lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 22, 2020 8:02:40 GMT -5
Photo #36  |
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kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Sept 22, 2020 19:05:06 GMT -5
Just caught up with your recent pictures.  Beautiful patterns on the snakes. I love the red california agate. Beautiful material - thanks for sharing it with us. You have a fabulous eye for matching the snake and rock patterns into an artistic image. Even though the tree agate wasn't round, I thought it looked a lot like the earth from space. The white looked like clouds. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 23, 2020 5:21:27 GMT -5
Even though the tree agate wasn't round, I thought it looked a lot like the earth from space. The white looked like clouds. Thank you! It is funny that you should mention that it looks like 'earth from space': I was actually planning to set up a photo where I would use a combination of tree agate/bloodstone jasper/sodalite as the Earth, clear quartz as space, a piece of white/grey patterned agate for the moon (have the piece picked out already), and a big round chunk of yellowish quartz as the sun. Of course it would be a crude representation, but, my only issue is that I missed the genetic combo for the snake I wanted to use for as the centerpiece for this photo...ahhh well...there is always next year! |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 24, 2020 10:23:28 GMT -5
Photo #37  Brazilian Emerald--not the cleanest material to tumble. Kinda regret buying these in bulk (even for a heavy discount).  |
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wpotterw
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 446 
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Post by wpotterw on Sept 25, 2020 14:03:38 GMT -5
 Is that a leaf-nosed snake? Very nice snake and an equally magnificent image. Where did you catch it? I've been fortunate enough to collect both southern and northern types. Corvallis was the local for the northern and we saw over 50 that day. |
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wpotterw
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2016
Posts: 446
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Post by wpotterw on Sept 25, 2020 14:38:43 GMT -5
Very nice snake and an equally magnificent image. Where did you catch it? I've been fortunate enough to collect both southern and northern types. Corvallis was the local for the northern and we saw over 50 that day. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 26, 2020 14:44:28 GMT -5
I was going to scrap this photo because it looks crazy, but, my gf insisted that I keep it. Photo #38A  Hitting it with three LED flashlights in the dark looks cool, but, not a good representation of what it normally looks like. Will redo the photoshoot and post the next photo as #38B.  |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 27, 2020 10:54:43 GMT -5
Photo #38B  This was a 3.3lb. piece of recycled slag glass tumbled down to 2.2lbs. There are a few pits from bubbles, but, nothing I can't live with. I had to experiment with polishing techniques and after hand polishing using a paste I think I am at the limit of what The Rock Shed aluminum oxide polish is capable of on this material. The surface has a definite textured appearance, but, it is completely smooth. I am unable to take a photo of this polished piece of glass wet-because water slides off the surface... This is the original piece:  Water still adhered in the 500 grit stage via capillary action (photo below)-it would have been nice to have this level of polish as a final product.  I am acquiring a few more pieces of glass to work on in the future: I am told cerium oxide will get a better polish. For now, this is fine. |
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NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,688
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Post by NRG on Sept 27, 2020 19:23:41 GMT -5
wpotterwNo, that is a rubber boa. The northern most boa species. This is Leaf Nosed 
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Post by 1dave on Sept 28, 2020 10:22:26 GMT -5
When I first started trying to understand rocks, I made lots and lots of notes and got them organized and I refer to these notes a lot. I just looked up Marcasite in those notes. It only appears as marcasite agate in CA. That I wrote only CA after it should mean that it was found only in that state. And I noted further "named for feature (inclusion of Marcasite--metal related to Pyrite)" because I tried hard to find out why all rocks are named the way they are, whether for place, person, feature, inclusion, etc. So apparently no way what I found in CO could be this. Your rocks in that photo are some of the most unique, and beautiful, I have ever seen. If you want to trade one not yet done for something I have, I'd enjoy that. I'm about to start the process, contemplated for several years, of diluting Epoxy 300 in acetone, and soaking porous rocks in it for several weeks, curing after for several weeks, etc. in order to hopefully produce some tightly polished results from material that is problematic. For instance, I have a grapefruit size piece of gorgeous ocean jasper, but anyone who has worked with this unusual material knows what I mean about voids. This process might work with your marcasite agate material. My notes reveal that I found it for sale somewhere for $25/lb, but I noted not where. That mostly silvery one just above the real red one in the lower left just blows my mind. I will be in LA heading up toward Atascadero this fall. If you know of any places I might find some of this or buy some of this, I'm very interested. My goal would be to get a few sizeable pieces rather than a lot of small pieces, but I won't be picky either. You might communicate with NRG about filling voids the natural way with SiO 2The silica dissolves at a high ph, flows into voids, then precipitates as the ph drops. |
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Post by Bob on Sept 28, 2020 22:59:52 GMT -5
Thanks for that idea.
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 29, 2020 5:30:39 GMT -5
Photo #39  Here is another chunk of variegated tiger eye. Note: You can see some milky white frosting in the lower left corner--this is part of the stone: this is not a result of impacts in the barrel. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 29, 2020 8:59:02 GMT -5
Great picture! This may be my favorite one so far.
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Sept 29, 2020 9:33:39 GMT -5
Great picture! This may be my favorite one so far. Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Photo #13 with the Black Tourmaline in White Quartz is my current favorite. I might be tied soon for my personal favorite though as I have been developing a new photography technique to capture Labradorescense in multiple pieces simultaneously. I showed my gf my preliminary test photos and her response was 'OMG those look like opals-buy 50lbs of that stuff!'. I'm not going to forget she said that.  |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 1, 2020 6:55:23 GMT -5
Photo #40  Some quartz (backlit)-I collected from Ruggles Mine, NH-2009.  Wasn't into rock tumbling until recently-at the time (2009) I was just showing my gf where my dad used to take me all the time as a child. Many long long days in the hot sun listening to my dad swear profusely while wielding a huge pick axe lol... |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 3, 2020 4:55:18 GMT -5
Photo #41  A few pieces I could have kept tumbling, but, I wasn't going to see any improvement on. Not all rocks are destined for perfect tumbles. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 4, 2020 13:50:54 GMT -5
Photo #42  Lepidolite - looks rough in the photos, but, is completely smooth. Not easy to photograph without reflection. Had to settle for shy snake picture. Pieces pictured are a little bit larger than a quarter. Never used SiC on this material for the entire tumbling/vibe process. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 6, 2020 6:39:54 GMT -5
Photo #43  This piece (pictured wet) has not been cooperative to tumble. It started at aprox. 6lbs., the first week in coarse broke off an outer layer bringing it down to 5lbs (outer layers and inner layers look the same). I tumbled it with cushioning down to 120 AO, however, the piece continues to slowly break apart. The piece as pictured is about 4lbs (where I stopped). There are extensive pores, pits, and grooves--I'm pretty sure I could polish now that I have a UV45, however, I would have to do a dedicated batch and I have too many other rocks to work on at the moment. Even without polish it is still an interesting piece on the shelf.   |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 7, 2020 9:32:36 GMT -5
Photo #44  Agatized African Green Opal Very difficult to tumble if you are trying to get a larger piece-cracks and shatters just like regular African Opal, but, is Mohs 7. For some reason my material is full of pits and pores. Not sure if that is standard, but, that is what I get for going cheap! Not to be confused with African Green Opal (Photo #45). |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 935
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Post by lordsorril on Oct 7, 2020 9:33:06 GMT -5
Here is a photo of my preferred side of the larger piece of Agatized African Green Opal from #44.  |
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Beautiful patterns on the snakes. I love the red california agate. Beautiful material - thanks for sharing it with us. You have a fabulous eye for matching the snake and rock patterns into an artistic image.
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