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Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 14:28:07 GMT -5
So at lunch I decided to cut a piece off of a prairie agate I had to try and cab it. The piece fractured in a weird shape when I cut it and I said what the hell and decided to go with the shape. It was about 1 1/2" long, triangular with a graceful curve at the tip. It was turning out awesome and I was thinking that maybe I was starting to develop my left brain... Then the tip broke off and now it's an oval.  Pretty sure I let the mother-f word slip. |
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 14:39:18 GMT -5
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Post by rmf on Apr 26, 2019 14:39:18 GMT -5
I hate when that happens. So much time so little to show for it. I typically try a smaller stone just like you then when it breaks again I get really frustrated.
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 26, 2019 14:42:59 GMT -5
Everyone has tips break off. Some avoid cutting cabs with narrow tips but not guts, no glory. I make it a point of marking fractures before design including healed fractures. When a design includes a completely healed fracture, I like to have a fall back design. A fracture can occur even when a fracture line isn't visible. An example is a line where the material or color changes. I cut a lot of material with potential fractures; Montana, Morgan Hill, Tahoma, Laguna Lace.
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 14:50:55 GMT -5
Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 14:50:55 GMT -5
Everyone has tips break off. Some avoid cutting cabs with narrow tips but not guts, no glory. I make it a point of marking fractures before design including healed fractures. When a design includes a completely healed fracture, I like to have a fall back design. A fracture can occur even when a fracture line isn't visible. An example is a line where the material or color changes. I cut a lot of material with potential fractures; Montana, Morgan Hill, Tahoma, Laguna Lace. I'm starting to agree with the no guts no glory theory. I always have more rocks. For now everything I do is freeform, I'm kind of following the philosophy of fernwood and letting the rock tell me what it wants to be. Most of the things I've been doing still seem to have basically the same shapes but this one was different and turning out very cool. Couldn't see any fractures but I'm guessing you're right on the mark about the fracture line not being visible, there were some super cool stripes on the tip where it broke. As far as fallback designs go, as long as what I have left isn't too small I just fix the broken side and grind the dome down a little more where the break was- right or wrong. |
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 15:16:04 GMT -5
Post by rockjunquie on Apr 26, 2019 15:16:04 GMT -5
Everyone has tips break off. Some avoid cutting cabs with narrow tips but not guts, no glory. I make it a point of marking fractures before design including healed fractures. When a design includes a completely healed fracture, I like to have a fall back design. A fracture can occur even when a fracture line isn't visible. An example is a line where the material or color changes. I cut a lot of material with potential fractures; Montana, Morgan Hill, Tahoma, Laguna Lace. I'm starting to agree with the no guts no glory theory. I always have more rocks. For now everything I do is freeform, I'm kind of following the philosophy of fernwood and letting the rock tell me what it wants to be. Most of the things I've been doing still seem to have basically the same shapes but this one was different and turning out very cool. Couldn't see any fractures but I'm guessing you're right on the mark about the fracture line not being visible, there were some super cool stripes on the tip where it broke. As far as fallback designs go, as long as what I have left isn't too small I just fix the broken side and grind the dome down a little more where the break was- right or wrong. Sorry, Dude. I was cabbing a koroit today (I hate cabbing koroit) and a piece just spit right off the bottom after shaping. Luckily, the new shape worked. Not too much trouble. Remember when you were talking about when do you just give up on a stone? Well, I had one - a tee pee agate. A nice one with a nice full pattern. A fracture ran across the top depth of the stone. So, technically, I might be able to grind down into the fracture until it was gone. But, I was so over it with all the other troubles with it. It could have been so sweet. But I'm officially done. |
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 15:18:38 GMT -5
miket likes this
Post by stardiamond on Apr 26, 2019 15:18:38 GMT -5
When a slab is thick enough it isn't too difficult to re-center the dome to the new shape. Lots of problems occur when cutting a cab. A person can only see the surface and when grinding begins, vugs, soft spots and undesirable attributes appear and sometime necessitates cutting a new shape.
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 16:03:06 GMT -5
Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 16:03:06 GMT -5
I'm starting to agree with the no guts no glory theory. I always have more rocks. For now everything I do is freeform, I'm kind of following the philosophy of fernwood and letting the rock tell me what it wants to be. Most of the things I've been doing still seem to have basically the same shapes but this one was different and turning out very cool. Couldn't see any fractures but I'm guessing you're right on the mark about the fracture line not being visible, there were some super cool stripes on the tip where it broke. As far as fallback designs go, as long as what I have left isn't too small I just fix the broken side and grind the dome down a little more where the break was- right or wrong. Sorry, Dude. I was cabbing a koroit today (I hate cabbing koroit) and a piece just spit right off the bottom after shaping. Luckily, the new shape worked. Not too much trouble. Remember when you were talking about when do you just give up on a stone? Well, I had one - a tee pee agate. A nice one with a nice full pattern. A fracture ran across the top depth of the stone. So, technically, I might be able to grind down into the fracture until it was gone. But, I was so over it with all the other troubles with it. It could have been so sweet. But I'm officially done. That sucks, I like tee pee agates- sorry to hear it. Do you just keep it as a specimen then or release it into nature? So far I haven't been officially done with a rock unless it's too small to do anything with. Even though I probably should have been. Last night I did one that is probably going to end up ring-sized and I think I took more skin off of my fingers with the dremel than I did rock. But I wasn't going to let it win.  |
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 16:04:54 GMT -5
Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 16:04:54 GMT -5
When a slab is thick enough it isn't too difficult to re-center the dome to the new shape. Lots of problems occur when cutting a cab. A person can only see the surface and when grinding begins, vugs, soft spots and undesirable attributes appear and sometime necessitates cutting a new shape. Good points. Which brings up a question I've been meaning to ask. Are vugs completely undesirable in cabs? Thanks |
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Grrrr
Apr 26, 2019 16:18:43 GMT -5
miket likes this
Post by stardiamond on Apr 26, 2019 16:18:43 GMT -5
I consider crystal vugs a good feature but don't know what a buyer might want. A bad vug to me is like a sinkhole not matter how much is ground it's still there. I was back polishing a Montana cab and a vug showed up but I was able to grind it off.
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 26, 2019 16:33:09 GMT -5
miket Here it is- I have 2 pix. I think you can see how the fracture goes across the top of the stone instead of into it. Plus the tan parts were mud. It changed shapes a dozen times. Done. Please ignore my dirty nails- I had been cabbing. Ewww.  
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2019 16:41:14 GMT -5
I agree, vugs with sparkly druzy crystals can be very attractive in a cab, as can interesting natural edges. Some stuff also has interesting hollow tubes, holes left by fossils, etc. that are worth preserving. Then there are others that are either just holes or filled with something not as hard as the main stone that detract from the natural patterns and structure of the stone and your polish (the ones that continually bleed while being worked are irritating). Pits and vugs are unavoidable in some materials, too; you just expect them. If someone wants boringly unnatural-looking flawless gems that have all the charm of glass or CZ, they should be looking at simulants and synthetics, IMO.
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Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 16:50:17 GMT -5
I consider crystal vugs a good feature but don't know what a buyer might want. A bad vug to me is like a sinkhole not matter how much is ground it's still there. I was back polishing a Montana cab and a vug showed up but I was able to grind it off. I suppose it's personal preference like anything else. A lot of slabs that I've cut and rocks I've been tumbling have some- I do like the crystal vugs but you're right, some are like sinkholes. Thanks. |
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Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 16:52:15 GMT -5
I agree, vugs with sparkly druzy crystals can be very attractive in a cab, as can interesting natural edges. Some stuff also has interesting hollow tubes, holes left by fossils, etc. that are worth preserving. Then there are others that are either just holes or filled with something not as hard as the main stone that detract from the natural patterns and structure of the stone and your polish (the ones that continually bleed while being worked are irritating). Pits and vugs are unavoidable in some materials, too; you just expect them. If someone wants boringly unnatural-looking flawless gems that have all the charm of glass or CZ, they should be looking at simulants and synthetics, IMO. Thanks, that expands my thought patterns. I run across pits and vugs in almost everything I've tried working with- some add to the stone, some not so much. |
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Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 16:54:33 GMT -5
miket Here it is- I have 2 pix. I think you can see how the fracture goes across the top of the stone instead of into it. Plus the tan parts were mud. It changed shapes a dozen times. Done. Please ignore my dirty nails- I had been cabbing. Ewww. Dang, that is quite a fracture. Too bad, it's a beautiful stone and you were doing great work with it. And what nails- I was busy looking at those patterns!  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Apr 26, 2019 16:56:21 GMT -5
Tommy can't keep the vuggy stuff in stock! He's the King of Vug. Seriously, done right- they are an asset.
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Post by miket on Apr 26, 2019 16:57:27 GMT -5
Good to know, I'll keep that in mind.
Thank you, ma'am!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Apr 26, 2019 23:26:23 GMT -5
Crystal vugs are the bomb and I absolutely adore them! If Vince is slabbing up stone and I see slabs with crystal vugs, I snag them immediately.  I am a crystal vug hoarder and damn proud of it!
Vugs with mud or dirt in them are nasty and I won't cut cabs with them in it. It's crystal vugs or no vugs at all for me.
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Post by stardiamond on Apr 26, 2019 23:51:28 GMT -5
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Post by miket on Apr 27, 2019 5:01:37 GMT -5
Started this last night. Not sure if you can see but there are some crystal vugs in this...but I like the colors.  |
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cosmetal
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since September 2018
Posts: 115
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Post by cosmetal on Apr 27, 2019 10:45:00 GMT -5
miket Here it is- I have 2 pix. I think you can see how the fracture goes across the top of the stone instead of into it. Plus the tan parts were mud. It changed shapes a dozen times. Done. Please ignore my dirty nails- I had been cabbing. Ewww. I knew a lady from Virginia who was a very successful artist-blacksmith ABANA She would always wear a strand of real pearls while giving forging demos. When asked about it, she said that when her mother heard she was pursuing the blacksmith craft as an outlet for her creativity, her mother made her promise to wear her pearls so as to not lose her southern charm. Class act . . . James |
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I am a crystal vug hoarder and damn proud of it!
