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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 7, 2021 19:43:31 GMT -5
Here's a Coyamito fortification agate cab I cut before our move to AZ a few months ago. The outline was a bit tricky but it was fun to cut. For some reason I'm always attracted to warm yellow tones in agates, and I LOVE Coyamitos!  Gorgeous!  Great...another material to add to the "must get" list! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Sept 7, 2021 23:14:07 GMT -5
Nice one. I don't know if I've ever seen yellow in crazy lace. Here's some yellow in Crazy Lace. Not as brilliant as knave 's. I've got a couple pieces of this set aside... Edit...it's coming up more orange in this pic than it is really. It's a very light yellow in reality... Edit again...it looks fine on my PC...it looked funny on my phone.  Very cool slab. I see a brain and butterfly, so far. |
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 11, 2021 19:36:55 GMT -5
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Post by knave on Sept 11, 2021 20:48:40 GMT -5
Wow.
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Post by stephan on Sept 11, 2021 22:29:45 GMT -5
I’m not sure I can improve on this comment. |
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lunker
Cave Dweller 
Member since April 2021
Posts: 430
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Post by lunker on Sept 11, 2021 23:12:24 GMT -5
Those are amazing
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 12, 2021 5:36:29 GMT -5
holajonathan - Those really are some spectacular specimens! That last one is really something spectacular! So, I really like the looks of anything with that red matrix area in it...but I have yet to figure out how to work a cab from that area without it undercutting. So, it's a love/hate relationship! LOL
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 12, 2021 9:11:39 GMT -5
holajonathan - Those really are some spectacular specimens! That last one is really something spectacular! So, I really like the looks of anything with that red matrix area in it...but I have yet to figure out how to work a cab from that area without it undercutting. So, it's a love/hate relationship! LOL The last one is one of the best. I like it because it is almost a complete nodule. I got the whole nodule, there was just chips off the edges in a few spots from mining damage, I imagine. Nearly every slab in the photos has at least some fractures or soft bands, but all have enough solid areas for at least one or two cabs as well. I've yet to cut crazy lace that didn't have cracks or soft bands. A lot of the fine fractures are healed very solidly, however. The soft or flaky bands have caused me more hassle when cabbing than the fractures. The red matrix-like areas do undercut, but they vary a lot in hardness. Sometimes they are solid and hard enough to stand up to tumbling -- almost as hard as the other parts of the slab. Other times they are so soft they can be scratched with a fingernail. When the matrix-like parts have bright red veins running through them, the veins tend to be very hard chalcedony. This can create an interesting effect because the darker parts will undercut, making the bright red veins stick out even more. I have seen cabs that use this as an intentional feature. I'll see if I can find photos to show you what I mean. |
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saxplayer
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2018
Posts: 1,327
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Post by saxplayer on Sept 12, 2021 9:17:21 GMT -5
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 12, 2021 9:19:52 GMT -5
Your slab, while a little more subdued than a lot of the ones I posted, will be much easier to cab than most of mine. With the the crazy lace / laguna lace, it seems like the more extravagant the colors and banding, the less solid the material. I have found that the material like yours -- primarily white with fine black lines, lots of sagenite pattern, and a little bit of pink / yellow / red / peach coloring, is very solid and takes the best polish of any of the crazy lace varieties. I have made less than 10 crazy lace cabs, but I've tumbled a ton of the stuff. Rotary tumbling is a great way to learn about the solidness of a particular material. |
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 12, 2021 9:28:47 GMT -5
Slabbing the lace agates is equal parts thrilling and heartbreaking. On the one hand, they always look amazing when pulled off the saw, dripping with oil. And when washed and dried, they always have fractures. It's an emotional rollercoaster. I've got to figure out an economical way to stabilize some of these slabs. The smaller, almost complete nodules (like the 1st and 8th photos I posted) usually have amazing patters, but they also have the most cracks and soft spots. I say "economical way to stabilize" because I'm not paying $80 an ounce, or whatever some of the fancy stabilizers cost, to treat pounds of crazy lace slabs. But if the epoxy / acetone methods I've read about work well, that might be a viable option. |
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 12, 2021 10:25:47 GMT -5
jasoninsd Here is an example of the red/black matrix-like area being well integrated into a cab. (Not my cab). I should give credit. Found the photo here.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 12, 2021 10:36:27 GMT -5
Slabbing the lace agates is equal parts thrilling and heartbreaking. On the one hand, they always look amazing when pulled off the saw, dripping with oil. And when washed and dried, they always have fractures. It's an emotional rollercoaster. I've got to figure out an economical way to stabilize some of these slabs. The smaller, almost complete nodules (like the 1st and 8th photos I posted) usually have amazing patters, but they also have the most cracks and soft spots. I say "economical way to stabilize" because I'm not paying $80 an ounce, or whatever some of the fancy stabilizers cost, to treat pounds of crazy lace slabs. But if the epoxy / acetone methods I've read about work well, that might be a viable option. Maybe try the the method fencejumper posted. |
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Post by knave on Sept 12, 2021 12:53:25 GMT -5
Thank you robin for posting that!
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Sept 12, 2021 12:57:15 GMT -5
Thank you robin for posting that! My pleasure!  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 12, 2021 14:51:32 GMT -5
holajonathan - Those really are some spectacular specimens! That last one is really something spectacular! So, I really like the looks of anything with that red matrix area in it...but I have yet to figure out how to work a cab from that area without it undercutting. So, it's a love/hate relationship! LOL The last one is one of the best. I like it because it is almost a complete nodule. I got the whole nodule, there was just chips off the edges in a few spots from mining damage, I imagine. Nearly every slab in the photos has at least some fractures or soft bands, but all have enough solid areas for at least one or two cabs as well. I've yet to cut crazy lace that didn't have cracks or soft bands. A lot of the fine fractures are healed very solidly, however. The soft or flaky bands have caused me more hassle when cabbing than the fractures. The red matrix-like areas do undercut, but they vary a lot in hardness. Sometimes they are solid and hard enough to stand up to tumbling -- almost as hard as the other parts of the slab. Other times they are so soft they can be scratched with a fingernail. When the matrix-like parts have bright red veins running through them, the veins tend to be very hard chalcedony. This can create an interesting effect because the darker parts will undercut, making the bright red veins stick out even more. I have seen cabs that use this as an intentional feature. I'll see if I can find photos to show you what I mean. Good points. I've noticed there's two different types of fractures when it comes to Mexican Lace...the "healed" fractures that seem common, but more common are the small "impact" type fractures that seem very prevalent in a lot of pieces. I guess it appears to me the difference between ancient fracturing and more recent fracturing... Your slab, while a little more subdued than a lot of the ones I posted, will be much easier to cab than most of mine. With the the crazy lace / laguna lace, it seems like the more extravagant the colors and banding, the less solid the material. I have found that the material like yours -- primarily white with fine black lines, lots of sagenite pattern, and a little bit of pink / yellow / red / peach coloring, is very solid and takes the best polish of any of the crazy lace varieties. I have made less than 10 crazy lace cabs, but I've tumbled a ton of the stuff. Rotary tumbling is a great way to learn about the solidness of a particular material. I haven't cabbed any of this yet, but am excited to see how it cabs. It doesn't appear to be as hard as the Peach colored Flor de Durazno that I've cut...so I'm hoping you're right that this should cab well. It's VERY intricate...and "subtle" with the banding. jasoninsd Here is an example of the red/black matrix-like area being well integrated into a cab. (Not my cab) That's a killer cab! LOL - Nice choice for an example. Yep...I've noticed anything within that grey matrix area is wicked hard and polishes very well! |
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 13, 2021 12:38:33 GMT -5
Almost forgot one of my favorite recent cuts. A little chunk, but nice parallax banding:   |
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 13, 2021 15:57:20 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Sept 14, 2021 0:56:32 GMT -5
holajonathan - Dang! Those are some more amazing slabs! That last one...I see that "measles" look to a lot of Teepee Canyon Agates...interesting...
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Post by holajonathan on Sept 14, 2021 9:17:29 GMT -5
holajonathan - Dang! Those are some more amazing slabs! That last one...I see that "measles" look to a lot of Teepee Canyon Agates...interesting... The "measles" look is a good description. I've seen the same in other agates, such as Botswana agates and Lake Superior Agates. I don't know if the red specks have a name or what cause them. I wonder if 1dave knows? He seems to know more than most about such matters. |
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