Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Jan 22, 2021 15:27:33 GMT -5
Jugglerguy Look what I noticed the other day?   Those shiny rocks you sent me ended up in a small bowl (that I carved) and displayed prominently on the dining room table. I am not a jealous man, but none of my tumbles have made it to the dining room table... Silvana likes rocks almost as much as I do. Or she is just incredibly gracious. She is an art lover and knows much more than me about paintings, painters, and art styles. When I show her moss agates, plume agates, and the like, she often pulls up an impressionist painting that has details similar to the rock. She likens the Montana moss agates to a traditional form of Japanese art done with black ink on white canvas. In short, we make a good team. I've yet to convince her to help me with tumbling. She thinks tumbling slurry is "gross." Hard to believe, I know. For anyone else reading this, Rob was kind enough to send me a selection of his very shiny tumbles so I could compare the shine to what I am able to achieve. The most "polishable" types (obsidian, epidote, lavic jasper) are impossibly shiny. Don’t hate me for asking, but how did it feel to make that comparison? I’ve watched enough of videos and seen enough pictures of Jugglerguy to know that you are comparing yourself to as-close-to-perfection as you could possible get. I am fairly certain that I would not want to be making such a comparison anytime soon, although it would be inspiring to see what is possible. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 22, 2021 15:36:59 GMT -5
jasoninsd We have no children. Just two cats. Only Silvana uses the dining room, and she is cleaner than me. That's why it looks nice. I haven't ruined it. The 2 or 3 rooms of the house that I use look more like this:  Bark on the floor, empty boxes in a pile, wood ash strewn about... I keep my rocks in the barn as to not bring the mess into the house. I also work out of my barn, which means no one (except me) knows when I am working and when I am working on rocks. I have considered moving my rocks and equipment into the basement, but I am worried about how my prima donna, spoiled rotten, literally-receive-more-attention-than-half-the-world's-children cats would react to the noise. And I'm afraid that fine rock dust would somehow get sucked into the HVAC system and blown throughout the house, and into the air we breathe. Now that's more like one of the rooms I'd be "in charge of"! LOL OMG! I laughed out loud on your description of your cat! We have a dog that all you'd have to do is substitute canine for feline! LOL I like the fact you've got your setup so you can take "work" breaks whenever the hobby bug bites you!  |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 22, 2021 23:34:46 GMT -5
jasoninsd We have no children. Just two cats. Only Silvana uses the dining room, and she is cleaner than me. That's why it looks nice. I haven't ruined it. The 2 or 3 rooms of the house that I use look more like this: Bark on the floor, empty boxes in a pile, wood ash strewn about... I keep my rocks in the barn as to not bring the mess into the house. I also work out of my barn, which means no one (except me) knows when I am working and when I am working on rocks. I have considered moving my rocks and equipment into the basement, but I am worried about how my prima donna, spoiled rotten, literally-receive-more-attention-than-half-the-world's-children cats would react to the noise. And I'm afraid that fine rock dust would somehow get sucked into the HVAC system and blown throughout the house, and into the air we breathe. Now that's more like one of the rooms I'd be "in charge of"! LOL OMG! I laughed out loud on your description of your cat! We have a dog that all you'd have to do is substitute canine for feline! LOL I like the fact you've got your setup so you can take "work" breaks whenever the hobby bug bites you! Some days it's more like I take breaks from rocks to get some work done. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 22, 2021 23:41:19 GMT -5
For anyone else reading this, Rob was kind enough to send me a selection of his very shiny tumbles so I could compare the shine to what I am able to achieve. The most "polishable" types (obsidian, epidote, lavic jasper) are impossibly shiny. Don’t hate me for asking, but how did it feel to make that comparison? I’ve watched enough of videos and seen enough pictures of Jugglerguy to know that you are comparing yourself to as-close-to-perfection as you could possible get. I am fairly certain that I would not want to be making such a comparison anytime soon, although it would be inspiring to see what is possible. My most highly polished rocks are 90% as shiny as the ones he sent me. Although I was somewhat relieved to see that with puddingstone and local quartzite, he may be a juggler, but he is not a magician. That's to say, they undercut for him just like they do for me. The real mystery is why I don't get identical results to Rob even though I use the identical equipment and supplies ... and I try to follow his process 100%. But now that I have a few of his tumbles, I am going to crack the code! |
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Jan 23, 2021 8:32:15 GMT -5
Don’t hate me for asking, but how did it feel to make that comparison? I’ve watched enough of videos and seen enough pictures of Jugglerguy to know that you are comparing yourself to as-close-to-perfection as you could possible get. I am fairly certain that I would not want to be making such a comparison anytime soon, although it would be inspiring to see what is possible. My most highly polished rocks are 90% as shiny as the ones he sent me. Although I was somewhat relieved to see that with puddingstone and local quartzite, he may be a juggler, but he is not a magician. That's to say, they undercut for him just like they do for me. The real mystery is why I don't get identical results to Rob even though I use the identical equipment and supplies ... and I try to follow his process 100%. But now that I have a few of his tumbles, I am going to crack the code! If you are at 90% of his results, then it sounds like you are on the right track! I know how unforgiving the camera can be, so based on some of the results I’ve seen here, those rocks must be even more impressive to see in person. I’ve watched several of those videos more than once, and I am always looking to see what I may have missed. Good luck cracking that code!! |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 23, 2021 11:35:38 GMT -5
Awesome Montana! I have some rough, hope to have some interesting cuts happen anywhere close to this. I've yet to cut one that I consider uninteresting. But I have cut one or two that were fractured to the point of being not good for much. Oddly, most of the fractures go from one side of the rock to the other and yet, you can't see the fractures until you tumble or cut the rocks. The fractured ones sell like hot cakes when tumbled and put into bottles... Seems the people don't care about the fractured rock, just the colors.. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 0:37:56 GMT -5
I've yet to cut one that I consider uninteresting. But I have cut one or two that were fractured to the point of being not good for much. Oddly, most of the fractures go from one side of the rock to the other and yet, you can't see the fractures until you tumble or cut the rocks. The fractured ones sell like hot cakes when tumbled and put into bottles... Seems the people don't care about the fractured rock, just the colors.. Do you have a photo or a link of what you mean when you say put into bottles? I am not familiar, but sounds interesting. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 0:38:45 GMT -5
It's Saturday night (or it was until a half hour ago). Time to cut some more Montana agates!  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 24, 2021 2:36:55 GMT -5
It's Saturday night (or it was until a half hour ago). Time to cut some more Montana agates! That's dedication...or slight insanity.  Considering I just got done doing some cabs, I'll go with dedication. LOL |
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rocket
spending too much on rocks
Quality slabs for quality cabs in 2022
Member since September 2020
Posts: 292
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Post by rocket on Jan 24, 2021 9:20:47 GMT -5
It's Saturday night (or it was until a half hour ago). Time to cut some more Montana agates! Wow...what a nice slab...Rocket |
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Jan 24, 2021 9:35:43 GMT -5
I am loving the variety of Montana agate that you’ve posted here! It’s amazing to see all of the patterns.
When I was sorting through some of the rough I acquired through this forum, I had a hard time convincing myself that some of it was Montana agates, especially the banded one.
Please keep posting the pictures of your slabs!
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Jan 24, 2021 10:03:17 GMT -5
The non-typical Montana agates are a really cool surprise when you find them. We've found a couple in parcels we bought.
I was also confused by the comment about cutting "into" or "with" the bands. I'm simple - parallel and perpendicular confuse me less. The angles you might use to cut layered stones would probably be less than 45 degrees, though. Depends on the material, but 15 to 30 degrees works well on most rocks like that.
The fractured ones can be turned into some of the prettiest little stones anywhere. Lots of work to cut and frame them, though.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 24, 2021 10:34:26 GMT -5
The fractured ones sell like hot cakes when tumbled and put into bottles... Seems the people don't care about the fractured rock, just the colors.. Do you have a photo or a link of what you mean when you say put into bottles? I am not familiar, but sounds interesting. Go to "Hobby Lobby" and find the craft bottle section of the store... The have little corked clear bottle for sale in different sizes and shapes.. I buy a few, fill them up with material, cork them and sell them... I might have a photo or two would have to look.. |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 24, 2021 10:38:35 GMT -5
The non-typical Montana agates are a really cool surprise when you find them. We've found a couple in parcels we bought.
I was also confused by the comment about cutting "into" or "with" the bands. I'm simple - parallel and perpendicular confuse me less. The angles you might use to cut layered stones would probably be less than 45 degrees, though. Depends on the material, but 15 to 30 degrees works well on most rocks like that.
The fractured ones can be turned into some of the prettiest little stones anywhere. Lots of work to cut and frame them, though.
I will find my slabs that I did cut like that, they came out way cool..... Better than I expected.. Just line the band up with the saw blade and cut, no angles, no degrees, just straight down..... |
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Jan 24, 2021 11:22:34 GMT -5
Fossilman - Thanks! I'd like to see your slab photos. We haven't had enough of those to experiment on them.
I get what you're saying about cutting parallel with the bands to get whatever patterns are in each layer. Slabbed a piece of Kabamba a while back like that. It had one really dense layer of smaller orbs, so I split that layer and got two really unique slabs.
Used different angles on Larsonite and some other things to get more variety. Or to get better orientation for Obsidian pendant stones and such. I think the Larsonite was what an "old-timer" recommended 15 degrees on when I was learning. Now I'm so old I can't remember... .
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 12:19:52 GMT -5
I am loving the variety of Montana agate that you’ve posted here! It’s amazing to see all of the patterns. When I was sorting through some of the rough I acquired through this forum, I had a hard time convincing myself that some of it was Montana agates, especially the banded one. Please keep posting the pictures of your slabs! Will do. I'm getting through them, little by little, while waiting for a thinner blade to arrive before I cut into what look like the best ones. I've also been rough tumbling some of them whole to try to find cracks and patterns before making that first cut. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 12:24:42 GMT -5
fossilman Do you have a photo or a link of what you mean when you say put into bottles? I am not familiar, but sounds interesting. Go to "Hobby Lobby" and find the craft bottle section of the store... The have little corked clear bottle for sale in different sizes and shapes.. I buy a few, fill them up with material, cork them and sell them... I might have a photo or two would have to look.. If you do have a photo I'd love to see it just to get an idea of the bottle size, the size of the tumbled rocks, how many you put in the bottle... stuff like that. I have never sold any rocks, but if I get all these Montana agates slabbed, I'm going to get a lot of scrap cutting preforms. And it will be too nice for the scrap pile. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 12:32:50 GMT -5
The non-typical Montana agates are a really cool surprise when you find them. We've found a couple in parcels we bought.
I was also confused by the comment about cutting "into" or "with" the bands. I'm simple - parallel and perpendicular confuse me less. The angles you might use to cut layered stones would probably be less than 45 degrees, though. Depends on the material, but 15 to 30 degrees works well on most rocks like that.
The fractured ones can be turned into some of the prettiest little stones anywhere. Lots of work to cut and frame them, though.
I got that banded one in a small, 10 pound or so lot that I bought for $5 a pound if I remember correctly. A good price for ones like that, but you never know when you're buying untumbled ones through the internet. It's hard enough to guess what's inside when you've got them in your hand, much less with nothing but a photo. I've bought a few where I could see some big, black dendritic inclusions from the outside, but once cut, they are basically duds. But even the duds tumble up pretty nice. I have paid $12 a pound for some that were pre-tumbled whole and very accurately high-graded. I'd much rather pay twice as much for accurately high graded Montanas. Life is short, slab saws are slow, and nothing keeps this hobby fun like cutting into a good Montana. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 12:35:38 GMT -5
The non-typical Montana agates are a really cool surprise when you find them. We've found a couple in parcels we bought.
I was also confused by the comment about cutting "into" or "with" the bands. I'm simple - parallel and perpendicular confuse me less. The angles you might use to cut layered stones would probably be less than 45 degrees, though. Depends on the material, but 15 to 30 degrees works well on most rocks like that.
The fractured ones can be turned into some of the prettiest little stones anywhere. Lots of work to cut and frame them, though.
I will find my slabs that I did cut like that, they came out way cool..... Better than I expected.. Just line the band up with the saw blade and cut, no angles, no degrees, just straight down..... I would really like to see this. I am also considering a very slight angle, like 5 degrees off from parallel with the blade, that way I get just one band in the slice. If the line that divides the bands still shows up good that way, I think it would look great to have just one band. |
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 24, 2021 12:44:06 GMT -5
Thanks! I'd like to see your slab photos. We haven't had enough of those to experiment on them.
I get what you're saying about cutting parallel with the bands to get whatever patterns are in each layer. Slabbed a piece of Kabamba a while back like that. It had one really dense layer of smaller orbs, so I split that layer and got two really unique slabs.
Used different angles on Larsonite and some other things to get more variety. Or to get better orientation for Obsidian pendant stones and such. I think the Larsonite was what an "old-timer" recommended 15 degrees on when I was learning. Now I'm so old I can't remember... .
I am fascinated by this element of slabbing -- how different angles give you a completely different look. I am familiar with how wood is slabbed, and it is amazing just how different a piece of wood looks depending on how it is cut relative to the grain. The same idea does not apply to all rocks, but there is a lot of room to explore angles when cutting banded material. I am amazed at how many people don't seem to take this into account when slabbing and instead focus only on things like the most secure way to clamp a rock in the vice, avoiding or cutting through fractures, maximizing slab size or the number of slabs, etc... Those are all important, but I would rather get one of two super interesting slabs out of a rock, than 10 boring ones. Messing with cutting angles seems to make a lot of rocks much more interesting. I have been experimenting with this when slicing banded, oval shaped nodular agates, which may be the most similar to cutting wood as far as the banding / grain patterns. I'll post photos some day. |
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