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Post by kk on Apr 10, 2015 4:28:49 GMT -5
OK, lets keep this separate from the Dragons. Opalite I got from a friend in Australia. Using it for my entry in a "Spring Growth@ contest on FB that we organize for all lapidarists. Here is yesterday  And today after I think I'm finished with the cutting.  Now on to sanding and polish. If that works out the way I think it could, I'm thinking of having it groove - wrapped and will bring that with me to Europe this summer as my gift for mom.  |
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Post by snowmom on Apr 10, 2015 5:48:01 GMT -5
beautiful!
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Post by orrum on Apr 10, 2015 6:04:16 GMT -5
Incredible KK!
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2015 8:13:51 GMT -5
Beautiful piece. The carving matches the rock quite well.
Jim
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,722 
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 10, 2015 9:41:13 GMT -5
Would you look at that-BEAUTIFUL!!!!
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Post by kk on Apr 10, 2015 10:49:24 GMT -5
Thank you for all the kind comments. Still sanding this evening, but should be done by Sunday, after removing some pesky scratches.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on May 9, 2015 18:46:32 GMT -5
Hey would you mind explaining briefly how you get a final polish on it? Do you do this by hand or by Dremel or...? I have several nuggets of this material I think I'm going to work up this summer. Thanks. Beautiful work by the by!!!!
I think some folks use a vibe but I don't have a vibe, and I figure you might know something else because this lovely pattern doesn't look like something you'd risk finishing in the tumbler...
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Post by kk on May 9, 2015 20:38:10 GMT -5
Hey would you mind explaining briefly how you get a final polish on it? Do you do this by hand or by Dremel or...? I have several nuggets of this material I think I'm going to work up this summer. Thanks. Beautiful work by the by!!!! I think some folks use a vibe but I don't have a vibe, and I figure you might know something else because this lovely pattern doesn't look like something you'd risk finishing in the tumbler... Yep, no tumbler for me..... After going through the gamut of sanding-paper, I usually use 14k diamond paste followed by 50k on cotton wheels in this case. Dont wanna risk getting it too hot with felt or leather. This material works really nice, holding edges and allowing deep cuts fairly quickly. The only thing that bothers me is the name. Google Opalite and you get nothing but that man-made rubbish (looks good, but is some glass-mixture). Is there a better name out there for this? Here is a newer project with the same material:  And one that needs a bit more cutting before the Dragon Girl stands out enough to recognize whats going on. Material unknown. Thought it to be Howlite, but howlite should not come with that many dendrites.  Thanks for looking, Kurt |
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spiritstone
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Post by spiritstone on May 9, 2015 20:46:22 GMT -5
Have you cross checked it with turkish opal? Sure looks like it.
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Post by kk on May 9, 2015 21:13:52 GMT -5
Have you cross checked it with turkish opal? Sure looks like it. The last one? I have turkish dendrite opal agate. Does not feel or look like it. It feels often like talk and based on softness works just like turquoise. Also any opal I have ever touched fractures and splinters, this crumbles when something breaks. |
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spiritstone
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2014
Posts: 2,061
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Post by spiritstone on May 9, 2015 21:22:35 GMT -5
Have you cross checked it with turkish opal? Sure looks like it. The last one? I have turkish dendrite opal agate. Does not feel or look like it. It feels often like talk and based on softness works just like turquoise. Also any opal I have ever touched fractures and splinters, this crumbles when something breaks. I tried to take some pics to show you some, except I got one shot off and the battery pack has to be recharged.  What I have is some Turkish opal dendrite, soft as turq and flaky to the point it can crumble off. A soft brown to almost a chalk white and clear in color. No agate in it. I'll try again tomorrow to post a pic. |
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on May 9, 2015 21:52:51 GMT -5
You are certainly a skilled artist. Your work deserves one on my "WOWWWZERS"!
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on May 9, 2015 23:16:51 GMT -5
I only wish I had the patience and dexterity to attempt more carving. You have a special talent. The pieces shown are all very well done, but the Angel is .. well,Angelic!
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Post by snowmom on May 10, 2015 4:14:04 GMT -5
beautiful!
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Post by kk on May 10, 2015 4:44:54 GMT -5
Thank you all for the kind words. You are certainly a skilled artist. Your work deserves one on my "WOWWWZERS"! Nahh, has little to do with skill. Its mostly trail and error, but with practice the errors more often than not come and go. Just dont be too fixated on a single possible outcome. I only wish I had the patience and dexterity to attempt more carving. You have a special talent. The pieces shown are all very well done, but the Angel is .. well,Angelic! Just look at the second girl, yes, I wanted her to be curvier (never mind the face), but the wings where planed to be butterfly-like just like the first. Then I made one cut to deep, and another part opened up to a cavity not seen before, so I had to either do her freestanding (something too fragile in my opinion, or turn the remainder into some other form of wings that might be recognizable. So Dragon/bat wings it is (quite fitting to the face anyway). |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,722
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Post by Fossilman on May 10, 2015 8:58:44 GMT -5
Beautiful job-very very nice!!!
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on May 10, 2015 11:03:52 GMT -5
Hey would you mind explaining briefly how you get a final polish on it? Do you do this by hand or by Dremel or...? I have several nuggets of this material I think I'm going to work up this summer. Thanks. Beautiful work by the by!!!! I think some folks use a vibe but I don't have a vibe, and I figure you might know something else because this lovely pattern doesn't look like something you'd risk finishing in the tumbler... Yep, no tumbler for me..... After going through the gamut of sanding-paper, I usually use 14k diamond paste followed by 50k on cotton wheels in this case. Dont wanna risk getting it too hot with felt or leather. This material works really nice, holding edges and allowing deep cuts fairly quickly. The only thing that bothers me is the name. Google Opalite and you get nothing but that man-made rubbish (looks good, but is some glass-mixture). Is there a better name out there for this? Here is a newer project with the same material: And one that needs a bit more cutting before the Dragon Girl stands out enough to recognize whats going on. Material unknown. Thought it to be Howlite, but howlite should not come with that many dendrites. Thanks for looking, Kurt Thanks. I'll post my results when I'm finished. It'll be awhile because I'm slow and also because I'm not sure right now where the diamond paste actually is. The name I used on eBay was something like opalized dendritic agate but I'm not sure it's the correct name. It was years ago and I've since learned that my local mentors knew very little about the correct names of my material. They worked a lot with channeled info which is fine for the psychic side of things and creating art objects but not so fine for getting the right label or the right geological info on an stone. It's a natural material from Australia, well, I just re-read the entire thread and realized you already know that much, I'll be sure to photograph some of the rough before I start now that I'm aware that there's a potential for confusion with the fakes out there. I guess what I'm saying is we definitely have the same material from Australia, your description of the crumbling problem is perfect as well as I can just tell from the photos it's the same, but...I won't 100% guarantee that the name I used is the correct name. But I used opalized dendritic and opalized dendritic agate for a long time as names for this material in the old days so it *may* be an OK name. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2015 11:44:01 GMT -5
It is good to be critical of your work but at the same time it is not good to put yourself down and not believe that you are a true artist. 1 in how many 000000000000 people have your vision AND be able to bring it out in a piece of stone? You live in an area where there are not a lot of 00000 but if you look at the total population the number of zeros would be staggering. Plus your ability to recover from a setback is something few people can do.
Enjoy a little fame, you deserve it. And I know for sure that this is not just my opinion.
Please let us know when you will be away from home. I may be going to see you and others in the next six months if you will have me.
Jim
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Post by kk on May 10, 2015 20:23:30 GMT -5
Yep, no tumbler for me..... I guess what I'm saying is we definitely have the same material from Australia, your description of the crumbling problem is perfect as well as I can just tell from the photos it's the same, but...I won't 100% guarantee that the name I used is the correct name. But I used opalized dendritic and opalized dendritic agate for a long time as names for this material in the old days so it *may* be an OK name. The opalite does not crumble, its the second (unknown) material with the dragon-girl. Opalite does have loose sheets within, as well as natural holes that you don't see until you hit cavities. Please let us know when you will be away from home. I may be going to see you and others in the next six months if you will have me. Jim You are coming over here to here to China? I will be across the border in Guangzhou doing Summer-classes at a couple of schools, from 12th. July up until first of August. Then on the 12th August, I'm going to Austria until my return on 27th. Got a spare room, so save your $'s, no need hotel, you are welcome to stay with me. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2015 2:07:53 GMT -5
Thanks for the offer Kurt. Not sure if I will be going Hong Kong/China or China/Hong Kong because a lot of water has to go under the bridge before I go. Either way I would really like to meet you and your family.
Jim
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