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Post by arghvark on Feb 23, 2019 13:14:14 GMT -5
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Feb 23, 2019 13:24:18 GMT -5
You've got some real beauties in there and a real good shine going on. Love Two Moons over the Klingon Homeworld! That is an spectacularly cool stone!
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Post by Pat on Feb 23, 2019 13:34:31 GMT -5
Agree with hummingbirdstonesTwo moons reminded me of Hello, Kitty, but “Two Moons...” is better! Thanks for the beautiful show.
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Post by aDave on Feb 23, 2019 14:08:06 GMT -5
Nice variety of material, especially with it being self-collected. I'm liking the last 2 rocks best.
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Kai
spending too much on rocks
Member since December 2018
Posts: 331
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Post by Kai on Feb 23, 2019 14:19:11 GMT -5
I love the red ones so much! And the petrified wood, too. (I'm envious of people who live in areas with rich various stones *mumble mumble*)
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jimaz
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2018
Posts: 463
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Post by jimaz on Feb 23, 2019 14:57:48 GMT -5
Nice batch. I especially like the mossy material just under the pet wood.
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fishnpinball
Cave Dweller
So much to learn, so little time
Member since March 2017
Posts: 1,491
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Post by fishnpinball on Feb 23, 2019 15:16:30 GMT -5
A lot of nice ones out of that batch
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Post by TheRock on Feb 23, 2019 15:23:02 GMT -5
Very Purdy!
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Just out
Feb 23, 2019 17:04:26 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by arghvark on Feb 23, 2019 17:04:26 GMT -5
Nice batch. I especially like the mossy material just under the pet wood. That's a small Richardson Ranch moss bed thunderegg that I broke getting out. If you zoom in, you can see a few defects in the upper right that are due to my tumbling. But the majority of those tiny spots are actually the ends of "moss tendrils" poking through the clear agate.
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on Feb 23, 2019 17:06:56 GMT -5
Great batch, Argh. I really like the red stones.
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Just out
Feb 23, 2019 17:07:23 GMT -5
via mobile
Kai likes this
Post by arghvark on Feb 23, 2019 17:07:23 GMT -5
I love the red ones so much! And the petrified wood, too. (I'm envious of people who live in areas with rich various stones *mumble mumble*) Amazingly, all but three (the pet wood and the two Richardson pieces) were found within a half mile radius. Pretty rich area. The pet wood was found about 15 miles from there as the crow flies.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Feb 24, 2019 8:03:52 GMT -5
Great batch. Shiny self collected rocks are always a little more special.
Chuck
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Post by orrum on Feb 24, 2019 8:39:47 GMT -5
Oh yes them.be gooders!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,563
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Post by jamesp on Feb 24, 2019 12:01:47 GMT -5
Fine little chunks of Texas and very well done.
Is 13 down Rhyolite ? If so did it take more of a matte polish ?
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Post by arghvark on Feb 24, 2019 12:46:19 GMT -5
Fine little chunks of Texas and very well done. Is 13 down Rhyolite ? If so did it take more of a matte polish ? I think they're little chunks of Nevada, unless they've been pushed around a lot more than I thought. 13th I think are more jaspery than rhyolite. Even though this even banding is less common, they are from a rich jasper area that doesn't have what I would consider the more "cellular" rhyolite formation that is common around here. They are also a different texture than the common rhyolite on this area. But I'm far from expert. (Even though I haven't found any yet myself, have seen a fair amount of rock from this area that has the distinctive cellular formation of rhyolite, but a very jasper-like hardness and texture.) And yes, they do take a less high shine than the harder pieces (as does a lot of the local rhyolite I have found.)
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Just out
Feb 24, 2019 12:51:55 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by arghvark on Feb 24, 2019 12:51:55 GMT -5
Thanks for all your enthusiasm and kind words, folks. I was actually a bit discouraged when examining these, and of course took photos of the best.
Any advice on how to make a kinder, gentler Lot-o tumble would be much appreciated.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Feb 24, 2019 13:46:51 GMT -5
Great material. And considering that I live in the same neck of the woods (Nevada), I am encouraged as well.
I am new, but I have never come across a single piece of material that looks anything like what you've gathered. Congratulations on your hard work.
Are you from Northern Nevada, say around Reno, or even north to the Oregon border? Curious.
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Post by arghvark on Feb 24, 2019 14:08:00 GMT -5
Great material. And considering that I live in the same neck of the woods (Nevada), I am encouraged as well. I am new, but I have never come across a single piece of material that looks anything like what you've gathered. Congratulations on your hard work. Are you from Northern Nevada, say around Reno, or even north to the Oregon border? Curious. I live in Fallon, about an hour east of Reno. I've been spending about 80% of my outings at the same place (about 45 minutes from my house) because within the next year it will be inaccessible to the public. The Navy is expanding its training areas. This site is actually in a book. Didn't find much of great interest in the specific area described by the book, and expanded my "prospecting" based on the shape of the hills and tiny pieces I found of stuff that I wanted more of. There are some places I'd really like to dig as I've found several good sized veins breaking through the surface, but just don't seem to find the time. There are many other rich sites in the area, most of which I haven't tracked down yet. Jeez. I'm rambling. Anyway, if you're ever headed this way let me know. I'd be happy to take you there. This goes for others in the forum as well. ETA: 1. Stumbling around in the desert is never "hard work" 2. I'm no expert but I think the real 'hounds will agree, a lot of it depends on learning what to look for. In retrospect, the first several times I went to that area I know I left some beautiful stuff on the ground because I didn't know what it would look like after being worked.
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Post by aDave on Feb 24, 2019 18:13:28 GMT -5
Any advice on how to make a kinder, gentler Lot-o tumble would be much appreciated. Interesting. I'm actually at the point of thinking to adjust mine to make it circulate material a little bit faster. Mine rolls material pretty slowly which makes it more sensitive to the amount of water and any slurry development. I've only finished two batches, so I'm not going to make an adjustment just yet. As far as making it "kinder and gentler," first make sure that your fan weights are lined up. What I mean is if you considered the fans as the face of the clock, make sure the both weights are at (for instance) 12 o'clock. You can simply turn the fan(s) by hand. If the weights are not lined up, the vibration will get more severe. If you need to slow down the circulation of material, that should be able to be done by moving the wood dowel underneath the spring. You'll have to cut the glue, move the dowel until you're happy and then reglue. I had actually spoken with the Lot-O company owner about my machine. If I understood him correctly, to slow down the machine you'd have to move the dowel away from the barrel. ETA: I know it goes against intuition and common sense, but aligned weights actually make for a smoother operation. For me, the 12/6 o'clock orientation of the weights made circulation sloppy with much chatter of material.
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Post by victor1941 on Feb 24, 2019 21:31:08 GMT -5
Arghvark, some small white areas can be removed with a dry cleaning gun and some can be cleaned with a ultra sonic cleaner-vibrator. I have used a matched permanent marker for other small areas that bothered me with good results. Your tumbled material is really nice.
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