I Could've Been A Contender!
Jan 22, 2021 1:22:40 GMT -5
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RickB, mossyrockhound, and 8 more like this
Post by jasoninsd on Jan 22, 2021 1:22:40 GMT -5
So I made these cabs last night from the material Tommy sent me for this month's "winter" theme contest. Super thank you again Tommy. 
So, these were the "contenders" for the contest, but lost out to the one that got submitted.
I was pleased with the turnout on these. Some of the material I was surprised at the Mohs level. I wasn't expecting some of the pieces to be as soft as they were. Thank goodness I had some "practice" cabs with similar softness levels.
Pics 1-2 - Lapis Lace Onyx - This one was definitely softer than I was expecting. My wife thought this was going to be the pick for the contest entry until she saw the one I did enter...then she agreed this was runner-up. LOL ***[Edit - I just looked at the pic posted and it looks like there's a pit on the left side - I just got the loupe and inspected the whole surface and there's no pit...so it must've been lint on it when I took the pic.]
Pics 3-4 - Pinolith - I've been anxious to work this material ever since I saw it a couple months ago. I love the looks of this material. I knew it was going to be soft, so this one wasn't a surprise. I was really stoked on the way this one turned out. A definite favorite.
Pics 5-8 - Burro Creek Tube Agate - So, I wasn't happy with my attempts at salvaging the first of these two cabs. The first cab was a better teardrop shape to start, but a pit developed in the side, so I ground down the sides to eliminate the pit and this is the shape I ended up with. It's not horrible, it's just not appealing. A pit developed in the dome and I tried to chase it and ground the dome down too flat. Lesson learned. I'm happy with the second cab, but a small pit (I know, not my fault) developed in the lower right hand corner.
Pics 9-12 - Sheep Creek Plume Agate - So, Tommy sent a slab of this, but these aren't from that slab. I had these two preforms cutout and ready to go, so I swapped his material for mine. I didn't think any of it looked too "wintery", so I hadn't considered using it when I begged Tommy for a grab bag, saying I didn't have any winter themed material. This was the hardest (mohs-wise) material I worked last night. I really like working this material. The first cab got a little "wonky" outta shape on the oval. I didn't catch it until I was working it, so I let it go.
It was interesting to try and work the different hardness levels throughout the evening last night. I do each cab in each grit stage before moving onto the next stage since I have to change out the disks. It's a little pain when I have to go back a step when I catch scratches, but that's what I get for getting a slant cabber instead of a cabbing machine. LOL (Not complaining...I do love this machine. )
Thanks for taking a gander and critiques and comments are always welcomed.
*Edit - this is my 2000th post...holy smokes I've said a lot without having a lot to say! LOL
So, these were the "contenders" for the contest, but lost out to the one that got submitted.I was pleased with the turnout on these. Some of the material I was surprised at the Mohs level. I wasn't expecting some of the pieces to be as soft as they were. Thank goodness I had some "practice" cabs with similar softness levels.
Pics 1-2 - Lapis Lace Onyx - This one was definitely softer than I was expecting. My wife thought this was going to be the pick for the contest entry until she saw the one I did enter...then she agreed this was runner-up. LOL ***[Edit - I just looked at the pic posted and it looks like there's a pit on the left side - I just got the loupe and inspected the whole surface and there's no pit...so it must've been lint on it when I took the pic.]
Pics 3-4 - Pinolith - I've been anxious to work this material ever since I saw it a couple months ago. I love the looks of this material. I knew it was going to be soft, so this one wasn't a surprise. I was really stoked on the way this one turned out. A definite favorite.
Pics 5-8 - Burro Creek Tube Agate - So, I wasn't happy with my attempts at salvaging the first of these two cabs. The first cab was a better teardrop shape to start, but a pit developed in the side, so I ground down the sides to eliminate the pit and this is the shape I ended up with. It's not horrible, it's just not appealing. A pit developed in the dome and I tried to chase it and ground the dome down too flat. Lesson learned. I'm happy with the second cab, but a small pit (I know, not my fault) developed in the lower right hand corner.
Pics 9-12 - Sheep Creek Plume Agate - So, Tommy sent a slab of this, but these aren't from that slab. I had these two preforms cutout and ready to go, so I swapped his material for mine. I didn't think any of it looked too "wintery", so I hadn't considered using it when I begged Tommy for a grab bag, saying I didn't have any winter themed material. This was the hardest (mohs-wise) material I worked last night. I really like working this material. The first cab got a little "wonky" outta shape on the oval. I didn't catch it until I was working it, so I let it go.
It was interesting to try and work the different hardness levels throughout the evening last night. I do each cab in each grit stage before moving onto the next stage since I have to change out the disks. It's a little pain when I have to go back a step when I catch scratches, but that's what I get for getting a slant cabber instead of a cabbing machine. LOL (Not complaining...I do love this machine.
)Thanks for taking a gander and critiques and comments are always welcomed.
*Edit - this is my 2000th post...holy smokes I've said a lot without having a lot to say! LOL
