Banjocreek
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2003
Posts: 1,115
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Post by Banjocreek on May 20, 2004 1:35:00 GMT -5
Just finished this stuff. Got it from The Rock Shed, and some of the pieces were HUGE  I didn't do a 1000 grit step and wanted to try to go from SISA straight to polish and see what the result would be. I'm also going to go a little longer in 60/90 next time. I only ran it 7 days. I had a few more chips than I like, but I have 3 more pounds to improve upon, and I have a little 'ReDo Box' which is filling up faster as I get more picky. So we learn as we go. I used Titanium Oxide as a polish.   Then there is this stuff which I got from my Mother passed down from my Grand mother. It was a chunk of what appeared to be Obsidian. I cut off some pieces and did a wire wrap necklace for my mother. It is a beautiful red, and wrapped in sterling looked great. ![]() www.users.qwest.net/~hmichael31/images/Red Obsidian.jpg[/img] Til next time |
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Post by sandsman1 on May 20, 2004 3:43:32 GMT -5
hey banjo lookin good love that purple i got some here a friend sent me (hehe) i been waitin for something to run it with i got a buncha dif obsidian maybe ill doit with a load of that ----that red obsid is realy lookin good never seen red befor way cool lookin ok seeya ---john
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on May 20, 2004 4:01:35 GMT -5
Wonderful shine Banjo! I looks like the SISA/titanium oxide combo worked out great. That amethyst looks like ice! Nice stuff. If you want some of the really dark purple stuff go here: www.kingsleynorth.com/tumblingrough.html It's the Amethyst - India toward the middle of the screen. I got 5 lbs of it and I was very impressed! |
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on May 20, 2004 8:19:57 GMT -5
Those are beautiful, Banjo! I really love those red ones.
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on May 20, 2004 9:00:16 GMT -5
Great job on those Banjo, real nice pics too. Are you sure the red is obsidian? My guess would be old, man-made glass. It is pretty what ever it is. Neat stuff. Well done, cheers, Don
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Trouthunter
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2004
Posts: 63
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Post by Trouthunter on May 20, 2004 10:52:32 GMT -5
I love the amethyst. Just beautiful. The red obsidian is really pretty as well. What a great shine!
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Post by creativeminded on May 20, 2004 11:17:55 GMT -5
Very pretty, you did a great job.
Tami
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Post by rockyraccoon on May 20, 2004 11:36:49 GMT -5
banjo those amethyst are beautiful - my favorite stone.
did the chipping occur in the polish stage?
those red ones whatever they are - too gorgeous!
kim
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Banjocreek
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2003
Posts: 1,115
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Post by Banjocreek on May 20, 2004 12:39:48 GMT -5
Well Don; I really don't find anything in the books on 'Red' Obsidian. My Grandmother found it out in the desert years ago. I don't dismiss the idea of it being glass, but when my grandmother showed it to me as a little tyke it was a rather large chunk (about volley ball size), and she told me it was volcanic glass. Being a little nipper with no knowlege of rocks what-so-ever I just kept that discription as fact. But I must admit, now that I am older, that as far as I know...obsidian does not come in 'red'. But I'm not about to burst my dear ole Mom's bubble since my dear departed Grandmother passed the rock on to her. I think the chipping on the amythist mostly occured in the pre-polish step, since the edges are a bit rounded. The red stones (or glass??) got chipped in the 500 step, and I just kept going figuring I'd mask it with the wire wrap. But I must say, I had a bit of trouble in all the steps with chipping, and kept taking some out. I wonder if it is because when they knock these crystals out of the geodes in Brazil the stones are weaker with stress fractures.  |
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RiverOtter
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2004
Posts: 339
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Post by RiverOtter on May 20, 2004 13:41:18 GMT -5
Nice job on the amethyst banjo. Looks like you got a better shine on yours than I did on mine. I'm hoping to change that soon as I have reran them again. They are currently in a holding pattern awaiting the emeralds to finish so they can go into the polish barrel. Mine also chipped alot. Good point on the fracturing, I hadn't considered that. And whatever those red ones are they are gorgeous!!
Otter
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Post by rockyraccoon on May 20, 2004 13:54:45 GMT -5
you answered exactly what i was wondering about. with my stones that are more "glasslike" or transparent i have noticed that the chipping/fracturing occurs in the pre-polish and polish but mostly in polish. i'm convinced the cornsyrup helps with this but am wondering if it could be added to the pre-polish stage. i don't see why it couldn't since the only thing you're saving for reuse in the stage is the pellets. or maybe it's occuring in the borax cleaning phases when the water is...well water - with no thickening agent. wonder could i add cornsyrup to those too and not effect the cleaning of the stones? might have to experiment with that. wonder what would happen if i added a package of gelatin?
kim
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Post by mrbrett on May 20, 2004 16:40:03 GMT -5
Super Duper job! Love the red. Whatever it is. Great job
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Post by cookie3rocks on May 20, 2004 19:31:37 GMT -5
Hey Rocky,
Youl'd have a dessert fit for some one you hate ;D
I did see on a rocks for sale website recently red obsinian. I'll try to go back and find it. There was no picture, just a disciption. Come to think of it, I think it was on that new site Creativemind found. I'll check it out.
My amethyst is in polish now and I've got my fingers crossed...
cookie
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Post by cookie3rocks on May 20, 2004 20:40:07 GMT -5
Don't think this is exactly what I was thinking of, but it does descibe some obsidian as reddish brown and volcanic glass OBSIDIAN Picture 1 SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION: Obsidian occurs as volcanic lava flows that are thick and of limited area. Its black, glassy, lustrous, and often flow-banded appearance makes it rather easy to distinguish from the other volcanic rocks with which it is commonly associated. This mineral forms when a silica-rich magma of granitic composition flows onto the earth's surface, where it solidifies before minerals can develop and crystallize. It is, therefore, an amorphous solid or glass rather than an aggregate of minerals. The hardness of Obsidian is between 6 and 7; it will scratch window glass. Although generally black, it is more or less smoky along translucent to transparent edges; other colors are gray, reddish brown, mahogany and dark green. When it has small white "flower" designs in it, it is called Snowflake Obsidian. It is also possible to find pieces with a sheen, or chatoyance. This is often called Rainbow Obsidian. ENVIRONMENT: Obsidian is an environment for very few minerals. Lithophysae and spherulites may contain small but beautiful crystals of feldspar, tridymite, and cristobalite. OCCURRENCE: Some locations of Obsidian bodies are California (Inyo, Imperial, and Modoc Cos.), Oregon (Crater Lake), Wyoming (Yellowstone Park), and Mexico (near Pachuca.) NAME: The name is derived from the Latin name for the mineral, [obsio.] Maybe your great grandad just found some really cool red obsidian  cookie |
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on May 21, 2004 8:37:33 GMT -5
That's cool Banjo, I wouldn't bust my moms' bubble either buddy. It is officially 'Red Obsidian'. The neat thing is it could have been a early historic trade item, probably trade bead glass left in a large chunk for use in arrowhead making. Ishi, (a California Yahiyani)sp? considered to be the last stone age indian, loved to snatch telegraph pole glass insulators and knock arrowheads out of them. The only real difference between obsidian and glass is who made it. Mother nature or man. Think of the history that might be behind that chunk you have. I'd say it's life has been way more intriging than being beltched from an ordinary vulcano, great stuff. ttyl, Don
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Banjocreek
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2003
Posts: 1,115
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Post by Banjocreek on May 21, 2004 13:29:48 GMT -5
Yeah, I like that Don.
My grandmother used to tramp all over the desert finding rocks and minerals, and she really has some cool looking stuff. I remember them in boxes in the garage when I was a kid.
Since she passed away, I have no idea where all the stones she collected ended up.
This red one is all I have to remember the boxes of stones and crystals that once were housed in a corner of our garage back in Wisconsin.
She grew up on a ranch in Arizona and loved the desert.
Funny, that now I'm in Arizona, a transplant from Wisconsin, tramping around the desert looking for rocks.
I wonder where the rocks and minerals I find will end up?
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Trouthunter
having dreams about rocks
Member since May 2004
Posts: 63
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Post by Trouthunter on May 21, 2004 14:02:14 GMT -5
Maybe some day some kid will get on an internet chat board with a bunch of rocks to show off and say, my great grandpa used to live in Arizona and tramp all over the desert looking for rocks. This is what I have to remember him by. Everyone called him Banjocreek"
What a great thing to have to remember your grandmother by!
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