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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 10, 2017 20:57:35 GMT -5
Here's about the last of this past summer's rocks collected from Lake Superior. There are a few more floating around here, but not too much. 1. I'm going to get the most disappointing rock out of the way first. This one is at least three inches long. I hoped it would polish up because I like the swirly pattern, but it only got slightly shiny. I might try running it dry in corn cob to get a little more shine out of it. 2. This one is better. 3. Jaspelite, heavy on the jasper, lite on the hematite. 4. 5. 6. This might be my favorite. It's half of a larger rock. 7. Another view. 8. The other half. 9. Unakite 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. I'm pretty sure this is a Laker that I picked up. I don't usually tumble my Lakers. This was what I call a maygate (maybe agate). I find a lot of maygates. This is actually half of the rock and I thought it had some banding. Must be the other half. I don't really know where that is, so I'll have to go searching for it some other time. This was hard to get a picture of. It's not great, but fun because it's about the only agate that I've found and tumbled. 15. Another bad shot. 16. Remember those beads I made for my wife for Christmas? When I drill the rock, there's blow out on the back, so I cut or grind it off. These were a little long, so I cut them. This one survived the cut. Looks like a candy that someone's been sucking on. 17. 18. These never turn out great, but probably better than they should. 19. Sorry, that got longer that I thought.
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Post by wigglinrocks on Jan 10, 2017 21:06:01 GMT -5
Great looking batch of Big Lake rocks . Love the Jaspelites . #11 looks to be an agate from my angle .
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ChicagoDave
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2016
Posts: 720
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Post by ChicagoDave on Jan 10, 2017 21:09:42 GMT -5
Very nice. Really liking #1,3 & 9. Bonus points for self collected and the "leftover candy".
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 10, 2017 21:13:57 GMT -5
Nice looking pile of beach goodies. The jaspelites are my favs.
Chuck
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Jan 10, 2017 21:51:52 GMT -5
Nice Rob! That is kinda a strange unakite. You usually find the greener ones :-)
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richardh
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 391
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Post by richardh on Jan 10, 2017 22:12:23 GMT -5
I really enjoyed looking through these. Photos looks great and some very interesting looking rocks.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jan 11, 2017 6:22:49 GMT -5
Rob
The big rock appears to be soft. The glare shows bruises from somewhere in the process, likely the rotary. I get those same bruises if I do softer type big rocks. Bruises from the rotary even with a ton of smalls. If you had chosen #3 "Jaspelite heavy on the jasper" as your big rock I believe you would have gotten a fine polish on the big one.
Even bloodstone bruised like that when it was run as a big rock and it is notorious for being a hard high polishing stone. I ran the bloodstone 4 different ways and it failed every time. Gave up on it.
#18 with the black and red is sexy. all the jaspers.
PS I have been tumbling half and half in the 7 pound rotary. Half small 1 inch rocks and half bigger say 2.5 inch rocks. The bigger rocks grind and shape way faster than the small tumbles. So I pull the big rocks and run them thru the vibe with smalls(or ceramic media) and finish them. But the same smaller rocks are run again with new big rocks. The new set of big rocks are usually ready for the vibe before the original small rocks. Sometimes I get 3 sets of big rocks finished before the original small rocks are ready for the vibe. Running three or four 7 pound rotaries, each half and half. In terms of total weight tumbled, the bigger tumbles far out weigh the small tumbles. And that way I am not waiting so long for rocks to finish in the vibe.
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Post by orrum on Jan 11, 2017 7:22:50 GMT -5
Hey Rob those are nice ones! I keep threatening to put all the threads off my Zam muslin buffing wheel and dust in a small barrel and try to polish dull rocks like your first one.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jan 11, 2017 9:11:08 GMT -5
Nice batch of self collected rocks, Rob. I like the jaspelite, #4 and the rock in 6,7,8, best. If you're not tumbling them, do you have a box of rough Lakers laying around? I bet I've tumbled more of those than anything else. Of course I didn't find them myself, so no connection with them. Is it because they are so hard to find, or do they have more 'worth' in the rough?
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2017 11:08:18 GMT -5
Nice batch of self collected rocks, Rob. I like the jaspelite, #4 and the rock in 6,7,8, best. If you're not tumbling them, do you have a box of rough Lakers laying around? I bet I've tumbled more of those than anything else. Of course I didn't find them myself, so no connection with them. Is it because they are so hard to find, or do they have more 'worth' in the rough? A lot of people who collect Lakers like to keep them in their natural state. They are so hard to find that I just can't bring myself to tumble them. Most of mine aren't even that great, but I still just like to keep them the way I found them. Lake Superior isn't really the best place to find Laker. Gravel pits in Minnesota are the best, but you need to be mine certified and also know someone to get in. So it's Lake Superior for me, I bought a used wet suit last summer, and I plan to get in the water this year. That lake is cold even in August,
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 11, 2017 11:09:19 GMT -5
Liking those tumbles.....Great batch!
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2017 11:11:29 GMT -5
Rob The big rock appears to be soft. The glare shows bruises from somewhere in the process, likely the rotary. I get those same bruises if I do softer type big rocks. Bruises from the rotary even with a ton of smalls. If you had chosen #3 "Jaspelite heavy on the jasper" as your big rock I believe you would have gotten a fine polish on the big one. Even bloodstone bruised like that when it was run as a big rock and it is notorious for being a hard high polishing stone. I ran the bloodstone 4 different ways and it failed every time. Gave up on it. #18 with the black and red is sexy. all the jaspers. PS I have been tumbling half and half in the 7 pound rotary. Half small 1 inch rocks and half bigger say 2.5 inch rocks. The bigger rocks grind and shape way faster than the small tumbles. So I pull the big rocks and run them thru the vibe with smalls(or ceramic media) and finish them. But the same smaller rocks are run again with new big rocks. The new set of big rocks are usually ready for the vibe before the original small rocks. Sometimes I get 3 sets of big rocks finished before the original small rocks are ready for the vibe. Running three or four 7 pound rotaries, each half and half. In terms of total weight tumbled, the bigger tumbles far out weigh the small tumbles. And that way I am not waiting so long for rocks to finish in the vibe. I'm sure the big rock is soft. It's interesting that you are getting the larger rocks to polish more quickly than the small ones. I typically run rocks that are a little to big for my barrels. I also run some smalls in with them. I use small beach gravel if I don't have anything else small in the barrel. My small rocks always get done before the larger ones. My larger rocks are not as larger as yours though.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jan 11, 2017 11:29:57 GMT -5
Smaller ones faster than big ones ? hmmm. Nothing surprises me in tumbling. I have tried tumbling all small rocks like 1/2 inch and it took forever to round them.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,771
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Post by Mark K on Jan 11, 2017 13:14:31 GMT -5
That is the stuff we find here. I got bored with it real fast after I went to AZ the first time.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2017 13:19:29 GMT -5
That is the stuff we find here. I got bored with it real fast after I went to AZ the first time. Guess I'd better stay away from Arizona then. It has to be more pleasant collecting here that in Arizona though. It's a walk on the beach!
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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 11, 2017 13:20:24 GMT -5
Very cool tumbles Rob, especially cool that they are selfies. Amazed the "sucker" survived and the maygate sure took a shine. hanks for posting. Cheers
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Jan 11, 2017 14:40:24 GMT -5
You sent me this unakite Rob. One of my favorite rocks.
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vera
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2016
Posts: 259
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Post by vera on Jan 11, 2017 16:10:38 GMT -5
My favorite of the batch is the last one. It looks like it sparkles.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2017 16:29:31 GMT -5
You sent me this unakite Rob. One of my favorite rocks. Seriously, have you compared it to those awesome Texas rocks???
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jan 11, 2017 16:30:13 GMT -5
My favorite of the batch is the last one. It looks like it sparkles. That's a little one. I ground the bigness away. It shines, but doesn't sparkle.
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