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Post by stardiamond on Sept 12, 2012 19:06:52 GMT -5
Top one I sliced and trimmed off a thicker piece, second slab already cut and coated. Should make some nice cabs.
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Post by deb193redux on Sept 12, 2012 20:33:44 GMT -5
is the white opalite?
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Post by stardiamond on Sept 12, 2012 20:44:39 GMT -5
I have no idea. I got a lot of thunder egg slabs along time ago. These two were unusual. The one on top has white stuff in clear agate.. The bottom one has the white going all the way thru, but only about 10% off the front showing on the back.
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Post by deb193redux on Sept 12, 2012 20:51:33 GMT -5
I think the whitest white is opalite. be careful when cabbing, because it will be more chip prone.
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Post by mohs on Sept 12, 2012 22:30:33 GMT -5
that's fabulous thunder slab !
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Post by helens on Sept 12, 2012 23:17:13 GMT -5
Wow... beautiful! The first one is amazing!!!
The brown stuff is actually really really hard, so you can just incorporate it into your design (no need to cut it all away). I read somewhere that having more than 4 'points' in a thunderegg was really desirable... if you scrape it all away, you won't see any of the 'points' at all, and that's a really pretty 'frame'. Also, as Daniel asked, if that white is opaline... it's going to be softer than the brown matrix, and be harder to polish if you get rid of all the brown...
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Post by deb193redux on Sept 14, 2012 14:04:59 GMT -5
Except for some t-egg with moss agate centers that do not seem to have a visible seam at the agate/rhyolite contact, I am generally in favor of not including the rhyolite in cabs. If you polish the whole slab as a specimen, that's a different story. I find there is generally a noticeable crease where the agate meets the rhyolite and some grinding (especially tumbling) only exaggerates it.
Just saying, unless it is integral to your design, do not hesitate to cut off the rhyolite.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Sept 15, 2012 7:10:29 GMT -5
The top one is way cool!
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 15, 2012 14:29:26 GMT -5
If you tumble the T-eggs "Slabs" from central oregon. In the area when the rhyolite meets the agate it will have a noticeable crease...might not be noticable but if you take pliers and try to break off the rhyolite you cant but if you run it through a ultra-vibe then you can take pliers and break it off right at the crease. Most of my "plain" or "moss" thunder eggs I do this with. Ones like the second picture I keep like it is Polished on both sides. The top one I would cab, shape, drill, etc. But then again I have access to a lot of T-eggs.
Mike
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Post by stardiamond on Sept 15, 2012 23:13:36 GMT -5
I tried to trim the top one and it became crumbs. Better now than on the wheels. At least, I got a picture out of it.
I shouldn't have a problem cutting the bottom one, but I will probably leave it alone for a long while.
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Post by deb193redux on Sept 15, 2012 23:27:25 GMT -5
sad to hear, it was pretty
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Post by helens on Sept 16, 2012 5:38:34 GMT -5
Oh no:(... As I said, the brown matrix may have protected the softer middle... I just got one out of the tumbler with the rock around it (not cabbed)... the egg part was protected. This pix RIGHT out of the tumbler and dried, with the polish grit in the cracks (so I could see the cracks). a toothpick and epoxy took out all the white lines completely. I just wanted to polish it as a little specimen, so I left it intact, and if I want to, I can cab it later and retumble. Of course, I don't know how soft your matrix was or how delicate the middle was, but if you know it's soft, leaving the matrix may help save the stone. I have limited experience with cabbing thundereggs, but I have 3 that I tumbled with the matrix and they all look about like this one... and all are different eggs with different insides. They are all completely intact, this may be the worst in terms of cracks and vugs - but if you look, I didn't do any shaping, these cracks and vugs were probably there before they went in the tumbler, but I don't remember.
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fwfranklen (Mike)
spending too much on rocks
Rock-ON--Have you kissed your rock today?
Member since August 2012
Posts: 379
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Post by fwfranklen (Mike) on Sept 16, 2012 8:59:05 GMT -5
Helen, that is one nice rock! errr egg. Love the depth and color.
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