julieooly
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721 
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Post by julieooly on Jan 12, 2019 8:35:37 GMT -5
 As usual I’m going to experiment with it and then read any advice. If it stinks too bad I’ll save it for a day I can leave the doors open. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 12, 2019 8:51:34 GMT -5
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romo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2018
Posts: 104
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Post by romo on Jan 12, 2019 11:07:30 GMT -5
I have been working a bit of it lately and Tela is right, it is super soft and the patterns will change with each swipe of the wheels. Biggest challenge for me was getting the cab cut right to maximize the pattern you want to bring out. Sealing it when you are done is also an important step, I use a clear automotive top coat and apply 4-5 coats with a soft buff between each. Hope Chuck chimes in as his Fordite is gorgeous!
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romo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2018
Posts: 104
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Post by romo on Jan 12, 2019 11:15:02 GMT -5
  This was my first go with it. Both were cut from the same piece but as you can see in the second picture I really missed the mark on that second one. |
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Post by aDave on Jan 12, 2019 13:27:42 GMT -5
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721
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Post by julieooly on Jan 12, 2019 14:12:44 GMT -5
I have been working a bit of it lately and Tela is right, it is super soft and the patterns will change with each swipe of the wheels. Biggest challenge for me was getting the cab cut right to maximize the pattern you want to bring out. Sealing it when you are done is also an important step, I use a clear automotive top coat and apply 4-5 coats with a soft buff between each. Hope Chuck chimes in as his Fordite is gorgeous! I hadn’t considered a polish. This is through 3000 and I don’t want to put it up to the diamond paste polish disc until I know it won’t contaminate it. I have 14,000 and 50,000 discs.  I’ll work harder toward keeping the center dot smaller. I need to cut it different to achieve more than one circle apparently? Or is this dictated by the condition of the material? |
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romo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2018
Posts: 104
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Post by romo on Jan 12, 2019 17:14:05 GMT -5
I have been working a bit of it lately and Tela is right, it is super soft and the patterns will change with each swipe of the wheels. Biggest challenge for me was getting the cab cut right to maximize the pattern you want to bring out. Sealing it when you are done is also an important step, I use a clear automotive top coat and apply 4-5 coats with a soft buff between each. Hope Chuck chimes in as his Fordite is gorgeous! I hadn’t considered a polish. This is through 3000 and I don’t want to put it up to the diamond paste polish disc until I know it won’t contaminate it. I have 14,000 and 50,000 discs. I’ll work harder toward keeping the center dot smaller. I need to cut it different to achieve more than one circle apparently? Or is this dictated by the condition of the material? Julie, I am a newbie to cabbing and am going off the advice of the members here as well as at my local rock club. I really am wanting to start working with chatoyant stones and was recommended to start cutting fordite to learn plane/angle/cutting skills. If you don't like the circles then rotate a few degrees and cut again! Some pattern is influenced by the area of track it is taken from and how much it dripped (or pooled) before drying. I am from Michigan and grew up in a car crazy family so yes, I top coat my pieces but I'm not actually sure if you have to? Or if polishing up higher is better? It is so soft I feel that the top coat seals and preserves it same as a car. I only take them through 1200, then clear coat. |
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swaver101
starting to spend too much on rocks
Whoops
Member since May 2018
Posts: 111
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Post by swaver101 on Jan 19, 2019 14:02:48 GMT -5
Wow those cordite cabs are amazing!!
Giving me some motivation to dive into my amall piece of fordite!
I'm really new to the whole rock hounding and even newer to cutting cabs!
I bought a bunch of slabs and rough from my local rock shop lot long ago(way over priced shop BTW!) and when I seen the fordite, I had to ask what it was! Well I lost my best friend just over a year ago, and he was an autobody car painter! (And remember him trying to tell me about this stuff, even though at the time I didn't really understand what he was trying to tell me.. )
So naturally I picked the biggest piece he had and put a piece in my basket thinking it was cheap and when I got to the check out, I had $400 in my basket(I paid for it anyways, I realized after, that he had the price per gram written down. And I thought it was $2 for the whole piece..) it was a pretty small piece of fordite and I was charged an arm and a leg for it... Hahah oh well!
But none the less I am really excited to try and make a couple of tiny cabs for my late friends mom and sister!!
Thanks so much for sharing!! So beautiful!!
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721
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Post by julieooly on Mar 5, 2019 12:53:44 GMT -5
Had great success with a chamois and nail buffing creme. Diamond polish is way too hard. Lacquer and sealers aren’t necessary. I did consider carnuba wax. Hmm... maybe on top of this. [img src="https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190305/ ![]() uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190305/81cc8f93c6ebc6b38577ed377524b7e1.jpg"]  b20db37ff3be5a95449bad5aec862ba6.jpg[/IMG]  |
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julieooly
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2018
Posts: 721
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Post by julieooly on Mar 5, 2019 12:54:44 GMT -5
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Post by stephan on Mar 5, 2019 23:15:43 GMT -5
Wow! Lot if nice cabs here. One day, I'll bite the bullet.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on Mar 6, 2019 11:29:39 GMT -5
Working with Fordite is a blast, it can change in one swipe..
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swaver101
starting to spend too much on rocks
Whoops
Member since May 2018
Posts: 111
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Post by swaver101 on Mar 7, 2019 3:11:27 GMT -5
Oow this gets me excited for the piece of fordite I have been hoarding! Thanks for sharing!
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