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Post by Tonyterner on Apr 27, 2014 7:08:50 GMT -5
My wife and I went to the rock and mineral show in Franklin NJ yesterday. Didn't find many slabs and no rough worth buying. Overall a pretty disappointing show. Afterwards we decided to go over to the sale at the Sterling Hill Mine. We have yet to find any rock worth buying there but they sometimes have some equipment for sale. My wife got the deal of the century there a couple of years ago, a lightly used Genie for $125. We weren't expecting to find a deal like that again but we were looking for a small flat lap. As usual they didn't have any equipment out but my wife asked and we were told they had some some in one of the storage buildings, apparently a donation from a deceased laparist's family. We we get back to the storage shed and there's a big pile of stuff in boxes. We start going through it and found a bunch of 8" diamond wheels and a 8" flat lap discs. They did have a vibrating flat lap but it was a 15" model, too big for what I wanted. We couldn't figure out what all the wheels and laps were for until I moved a couple of boxes and found a Titan sitting on the floor. Of course that peaked our interest. Amber casually asked how much. The gentleman showing use the equipment thought for a minute and said how about $300 for the machine and the wheels. Internally our jaws dropped but we played it cool, talked for a minute and then said OK. 15 minutes later we had that behemoth of a grinder loaded into the trunk of my small car and were headed home in complete disbelieve. What we ended up with was the Titan, which was hardly used, 8 new Nova wheels of varying grits and new 2 Crystalite sintered wheels. List price on all of this is probably over $5,000! I now call Amber the Queen of Franklin NJ. lol The Titan. We set it up on the deck just to try it out. Its now in the shop next to the Genie. ![](http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x120/tonyterner/IMG_1991_zps100b0fd6.jpg) The wheels. ![](http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x120/tonyterner/IMG_1973_zps49782c79.jpg) Me grinding away, I worked the first 3 wheels and Amber did the last 3. ![](http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x120/tonyterner/IMG_1994_zpsf61ee740.jpg) First cab, Bruneau from Catmandew (Tony). ![](http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x120/tonyterner/IMG_1998_zps57b92689.jpg) Second cab, Panda agate that was recently found by Tony and Rodney in Arizona. This is really pretty stuff and I'm thinking the couple of pounds I bought won't be enough ![](http://i183.photobucket.com/albums/x120/tonyterner/IMG_1996_zps0e41de4e.jpg)
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,758
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Post by Tommy on Apr 27, 2014 7:46:56 GMT -5
Wow holy crap Tony that's a once in a lifetime score! Congrats
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Post by frane on Apr 27, 2014 8:11:49 GMT -5
Holy Cow Tony! Amber really is the Queen! That was a fantastic score! I was thinking about going up there this year but too many things going on. Maybe next year and I will be sure to ask about equipment! (love the cabs and the deck is beautiful!)
Fran
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,637
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Post by QuailRiver on Apr 27, 2014 9:46:31 GMT -5
Fantastic!!! If it's true that "Good things happen to good people" then you and/or your wife must be super folks! Larry C.
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Post by Bejewelme on Apr 27, 2014 10:42:32 GMT -5
It really was amazing, we were in such shock and it was so gently used and all the new wheels, I cant believe what a beast it is next to the genie, we are going to try to sell the other cab machines at our local rock show, if anyone on here is interested and close to PA, let us know, the shipping is such a pain so it is nice to be able to see it and look at it.
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 27, 2014 11:13:36 GMT -5
Great score. I would be interested in knowing if the Crystalite wheels fit. The Titan uses 7 5/8" wheels so most people say 8" wheels won't fit. A few have said they will with hood lifted a little.
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 27, 2014 13:30:23 GMT -5
YAY!!!!!!! I am so happy for you! What a great deal. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) If I didn't see it here, I wouldn't have believed there are still deals like that out there.
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Post by Tonyterner on Apr 27, 2014 14:42:42 GMT -5
Finding any equipment at all here on the east coast is very rare, just not that many people into lapidary work here. I really wished we had brought Amber's SUV as she suggested. Then we would have bought everything in the collection. Oh well, we'll try again next year. We've hit 2 out of 3 times there.
John, I've always wanted to try out sintered wheels so here's my chance. I'll make them fit one way or another. Thanks for the tip about raising the hoods, it looks like it would be a pretty simple adjustment.
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 27, 2014 14:58:19 GMT -5
Finding any equipment at all here on the east coast is very rare, just not that many people into lapidary work here. I really wished we had brought Amber's SUV as she suggested. Then we would have bought everything in the collection. Oh well, we'll try again next year. We've hit 2 out of 3 times there. John, I've always wanted to try out sintered wheels so here's my chance. I'll make them fit one way or another. Thanks for the tip about raising the hoods, it looks like it would be a pretty simple adjustment. Yeah, I'm East Coast, too. I look at Craig's list now and again, but I never see anything.
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
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Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Apr 27, 2014 17:17:04 GMT -5
WOWWWZERS!, What a find! Sometimes you're in the right place at the right time. Now me, I'm usually in the wrong place...
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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 27, 2014 18:25:42 GMT -5
I can't believe they didn't have a better idea of what the equipment was worth. Congrats on what is possibly the "Score of the Century". The equipment is in good hands that will produce beautiful cabs for years to come.
Did you get to see any of the world famous fluorescent minerals at Franklin?
Darryl.
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cardiobill
freely admits to licking rocks
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Member since March 2012
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Post by cardiobill on Apr 27, 2014 18:43:42 GMT -5
Really nice job!!! Also, I'm really jealous of your new machine
Bill
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Post by Tonyterner on Apr 27, 2014 19:38:16 GMT -5
Darryl, you can't walk 5'anywhere up there during the show weekend without seeing some of florescent minerals from there. The mine was open for digging that day so we saw people with buckets of the stuff.
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Post by nowyo on Apr 27, 2014 22:44:14 GMT -5
Those are some beautiful cabs, but man, that is a deal on equipment that just doesn't happen. Good on the both of you for that one.
Russ
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Post by DirtCleaner on Apr 28, 2014 8:13:38 GMT -5
Sweet deal, and always remember to pay it forward.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Apr 28, 2014 8:32:02 GMT -5
Wow, that was an awesome find. Congrats on the sweet deal. That Bruneau was a great way to break it in.
Chuck
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since September 2013
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Post by bsky4463 on Apr 28, 2014 18:04:01 GMT -5
what a SCORE!
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Post by talkingstones on Apr 28, 2014 18:37:46 GMT -5
That's it. I wanna go with you guys next year, lol!!!! Congratulations!!!!!! ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
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Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
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Post by zarguy on Apr 30, 2014 23:35:12 GMT -5
Tony & Amber, Too bad you had to pay so much for that Titan, since you're used to getting such deals like the Genie ;>)
It's hard to believe the guy in charge of selling had no idea of the worth of the Titan & wheels. Titans are about $3K new & 8" sintered wheels go for about $400 or more each. Wowzer! ynn
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Post by roy on May 1, 2014 9:08:41 GMT -5
lol wow what a deal! you might want to change the capacitor if it sat for a long time with out use they tend to go bad it will save you changing out a motor
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