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Post by connrock on Mar 23, 2005 21:50:37 GMT -5
Hi Gang, Back in February I started my youngest grandson Mike on his first tumbling venture.He has been doing remarkably well considering how messy of a job it can be and this being Mikes first attempt. We did have an "incident" with a power sprayer I made but i've learned not to turn it on full when Mikes at the helm!!To say the least he had a "blast" soaking the both of us with very COLD well water!! The following link will take you (I hope) to a slide show of Mikes progress thus far.You will have to set the timer at the upper right corner for how long you want to view each slide.There's text with the each photo so you might want to set the timer for about 12 seconds. imageevent.com/tcknkk/mikesfirstbatchoftumbledrocks?p=0&n=1&m=24&c=4&l=0&w=1&s=0&z=2Enjoy,,,, Tom  |
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Glenn
having dreams about rocks
Member since January 2005
Posts: 55
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Post by Glenn on Mar 23, 2005 22:17:00 GMT -5
Tom , Great slide show ! Looks like you have a lot of different gadgets in your operation ! ; Glenn |
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Post by cookie3rocks on Mar 23, 2005 22:54:07 GMT -5
What a fun ride, Tom! I made lot's of comments! I can't get over what a beautiful child Mike is! And I don't just mean physically. He just shines! He's obviously intellegent and focused. I predict great things for this child.
I just felt compelled to tell you that. ;D
cookie
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Post by Alice on Mar 23, 2005 23:36:27 GMT -5
Great slide show! you must be very proud of your grandson (I would be ) Alice |
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Post by Cher on Mar 23, 2005 23:53:44 GMT -5
Great slide show "proud Grandpa" Tom! *smile*
Aren't grand kids just "grand"!!!
Cher
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Post by sandsman1 on Mar 24, 2005 2:47:36 GMT -5
nice job tom --- see aint it more fun when ya got a rock buddy to work with
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Rose
Cave Dweller 
Member since November 2004
Posts: 875
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Post by Rose on Mar 24, 2005 4:26:02 GMT -5
Great show Tom Looks like Mike is enjoying every minute  |
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Post by connrock on Mar 24, 2005 8:14:55 GMT -5
Glenn,
HEY,,,,You wern't supposed to be peeking at that stuff !!
Stay focused on the subject matter not my mess !! LOL
Cookie,
At 60 years old this might sound a little strange but it's actually a pleasure having Mike live with us.He is an exceptionatly bright boy and ALWAYS wants to "get into" what ever i'm going.
We had a snow storm last week,(and again this morning,,,,see photo section),and Mike shoveled the entire side walk.It's 4' wide and 35' long!
He has his "moments" but all in all he's a great little 7 year old boy.
Alice,
Yes I am very proud of Mike and the rest of my grandchildren.I can handle 1 or 2 at a time but when you add that 3rd one,,,,,,,LOOK OUT!!
Cher,
They sure are and the best part is when I get to see them doing something they enjoy.Be it Little League Baseball,gymnastics,soccer,basketball,softball,tumbling rocks,collecting rocks and minerals,Cub and Boy Scouts or being in a school play.
I love to see them "shine".
John,
It sure is more fun with a "partner".I just can not believe how fast Mike learns and retains everything I teach him.It makes me soooooooooooooooo happy to be able to pass on what I know about this great hobby.
Rose,
He sure is.Especially when he gets me soaked with water!!
Thank's for all your comments and kind words,,,,
Tom ;D
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Post by Condor on Mar 24, 2005 8:22:26 GMT -5
I forsee a first place Blue Ribbon in your grandson's future Science Fair project.
Condor
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Post by krazydiamond on Mar 24, 2005 9:05:47 GMT -5
that's a great "step by step" way of viewing "the process", very well documented.
i'm with Cookie, love the eyelashes.
KD
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 24, 2005 11:57:53 GMT -5
Awesome Kid- TO have the patience he does (posing for photos when all he wants to see id the ROcks) Great job Grandpa! Oh and I loved all your gadgets! It has me rethinking my Shop (OK the corner of the basement under the stairs that everyone avoids)
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Mar 26, 2005 0:39:57 GMT -5
Hey Tom, Great slide show ... Thanks! Looks like you have a wonderful rockhounding buddy there! Definitely the making of a fine young rockhound Enjoy the weekend, John |
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Post by connrock on Mar 26, 2005 9:47:05 GMT -5
Condor, It's funny you say that,,,,,, I was thinking the same thing about his science fair!! KD, You have no idea how long "that" photo session took!!I told Mike that there are grown ups who have trouble with the plastic pellets and we wanted to show them even a 7 year old can do it without having pellets stuck ever where!! The only "retakes" I did were trying to time my shot exactly when Mike poured the water out of that plastic cup.Ever try to tell a 7 year to pour water slowly??? LOL About the eye lashes,,,,,, ALLLLL the woman like them!! LOL stefan, For a 7 year old Mike has more patience then any other child his age I know.(I was involved with the Cub & Boy Scouts and 7-9 year old girls soft ball).He "was" getting a little tired that night as I had him up past his bed time but he did a great job. If you ever saw all the gadgets i've made through the years you would have to shake your head.Not because they all worked ,(most didn't),but to think "What nut made this"?? If you take a quick peek back at the slide show and look at photo 1,you will see a board with a slat C clamped to it in a raised position. Also on the board you'll see 3 metal rods pointing upward like soldiers stack their rifels in a tripod.At the end of the rods there are 3 tiny aligator clips. I made this "contraption" to hold the top loop and very small copper ring so I could tie the knots on the mini wind chimes!!You may laugh but wait until you're 60 and "your" hands shake and you can't see all that well!!LOL John Bear, I think Mike will make a fantastic rockhound as his intrest is amazing. As you may know we live in CT and there's almost nothing to be had for lapidary but there are lots of minerals. One of my favorite sites to take kids is "The Roxbury Garnet Mine"at Greens Farm in Roxbury,CT.The kids have a blast with the "adventure" of the treasure hunt looking for the garnets.The nice part is that there are so many garnets you can find them with your eyes closed! The garnets are of very poor quality and not much good for tumbling but do make very nice specimens to display. The best part is that the mine is only 30 miles from home!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I haven't shown Mike the slide show yet or let him read the comments.I wanted to wait until the topic "cooled down'' and all of the comments were posted. He will be very happy to see the slide show and read all your wonderful comments. We,as grown ups,tend to let the kids know when they're doing something wrong more then we praise them for doing something right. In doing this little slide show presentation I wanted Mike to "shine",have the "leading role" and to "praise" him for doing a job well done! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you all again for taking the time to help me make Mike the Star!! Tom |
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deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
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Post by deepsouth on Mar 27, 2005 2:58:04 GMT -5
Hey Tom and Mike , thanks for the slide show which I greatly enjoyed.
Had to look at it twice , so much fun !!
I don't like pouring my rocks into the strainer as I always worry that the wiremesh might scar the stones. You have never had that happen Tom??
As for the pellets you use? are they the halfround type that I have been able to get hold of , which are slightly hollow on the flat side and of which quite a number stick to the side and lid of the barrel ?
They are a real PAIN to prise off , hurting my fingers in the process. I try most times to use the nozzle of my gardenhose-sprayhead to remove them though.
Now I am so sick of the pellets that I tend to use them a lot less and will get the odd chip in the final stages.
Jack
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Post by connrock on Mar 27, 2005 9:37:11 GMT -5
Jack, I have several types of strainers i've tried and the ones in the slide show are my favorites for small jobs.I too was worried about scratching the stone but it has never happened. There are all different types of polymer pellets used in the plastic industry.Some of the machinery I build in work are used for making these plastic pellets. We also have a laboratory with smaller versions of the machines that customers come in and try different "recipes" to make pellets for whatever they are trying to manufacture.In many cases there are hundreds of pounds of plastic pellets left from testing and we have to get rid of them,which we do for free to keep our customers happy and maybe buy a machine or two. This is where I get my pellets and they are very rarely the same.They come in all colors, shapes and sizes.I just grab what ever is there and off I go. The only time I had a problem with the pellets is when I took a batch that sank!!I don't know what they were made of but I doubt it was plastic!! Tom |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Mar 27, 2005 9:56:40 GMT -5
tom that was really enjoyable to see your grandson's tumbling progression. you remind me of my dad with all that creative knowledge. we use to run from him so we didn't have to learn any or listen when we were teenage. and the little boy next door would come to the door and ask if my dad could come out to play lol. now i wish i'd listened  . kim |
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Post by creativeminded on Mar 28, 2005 9:18:55 GMT -5
Thank you for the slide sho, your grandson is very handsome, looks like he has a lot of fun.
Tami
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Post by connrock on Mar 28, 2005 19:35:43 GMT -5
Kim, Glad you enjoyed the slide show.I enjoyed doing it too!! When my son Tom was a teenager I tried to teach him how to ,solder,silver solder/braze and weld.He wouldn't have any part of it as he was going to college for electrical engineering. After a while he desided he didn't want to be an engineer and wanted to be a sheetmetalman/welder!!I told him he was nuts but it's his life so I left it at that. Today he owns and operates his own business doing exactly what I tried to teach him way back when.He has 2 sons now and they boyh idolize him as he did me when he was young. Wait till they become teenagers,,,,,,I can't wait!! LOL Tami, I'll tell Mike you said so!! He does have a lot of fun with me and what ever i'm "into".I know it won't last but I hope I can teach him before he "drifts" off and finds what girls are for as did my son!! LOL Thanks gals,,,, Tom |
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Mar 29, 2005 10:45:52 GMT -5
Yea Tom what is with teenagers- They grow up thinking you can do no wrong- then the hit there teen years and they think you don't know $#!^ Then suddenly they realize (probably when they have their own kids) that you were a lot smarter than they thought!
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Post by creativeminded on Mar 29, 2005 10:59:20 GMT -5
Just remember this, this is the time that you are laying down a firm foundation for him to fall back onto when he gets older. I know that when I got older I found the firm foundation, that my parents had layed down for me when I was younger, very helpful.
You are teaching him patience, how to see beauty in something someone else would consider ugly, a hobby, and you are teaching him to follow directions to get the best results. At this age his mind is open to learning alot of different things.
Tami
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