|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 16:27:09 GMT -5
I was up until about 1:30am last night working on these...I felt like I was pulling a mohs all-nighter! I had to wait until this afternoon for enough light to take pics.  The Autumn Leaf Jasper is one of the few "purposeful" free-forms I've done. I didn't want to lose any of the pattern on this material. Putting the dome on this one was harder than others I've done, but I think the shape turned out pretty decent on it...at least I'm happy with it.  The Brazilian Agate (autocorrect wants to keep putting wax instead of agate! LOL) was a challenge. I had it all the way to the 3000 stage before I saw how many inconsistencies there were in the dome. It was not smooth at all! So, I started back at the 325 stage and worked it again taking out all the bumps and divots...now it seems to be as smooth as silk! This is one of the highest domed cabs I've done. The "unknown" Brecciated Jasper is from stephan and is one of the really thin pieces he had mentioned before. The entire cab is 3.89mm thick and is another free-form. This is the thinnest cab I've done...and hope to do! LOL. (Who am I kidding, I've still got a couple more pieces of this material that's this thin too! LOL) I was shocked when it held together during the shaping and polishing...but even more shocked when it didn't break trying to release the super glue from the wooden dop hummingbirdstones! LOL. This is one of the lowest domed cabs I've done...for obvious reasons! Thanks for taking a gander. Critiques are always welcomed.        |
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Jan 4, 2021 16:44:23 GMT -5
Amazing work on those, Jason! You did the Autumn leaves material some serious justice. They all look great. Brazilian agate is quite hard. I have had similar experiences with doming it, and with having auto-correct on a mission to write "wax." ROFL. For all three (and for any hard agate or jasper), I usually "clean up" the bottom edge by a "light touch" sanding of the entire edge on the 220 and 280 (Genie grits... not yet familiar with yours, but the 325 might do it on the flat lap. If not, backing up one step should do it. They do have a tendency to get splintery/jagged on the rough grind. That the only possible tip I could give. The domes and girdles are way better than mine.  |
|
|
|
Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Jan 4, 2021 17:11:48 GMT -5
Wow that Autumn leaf is great. Brazilian agate is one of the materials that I almost always send into the vibe tumbler when I cab it. Fighting the scratches seems endless sometimes.
Chuck
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 17:16:53 GMT -5
Amazing work on those, Jason! You did the Autumn leaves material some serious justice. They all look great. Brazilian agate is quite hard. I have had similar experiences with doming it, and with having auto-correct on a mission to write "wax." ROFL. For all three (and for any hard agate or jasper), I usually "clean up" the bottom edge by a "light touch" sanding of the entire edge on the 220 and 280 (Genie grits... not yet familiar with yours, but the 325 might do it on the flat lap. If not, backing up one step should do it. They do have a tendency to get splintery/jagged on the rough grind. That the only possible tip I could give. The domes and girdles are way better than mine. Thank you so much Stephan! That bottom edge being "chip free" is still eluding me! LOL I've tried beveling that edge and cannot do it without gouging into the girdle too far in one place or another. I can't do it on the flat lap (slant cabber) while it's dopped. And once it's off dop I haven't been able to hold it with my fingers without losing grip on the cab or grinding my fingers too! LOL I should do it with the dremel while it's still dopped...just thought of that while I was typing this reply! LOL Just thought of this too. If I were to remove the splash guard, I could do it while it's still dopped. I'm going to have to try this one...I think it'll work the best! Stephan, thanks for talking me through this problem! LOL |
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 17:21:40 GMT -5
Wow that Autumn leaf is great. Brazilian agate is one of the materials that I almost always send in into the vibe tumbler when I cab it. Fighting the scratches seems endless sometimes. Chuck Thank you so much Chuck! I swear that Autumn Leaf is WAY more beautiful in person. I took 15 pics just trying to get the most realistic shot of it. LOL There's a small clear quartz pocket right on that angled "corner" that I cannot get to show clearly in a pic... |
|
|
|
Post by miket on Jan 4, 2021 17:32:04 GMT -5
Great job again, Jason!
Your girdles and domes are looking great, and I'm a fan of freeforms so that part looks good to me also.
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 17:39:34 GMT -5
Great job again, Jason! Your girdles and domes are looking great, and I'm a fan of freeforms so that part looks good to me also. Thanks Mike! I know you've got a great eye for free-forms, but I'm way more comfortable working off a template. So, that part was definitely challenging for me...from a mental health perspective! LOL I was nervous about messing up that Autumn Leaf by doing the free-form, just because I was so in love with the patterns in that rock and didn't want to mess it up beyond repair. |
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Jan 4, 2021 17:40:43 GMT -5
Those cabs look awesome, Jason! You did a really good job on them and got a nice polish, too!
Brazilian (wax) Agate is notoriously hard, so extra kudos on that one.
Couple of tips: You can get the stone off the wood dop with the crazy glue on it by boiling it. Put it in a small pot with water to cover and then bring it to a boil. That will break the bond. Let it cool in the pot afterwards to avoid thermal shocking the stone and cracking it.
The jagged edges around cabs almost always happen. Beveling the bottom edge helps solve the problem. You should do it right after you have your cab preformed to get rid of the chips that are there and prevent any new ones. If you are dopping your stone to preform it, dop it on what will be the top of the stone and grind to your cab shape. Then do the beveling after it's preformed. Switch the dop to the back and cab the rest of your stone. If you preform just holding the stone, bevel the edge when your finished with that. It's easier to hold onto when it's still flat and not slippery.
ETA: Fixed typos.  |
|
|
|
Post by miket on Jan 4, 2021 17:55:37 GMT -5
Great job again, Jason! Your girdles and domes are looking great, and I'm a fan of freeforms so that part looks good to me also. Thanks Mike! I know you've got a great eye for free-forms, but I'm way more comfortable working off a template. So, that part was definitely challenging for me...from a mental health perspective! LOL I was nervous about messing up that Autumn Leaf by doing the free-form, just because I was so in love with the patterns in that rock and didn't want to mess it up beyond repair. I don't know about that, but that's mostly why I freeform. Because I can't stand to ruin good patterns. I have a lot of respect for the people that use templates- and they may look more "professional" than my freeforms, but still... Anyway, you definitely nailed the Autumn Leaf!
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 18:00:09 GMT -5
Those cabs look awesome, Jason! You did a really good job on them and got a nice polish, too!
Brazilian (wax) Agate is notoriously hard, so extra kudos on that one.
Couple of tips: You can get the stone off the wood dop with the crazy glue on it by boiling it. Put it in a small pot with water to cover and then bring it to a boil. That will break the bond. Let is cool in the pot afterwards to avoid thermal shocking the stone and cracking it.
The jagged edges around cabs almost always happen. Beveling the bottom edge helps solve the problem. You should do it right after you have your cab preformed to get rid of the chips that are there and prevent any new ones. If you are dopping your stone to preform it, dop it on what will be the top of the stone and grind to your cab shape. Then do the beveling after it's preformed. Switch the dop to the back and cab the rest of your stone. If you preform just holding the stone, bevel the edge when your finished with that. It's easier to hold onto with it's still flat and not slippery.
Thanks bunches Robin! I'm glad I didn't know that about the Brazilian before I started...I was thinking it was going to be one of the easier ones I've done. No idea why I thought that... Good tip on the stone soup! I'll just tell my wife I'm making dinner that night! LOL (Seriously though, thanks for telling me that. ) Another couple great tips on beveling the edge. Robin, I really do appreciate your input and critiques on my cabs...as well as advice. Thank you so much for chiming in! |
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Jan 4, 2021 18:32:55 GMT -5
Amazing work on those, Jason! You did the Autumn leaves material some serious justice. They all look great. Brazilian agate is quite hard. I have had similar experiences with doming it, and with having auto-correct on a mission to write "wax." ROFL. For all three (and for any hard agate or jasper), I usually "clean up" the bottom edge by a "light touch" sanding of the entire edge on the 220 and 280 (Genie grits... not yet familiar with yours, but the 325 might do it on the flat lap. If not, backing up one step should do it. They do have a tendency to get splintery/jagged on the rough grind. That the only possible tip I could give. The domes and girdles are way better than mine.  Thank you so much Stephan! That bottom edge being "chip free" is still eluding me! LOL I've tried beveling that edge and cannot do it without gouging into the girdle too far in one place or another. I can't do it on the flat lap (slant cabber) while it's dopped. And once it's off dop I haven't been able to hold it with my fingers without losing grip on the cab or grinding my fingers too! LOL I should do it with the dremel while it's still dopped...just thought of that while I was typing this reply! LOL Just thought of this too. If I were to remove the splash guard, I could do it while it's still dopped. I'm going to have to try this one...I think it'll work the best! Stephan, thanks for talking me through this problem! LOL “Beveling.” That’s the word that was eluding me. Darn Monday tip-of-the tongue syndrome. |
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Jan 4, 2021 18:33:28 GMT -5
Jason, I LOVE that Autumn Leaf! The Brazilian CAB is super shiny and I love the pattern on the brecciated Jasper. Great capture!
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 18:47:35 GMT -5
Jason, I LOVE that Autumn Leaf! The Brazilian CAB is super shiny and I love the pattern on the brecciated Jasper. Great capture! Tela thank you so so much! Thank you so much Stephan! That bottom edge being "chip free" is still eluding me! LOL I've tried beveling that edge and cannot do it without gouging into the girdle too far in one place or another. I can't do it on the flat lap (slant cabber) while it's dopped. And once it's off dop I haven't been able to hold it with my fingers without losing grip on the cab or grinding my fingers too! LOL I should do it with the dremel while it's still dopped...just thought of that while I was typing this reply! LOL Just thought of this too. If I were to remove the splash guard, I could do it while it's still dopped. I'm going to have to try this one...I think it'll work the best! Stephan, thanks for talking me through this problem! LOL “Beveling.” That’s the word that was eluding me. Darn Monday tip-of-the tongue syndrome. Right!?! miket messed me up on my days today anyway by posting Fairburns on a non-Friday...so we'll blame him! LOL Teasing Mike...I was glad I didn't have to wait to see those pics! |
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Jan 4, 2021 19:50:30 GMT -5
Jason, I LOVE that Autumn Leaf! The Brazilian CAB is super shiny and I love the pattern on the brecciated Jasper. Great capture! Tela thank you so so much! “Beveling.” That’s the word that was eluding me. Darn Monday tip-of-the tongue syndrome. Right!?! miket messed me up on my days today anyway by posting Fairburns on a non-Friday...so we'll blame him! LOL Teasing Mike...I was glad I didn't have to wait to see those pics! Wait... What?... I better go check on that. |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Jan 4, 2021 20:02:37 GMT -5
shaping & shining late into the night jase!
that what its all about
& you got the all about
rocking
usually I'm an opaque man
& the autumn leaf curve
would be my fave
in this case tho
the Brazilian is the
glowing
lucent
fine looking grinds!!
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 20:21:29 GMT -5
shaping & shining late into the night jase! that what its all about & you got the all about rocking usually I'm an opaque man & the autumn leaf curve would be my fave in this case tho the Brazilian is the glowing lucent fine looking grinds!! Thanks Ed! I've got some Flower of Peach Lace Agate that has some fortifications that are opaque...I'm hoping I can get some good pics of them once they're done. It'll still be a while before I get to them, but I'll try to remember to tag you once they're done. Here's a shot of the Brazilian showing the opaqueness.  |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Jan 4, 2021 21:00:58 GMT -5
right on  jase righteous lighteous ! |
|
Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
|
Post by Brian on Jan 4, 2021 21:29:05 GMT -5
All three look excellent! The Brazilian agate is particularly lovely and I was hoping for the up-to-the-light shot to show it off!
|
|
|
|
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 4, 2021 21:45:31 GMT -5
All three look excellent! The Brazilian agate is particularly lovely and I was hoping for the up-to-the-light shot to show it off! Thank you so much! It didn't "dawn" on me that I should a take shot like that until Ed brought it up...then a "light bulb" went off in my head. To be honest, I hadn't held it up to the light after the cab was done until I took that picture! LOL. I had done it before I cut the preform, but not after...sheesh!  |
|
|
|
Post by parfive on Jan 5, 2021 2:17:58 GMT -5
jasoninsd Typically, jaspers are opaque and agates are translucent. Cabs are lookin’ good.
|
|
jase 
