NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Dec 29, 2019 9:56:16 GMT -5
While hiking in a old quarry near by, I ran across this guy.
I came back with a good hammer and chissel. And his host is HARD.
Most of my efforts just produced small solid chips of color that I couldn't use for nothing.
But then I found a portion of the rock that was yielding slivers of rock, so I worked on that.
I tried to get a better shot in the sunlight
So after about 1.5 hours of bashing away at this rock, I found mostly black rock, with dark red running through it. The host is some very dense, dark black substance. I really don't know what the black is.
Here is my first attempt at cabbing some of it
This rock is harder than the Jasper that I find at Lavic, or Holt Canyon. But it sort of looks like Jasper.
Here is my best piece I got, cabbed:
I looked around the place for easier examples of this rock, and found some really dark red, and much softer material, in a large very dark black pile of rock waste. And in this example, I am not sure that the host is the same matrix that I chiselled the last 2 out of.
It might be a different rock. It is actually a deeper red than the other
But i don't know what any of it really is. Could it be Jasper / Hematitie?
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 29, 2019 10:02:01 GMT -5
No idea what it is, but it's gorgeous! If there were hematite in it, the water would be bleeding red. Maybe it's a brand new find -- NevadaBillite!
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Post by RocksInNJ on Dec 29, 2019 14:00:47 GMT -5
Nice looking rock and cabs.
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Post by knave on Dec 30, 2019 0:50:11 GMT -5
Such a cool find, great job on the cabs!
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Post by fernwood on Dec 30, 2019 5:07:58 GMT -5
Interesting find. Hope someone can ID it for you.
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,630
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Post by NRG on Dec 30, 2019 8:58:41 GMT -5
It's proper jasper.
Lavic jasper is very soft due to very high iron content.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Dec 31, 2019 10:09:37 GMT -5
Thanks for the responses. And the comments on the wire wraps. They are very nice.
Next time I cab, hummingbirdstones, I will look to see if the water 'bleeds red'. I am not familiar with Hematite, and cannot say I have found it yet though.
Thanks NRG, I think it is certainly possible. We have Jasper all over the SouthWest here.
Here is a shot of some of my rock chips which the large host yielded. There is some green in there too. Fractures like Jasper I think.
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,630
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Post by NRG on Dec 31, 2019 14:08:09 GMT -5
NevadaBillLavic "bleeds red" when you cut it. That is what she is referring to. This is Jasper for certain.
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ivan
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2014
Posts: 165
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Post by ivan on Dec 31, 2019 16:21:01 GMT -5
Very nicely done. The cabs, wire wrapped settings, an excellent polish. It will be interesting to see what the chips may do in the tumbling process. Thanks for taking the time to post & share. IV
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Post by greig on Dec 31, 2019 17:50:24 GMT -5
Good for you harvesting that rock. I think I would have walked right on by. The cab is beautiful polished jasper. Hope you go back with a rock drill and feather wedges or something that makes it go boom.
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Post by knave on Jan 1, 2020 12:32:37 GMT -5
It’s so amazing how this stuff in the wild can look so natural and turn out so beautiful. I agree with greig, I would have walked right by it.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Jan 2, 2020 11:02:12 GMT -5
NevadaBill Lavic "bleeds red" when you cut it. That is what she is referring to. This is Jasper for certain. Ah, I see. Yeah, Lavic is like cleaning up blood. I don't know exactly why, but it has almost a greasy feel to it.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Jan 2, 2020 11:13:32 GMT -5
Good for you harvesting that rock. I think I would have walked right on by. The cab is beautiful polished jasper. Hope you go back with a rock drill and feather wedges or something that makes it go boom. Now THAT is a great idea greig!
I never thought about drilling myself out a good chunk or two. I was trying to think of other ways to get a large piece out too. Like renting some kind of diamond saw, used for sawing out concrete maybe and slicing some out like birthday cake.
I've got a few wedges that I could use.
I wonder how I would drill the holes? Maybe like this? Where I drill two rows of holes, and then force a wedge in to one side, to push out to the other?
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Post by miket on Jan 2, 2020 12:03:03 GMT -5
I missed these, very nice Bill- cabs and wraps.
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Post by greig on Jan 2, 2020 13:38:26 GMT -5
Concrete saws work really well, but be sure to wear a mask. There will be lots of rock dust in the air. They are OK to rent, but first look at pawn shops and negotiate a price. It seems to be an item that gets pawned often and they don't sell all that fast. Also, have them throw in a new blade if they have some hanging up.
My preference is a drill. I have used battery powered hand drills, but you need a few batteries and some good drill bits. I prefer using a gas powered drill. I got mine new for about $500 CDN (about $400 USD) at a place called Princess Auto in Canada. It is similar to Harbor Freight in the US. It came with a rock drill bit and also a chisel. Works great. No matter what you use, if the rock is hard, it is hard to drill. As such, the less holes you plan, the better. Sometimes, I can get away with just 2-3 holes. Feather wedges work great, but it more fun to make it go boom. I won't explain how to do that.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Jan 8, 2020 17:41:14 GMT -5
Hehe! Thanks greig. I catch your drift about things that go 'boom'. I will have to look Princess up. I found one of their bench buffer machine which appears to be a solid piece too, and am considering buying to polish up some soft rocks. So I will check out the whole website. That is a great idea to look at pawn shops. I have a couple in the city that I can go to. I never thought about that at all, and you are right. Once they have the item, a gas powered rock drill or concrete saw might be hard to move. I don't have a portable generator, so the rechargeable electric ones sound like a possibility. But I really like the gas powered one. That would be my first choice. Then I could do future rock exploration and prospects in the field, using a powered tool which I could bring with me. I have always thought about concrete saws inside some mines to get at some veins of good stuff. I appreciate your response very much!
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