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Post by glennz01 on Dec 3, 2017 17:25:10 GMT -5
December 2017 Fun Cab Challenge
This is a challenge to yourself... What is the best cab that you can create... posting the results of your creation whatever the outcome (just because the cab may not be the best please post anyway and if you like ask for feedback to improve).
Theme- chosen by prior month's winner rockjunquie: The softest material you have that would still be practical to use for jewelry. You should state the approximate published Moh's hardness of it. The softer the better.
Rules:
All hand made cabbing techniques may be used.
Cabs entered must be hand shaped (can be finished in a tumbler) and be completed by the last minute of the month in your timezone. They can be started before the month but only finished during the month. You must have 1 photo of ether a preform or slab of the rock. You can enter up to 3 individual finished piece (not combined) photos and 1 of the 3 photos will be used for voting to see what cab folks like the most (please note the photo you want used). You can change your photos or improve your cab and place new photos in your original post replacing old photos by the deadline. Please include an object in your photo so i may properly size the photos to real size (fingers, or coins work) Thanks for the help
Finished jewelry cabs may not be entered (unless otherwise specified by the theme). It is OK if there is a hole drilled in the cab without a jump ring, as long as there is no extras on the rock (wire, chord, etc.)
All entries submitted to this contest must be unique to this competition (not submitted in several different competitions). Any duplicates will not be included in the voting list.
Feel free to share with us the story behind your workings or material.
Also, don't forget to include the name of the material.
If a tie occurs in the voting the breaker will be whoever submitted the finished item first.
If there are any questions feel free to ask. Beginners to old timers are welcome.
If you would like feedback (constructive criticism) ask for folks to pm you if they wish to offer tips. If you are new and think your cab isn't too good but its the best you can do post it anyway, getting feedback is how i got to where i am now!
Prize : winner is allowed to chose theme for the month following voting, no physical prize yet.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 3, 2017 22:28:00 GMT -5
Wow, digging through my slabs for soft rocks was just what I needed this afternoon! Great theme.
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Post by glennz01 on Dec 4, 2017 13:48:37 GMT -5
Wow, digging through my slabs for soft rocks was just what I needed this afternoon! Great theme. I have to slab mine, im thinking local stuff i got this year thats soft. |
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 4, 2017 15:08:56 GMT -5
To be fair, I'm going with "really soft rocks" not necessarily "the softest rock I have". But I pulled out a couple that are like a mohs 3, so I expect that probably qualifies!  Plus, soft rocks are so fast to cab, way funner than boring ole agates! (just kidding). |
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 4, 2017 19:43:10 GMT -5
To be fair, I'm going with "really soft rocks" not necessarily "the softest rock I have". But I pulled out a couple that are like a mohs 3, so I expect that probably qualifies! Plus, soft rocks are so fast to cab, way funner than boring ole agates! (just kidding). Hmmm.... it always takes me longer to cab a real soft one. I go much slower on it. I can fly through an agate, though. However... I think you will be soon, too.   |
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 4, 2017 22:53:08 GMT -5
Ha, not for me. Probably because I cab more soft rocks so I'm more used to those than to agates. I end up having to redo agates over and over, sigh. (Maybe not anymore though, hee!)
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Post by gmitch067 on Dec 5, 2017 11:33:10 GMT -5
Maybe this is a good excuse to work that nice piece of amber... It scares me a little to think of working such a beautiful piece with my limited experience in hand cabbing... But I guess that is why this contest is called a "challenge!" LOL! I'll never know if I can swim if I don't get my feet wet. Here is the link to the thread detailing when I found it... forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/80364/copal-amber |
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 5, 2017 13:20:16 GMT -5
Maybe this is a good excuse to work that nice piece of amber... It scares me a little to think of working such a beautiful piece with my limited experience in hand cabbing... But I guess that is why this contest is called a "challenge!" LOL! I'll never know if I can swim if I don't get my feet wet. Here is the link to the thread detailing when I found it... forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/80364/copal-amberGO FOR IT!!!! |
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Post by glennz01 on Dec 6, 2017 3:53:04 GMT -5
Maybe this is a good excuse to work that nice piece of amber... It scares me a little to think of working such a beautiful piece with my limited experience in hand cabbing... But I guess that is why this contest is called a "challenge!" LOL! I'll never know if I can swim if I don't get my feet wet. Here is the link to the thread detailing when I found it... forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/80364/copal-amberits actually difficult to work, i have the harder true amber, the copal is a lot softer. takes a really nice polish when done |
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Post by gmitch067 on Dec 8, 2017 17:56:08 GMT -5
Here is my entry into the December FCC: AMBER (Mohs 2-2.5) I do not have the rough to show because it was discovered in a tumbler batch of Jaspers… AFTER a week in 80 grit! That story is covered in my Post from September 2017 entitled “Copal or Amber.” It was determined from a few tests that the stone was Amber… and is the softest stone in my collection. (Note 12/24: The fur is still flying on whether the stone is Amber or Copal... see the below thread) forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/80364/copal-amberBecause the outer shape was already (sort-of) a teardrop, I kept it that way. The thickness proved the greatest challenge because from the side it looked like a twisted peanut (sounds like a punk rock band…). I used 220-grit SiC wet dry sandpaper to grind down each face until I had a pretty even 5.6 mm thickness (measured with calipers). Overall length is 33.7 mm, with a width of 24.9 mm. The first pic shows a rough representation of how the stone wanted to be made-over. I listened.  The remaining pics show the completed stone. Shaping was done with 220-grit sandpaper and progressed on to 5000-grit. I first polished it by hand rubbing it on a wet leather sheet covered with Cerium Oxide mud… it came out with an OK shine. The next thing I tried was to just buff it with a dremel – using a tool that looks like a cheerleader’s pom-pom of shredded cotton. That came out better still… and I decided to leave it at that.   This next pic is the one I choose to enter:  |
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Post by kk on Dec 8, 2017 18:06:32 GMT -5
Yeahhhh, now we are talking. That reminds me that I got some Copal/Amber from Indonesia.
Might just about be able to partake this month.
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Post by fernwood on Dec 9, 2017 9:42:45 GMT -5
Am thinking about trying this challenge. Only problem is that I will be refining a very soft rock with nothing but hand tools. Files, whet stone and sandpaper. Dremel even died. Sprayed on finish, as I have no polishing equipment.
Should I or shouldn't I???
These are turning out great and I have sold several locally.
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Post by gmitch067 on Dec 9, 2017 11:50:22 GMT -5
Am thinking about trying this challenge. Only problem is that I will be refining a very soft rock with nothing but hand tools. Files, whet stone and sandpaper. Dremel even died. Sprayed on finish, as I have no polishing equipment. Should I or shouldn't I??? These are turning out great and I have sold several locally. You SHOULD!!! Getting the cab cut out from the rest of the slab or stone is the only problem I see. The dremel is ideal for that but there are ways around not having one. For slab: Mark the shape of the cab using a pencil Use a glass scribe (cheap at a hardware store) to score the slab with a straight line across the surface - keeping a good 1/2 inch outside the cab line Put the slab on a table top so the scored line is on the edge of the table - with cab on the table and the section to be removed over the edge. Cover the slab with a dish towel and firmly hold it down. Tap the free hanging piece to break it off (hopefully into a waiting box or trash can). If the stone is knapable, you can refine the cut even closer to the cab line using that technique. I even have used lineman's pliers to nibble off small chunks (goggles and gloves are a must!). Stones that are in the hardness range of Mohs-4 or less can be shaped using 80-grit Silicon Carbide wet/dry sand paper. Put the sandpaper on a cutting board, add a puddle of water, and start sanding the cab. To refine the shape of the cab, use ever increasing finer sand papers (from Amazon). I use 80, 220, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, and 5000 grit papers. Note: Obsidian shines up nice with just 5000 grit! Soft stones can be hand shined using a little bit of elbow grease... Get some nice cow hide and make a nice mud puddle of polish and vigorously rub your cab through it until it shines. Use a soft dish rag to buff it until it glows. FUN!!! |
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Post by fernwood on Dec 9, 2017 11:57:07 GMT -5
I have started. My only tools are pictured below. Very old school for sure. So far the stone looks great. Saw the potential and the pattern below the surface. About 4 hours into it, so far. Was the perfect size and shape to start, so no cutting needed. Know this is way out of the box for folks here, but, may help others appreciate how so much of the vintage cabs were made. No polish, only my go to spray on rock sealer. Will be for a pendant, or maybe a mount later, when I have some real equipment. Thanks for the encouragement.  |
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Post by glennz01 on Dec 9, 2017 21:30:35 GMT -5
Am thinking about trying this challenge. Only problem is that I will be refining a very soft rock with nothing but hand tools. Files, whet stone and sandpaper. Dremel even died. Sprayed on finish, as I have no polishing equipment. Should I or shouldn't I??? These are turning out great and I have sold several locally. Yes, My recommendation for a polish especially for soft stones you can sand it to polish, at home-depot there is a foam pad thingy with really fine grit (3-10k) sand paper all the way around. I used it for polishing metal and some rocks that i wanted a not too high polish on. Very inexpensive stuff If anyone knows what im talking about feel free to chip in. |
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Post by fernwood on Dec 10, 2017 11:13:51 GMT -5
First FCC entry! Risking being laughed off RTH, but something I wanted to do. The rough: Some reject Petoskey from Jugglerguy The Mohs for this stone is anywhere from 3 to 5 from what I could determine. This one was pretty soft, as I could scratch it with my thumbnail.  Rough Petoskey The equipment used: Two metal files, one double sided whetstone and some mesh sandpaper. Not counting the wool polishing rag as equipment. For polishing I ended up using some charcoal slurry, baking soda paste, Biz and beeswax for the final polish. After the beeswax, I heated the stone to remove all residue.  Here is the equipment (tools) used. Look what I found after about an hour of filing:  Refining 1 More shaping:  Refining 2 Looking good:  Refining 6 Finished product:  Finished Cabachon Yes, I could not take a photo of the finished cab without reflections, but this just shows the brilliant, shiny surface. Also, could not include a size reference item, as phone focused on that item instead of the cab. Will keep trying, but for now dimensions are: Top = ½”. Bottom = 1 1/8”. Length = 1 3/8”. Please let me know what you think. And, do not laugh too loud. |
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Post by gmitch067 on Dec 10, 2017 11:26:58 GMT -5
Laughter of JOY maybe! Such a beautiful cab!!! VERY NICE!
Glenn
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Post by fernwood on Dec 10, 2017 12:10:38 GMT -5
gmitch067You are way too kind, but thank you.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Dec 10, 2017 12:51:42 GMT -5
I think your Petoskey cab came out really nice. There are some bad eyes on the top, but that’s a fault of the rock, not yours. The shine is excellent.
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Post by fernwood on Dec 10, 2017 13:00:37 GMT -5
I think your Petoskey cab came out really nice. There are some bad eyes on the top, but that’s a fault of the rock, not yours. The shine is excellent. I like the contrast of the bad eyes. Thank you for the vote of confidence. You can send any reject petroskey my way any time, especially the smaller ones. Love working with this material. |
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Plus, soft rocks are so fast to cab, way funner than boring ole agates! (just kidding).
