loot
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2017
Posts: 111 
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Post by loot on Nov 25, 2017 20:01:49 GMT -5
So, what do you get with a thunder egg or geode if you don't cut it in half, but just throw it in the sphere machine? I call it a dragon egg.... Still has a ways to go, but should be interesting. This one is just under 3 inches in diameter.  |
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Nov 25, 2017 22:10:54 GMT -5
Now that is very cool. I have tumbled some halves, and liked the look after the rhind was tumbled off. I want to see the finished sphere!
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loot
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2017
Posts: 111
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Post by loot on Nov 25, 2017 22:30:45 GMT -5
Its almost rounded out now, however the rhind is starting to chip away from the quartz. Once I get the thing rounded off I may have to let it sit for a day in some 100 grit wet polish cups to softly remove a bit more. The other option is kinda what you were mentioning, and knock all the grundgy stuff off and have a sphere with inset cuts. Time will tell. And we'll see how the rock talks to me.
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Nov 26, 2017 10:09:53 GMT -5
That looks fantastic. Hopefully the chipping stops and you can get it polished as is
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,722
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Post by Fossilman on Nov 26, 2017 10:24:05 GMT -5
Yes that is a thunderegg....NICE!!!
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Post by gmitch067 on Nov 26, 2017 10:35:46 GMT -5
Way Cool loot ! I have to show my daughter your picture. She was interested in what the thunderegg looked like without the skin (I set her loose on a 4-inch one with a hammer and chisel as part of her introduction to the hobby). I am very interested to see the completed sphere and see if the inner crystal structure is evident. Thank you for sharing this with us! Show more! Glenn |
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loot
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2017
Posts: 111
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Post by loot on Nov 26, 2017 10:42:52 GMT -5
Glad it's getting such a positive response. I'll get back to work on it later today. I'll post some more pics along it's journey as well.
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Post by woodman on Nov 26, 2017 11:22:32 GMT -5
Glad it's getting such a positive response. I'll get back to work on it later today. I'll post some more pics along it's journey as well. Dry it off real good, then flood it with super thin super glue, the glue will penetrate and help hold it together. |
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loot
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2017
Posts: 111
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Post by loot on Nov 26, 2017 11:30:29 GMT -5
Glad it's getting such a positive response. I'll get back to work on it later today. I'll post some more pics along it's journey as well. Dry it off real good, then flood it with super thin super glue, the glue will penetrate and help hold it together. I'll give it a try. She's been drying all night. I also have some stone sealer, but super glue will definitely hold much stronger. Thanks. !!!! |
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Post by woodman on Nov 26, 2017 11:49:16 GMT -5
Dry it off real good, then flood it with super thin super glue, the glue will penetrate and help hold it together. I'll give it a try. She's been drying all night. I also have some stone sealer, but super glue will definitely hold much stronger. Thanks. !!!! I have heard of people putting it in container of super glue and letting it soak for a few days. I use a lot on the petrified wood I work with. |
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Post by 1dave on Nov 26, 2017 19:41:06 GMT -5
Way Cool loot ! I have to show my daughter your picture. She was interested in what the thunderegg looked like without the skin (I set her loose on a 4-inch one with a hammer and chisel as part of her introduction to the hobby). I am very interested to see the completed sphere and see if the inner crystal structure is evident. Thank you for sharing this with us! Show more! Glenn " She was interested in what the thunderegg looked like without the skin"      |
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Post by fernwood on Nov 27, 2017 6:45:59 GMT -5
That is a nice looking egg. Hope it stays intact.
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Post by gmitch067 on Nov 27, 2017 8:25:16 GMT -5
Thank you 1dave for the illustrations. At this stage, is it possible to tell which type/phase of the Spheroid Transmutation the thunderegg that loot is presently working on conforms to? From his developing sphere, it looks like the core is showing up more spherical... or maybe it is that I can not make out where the major or minor plates are. How can one tell that his is a thunderegg and not a geode? (I am very new to this hobby, with no background in geology, so I might not be interpreting your illustrations correctly...) |
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Post by 1dave on Nov 27, 2017 9:38:44 GMT -5
Thank you 1dave for the illustrations. At this stage, is it possible to tell which type/phase of the Spheroid Transmutation the thunderegg that loot is presently working on conforms to? From his developing sphere, it looks like the core is showing up more spherical... or maybe it is that I can not make out where the major or minor plates are. How can one tell that his is a thunderegg and not a geode? (I am very new to this hobby, with no background in geology, so I might not be interpreting your illustrations correctly...) Lumped under the term "geode (earth shaped)" are nodules formed in voids created by minerals being dissolved away etc., dead bloated bodies of creatures from the Carboniferous period (Keokuck etc. geodes), gas bubbles in basalt and andesite (amygdaloids), and spheroids in rhyolite and obsidian - thundereggs (lithophasea). As magma cools crystals begin dropping out of solution making it ever more silicic. When the magma reaches 45% silica it cools into basalt. At 55% it cools into andesite. At 65% it cools into granite under ground. At the surface it cools slowly into rhyolite, or rapidly into obsidian. At just the right temperature in the throat of the volcano, SiO2 becomes needles of cristobalite. when they meet other needles attracted to some magnetic molecule they form spheroids like dandelion puff balls. Crystallization generates heat and the entire magma becomes too hot for crystobalite to form. BUT the minerals the needles have pushed out become hot enough to crystallize as feldspar, so a feldspar spherical shield forms around the spheroid. The magma cools down and again crystobalite needles form, are attracted and add another puffball layer. This repeats millions of times! Thundereggs have been found in Colorado and Mexico up to 12 feet in diameter!  |
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