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Post by cookie3rocks on Jul 25, 2004 18:36:50 GMT -5
I've turned out a batch that, for the most part, is wet shiney! It's a mongral mix, as KD would say, 2 kinds of Jasper, flint (Really pretty), blue/white lace agate, brown agate, some local stuff and 3 emeralds. One of the emeralds is diamond shaped and took a terrific shine. My husband wants to mount it in a ring. I know, I know, less talk, more pics. I'm going to borrow my mom's digital camera and see what I can do. The blue/white agate was what I was most excited about but everything else turned out better. Most of it was from Sandman, Thanks Dude! I'll post pics as soon as I figure out how (my parents arent sure how to get the pics directly from camera to computer, but I think I can figure it out ) Thanks for all the advise leading up to what is ,for me, a red letter day ;D . cookie
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Post by sandsman1 on Jul 25, 2004 19:18:15 GMT -5
WTG cookie cant wait to see the pics thats what i need a good batch to cheer me up hahaha
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Post by docone31 on Jul 25, 2004 21:00:17 GMT -5
I saw "it Finally Happened" and I got worried. My wife who does not have both oars in the water, she is from LA like totally, suggested someone swallowed a stone and it came out Elvis. I think it is because our female Bengal, Muffy is in heat and driving us nuts. The outside cats singing at all hours, loudly, her mother running around blowing soap bubbles at all hours, people walking around outside looking like parrots. Groups of people waving like ocean waves, now that is the best one. It sounds like persistance and not quitting produced a beautiful batch of stones. Here is what you can do with the stones you want to wear. Melt some wax, carefully, it does burn real well. Get a deep pan, one the size for making spaghetti. Fill it with water. Pour the wax from an height into the water. Select one of the floating globs, slightly heat the stone to be set and press it into the glob of wax. Clean the wax piece, clean the stone setting, bring it to some hokey jeweler who looks like they need the work and have him/her/resident of Klatoo/ Borean, cast it into silver. Shouldn't break the bank of Isle of Man, and be one unique, one of kind, weareable piece of jewelery that matches the stone. It could be set with prongs, ghost or gypsey setting and be daggoned beautiful. A little 14K20 could be used to highlight the piece. Sounds like you are pleased with the results. Way cool. Now I did one more post and I am getting closer to the dreaded point. My wife thinks I should pour coffee on the keyboard. She said, " if it worked for three mile island".....China Syndrome
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jul 25, 2004 21:28:35 GMT -5
Doc, if my cat poops Elvis, trust me, you'll be the first to know Thanks, I'll do the wax thing. The stone really dosen't need any more work, it's really beautiful. cookie
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Jul 25, 2004 21:32:28 GMT -5
Cookie, I'm looking forward to the photo's I have a bunch of trim pieces that I am contemplating on putting into the 3# Gy-Roc and getting it started. I had a spring break (under the bowl) and I have to get another set on order (I'll probably get two sets - one as a spare). Sounds like you had a good batch, congratulations! Enjoy, John
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llanago
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,714
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Post by llanago on Jul 25, 2004 21:38:00 GMT -5
Congrats Cookie! Can't wait to see them
Doc, I don't know what happened to you out there in the land of fruits and nuts, but your posts have been cracking me up. I don't know if you are trying to be funny, but you are sure putting a smile on my face!
llana
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jul 25, 2004 21:44:09 GMT -5
John, Aren't you a little old to go on spring break and pass out after smokin a bowl? yukyuk ;D Trim pieces would be a great start. No extra expense and they will have a nice pre shape to them. Go forth and tumble!
cookie
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RiverOtter
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2004
Posts: 339
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Post by RiverOtter on Jul 26, 2004 0:39:06 GMT -5
Too funny cookie. Got a much needed chuckle..thanks. Cookie I can probably help you get the pics from camera to computer. I may not be the computer guru that Andy is but I know my way around. Most digital cameras come with a cable (usually USB) that goes from camera to computer. If your running XP on your puter then the rest is a breeze! Just give me an IM if ya need help.
Otter
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Post by puppie96 on Jul 26, 2004 1:39:55 GMT -5
Cookie! Hey, congratulations! I'm thrilled for ya -- since we are all still learning, would you share with us what polish you used and for how long?
It's so exciting when the first batch comes out and especially with a nice batch of interesting rock. Can't wait to see the photos!
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Post by docone31 on Jul 26, 2004 1:52:29 GMT -5
It took a while but I figuired it out. John and his bowl and spring break. Speed of light didn't happen here! Vibratory tumbler bowl. Getting a new spring, aka spring break! I get to go to the back of the class with this one. I have been trying to figuire it out since I saw the post. Cookie, I remember my first batch, they came out great and I couldn't sleep that night. The second batch showed me how arrogant I had become. It was unfinished mush. However it showed me the value of keeping a ledger, measuring, and doing a little research. I especially warn against using corn meal in a rotary tumbler. The stench and the pressurized mass is hard to describe in mere typewritten word. It also welds itself against fresh pull down texture on new sheetrock walls. Even Kilz does not hold back the stain. It took three coats of latex over two coats of Kilz. Kinda defeated the purpose of pull down texture. The ants sure liked though. congrats! Many more!
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Jul 26, 2004 7:57:45 GMT -5
Congrats Cookie!!! I bet they are beautiful, look forward to a pic. Doc, the spring break got me too, about 2 feet over my head I guess ;D , later, Don
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jul 26, 2004 19:07:54 GMT -5
Thanks every one! This is how I remeber it for Vibe users: 3 pounds of rock on the nose (and, yes, I know, you guys don't like 80 grit in a vibe) 7 days in 80 (4 tablespoons) 2 days in 80/220 (2 tablespoons each) 2 days in 220 (3 tablespoons) 2 days in equal parts Cerium oxide and optical cerium + a 1/2 teaspoon Linde A (3 tablespoons total) I cleaned and recharged (started over, really) every day, except for one day in 220, lots of grit left then. Viola! Puppies, there is a place on the front of my computer that I think is for hooking up the camera cable, sound familiar? I'd rather do it at home than do it mom's and email the pictures to myself. I don't have a single day off this week so please be patient with me. Promise good pics this time ;D
cookie
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dogparkmom
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2004
Posts: 19
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Post by dogparkmom on Jul 26, 2004 23:16:52 GMT -5
As a pure newbie, I got the joke part but not the tumbling part! Doc's ramblings explained the tumbling interpretation to me. I will catch on if you guys keep being so generous!
If you missed it, I joined this weekend after spending a glorious day on the porch with my 3 dogs, polishing store-bought Rainbow Fluorite twist-faceted beads with my Dremel using ... cheap hospital toothpaste. That's okay, it worked some, and the toothpaste came from my Mom's last days at the hospital and it kind of brought her spirit to the beauty of the day.
The stones were somewhat improved, and after posting and getting good advice from John, I am now waiting for some tin oxide and cerium oxide so I can polish for real. The salesman I talked with did not think that titanium oxide worked well with a Dremel. (I keep telling myself "cerium, not cesium", I really am not irradiating these stones - why can't my mind get those words straight?)
Cookie, it must feel great to have a nice success. I hope you have great fun holding your glassy stones and enjoying their beauty. Thanks for posting your recipe. It looks like I might be joining you guys in your hobby after Christmas. I think Santa needs to bring me a vibe tumbler. Today I came across the stones I picked up on the beach on vacation, sure would look better with a polish.
It is so nice to find a group of friendly people who don't mind us with our newbie questions and concerns.
Off topic entirely: I changed my icon choice from a photo I have on a photo posting site (it was of my baby dog, Casey Jones, a spotted hound) to the cartoon dog because I could never see anything but the dreaded red x. Did any of you who visited my post on the Visitors and Members board see the pic of Mr. Jones, or did you see red xes as well? I can never tell if it is a problem with my posting of a pic, or if it is my web filter that has me seeing red xes.
See ya Weds, I'll be busy Tues.
Nancy
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Post by docone31 on Jul 27, 2004 0:11:43 GMT -5
Dogparkmom. Velcommen, bienvenue,Buenos Nachos mucho poko! Check that out, I am learning spanish. The Latin folks here are coaching me in the fine arts of conversing in their language. Mucho cuidado fiero cabesa! That being said. Rambling? I call it line of thought. I start on one thought and it convolutes, mutates, folds into itself, and just plain disappear, just like Syd Barette right after the happening. Zam, you need Zam for polishing with a dremel. Cerium oxide is a powder and works best at 900-1750rpm which is slower than a dremel starts at. Zam, not rouge, That other white stuff, or the brownish yellow stuff that comes in a tube. Zam! Works great on turquoise, garnet, beryl, not berel!!!!, silver and gold. Zam! My old friend Rosana RosanaDana said to me earlier today, "listen Kid, no matter what they tell ya, its always something. First it is a little of this, then it is a little of that. When you add it all up, 1+1=3!!!! Just when you try to figuire that all out you have this thing hanging from your nose. All day, just hanging, dangling, and making you just look dumb. No one tells you you have this thing on the end of your nose." Now figuire that out and you will know why I cannot be God. There can be but one God, and they are already there! Cookie, shorty, and everyone else who is God. I could be a Demi-God, a shadowy figuire, a creature of the dark. I run among the creatures of the night! Oh Bonnie Tyler, where are you when we need you? I have to stop posting or I will be unleaven bread. Flat, burned on one side and it cracks your teeth when you eat it. Maybe I can be a babbling God. Barking spiders, chipmunks with glowing eyes, Yellow snow!!!!
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Post by puppie96 on Jul 27, 2004 2:41:16 GMT -5
Hey, Cookie, thanks for the recipe. Interesting what a big variety of products and processes work for people.
Well, kid, I'm hardly the queen of tech so I can only tell you pretty primitive stuff about digital cameras. If their camera connects with a USB cable, it should be pretty easy to hook to the computer. I'm using a desktop with the hard drive standing here and it's connections in the back. The USB ports are pretty easy to find. On my laptop they are on the side or back, don't remember but I can find 'em when I need to. Now, our digital camera connects some other way, I don't even know the name of this kind of cable, it's slower than a USB connection. Your computer has to have some kind of software to download the pictures. I believe that most of them come equipped with some type of software, but I'm not sure about that and it may be that you have to install some kind of software specific to the camera you are using. Like I said I am not much help here.
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Post by hermatite on Jul 27, 2004 8:34:04 GMT -5
hola! como frijoles? (that's "how have you bean? for those of you who are a bit rusty on the spanadian). Congrats Cookie...There's nothing better than success with a load. I'm never sure why that is. Out of my last load I've got about three really great pieces...one nearly clear piece of agate with the swirls in it...a piece of tiger eye that makes me drool...and a piece of sodalite that makes me think of a prairie sky just before a big storm blows up. I'm just at a loss as to what to do with them. I'm tempted to put them into jewelry but I'm always so hard on the stuff I turn out that I can't give the stuff to anyone. And I've considered gluing on some findings but I only have the cheap base metal ones and these stones keep saying stuff like "herm...if you love us like you say, use Gold...REAL GOLD". and I say "shut up rocks, you know I blew the gold budet on a new pair of shoes." and then they sort of pout and don't talk to me again for three days. So you can see I'm really at a loss, here. Since my digital camera is, as they say, el piece de crappo, I might just take a regular old fashioned phots and scan it and then prostrate myself before donwrob to get him to post them for me. I need ideas. But for now, I'll just try to keep the rocks happy. Vaya con carne everyone!
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Post by krazydiamond on Jul 27, 2004 16:20:15 GMT -5
pouting rocks....hmmmm. i had this mental picture of the little thought bubbles coming out, saying things like "Shoes? who needs Shoes?" and "That's it, I'm outta here, tumble my little rock butt back to the mountain... shoes, indeed."
personally, i suck at wire wrap and need lots more practice before i buy any expensive material. i hold my breath when i drill holes in, knowing each time i am going to ruin the stone. i can't imagine how i'd feel to mess up an almost faceted one....arrrgh.
i did see some interesting stiff fabric in a catalog that you mount stone to (with glue) and then sort of bead around it.
as far as cheap findings, i've shied away from glue and bead caps although i may try a few on smaller stones that cannot be of use for anything else. some of what i've seen are a bit filigree for me, sort of robs the dignity of the stone. like putting clothing on cats, it's just too demeaning.
i've made a few bola ties that came out fairly well with just the rock attached to the (economically priced) mechanism. except for the one i made out of Unakite for my uncle, ever since Doc called it Vomit Stone, i can't bring myself to give it to him.......
good luck, herm, KD
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jul 27, 2004 18:45:44 GMT -5
Got my dremel and my diamond bits today. Waiting on the findings and glue. I ain't proud, just anxcious to make something. And you will all be glad to know I ordered gogles and won't try my drill till they come in. Waiting on grit, too, so I don't use that danged ole 80 in the vibe again. Play around with it, Herm, it'll be fun. Keep the base metal stuff to yourself just for the practice. I'll have to learn how and sell some of the cheap stuff before I can afford gold. And I'm like KD, don't care for wire wrap so much. I sell shoes for a living, so they are not my friends New Play Toys, OH BOY! cookie
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Post by krazydiamond on Jul 27, 2004 19:15:01 GMT -5
go barefoot, we need more new toys!
girlz need toolz, KD
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Post by sandsman1 on Jul 27, 2004 21:40:41 GMT -5
hey cookie did you check this guy out for diamond grinder bits he sells sets too and everything i got from him so far i liked and at a good price www.lopacki.com/burrs/
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