jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 20, 2015 12:46:26 GMT -5
Look at the yellow arrow. Just below it is a circle around county road 15 headed SW out of Wedowee. That is garnet capital. Ya gotta ride the dirt roads a bit and look for schist sparkling. Would love to meet you guys over there.  |
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Post by gingerkid on Jan 20, 2015 13:18:25 GMT -5
Y'all are going garnet hunting? Okay, jamesp and broseph82. I'm jealous.  As mohs would say, 'mostly.'  |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 20, 2015 14:20:21 GMT -5
Y'all are going garnet hunting? Okay, jamesp and broseph82. I'm jealous. As mohs would say, 'mostly.' Just down the street from you Jan. Come go w/us. Mo the merrier. |
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Post by snowmom on Jan 20, 2015 14:24:57 GMT -5
jamesp LOL
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 20, 2015 14:38:59 GMT -5
gingerkid is a computer rock hound. Need to drag her to the real collecting snow mom. She lives about a 1/2 an inch to the right of the upper 431 interstate emblem.
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Post by snowmom on Jan 20, 2015 14:42:57 GMT -5
It was the rebel yell comment, it was too easy to picture that. gingerkid is likely to beat you to the site now you've given her the map, I don't want to say she is a garnet fanatic..... ahem.  |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 20, 2015 14:45:25 GMT -5
It was the rebel yell comment, it was too easy to picture that. gingerkid is likely to beat you to the site now you've given her the map, I don't want to say she is a garnet fanatic..... ahem.  |
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Post by gingerkid on Jan 20, 2015 14:58:16 GMT -5
ROFL, snowmom and jamesp!  Thank you, jamesp, but it 'ain't good manners' and I know better than to invite myself to yours and Jimi's outing. I would like to drag Rick (literally, lol) when it's warmer so he could fish and see if y'all and any other members would like to come along and look for garnets. He finally okayed going to Graves Mountain in April to the free dig and I thought around March I would ask members to meet there that would like to go to the site. It will be my first 'real' dig other than dragging rocks from West Point Lake into the kayak, mainly mica and quartz, to the house. Again, thank you!! |
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 20, 2015 16:07:07 GMT -5
ROFL, snowmom and jamesp! Thank you, jamesp, but it 'ain't good manners' and I know better than to invite myself to yours and Jimi's outing. I would like to drag Rick (literally, lol) when it's warmer so he could fish and see if y'all and any other members would like to come along and look for garnets. He finally okayed going to Graves Mountain in April to the free dig and I thought around March I would ask members to meet there that would like to go to the site. It will be my first 'real' dig other than dragging rocks from West Point Lake into the kayak, mainly mica and quartz, to the house. Again, thank you!! Nonsense. I'm not stingy and would love to meet you and your Rick. Where these garnets are is near Alabama Gold Town in Lineville, AL ($5 all day--but I'll take free any day). gingerkid my wife will be with me so it won't be just some dude outing. Here's what my Vibe looks like so far with the garnets (and maybe a piece of glass or two)  Yes they were pre-washed! |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 20, 2015 16:44:38 GMT -5
Yes Jimi, it is near Lineville. There is a maze of public/logging roads forever in this area. It is or was a big ATV riding zone. I never knew about a fee spot, but there is a lot of schist, some gold and soapstone mines, and other gem type rocks in that zone. The Tallapoosa river is close, and I snorkel it in summer for arrowheads and hard green chlorite schist rounded by the river. But the loggers closed the access to that area, no matter, it is out in the river and a summer deal. i have a photo of the chlorite schist some where, or one mounted out in the shed. Take whomever you want to bring Jimi. there is miles and miles of these garnets. bring a sling shot, they are heavy duty ammo Jan you guys will want to go there. I have never really looked that place down good. So many garnets, bound to be some gem-my ones somewhere. I used to get a 5 gal bucket full and use them for filler when tumbling metal. I would say almandines. Some with about perfect crystal shape, 24 sides is it ?? |
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 20, 2015 17:16:12 GMT -5
jamespI'd like to meet you [and gingerkid if avaialable] out there if you still want to. We've been to many a places where we knew the general location and came up with not what we were looking for.
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Post by broseph82 on Jan 20, 2015 23:10:43 GMT -5
What fantastic5 and jamesp didn't tell us is that these garnets will need a bath in the tumbler before using them! The tumbler filled with red clay color thickness and wouldn't turn the garnets over. I decided to clean out. Took me about 10min of pouring water in and then straining before the water became clear. Grit was all in the bottom and not moving along the rocks or ceramic pieces. Added more grit and just a little borax and I don't see the grit on the ceramic like I did with the snake skin agates. I wonder if the grit is stuck on the bottom again. I also didn't think the barrel would tip over once I got done cleaning. Boy was I wrong. Jugglerguy warned me about such things. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 21, 2015 5:47:52 GMT -5
What fantastic5 and jamesp didn't tell us is that these garnets will need a bath in the tumbler before using them! The tumbler filled with red clay color thickness and wouldn't turn the garnets over. I decided to clean out. Took me about 10min of pouring water in and then straining before the water became clear. Grit was all in the bottom and not moving along the rocks or ceramic pieces. Added more grit and just a little borax and I don't see the grit on the ceramic like I did with the snake skin agates. I wonder if the grit is stuck on the bottom again. I also didn't think the barrel would tip over once I got done cleaning. Boy was I wrong. Jugglerguy warned me about such things. You need to rotary tumble high iron content garnets first. They are full of impurities, mostly clay and small sand particles Jimi. They will shed all that clay and freeze up a vibe. They are very messy, and should not be tumbled alone, but used as filler, at about 25%, in a rotary tumbler. High grade garnet is very clean and does not create the rusty paste. And if we could find high grade garnets the size of iron garnets we would be in the gem garnet business.  High graders can be found in Georgia mountains, such as shores of Lake Chatuge, aforementioned Laurel Creek and Charlies Creek. Towns, Rabun, Lumpkin, Fannin counties in North Georgia mountains. Little Bob Pyrite mine in Cobb county, but like most garnet mines, they are tunnel mines and have been destroyed because of liability. The pay mine in Lineville AL may have gem graders, that is why I want to meet you guys over in that area, to look for glassier garnets. And Rottenwood Creek has iron free garnets in N Atlanta, but they are about 1/4 inch, some a bit bigger. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 21, 2015 6:37:08 GMT -5
Here is a typical garnet mine that used to be common in the N Georgia mountains.
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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 21, 2015 13:54:29 GMT -5
Here is a typical garnet mine that used to be common in the N Georgia mountains. I've been to Little Pine once and really enjoyed myself. Reminded me of the type of mining most people who don't collect think we all do. I went as high up and as far back in the mine as I could and worked about a gal sized bag out of the wall and ceiling. What fantastic5 and jamesp didn't tell us is that these garnets will need a bath in the tumbler before using them! The tumbler filled with red clay color thickness and wouldn't turn the garnets over. I decided to clean out. Took me about 10min of pouring water in and then straining before the water became clear. Grit was all in the bottom and not moving along the rocks or ceramic pieces. broseph82, sorry about that Jimi. I was using garnets that I had collected years ago and had run them as filler with other material. I didn't have the trouble with them gunking up the vibe. But I will certainly rotary these this batch that we collected by themselves for a few days to clean them up before I move them to the vibe. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 21, 2015 15:32:04 GMT -5
Thanks fantastic5, hated that broseph82 gunktified his vibe with iron muck. Looking at the photo of his batch of garnets and I knew what happened instantly. Forgot to tell him to rotary clean them. To add Jimi, I run the barrel 2/3 to 3/4 full with the rotary just straight garnets for cleaning. Water an inch lower than the garnets. You can throw some other junk in there if you don't have enough garnets, like quartz. Best to clean out the load every day for the first 2-3 days. I would not waste any grit, just tumble them together, they abrade each other well enough. They are little abrasive bombs, evil abraders. The place I take you guys are best collected as specimen crystals. Crappy iron garnets, but some are fine crystals. However, i want to ride around and look for higher grade garnets, even if they are smaller, if you guys are game. These roads are in the middle of nowhere, so I want to stop at the creek bridges(many are wood), and sample the creeks. They bring garnets in from many veins. And maybe we will find some clear ones. The area is steep and lots of short hills. I've been there half a dozen times and never remember where I was last, just ride till you find schist and there they are. Let me see if I can find a decent map. That place is a maze. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 21, 2015 15:40:34 GMT -5
fantastic5-is there any place you have not been ? I want you and kap and Mark to go to the Flint River sometime. We gotta have the mud boats, and the river not to high, about 3-4 miles upstream from the bridge located east on the main road out of Montezuma. The finest fossil oysters are several miles upstream from the Hwy 26(i think that's the road out of Montezuma) bridge. Also some fine death plate chert below Hwy 26 and I-75 and area surrounding. I have taken them in oyster bars in Florida and shown them to the shucker, should see his jaw drop. They are giant. And so well preserved. Jimi, and anyone else, put that one on your calendar too. Giant oysters, probably the finest preservations I have ever found of any fossil: www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632145250570
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Jan 21, 2015 16:00:17 GMT -5
Iron garnets from Garnet Hill area, Acworth GA  Full of fractures, but plenty of glassy areas  |
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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 21, 2015 18:44:29 GMT -5
Thanks fantastic5, hated that broseph82 gunktified his vibe with iron muck. Looking at the photo of his batch of garnets and I knew what happened instantly. Forgot to tell him to rotary clean them. To add Jimi, I run the barrel 2/3 to 3/4 full with the rotary just straight garnets for cleaning. Water an inch lower than the garnets. You can throw some other junk in there if you don't have enough garnets, like quartz. Best to clean out the load every day for the first 2-3 days. I would not waste any grit, just tumble them together, they abrade each other well enough. They are little abrasive bombs, evil abraders. The place I take you guys are best collected as specimen crystals. Crappy iron garnets, but some are fine crystals. However, i want to ride around and look for higher grade garnets, even if they are smaller, if you guys are game. These roads are in the middle of nowhere, so I want to stop at the creek bridges(many are wood), and sample the creeks. They bring garnets in from many veins. And maybe we will find some clear ones. The area is steep and lots of short hills. I've been there half a dozen times and never remember where I was last, just ride till you find schist and there they are. Let me see if I can find a decent map. That place is a maze. Exploring sounds like great fun! I enjoy riding the country and forest service roads, so this would be tons of fun! My husband and I are learning to facet so having something other than quartz that I was able to self collect would be excellent. I get so much more enjoyment finding the material myself. |
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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 21, 2015 18:45:09 GMT -5
Thanks fantastic5fantastic5, hated that broseph82broseph82 gunktified his vibe with iron muck. Looking at the photo of his batch of garnets and I knew what happened instantly. Forgot to tell him to rotary clean them. To add Jimi, I run the barrel 2/3 to 3/4 full with the rotary just straight garnets for cleaning. Water an inch lower than the garnets. You can throw some other junk in there if you don't have enough garnets, like quartz. Best to clean out the load every day for the first 2-3 days. I would not waste any grit, just tumble them together, they abrade each other well enough. They are little abrasive bombs, evil abraders. The place I take you guys are best collected as specimen crystals. Crappy iron garnets, but some are fine crystals. However, i want to ride around and look for higher grade garnets, even if they are smaller, if you guys are game. These roads are in the middle of nowhere, so I want to stop at the creek bridges(many are wood), and sample the creeks. They bring garnets in from many veins. And maybe we will find some clear ones. The area is steep and lots of short hills. I've been there half a dozen times and never remember where I was last, just ride till you find schist and there they are. Let me see if I can find a decent map. That place is a maze. Exploring sounds like great fun! I enjoy riding the country and forest service roads, so this would be tons of fun! My husband and I are learning to facet so having something other than quartz that I was able to self collect would be excellent. I get so much more enjoyment finding the material myself. |
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