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Post by stephan on Sept 23, 2020 13:19:34 GMT -5
My sequence: 50-60 grit as long as it takes, which for large rocks can take over a year at times. 80 for a week, ditto on 220, ditto on 600, ditto on 1,000 all SC. Then 1st week alum ox, then 2nd week alum ox using separate polish and pellets, then burnish with soap for 3 to 10 hours. You are a patient man.
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Post by Bob on Sept 23, 2020 19:50:08 GMT -5
If I only had 1 barrel, don't think would have enough patience. Sometimes get frustrated, and set one of those big ones aside to wait until patience comes back. Wait until I post photos if my 2 really big ones. I think they only clear the flat to flat of my 40 lb barrel by 1/4" on both sides.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,652
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Post by Tommy on Sept 26, 2020 12:40:05 GMT -5
Wait until I post photos if my 2 really big ones. I think they only clear the flat to flat of my 40 lb barrel by 1/4" on both sides. Can't wait to see them Bob!
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Post by Bob on Apr 21, 2021 16:15:30 GMT -5
I'm sure you will be pleased with the Cerro Pedernal material from Northern New Mexico. It does shine up nicely. Just for others, Pedernal chert was widely if not universally used by the Ancient Pueblo Indians for their arrows and tools. Its was widely traded and even transported as rough to distant villages so the fabrication processes could occur around the homesites. I have successfully picked up smaller tumbling sized pieces by following the edges of roads where the road grader was flaking off desirable pieces of chert. Peruano, a lot of it has been entering my processing lately, including a very large piece that was too large to enter my 40lb barrel and had to be cut in half on that 10" saw I now own. In fact, it's one of the largest rocks I've ever brought back from the field and also the largest saw cut I've ever done. Had to come at it from several sides. This material is so interesting to me. Oddly, almost none of it ever breaks in tumbling, yet some of it saws easily, so it's an odd combo of tough yet not terribly hard I guess. It's not near as hard to saw a piece as is chert that has origins around where Lake Meredith is now in northern TX. I've been please to see that that I thought might be only surface color on many pieces actually go well into the piece. I can't think of any other material like this--translucent, multicolored, kind of a milky sheen. It looks good enough to eat like some kind of candy. It really stands out when mixed with other material. Owning the rock saw has been key here. I'll put a piece in rough grind for a week, find out what I'm facing, saw off one porous end, do it again, saw off one part again, etc. repeatedly until finally a clean problem free (mostly) piece to go on to 220. I don't like the looks of a rock with multiple flat sawn faces, but have no choice it seems. I guess if I ever get my wet 8" arbor grinder set up, I can avoid those. I'm really in love with those pieces which have a gradation from white to yellow to orange to red--just like the edge of a good tequila sunrise drink! There is also the black color on some which I like, but I've never yet found a piece that goes all the way from those colors mentioned and also to black. Perhaps I have one and have not found it yet. If I manage to find one and it polishes up well, it will go in my "Bob's favs" bowl for sure. Got my first piece, rather small, going in polish now! Currently doing only what I collected on the actual Cerro P, I'm saving separately that which I collected to the west by San Pedros which has a very yellowish cast which I like very much.
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Post by Bob on Dec 27, 2021 15:04:27 GMT -5
Last week, I was exploring parts of central New Mex, among other things trying to find a disjunct source of chert that is so much like western Oklahoma chert that the lithic experts debate what to call it. Not far from Santa Rosa I was successful after great difficulty. Also found pieces of this, which means it was transported 80-100 miles from its source (no surprised to you), unless there is another source of material that looks just like it east of Cerro Pedernal which to my knowledge isn't the case. Papers do say it was valued and traded. I was unprepared for how beautiful this material I recently found is. It's not chert; it appears to be jasper and of a type that was unexpected and I've not found before. This is what it looks like after one week removing rind with 60 grit. Has anyone found material that looks like this is eastern NM? About 33% of those in photo are porous or cracked or otherwise not keepers. Some of the keepers are stunning and I look forward to seeing how this bright orange jasper looks after polish. Some pics follow.
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Post by Bob on Dec 27, 2021 15:06:42 GMT -5
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