agatewhisperer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2020
Posts: 836
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Post by agatewhisperer on Aug 18, 2021 21:45:57 GMT -5
Took a couple months off so here we go... Lake superior agate.   Before picture...  Split open  Size  |
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 21:53:21 GMT -5
Great job! I'm going to post a picture of a slab in a second and see if you guys classify it as a fortification agate.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 21:58:27 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 18, 2021 22:18:42 GMT -5
I will preface what I'm about to say with - if you're considering using this to enter the cab contest, I think it should be allowed. That being said...I don't think it is. I don't have the background education to use the correct terminology...and I'm still dying to get some kind of technical understanding to differentiate between "fortification" banding and other banding. (I could be dead wrong...but again, I would still like to see it used for the contest.  ) |
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Post by Rockoonz on Aug 18, 2021 22:33:01 GMT -5
perkins17 that is definitely banded and I would call it fortification type banding. Either way it qualifies.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 22:39:04 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 18, 2021 22:42:36 GMT -5
Awesome!  I've got six candidates waiting in the wings...I'm going to cab all six, then do an eeny-meeny-miney-mo kinda thing to see which one gets picked for the contest! LOL |
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 18, 2021 22:46:54 GMT -5
😂 I don't have enough material for that! I didn't even know if I had any candidates for the competition.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 18, 2021 22:51:28 GMT -5
😂 I don't have enough material for that! I didn't even know if I had any candidates for the competition. It helps to have a few Teepee Canyon Agate slabs laying around. |
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 13,004
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Post by Tommy on Aug 19, 2021 10:24:22 GMT -5
perkins17 that is definitely banded and I would call it fortification type banding. Either way it qualifies. I concur with Lee. Looks to me like a piece of Brazilian agate with banding. |
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 13,004
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Post by Tommy on Aug 19, 2021 10:50:27 GMT -5
I have my contest entry very near to completed - now if I can just find it  Since I haven't been doing much lapidary in the past couple of years my garage surfaces have become very cluttered with tools and junk and this is not the first time I've set a cabochon down mid production and promptly lost it. So this is from a small nugget of Agua Nueva agate that I cut by hand. I haven't yet decided if I'm going to leave the edges natural like they are - I'm definitely not going to grind them flat because I really love the look. Another look that I like and the option I'm considering is to toss it in the Lot-O for a couple of days and let the edges get knocked down and polished but still remain rough. I also think I'm going to drill the end opposite the fortification feature and add a jump ring or bale. If I do make a major change to it I will repost the lead photo - I already don't like that it's standing in water because I wetted down the background rock.      |
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Post by fernwood on Aug 19, 2021 11:08:10 GMT -5
Tommy A beautiful cab. I like the natural edges.
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 19, 2021 11:22:45 GMT -5
perkins17 that is definitely banded and I would call it fortification type banding. Either way it qualifies. I concur with Lee. Looks to me like a piece of Brazilian agate with banding. Thanks!I will get started soon. |
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 19, 2021 11:23:00 GMT -5
Also,great cab!
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Post by victor1941 on Aug 22, 2021 14:11:38 GMT -5
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Post by fernwood on Aug 23, 2021 3:57:26 GMT -5
Nice cab. That blue is crazy.
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 23, 2021 22:06:06 GMT -5
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Post by fernwood on Aug 24, 2021 4:23:27 GMT -5
holajonathan Excellent first entry. A perfect example of a fortification agate with parallax banding. Well done.
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Post by victor1941 on Aug 24, 2021 8:56:45 GMT -5
Holajonthan, even though you don't want to spend the time the second cab in my opinion is spectacular because of the parallax banding!
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 24, 2021 15:15:45 GMT -5
Holajonthan, even though you don't want to spend the time the second cab in my opinion is spectacular because of the parallax banding! I liked the second one better too which is why it was my first choice for the cabochon challenge. It's a prettier rock than the first one, but doesn't "pop" in photos because there is no way to appreciate parallax banding with still photos. I probably will rework it to get the tiny fractures out, but I am waiting for a 360 grit hard wheel I just purchased. Some of these Botswana agates are so brittle that even with a well broken-in 220 hard wheel I end up spending way too long on the 280 resin to fix the scars from the 220. I am hoping that a finer hard wheel will help make the transition from the hard wheels to the softer wheels a little quicker. If I had a 10 wheel arbor I think I could go from freeform to final cab in 15 minutes instead of the 30 minutes+ it takes me now. I would use these wheels:. Hard (plated or sintered): 60 / 80 / 220 / 360 / 600 Soft (resin): 280 / 600 / 1200 / 3000 / 14000 Personally I see no difference going from 14,000 to buffing with 0.3mm AO on a flat lap than I see finishing with 50,000 grit diamond. |
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Since I haven't been doing much lapidary in the past couple of years my garage surfaces have become very cluttered with tools and junk and this is not the first time I've set a cabochon down mid production and promptly lost it.
... to the New Guys from The ChatBox V.2 Crew