lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 18, 2021 5:56:45 GMT -5
Photo #113  The green stones look like Picasso Jasper, I was surprised when my 'rock supplier' in the Southwest sent me a box with just one big chunk of this stuff in it. It is cool though.  |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 20, 2021 8:21:37 GMT -5
Photo #114  Brazilian agate is fun stuff to tumble--this was some ugly rough to start though. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 22, 2021 21:15:51 GMT -5
Photo #115  Some more purple dyed dalmation stones. I would like to get my hands on some light blue ones eventually. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 25, 2021 20:19:11 GMT -5
The stone in Photo #116 was part of a bet between me and my gf. The conditions of the bet were: that she could pick any stone in my inventory and if I could not tumble it smooth and polish it then I could not collect/buy any more rocks until it was completed or until all rough rocks in my collection were tumbled and polished. In the event that I won the challenge: then I could get another tumbler (without argument/attitude--which is nice). My gf originally examined a large piece of green-blue fluorite with several layers of thick white quartz banding, and then a large piece of angelite that was flaking apart on the outer layer due to passive deterioration. I don't think I could have successfully polished either of those pieces with my current tools. Luckily she decided against those two because 'They should be easy to tumble because they are solid...'. She eventually decided upon the piece of quartz below because it was irregular, fractured, and pitted--her reasoning was that it would break apart in the tumbling process or pit endlessly in polish. Of course when she picked the piece my thought was 'Which tumbler should I buy?" Photo #116  I've been on The Rock Shed waiting list for a new QT12 for about three months now. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Feb 25, 2021 20:52:55 GMT -5
The stone in Photo #116 was part of a bet between me and my gf. The conditions of the bet were: that she could pick any stone in my inventory and if I could not tumble it smooth and polish it then I could not collect/buy any more rocks until it was completed or until all rough rocks in my collection were tumbled and polished. In the event that I won the challenge: then I could get another tumbler (without argument/attitude--which is nice). My gf originally examined a large piece of green-blue fluorite with several layers of thick white quartz banding, and then a large piece of angelite that was flaking apart on the outer layer due to passive deterioration. I don't think I could have successfully polished either of those pieces with my current tools. Luckily she decided against those two because 'They should be easy to tumble because they are solid...'. She eventually decided upon the piece of quartz below because it was irregular, fractured, and pitted--her reasoning was that it would break apart in the tumbling process or pit endlessly in polish. Of course when she picked the piece my thought was 'Which tumbler should I buy?" Photo #116 I've been on The Rock Shed waiting list for a new QT12 for about three months now. It took my wife awhile to realize that when I said "Wanna bet?" that I was 99.9% sure I was right...that was a fun period in our relationship! LOL I've been looking around for a Lortone QT66 and I know the Rock Shed hasn't had any in for quite awhile. They really do seem to have the best prices on tumblers though...so maybe worth the wait. |
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Post by Pat on Feb 25, 2021 22:00:45 GMT -5
Re photo 116: I've never seen a blue snake before!
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 26, 2021 5:49:36 GMT -5
It took my wife awhile to realize that when I said "Wanna bet?" that I was 99.9% sure I was right...that was a fun period in our relationship! LOL I've been looking around for a Lortone QT66 and I know the Rock Shed hasn't had any in for quite awhile. They really do seem to have the best prices on tumblers though...so maybe worth the wait. I'm usually on the losing end of the bets with my gf. I will take any victory I can. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 26, 2021 6:00:45 GMT -5
Re photo 116: I've never seen a blue snake before! 'In Blue' is a term snake-keepers have when they are in the process of shedding and the color of their scales dull and their eyes turn cloudy blue, sometimes the belly will turn pink as well. The process takes about a week, sometimes two, the cloudiness of the eyes will go away a day or two before the actual shed. If humidity is right in their enclosure they will slide out of their shed skin in one piece, eye-caps and all, and their coloration will be restored back to normal. |
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Post by Pat on Feb 26, 2021 17:00:08 GMT -5
Are any snakes naturally blue, not just while shedding?
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 26, 2021 18:06:31 GMT -5
Are any snakes naturally blue, not just while shedding? You bet! There is a bunch. To name a few: Blue Racer, Blue-Phase Garter Snake, Blue-Morph of the Green Tree Python, Blue-Phase Green Tree Snake, and the Blue Pit Viper. I toyed with the idea of breeding Vietnamese Blue Beauty Rat Snakes for a while (they are more gray than blue), unfortunately they are long, fast, and can change moods quickly...I have only handled a full grown adult (wild caught) female once, and it was enough to dissuade me from ever doing it again...  |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Feb 28, 2021 7:27:16 GMT -5
Photo #117  Some more odds and ends from the Connecticut River. The yellow pieces tumble easy. The prominently orange pieces behave like feldspar and need to be sent through the vibe multiple times to smooth out any hairline cracks or undercutting. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Mar 2, 2021 20:28:33 GMT -5
Photo #118  More Nipomo Agate. I seem to always be tumbling this material. I separate it out as I search through a box and tumble it as a separate group. As previously mentioned: Despite being as hard as agate, it does not respond well to aggressive silicon carbide grit or impacts in the barrel. The marcasite inclusions seem to make it brittle. Extensive time is spent in a vibe before I even consider polishing it. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Mar 5, 2021 6:02:58 GMT -5
Photo #119  Some odds and ends. A few of the pieces were pretty gnarly and would have been worn away to nothing if I rounded them out in a rotary. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Mar 7, 2021 12:04:00 GMT -5
Photo #120  Some more odds and ends. Some day when I have the time/energy I am going to try Quench Crackling some of the plain White Quartz I've got kicking around.  |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Mar 10, 2021 6:00:33 GMT -5
Photo #121  Stones above are a little bit mundane compared to some of the others I have coming along for 2021.   |
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Post by jasoninsd on Mar 10, 2021 10:24:11 GMT -5
Nice little "teaser"! |
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Mar 12, 2021 11:25:45 GMT -5
I like the material found in photo #118. Looks like confetti! Some of the material is tumbled really well. I like the snakes as well as I like the stone. And I am not historically fond of serpents, actually. But all of these guys seem really happy!
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Mar 12, 2021 17:21:47 GMT -5
And I am not historically fond of serpents, actually. But all of these guys seem really happy! Thanks! I work hard to keep all my critters content. |
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lordsorril
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since April 2020
Posts: 936
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Post by lordsorril on Mar 12, 2021 17:23:31 GMT -5
Photo #122  Fun stuff to tumble. I enjoy the pattern variation. |
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Post by stephan on Mar 13, 2021 0:23:42 GMT -5
Re photo 116: I've never seen a blue snake before! 'In Blue' is a term snake-keepers have when they are in the process of shedding and the color of their scales dull and their eyes turn cloudy blue, sometimes the belly will turn pink as well. The process takes about a week, sometimes two, the cloudiness of the eyes will go away a day or two before the actual shed. If humidity is right in their enclosure they will slide out of their shed skin in one piece, eye-caps and all, and their coloration will be restored back to normal. It’s either shedding, or they’re addicted to Spice. |
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