victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,975
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Post by victor1941 on Aug 1, 2021 16:10:28 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 1, 2021 16:18:18 GMT -5
Another batch of amazing material Victor! I like them all, but love the one with the druzy pocket!
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 1, 2021 18:16:58 GMT -5
I have been sorting a 1/2 gal container of mixed cabs for final placement and/or reworking. Most of these cabs are from the Walker or Woodward Ranches. Good job with those. I know that material is tricky, and you did well to find such good plumes that are not full of fractures and soft spots. It looks like most are very thin, which usually works best for these west Texas plumes. My favorites above. The second one (above) is spectacular.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 1, 2021 18:22:46 GMT -5
victor1941Could you please explain how you cut and / or grind the rough to get to the good (solid) plumes? I know what the nodules looks like -- I have a bunch of them. But I struggle with the first cut, especially with the smaller pieces. And If I screw it up there is sometimes no way to get a good slice out of the rock. I have tried grinding down to the good material instead of cutting, but the rough service left by the grinder makes it hard to assess when I have reached solid material that shows good plumes. And if you have any other tips for cabbing his material I would love to learn them from you. I have a small box of nice tumbles and cabs of this plume agate, but none are nearly as nice as yours. So please share your secrets.
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,975
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Post by victor1941 on Aug 1, 2021 21:03:20 GMT -5
Some people tumble the nodules until they can be candled for plume orientation. The smaller nodules can be cut with the trim saw by being hand held. Take a small slice and remember that many times the plume is parallel to a flat surface. Even when you grind you can still tumble to help visually check the plume. I like to use Loctite PL adhesive and set the rough stone to a wood block and use the larger saw to skim the surface. After several stones have proven to have potential I usually change to a thinner saw blade for the final cuts. Once I make the initial cut by hand on the smaller stones I use the flat lap to smooth the surface and adhere this surface to a wood block with sodium silicate. I use a UV-18 vibe and have found that good material either domed or flat will polish quite nicely. If the material is not so good you can quartz cap it. Caps will work on fractures and soft areas can be filled before capping.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 1, 2021 22:14:18 GMT -5
victor1941 Thank you. As I suspected, you do have some specific techniques that you employ to great success. For anyone who doesn't know, it requires a lot of skill and patience to make cabs like these. It sounds a bit daunting for me to learn the skills and techniques you mention, but I've got enough of these rocks for a good many years of practice. If I take some photos of my practice maybe you will be kind enough to give me more pointers. These are Woodward or Ritchie ranch boxes and totes. 200 pounds maybe. Is this similar to how your rough looked? With some of the big ones it's hard to know where to even start... I wear XXL gloves, which means that last piece is a monster.
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Post by rmf on Aug 2, 2021 5:01:45 GMT -5
Nice Plumage!
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victor1941
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2011
Posts: 1,975
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Post by victor1941 on Aug 2, 2021 12:17:30 GMT -5
Holajonthan, I would cut the bubble (2) and #4 parallel to the top. Even though I know you can use grippers (bolts and groves) I would spend the money and use adhesive to attach to a 2x2" or 2x4" board and use wedges for perfect alignment in the vise. If the material is dense the cut should be thin. I will respond to pics.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 7, 2021 23:57:05 GMT -5
Holajonthan, I would cut the bubble (2) and #4 parallel to the top. Even though I know you can use grippers (bolts and groves) I would spend the money and use adhesive to attach to a 2x2" or 2x4" board and use wedges for perfect alignment in the vise. If the material is dense the cut should be thin. I will respond to pics. Thank you, Victor. I just bought a gallon of wood blue for that rock and a bunch of nice but thin Mexican agates and jaspers that I want to slab. It may take me a little while to get them glued and cut, but I will check back in after the first slice and again request your kind guidance. I will cut at least 3 or 4 of these nice size biscuits and hope that at least one if them is promising enough to move forward with per your advice. It's amazing how genuinely kind and helpful people are on this forum. That is really what inspired me to participate rather just lurk as I had done for a few years.
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