llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Apr 1, 2004 23:20:59 GMT -5
Here are pictures of my first finished rocks! The polish is much better than it appears in the photos. They are so shiny, I almost need to wear my sunglasses when I look at them. I used Aluminum Oxide the first attempt at polishing and wasn't happy. It might have been because I didn't let them go long enough. I then put them in the polish got from the rock shop which I think is LindeA and they ran for two days in my new Vibe tumbler. These are quartz that I found along the shoreline when I was at Lake Buchanan in January. ![]() hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=1b8c40f1-7a30-1b67-7a83-5939788445ca&size=[/img]This batch is the stuff I collected along the railroad tracks in Llano. The lady at the rock shop told me they are probably feldspar. She didn't see them, I just described them to her. There were also some black ones, but they didn't take the polish. This is a crappy picture, kinda blurry, but the rocks are pretty. ![]() hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=7f822f16-4d63-3b35-59dc-947fcef68721&size=[/img]And this is the flint I collected from right outside my front door. I am really pleased with it. The picture really doesn't do it justice. It is much prettier than it looks in the pic. Since it is so abundant around here, I am sure I will be doing ALOT of it! LOL! ![]() hpphoto.com/servlet/LinkPhoto?GUID=27a04270-472c-6851-58c5-697b44bc7a91&size=[/img]I'm pretty pleased with my first batch - or at least I was until I looked at the pics James posted!! LOL! |
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Apr 1, 2004 23:53:49 GMT -5
I think that they are great Llana! It's hard to tell in the middle picture, but I have rocks here that look like that as well. They appear to be quartz with feldspar inclusions. Feldspar is what the black material is in granite as well and Quartz and Feldspar combining is a natural. I really like the look myself. Probably had trouble with the blacker rocks because feldspar itself doesn't polish very well so too high a concentration can cause problems. WTG  Ron ps. I have trouble getting the full impact of my shine when I do indoor photos. Outdoors in natural sunlight gives me much better results. Too bad the sun only shines in August here.  |
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Apr 2, 2004 0:10:01 GMT -5
Thanks! For someone taking a photography course, I sure take crappy pictures! I thought about moving them all outside and taking the pics, but I was so tired I just couldn't find the energy. I think you are right about the feldspar/quartz. I remember the lady telling me that now that you mentioned it. I think it's really a neat looking rock. I have a bunch of granite and llanite I collected when I was at Lake Buchanan. All of that area is on the Edwards Plateau/Llano uplift and granite is everywhere. I am thinking I am going to put the black stuff through prepolish and polish again and see if I can get a better shine. |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Apr 2, 2004 0:29:48 GMT -5
you did a great job on those and that shine is fantastic! i hope i can get my quartz to shine like that.
kim
p.s. i love that rock in 3rd pic bottom left - looks like a nose!
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Apr 2, 2004 0:59:40 GMT -5
Thanks, Kim. I am already anxiously waiting for my next batch to come out of pre-polish and go into polish. I had pretty much gotten over the "biting my nails" waiting for these to get to finished. Now that I have seen them, I am once again atsy and having to refrain from opening the barrels everyday to check the progress of the rocks.  I hadn't noticed the "nose"! I'll have to think of something creative to do with it. When I asked the lady at the rock shop what kind of polish she recommended, and I bought, she just said that it's a really good polish at a reasonable price. I got sidetracked and didn't ask her what kind. I took a little of it to the rock show and asked one of the vendors what kind it was. He said he thought it is LindeA. Whatever it is, it sure put a nice polish on all the rocks. And, it only took two days in the vibe! Think I will be using it for all my polishing. |
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Apr 2, 2004 5:08:55 GMT -5
Nice job! That is some really cool flint. And it's right outside your front door!
For the pics, try taking them outside on a bright day and photograph them in a shadow. I find I get the best results this way. Direct sunlight actually takes away the shine.
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Post by sandsman1 on Apr 2, 2004 5:15:05 GMT -5
hi all--- llana great lookin batch of rocks how lucky can you get finding flint outside your door its all lookin good you get a WTG LLANA hahaha seeya ----john
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Post by Noosh9057 on Apr 2, 2004 10:17:43 GMT -5
GREAT!!!!!! JOB. Thay look great
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Post by creativeminded on Apr 2, 2004 15:57:15 GMT -5
Very good job  , some of the pink stones that you picked up from the railroad tracks looks just like some of the stones I find here around KS. Tami |
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Apr 9, 2004 21:15:49 GMT -5
llanago, great job! You should be very happy with those, they are beautiful! I wish my first batch was half as nice as those......cheers, Don
P.S. I wish we were neighbors. I'd be sneaking over and converting some of your flint into arrowheads ;D nice stuff!
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, some of the pink stones that you picked up from the railroad tracks looks just like some of the stones I find here around KS.
