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Post by mrrockpickerforever on Jan 28, 2015 17:19:52 GMT -5
My name is Bob. I've met a few of you already, going out on rock picking trips in the last couple of years. Now I've joined the madness here on the RTH forum, and hope to get to know you all better. I'm sure most of you already know my wife, Jean rockpickerforever.
I'm a machinist/welder/fabricator by trade, but my mom taught me young to be a rock picker. I've travelled all across the US picking up rocks, and did some lapidary work when I was younger. After marrying my wife (thirty-one years ago next Monday), she caught the rock bug from me, as I was always picking up fossils and other rocks. Our patio and yard are both full of rocks, so I thought it would be wise to pull out the old equipment and start doing something with them.
I have done a little wire-wrapping, in fact, started wrapping before my wife did. And with my metals background, I'd like to dive into metal/silver smithing work.
I've always believed in the philosophy, if I don't have a tool, I'll either buy it or make it. I've never been able to get a single vehicle in my garage, as I filled it with machinery. My toys include lathes, mills, MIG/TIG welders, sheet metal shear, press brake for bending metal and pretty much anything else you can think of to manufacture things out of metal. If something breaks, I repair it (cheaper than buying a new one!). I'm almost as tight with a penny as my wife.
Turnmaster lathe
Bridgeport mill
Chevalier CNC mill
Cidan shear
Chicago press brake
Okay, enough of that, you get the idea.
We have belonged to a local rock club, and then joined a prospecting club. We like to get out to the desert whenever possible. Haven't struck it rich yet, but have lots of fun trying. BTW, we find a lot of fossils where we look for gold. Upcoming projects are a home built forge and foundry set up.
Our most recent trip was to Quartzsite, where we met up with some others on this forum. Collected some banded rhyolite, and lots of Brenda jasper. As if we didn't already have enough rocks from nine days in Quartzsite, we stopped at Indian Pass Rd (smalls of dumortierite, palm bog) and also along Ogilby Rd in the Picacho area, on the way home. I found a 47.9 lb. boulder (including the small chunk that broke off), my first thought was, "Ooh, Picacho Lace." Reminds us of Calico Lace, won't know for sure until we cut it. Will have to whittle it down with 12" gas-powered concrete cutting saw before we can slab it in 10" HP saw.
Just cleaned it up with the hose, enough to get some pics.
Looks like gold-ish moss agate
Looking forward to gathering information from others on the forum. Will be posting pics of Brenda stalagtite rock for Tommy real soon.
Bob
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bsky4463
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2013
Posts: 1,696
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Post by bsky4463 on Jan 28, 2015 17:40:59 GMT -5
Welcome. Sweet equipment, and I concur with your garage philosophy! Nice rocks too. Maybe your presence will help to temper rockpickerforever....but I doubt it. (Wouldnt be as much fun either). Cheers
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Post by drocknut on Jan 28, 2015 19:13:21 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum, glad you decided to join us.
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Thunder69
Cave Dweller
Thunder 2000-2015
Member since January 2009
Posts: 3,102
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Post by Thunder69 on Jan 28, 2015 20:07:56 GMT -5
Welcome Bob...You seem like a fella who says "Go big or go home !".lol Nice machinery....JOhn
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 28, 2015 20:42:26 GMT -5
Maybe your presence will help to temper rockpickerforever....but I doubt it. (Wouldnt be as much fun either). Cheers Very funny, Andy!
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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 28, 2015 21:02:29 GMT -5
So glad you joined us mrrockpickerforever! This gives me hope that my husband my join someday He collects with me when he can, and more often than not finds better stuff than I do when we are together. It's been so many years since I could put my cars in the garage, I don't even think of the space as someplace for cars any longer. Now not being a machinist, I couldn't help but giggle at the Bridgeport thing. It instantly brought to mind this:
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Post by Pat on Jan 28, 2015 21:40:50 GMT -5
Bob, welcome to the forum! It's terrific, and rockpickerforever is a major contributor to that description.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 28, 2015 23:20:30 GMT -5
Bob, your tools are droolworthy. I am fortunate to be the back up toolmaker at work so I have access to the shop, the garage is stuffed full of lapidary equipment instead of a machine shop. I did recently get an old Wards/Logan lathe to reassemble and use at home. Welcome to the forum. fantastic5 I have never seen a resemblance between a Bridgeport mill and Dick VanDyke.
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Post by captbob on Jan 29, 2015 1:05:15 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum Mr. Bob The 3rd picture of that big chunk-o-rock looks like it may even have some poppy action going on. Gotta love the machines, and I appreciate your method of moving your Bridgeport mill. If it was a good enough plan for the Egyptians to build pyramids, it's good enough to still work today. Cars in the garage... yeah, right. Not in my world.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,169
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Post by jamesp on Jan 29, 2015 2:30:13 GMT -5
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2015 3:02:24 GMT -5
Hey Bob, good to see you show up here. Now we have two nosepickerforevers to pick on. Yes Jean, I remember promising never to use that again but you know I can not help myself and this is a whole new person to use it on and not you. I swear and promise that this is the last time ever and ever that I will use that joke. I am sure it wore out long ago but I am claiming senility which makes all things legal and permissible.
Anyway, I am sure you will have a lot of knowledge to share here and be a great addition to the forum Bob. Jim
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 29, 2015 6:26:49 GMT -5
James, do you think he doesn't already know how difficult I am? LOL.
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Post by snowmom on Jan 29, 2015 7:29:59 GMT -5
Wow, welcome Bob, Formidable battery of rock working machines, and having you 2 as a team on RTH I forsee some fun coming, Jean is a force to be reckoned with all by herself. x2 oh man! Watching with interest, glad you are with us!
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Post by johnjsgems on Jan 29, 2015 8:04:16 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. We moved very large AC units across roofs on pipes like that too where cranes could not reach.
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Post by roy on Jan 29, 2015 10:12:44 GMT -5
nice tools and welcome to the club !
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rockroller
spending too much on rocks
Be excellent to each other.
Member since October 2013
Posts: 359
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Post by rockroller on Jan 29, 2015 12:30:27 GMT -5
Welcome Bob ( mrrockpickerforever)! Wish I had a friend like you close by that could teach me how to use all of those tools and fix and make stuff. There is one thing you can help me with though. Any tips on how to get my lady friend to catch the rock picking sickness instead of just rolling her eyes and sighing at me? Cheers, ~Roland
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Post by mrrockpickerforever on Jan 29, 2015 16:52:56 GMT -5
Thanks all for the welcome, comments, and compliments. fantastic5 Not knowing what your husband does for a living, I would try to get him interested in the tool part of it. And as for that Bridgeport thing, it is a mill, for cutting metal. FYI, it has fewer controls than some other machines I have ran. Like this Bullard vertical boring machine. captbob Before I made my special machine rollers, that was the only way I could get machines into the garage. Sometimes I still use them. jamesp Yeah, she gets pretty picky, she's helping me now get this posted Ow!!! stop hitting me!! rockroller make some nice cabs & get her a book on wire wrapping.
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Post by 1dave on Feb 2, 2015 9:48:41 GMT -5
Welcome Bob! Any plans on getting into the BIG stuff? Ravenil's saw shop in Artigas, Uruguay. (LOVE the pulleys & weights to help lift the lids!)
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Post by mohs on Feb 2, 2015 10:06:23 GMT -5
Hi Bob ! You probably heard of me... Mostly ? How about posting pictures when you surface grind a rock1! Its a process of been wanting to do ever since I got into rock grinding. Which was way after my tool and cutter grinding days when I had access to all that great grinding equipment. Welcome to RTH ! Ed
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garock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,168
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Post by garock on Feb 3, 2015 9:32:02 GMT -5
Mr. Bob ! Welcome ! I hate to see machines thrown away. About 11 years ago, Aeroquip Company shut down it operation in Atlanta. This place made automotive plastic body side molding, roof top runner, etc. We had a huge injection mold machine that was old but in excellent condition. We could not get anyone to buy it or even make an offer. We decided to give it away. Not takers ! We eventually cut it up with a torch and sold it to a scrap yard. I like seeing the machines !
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