kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Sept 26, 2020 20:19:44 GMT -5
The weather was beautiful today so I thought it would be a perfect day to break out the tile saw! It all started because the Lake Superior Agate I was tumbling were a bit large and rough for the tumbler barrelI. I spent the afternoon happily chopping up nodules, cleaning up specimens and doing a few cabs pre shapes. The group shot  A cleaned up Laguna (?) agate that I got from my trip to the rockshop a few weeks ago.  A pretty purplish grey sugar agate that has diagonal lines in it. They don't show up well in the picture.  More of the awesome saganite agate. i've got to get more of this stuff.    I cut open the bluish rock that @geig and I liked. Turns out it is actually purple and green inside. A Mardi Gras rock.  Found a nice piece of petrified wood as well but I couldn't get a decent pic of it. I chopped open one of the blue agates to see inside. They are greyish blue with inclusions like Montana agate.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 26, 2020 20:22:40 GMT -5
That Saganite has some amazing colors and patterns!
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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 26, 2020 20:33:39 GMT -5
I agree Jason! I can't wait to tumble it. I still have 2 pieces left to cut. They look like they'll be red and orange with yellow spikes. Wow sorry for all the edits. Can't type properly tonight.
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Post by greig on Sept 26, 2020 21:19:26 GMT -5
I love them all, but that sagenitic agate is the cat's PJs. Probably the nicest pic of one I have seen.
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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 28, 2020 12:47:05 GMT -5
Thanks! I like it too! I'm hoping the next 2 I have will be intetesting too. I had to order more coarse grit today so I took a opportunity and ordered a couple pounds of the sagenite at the same time. It comes from The Gem Shop.
I have to admit, I think I might like sawing and polishing more than tumbling. I might try to get a flat lap someday.
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Post by miket on Sept 28, 2020 13:25:13 GMT -5
Very nice!
😁
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kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Dec 27, 2020 8:51:24 GMT -5
Took advantage of the weather to sneak in some tile saw work. I was desperately looking forward to opening my box of rocks I got for Christmas from The Gem Shop too. I had bought several pounds of Graveyard Point Agate during their Cyber Monday sale and also picked up a couple pounds of my favorite Aqua Nueva Moss agate. As usual the Regency Rose Agate did not disappoint. It's such beautiful material. The aqua Nueva however was a little disappointing. One piece was highly fractured and the other is covered with what looks like tubes or angelwing chalcedony. I don't think I can use it for tumbling or cabs. I've learned though that the tile saw can open up worlds for material that you didn't expect. 😃😃 Behold The Bowl of Geological Goodness!  It's a mixed batch of graveyard point, Aqua Nueva, local jasper and agates and bloodstone. A close up of some of my lemonades  Some qucik snapshots of pieces. I even had a Sheep's Bridge Agate in there. Not sure what to do with that material. Can you tumble it when it has Crystal vugs? I love the purple sagenite aprays.   It was nearly dark when I finished cleaning up. I'll post some better close-ups on there's more daylight today. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 27, 2020 11:59:35 GMT -5
Gorgeous!!! Can't wait to see a lot of these tumbled! I was working the slab saw yesterday until late afternoon...I had to stop when I couldn't feel my fingers any longer due to the cold (thankfully not because they were gone!). LOL |
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Post by Mel on Dec 30, 2020 12:14:42 GMT -5
That saganite!! Holy cats!! Where can I get some? Also really like the blue stone in the middle of the first pic, but really, they're all gorgeous. jasoninsd, glad you didn't lose your fingers! When I was cutting outside in the fall, I found insulated fish cleaning gloves helped. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 30, 2020 12:39:57 GMT -5
That saganite!! Holy cats!! Where can I get some? Also really like the blue stone in the middle of the first pic, but really, they're all gorgeous. jasoninsd , glad you didn't lose your fingers! When I was cutting outside in the fall, I found insulated fish cleaning gloves helped. I have never in my life seen an insulated fish!  (Great suggestion by the way! ) I will admit last week I was using the tile saw to remove a bur on the side of a slab. I wasn't holding onto the slab with fingers and thumb like I should have been, rather I was applying pressure with two fingers on the slab against the side of the blade. Well, the slab high-centered on the blade and slipped off allowing the backs of two of my fingers to abruptly meet the edge of the spinning blade. Thankfully it wasn't too deep, but I bled like a stuck pig! I consider it a "gentle" reminder to not let my mind wander and not to cut corners (pun intended) in that way while using the saw! |
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Post by Mel on Dec 30, 2020 15:45:46 GMT -5
That saganite!! Holy cats!! Where can I get some? jasoninsd , glad you didn't lose your fingers! When I was cutting outside in the fall, I found insulated fish cleaning gloves helped. I have never in my life seen an insulated fish! (Great suggestion by the way! ) BAHAHAHA. You goof! I had something similar happen with my tile saw setup when I was starting out. And today my saw lid fell right off and attacked me.... these tools, I swear! The only thing with the fish gloves is get the ones where everything but the wrist is rubberized or insulated (like these), not just the palm (your hands will not enjoy it if you get water on the woven part!). Cold, water soaked hands is not a fun experience! |
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 30, 2020 16:02:48 GMT -5
Thanks for providing the links! I tried using a pair of gloves I had, which I thought were waterproof, but quickly learned they were not. I tried using nitrile gloves, which kept my hands dry at first, but quickly lose shape and aren't very durable to say the least. I might have to try getting a pair of the first ones you showed. (Darn...another tool or tool related purchase!  ) |
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Post by Mel on Dec 30, 2020 16:27:36 GMT -5
The ones I had been using were more like these - great for if you're working in warm weather, but not really otherwise. |
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kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Jan 1, 2021 10:20:08 GMT -5
The ones I had been using were more like these - great for if you're working in warm weather, but not really otherwise. I use a pair like the Milwaukee's you linked when I work on the Dremel. When I work with the tile saw I use these. I got them from Home Depot for working with the muriatic acid. You'll find them in the paint section. They come half way up my forearm and they're waterproof. They should keep you warm if you're working in cold weather.  I got the Sagenites from The Gem Shop. There was some really pretty material in that purchase. I'm not sure what the blue striped rocks are. They look like agate but they're softer. I found them in the miscellaneous bin at the local Rock Shop. |
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kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Jan 1, 2021 10:33:37 GMT -5
Okay I'm a dufus! You didn't mean the blue rocks in the recent posts you meant the blue rock in the very first post. I think that one was a blue apatite. I got them from GemsbyMail. It's a very soft stone though-watch out! I ruined most of mine when I ran them with Moonstone and amazonite. They wore down to almost nothing in just one week.
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(Great suggestion by the way! 
)
