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Post by fernwood on May 28, 2021 4:50:13 GMT -5
These are 4" long. I love the patterns in them, especially the two top slabs.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on May 28, 2021 6:21:38 GMT -5
Those are some nice looking slabs!  I stopped by the Rock Shed the other day and they had a small piece of Leopardskin Jasper in their "miscellaneous" bin out in the yard. I couldn't pass it up for $3 a pound. I haven't slabbed it yet, but I've been looking forward to working with this material. |
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Post by fernwood on May 28, 2021 6:36:38 GMT -5
Nice find Jason.
Someday, I want to visit The Rock Shed in person.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,490
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Post by Sabre52 on May 28, 2021 7:48:37 GMT -5
Leopardskin is a favorite material of mine too but man the stuff varies in silica content. Some takes a very high polish and other pieces are so porous they just suck up water and it's impossible to achieve better than a satin finish. I bought some of the most beautiful red and black stuff only to find it's in the latter category. I've found the best bet when choosing rough or slabs is to put a bead of water on the surface and see if it is absorbed or not or just to dip it and see how quick it dries.
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Post by jasoninsd on May 28, 2021 8:57:11 GMT -5
Leopardskin is a favorite material of mine too but man the stuff varies in silica content. Some takes a very high polish and other pieces are so porous they just suck up water and it's impossible to achieve better than a satin finish. I bought some of the most beautiful red and black stuff only to find it's in the latter category. I've found the best bet when choosing rough or slabs is to put a bead of water on the surface and see if it is absorbed or not or just to dip it and see how quick it dries. Thanks for bringing this up Mel. When I picked up the piece, it seemed really light and had that "porous" feel to it. I just had to go out to the garage to check. I put some water on it, and it didn't really dry quickly, per se. However, temps are in the low 40s right now, so I'm assuming that will affect the absorption rate. At least I know now that if this stuff doesn't take a high polish, I have something other than my lack of abilities to blame! LOL |
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Post by fernwood on May 29, 2021 3:55:23 GMT -5
When I purchased the above slabs it was raining on and off. All the slabs in a box were wet. That helped me determine how porous they were.
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Post by jasoninsd on May 29, 2021 21:15:32 GMT -5
I cut mine today. I think it's pretty porous (unfortunately?). So I won't expect anything more than a matte finish...which will be okay with me.  |
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Post by stardiamond on May 31, 2021 15:13:42 GMT -5
Free to a good home ($10 for a priority mail envelope and a cigar box for packing). Slab on left is 3/16 and the one on the right is about 5/16. I like the material and made some cabs but not interested in making more. If multiple people are interested it can be shared.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on May 31, 2021 18:02:41 GMT -5
stardiamond - That's a really nice offer! So, I cut mine to 1/4" and was going to draw some preforms last night. I wanted to check the integrity of the slabs, so I was sitting at the table and tried to break the slab with just my fingers. Sure enough...it snapped in two. So, I thought maybe a fracture line I hadn't seen. I took the two pieces that had just broke, and promptly snapped those two in half. The material I picked up is just flat out brittle.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 4, 2021 11:55:04 GMT -5
I thought I could fit a 42mm pear on the smallest piece and since I added it to the batch.  |
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