bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Jul 17, 2014 13:40:07 GMT -5
So far I have been mohstly into agate/jasper with a real fetish for limbcasts....but lately I have been having fun seeking out other specimens and cab candidates from the hinterlands here in Montucky. A friend gave me this rock he collected that has a wicked cool iridescence to it. According to him, and he is much smarter about this stuff than I am, it is made up of the minerals Bornite and Chalcopyrite. These are sulfide minerals found in copper mining tailings. Probably has a hardness of 3-4....amazing how dense this stuff is, super heavy. At some point I am going to try to cab some of this up, hoping the iridescence will come through. Any experience or thoughts on what to use or expect with regards to polishing? Cheers.
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Post by snowmom on Jul 18, 2014 5:04:25 GMT -5
not a bit, but I will be watching to see what happens. that is really cool looking stuff!
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Post by deb193redux on Jul 18, 2014 8:46:04 GMT -5
the sheen is less than paper thin on the surface. once you slice, use something to rapidly oxidize the surface to bring the iridescence back. Also, while mostly safe t handle, some sulfide minerals can be a little acidic and might bother skin of worn as a pendent. Need to find someone who knows a bit more there. For example ( pubs.usgs.gov/of/2005/1148/)
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
|
Post by bsky4463 on Jul 18, 2014 11:32:33 GMT -5
sweet - good stuff deb193redux, thanks for the input. I did a little research and I think these minerals will be ok, but I will do some more looking. Thanks for noting the oxidation causes the iridescence, not sure how to accelerate the oxidation but will do some looking on the interweb. Cheers
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