:34:41 GMT -5
Here is one of the opal "drops" I got from the original slab on the thread. Pic was taken in dim light but gives you an idea of the results. I love the color play in this one. Attachments:
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