Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
|
Post by Roger on Feb 9, 2015 22:55:46 GMT -5
I was working with this stone, which I am pretty sure is chrysocolla. When working it though, the water turned black and it started giving off a very strong chlorine smell. The fumes made my eyes water.. The color is much richer blue than the photo. It is brittle, but will take a very high polish. The yellow is shiny metal, which I assume is copper. It may be just a chrysocolla, but I haven't had one that smelled like this or turned the water black..It concerned me so I thought I would stop and ask about it...
|
|
|
Post by Peruano on Feb 10, 2015 7:24:39 GMT -5
If it smells or tastes bad, I don't cut it. Call me a chicken. Tom
|
|
Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
|
Post by Roger on Feb 10, 2015 8:38:06 GMT -5
I didn't taste it to see what flavor it was lol. The smell coming off it was very strongly a chlorine smell. It was strong enough that I had to open up the garage to air it out. I haven't run into something quite like it before, so I stopped working on it, at least for the moment.
|
|
|
Post by deb193redux on Feb 10, 2015 10:11:32 GMT -5
there could be a bit of cupric chloride in there, but I have not heard of heat/grinding causing the chloride to release. I work with cupric chloride when making Fischer stones and never noticed a smell.
Still, if it behaves this way when worked, it could be toxic to the skin of the wearer if it is not properly silver backed. Nobody ever wonders if their pendant is toxic.
|
|
leadbelly713
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2011
Posts: 104
|
Post by leadbelly713 on Feb 10, 2015 13:09:54 GMT -5
Covellite (copper sulfide), can look similar to your specimen when it contains iron or copper minerals, it also has a dark grey to black streak which could explain the water color,then if it also contains a halogen mineral, which are soluble in water more often than not, that could explain the chlorine smell. Just a wild speculation on my part but who knows! p.s. nice looking material regardless. Robert.
|
|
gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,022
|
Post by gemfeller on Feb 10, 2015 14:16:44 GMT -5
Pyrite is often found in mineral aggregates like that. It's yellow, takes a great polish but gives off a sulfurous (rotten egg) odor during cutting. It can be pretty strong-smelling but it's not like chlorine.
|
|
|
Post by snowmom on Feb 10, 2015 15:12:14 GMT -5
the red in the veins of that cab might be cuprite, which would give off a strong garlic odor if heated... arsenic... beautiful stone but a bit scary at this point. Hope you can figure out what it is.
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Feb 10, 2015 21:29:16 GMT -5
One possibility is that the ore also contains chlorargyrite (silver chloride). This can be associated with copper ores. For example, this copper-silver ore from Goodsprings, Nevada: The bright green in this sample is actually bromargyrite (silver bromide), but the ore also contains chlorargyrite, which is originally green like this as well. The chlorargyrite though darkens on exposure to light. If the ore does contain chlorargyrite it is possible that the chlorine is separating from the silver, and oxidized silver can be black.
|
|
Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
|
Post by Roger on Feb 10, 2015 22:04:41 GMT -5
I picked up the original material in a mixed lot of "copper minerals", but that is all I had to go on. On the finer grit the smell is almost non-existent. The second it touches the coarse wheels, the chlorine smell is back. I think I will finish this one up with gloves, a respirator mask, and a fan blowing away from me.
This was really my first time working with a stone that I had a real "uh oh" moment over what may be in the stone.
Appreciate the feedback,
Roger
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 10, 2015 23:03:33 GMT -5
This looks like it is exactly the same thing almost and I had no smell. Arizona stuff. Jim
|
|
Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
|
Post by Roger on Feb 11, 2015 10:55:46 GMT -5
That looks exactly the same..
|
|
Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,765
|
Post by Mark K on Feb 12, 2015 11:12:52 GMT -5
If you have any small scraps of it, maybe you could send one to someone who can analyze it. I think I saw where Shotgunner was going to have access to such a machine. (I reserve the right to be wrong.)
|
|