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Post by Starguy on Aug 2, 2021 13:47:21 GMT -5
holajonathanAll of the rocks are fantastic. You even got a good polish on the quartzy areas. I always struggle with quartzy rocks. Now I see why sintered wheels are so expensive. It takes a lot of diamond to make them. They must last forever. Here’s a live edge bench we had made from a Norway Maple we cut down last year. It’s crotch wood with about three major branches coming together in the slab. It sits on our covered porch. It’s a great place to put on or take off shoes.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 2, 2021 15:03:42 GMT -5
holajonathan All of the rocks are fantastic. You even got a good polish on the quartzy areas. I always struggle with quartzy rocks. Now I see why sintered wheels are so expensive. It takes a lot of diamond to make them. They must last forever. Here’s a live edge bench we had made from a Norway Maple we cut down last year. It’s crotch wood with about three major branches coming together in the slab. It sits on our covered porch. It’s a great place to put on or take off shoes. I love it! Its irregular shape, taking advantage of the crotch, is something special. Fine craftsmanship too, setting the legs like one would secure an axe head to the handle. I forget the name of that technique, but I have used it when replacing axe handles. Norway maple often has some nice visual effects too, sort of like a shadow agate but with wood grain. I like norway maples. Faster growing than hard maple (a.k.a. sugar maple), but a lot stronger and better trees than the fast growing and fast dying silver maples.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 2, 2021 15:13:38 GMT -5
Of course I counted the rings. It would be a lot bigger except it was a forest grown tree for most of its life. Oaks grow very slowly in the forest since they have to fight for sunlight until they get big enough to dominate the canopy. There were entire decades where that tree only added 1-2" to the diameter of its trunk. A really good year might have added 3/4". The tree was 5' diameter at breast height, which is how the pros measure trees. 8-9' diameter stump at the ground. I've got a photo somewhere of me lying down on it. I think the prairie agates are chert nodules, and chert seems to be fairly pure silica and very hard. That is why you don't get true banding in prairie agates, and also why they take such a high shine. I have an easier time getting chert to a very high shine than most agates. Thank you for the explanation on the Prairie Agates. I know some are considered Jasper, while others are chert. I've never read that being the reason the banding wasn't throughout. I've often wondered and could never find an explanation. Don't quote me on any of that. I have read in a few places that they are chert, but chert and jasper are not mutually exclusive. Chert is a geological term, and jasper is not. Chert can be jasper, but not all jasper is chert. Something like that.
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Post by Starguy on Aug 2, 2021 15:55:30 GMT -5
holajonathan I do axes too. Here’s a TT jersey I’ve been working on. The blue paint is original.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 2, 2021 21:17:11 GMT -5
holajonathan I do axes too. Here’s a TT jersey I’ve been working on. The blue paint is original. I knew that I recognized some axe making skills in that bench!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,676
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Post by Fossilman on Aug 3, 2021 18:49:39 GMT -5
Bahia agates are fun to tumble.... Nice rolls you have there! 👌
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 3, 2021 22:03:26 GMT -5
Bahia agates are fun to tumble.... Nice rolls you have there! 👌 About the most fun to tumble of material that is easily available and won't break the bank. They are also the easiest agate to get slippery shiny in my experience. I wish there were more affordable nodular agates on available like Bahia agates and Botswana agates. Any suggestions on other nodular agates in the $5 to $20 a pound range and where to get them? A few years ago I could get tumble grade lake superior agates for $6-$8 a pound. From the gravel mines in Minnesota, not beach collected obviously. Most were boring, but 10-20% were very cool. I don't see those available anymore.
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Post by stephan on Aug 3, 2021 22:45:47 GMT -5
Of course I counted the rings. It would be a lot bigger except it was a forest grown tree for most of its life. Oaks grow very slowly in the forest since they have to fight for sunlight until they get big enough to dominate the canopy. There were entire decades where that tree only added 1-2" to the diameter of its trunk. A really good year might have added 3/4". The tree was 5' diameter at breast height, which is how the pros measure trees. 8-9' diameter stump at the ground. I've got a photo somewhere of me lying down on it. I think the prairie agates are chert nodules, and chert seems to be fairly pure silica and very hard. That is why you don't get true banding in prairie agates, and also why they take such a high shine. I have an easier time getting chert to a very high shine than most agates. Thank you for the explanation on the Prairie Agates. I know some are considered Jasper, while others are chert. I've never read that being the reason the banding wasn't throughout. I've often wondered and could never find an explanation. They can’t be chert, because I like them. An old rockhound once told me (with a big pre-coprolite eating grin), “if you like it it’s jasper, if you don’t it’s chert.” Hard to argue with that logic.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 4, 2021 22:05:02 GMT -5
Thank you for the explanation on the Prairie Agates. I know some are considered Jasper, while others are chert. I've never read that being the reason the banding wasn't throughout. I've often wondered and could never find an explanation. They can’t be chert, because I like them. An old rockhound once told me (with a big pre-coprolite eating grin), “if you like it it’s jasper, if you don’t it’s chert.” Hard to argue with that logic. By the same logic, when a rock dealer calls something chert, you should set your expectations low. I learned that the hard way last year buying some newly discovered "banded chert" from somewhere in Africa. It was overpriced at a dollar a pound. I don't think it has much or any silica content. It is just a banded green sedimentary rock. So if a rock dealer can't even bring himself to call it jasper, be very careful.
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Post by stephan on Aug 4, 2021 22:54:30 GMT -5
They can’t be chert, because I like them. An old rockhound once told me (with a big pre-coprolite eating grin), “if you like it it’s jasper, if you don’t it’s chert.” Hard to argue with that logic. By the same logic, when a rock dealer calls something chert, you should set your expectations low. I learned that the hard way last year buying some newly discovered "banded chert" from somewhere in Africa. It was overpriced at a dollar a pound. I don't think it has much or any silica content. It is just a banded green sedimentary rock. So if a rock dealer can't even bring himself to call it jasper, be very careful. Ah, but adjectives add to the price: banded, rainbow, new… and so do an “exotic” locale, and a “limited deposit.” a new deposit of spice chert from Dune, hand-mined mined exclusively by Fremen who are paid only in water ought to fetch a pretty penny
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 4, 2021 23:14:00 GMT -5
By the same logic, when a rock dealer calls something chert, you should set your expectations low. I learned that the hard way last year buying some newly discovered "banded chert" from somewhere in Africa. It was overpriced at a dollar a pound. I don't think it has much or any silica content. It is just a banded green sedimentary rock. So if a rock dealer can't even bring himself to call it jasper, be very careful. Ah, but adjectives add to the price: banded, rainbow, new… and so do an “exotic” locale, and a “limited deposit.” a new deposit of spice chert from Dune, hand-mined mined exclusively by Fremen who are paid only in water ought to fetch a pretty penny I just saw a listing on eBay for "Rare" Clear Creek Plasma Agate...
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Post by stephan on Aug 4, 2021 23:33:07 GMT -5
Ah, but adjectives add to the price: banded, rainbow, new… and so do an “exotic” locale, and a “limited deposit.” a new deposit of spice chert from Dune, hand-mined mined exclusively by Fremen who are paid only in water ought to fetch a pretty penny I just saw a listing on eBay for "Rare" Clear Creek Plasma Agate... My favorite ones are where they use multiple, contradictory terms, like “plasma agate jasper jade.”
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 4, 2021 23:37:51 GMT -5
I just saw a listing on eBay for "Rare" Clear Creek Plasma Agate... My favorite ones are where they use multiple, contradictory terms, like “plasma agate jasper jade.” That's just them being obscurely precise!
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Post by stephan on Aug 5, 2021 0:10:55 GMT -5
My favorite ones are where they use multiple, contradictory terms, like “plasma agate jasper jade.” That's just them being obscurely precise! One of those terms ought to be rightish
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 5, 2021 0:27:09 GMT -5
By the same logic, when a rock dealer calls something chert, you should set your expectations low. I learned that the hard way last year buying some newly discovered "banded chert" from somewhere in Africa. It was overpriced at a dollar a pound. I don't think it has much or any silica content. It is just a banded green sedimentary rock. So if a rock dealer can't even bring himself to call it jasper, be very careful. Ah, but adjectives add to the price: banded, rainbow, new… and so do an “exotic” locale, and a “limited deposit.” a new deposit of spice chert from Dune, hand-mined mined exclusively by Fremen who are paid only in water ought to fetch a pretty penny How about a Rare Top Shelf Museum Quality! Multicolor Lake Superior Fortification Agate?I was in a mean mood I guess, so a few days ago I sent her a message saying "Museum quality? Let's not get carried away, here." She sent me a not very nice response, which is too bad, because I was about to buy up all of her museum quality agates and open an agate museum.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 5, 2021 0:29:28 GMT -5
By the same logic, when a rock dealer calls something chert, you should set your expectations low. I learned that the hard way last year buying some newly discovered "banded chert" from somewhere in Africa. It was overpriced at a dollar a pound. I don't think it has much or any silica content. It is just a banded green sedimentary rock. So if a rock dealer can't even bring himself to call it jasper, be very careful. Ah, but adjectives add to the price: banded, rainbow, new… and so do an “exotic” locale, and a “limited deposit.” a new deposit of spice chert from Dune, hand-mined mined exclusively by Fremen who are paid only in water ought to fetch a pretty penny She also has a Beautiful Pink Paradise Plume Agate from Lake Superior for sale. If that is her idea of paradise...
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 5, 2021 0:34:15 GMT -5
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 5, 2021 0:41:03 GMT -5
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 5, 2021 0:43:18 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 5, 2021 0:48:19 GMT -5
Ah, but adjectives add to the price: banded, rainbow, new… and so do an “exotic” locale, and a “limited deposit.” a new deposit of spice chert from Dune, hand-mined mined exclusively by Fremen who are paid only in water ought to fetch a pretty penny How about a Rare Top Shelf Museum Quality! Multicolor Lake Superior Fortification Agate?I was in a mean mood I guess, so a few days ago I sent her a message saying "Museum quality? Let's not get carried away, here." She sent me a not very nice response, which is too bad, because I was about to buy up all of her museum quality agates and open an agate museum. Yeah...but it's "ethically sourced"!!!
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