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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 8, 2021 19:17:21 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 8, 2021 19:33:48 GMT -5
You should get some nice cabs from those! I’m curious, are prairie and bubblegum agate two names for the same rock? Those flint/chert nodules are awesome, i’d be happy hauling those home. Thank you very much!  Bubble Gum Agates and Prairie Agates are two different materials. Here's a pic of an untumbled Bubble Gum Agate...and a tumbled one. Interesting that you said flint/chert. When I was cutting those black ones today, it reminded me so much of the way flint cuts. There are these miniscule chips that come off the blade when I cut these Prairie Agates...the same as flint.   |
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 8, 2021 23:16:31 GMT -5
You should get some nice cabs from those! I’m curious, are prairie and bubblegum agate two names for the same rock? Those flint/chert nodules are awesome, i’d be happy hauling those home. It just dawned on me that you probably asked that because of this one. I do believe this one may actually be a Bubble Gum Agate. Good catch. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a Prairie Agate having orbs.  |
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Post by stephan on Aug 9, 2021 1:00:47 GMT -5
Look at those orbifications in #1 and #2. Sweet. The rest of them too, but those two….
By the Joe definition, they can’t be chert
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 9, 2021 1:20:29 GMT -5
Look at those orbifications in #1 and #2. Sweet. The rest of them too, but those two…. By the Joe definition, they can’t be chert I think those first two really are jasper! LOL - Those two were really a surprise. There was no real indication on the exterior that the interior was going to look like that at all. I think 4, 5, and 7 are the chert.  (Operative word in there is "think"! LOL) |
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Post by stardiamond on Aug 9, 2021 10:04:10 GMT -5
I have never worked on bubblegum. When I think of South Dakota agates, I think banded. A lot of those look like material from Nevada and Idaho (Willow Creek).
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Aug 9, 2021 12:31:06 GMT -5
#1 and #2 are my faves but I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed once they are cabbed. The others have a lot of potential but just don’t wow like the first two.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 9, 2021 21:03:26 GMT -5
I have never worked on bubblegum. When I think of South Dakota agates, I think banded. A lot of those look like material from Nevada and Idaho (Willow Creek). This one will be the first one I've ever cabbed. Most of the time, the interior of the Bubble Gum Agate isn't "solid" like this one. I cut a few more up today and have another one that I'll get some cabs out of...not as many orbs in the one from today as there was in the one pictured above. Also, most of the time, Bubble Gum Agates aren't big enough to slab and cab... The exterior of these all showed banding...but the banding didn't extend into the interiors on all of them. The chert seems to have the banding throughout the interior, while the jaspers don't... #1 and #2 are my faves but I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed once they are cabbed. The others have a lot of potential but just don’t wow like the first two. Thanks Brian! I love those two as well! I'm holding off my vote until after they're cabbed. LOL - I cut preforms out of these today, so I saw a couple that I think may be at the top of the list.  It just dawned on me that you probably asked that because of this one. I do believe this one may actually be a Bubble Gum Agate. Good catch. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a Prairie Agate having orbs. I’ve been curious what defines the two not really knowing much about the area, do you find them in the same locations? I know I can't give you the "technical" difference between them! Yes...Prairie Agates, Bubble Gum Agates, and Fairburn Agates are all found in the same areas. They can all be found all over this area, but predominantly out at Railroad Buttes and down by Fairburn. Interestingly, Fairburns Agates are more prevalent down by Fairburn and less so up in Railroad Buttes...and the Prairie Agates are FAR more intricate out at Railroad Buttes versus the ones I've found down by Fairburn. I also think I've found way more Bubble Gum Agates out at Railroad Buttes than I have down by Fairburn... |
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Post by holajonathan on Aug 10, 2021 2:21:41 GMT -5
Nos. 1,2,5, and 6 are really nice. Someone remind me again why prairie agates get so little love? They are darn hard, take a high shine, and sometimes have good colors and patterns. Show some respect, people!
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 13, 2021 11:15:24 GMT -5
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Post by perkins17 on Aug 13, 2021 11:56:32 GMT -5
Wow! That shell agate looks really great. The larger price is also nice. I bet they wl make amazing cabachons. |
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Post by fernwood on Aug 13, 2021 13:13:22 GMT -5
All are top notch.
I rarely see shells with a red matrix, let alone some of the shells being red.
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Post by mohs on Aug 13, 2021 13:22:55 GMT -5
nicely hounded  & slabbed stones jase on endless scr  like to see what type of saw you have you have probably posted that somewhere before looks to be top saw with sliding carriage? |
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 13, 2021 17:53:35 GMT -5
perkins17 - Thanks Perk! That Shell Agate really took the cake in this batch! fernwood - Thanks Beth! I couldn't believe the red that was on the interior! The surface was cool, but mainly had this gray color to it... hummingbirdstones - Robin, I didn't want to bump the other thread, but wanted to send you a thank you for the Carrasite idea. The colors are definitely close to the picture of that one slab that link had! mohs - Thanks my friend! I use a 10" Chicago Electric Wet Tile saw with a sliding table. I don't have a vice...I just hold the rocks with my right hand against the back of the table and the fence (which I modified to make it a little bigger). 
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Aug 13, 2021 18:21:52 GMT -5
Outstanding material, jasoninsd! The red shell stuff definitely takes the cake on this batch. You need to go back to the exact spot you were at and get more. All of it looks like it will cut some awesome cabs and I want to see how it polishes. |
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Post by mohs on Aug 13, 2021 19:02:10 GMT -5
That a serious saw jase ya know what your doing ya need to cause that saw fly's I rented a saw like that when I first started in the hobby for a few hours think it was a 10" Target ripped a lot of rocks its in the archive think it was a 10 inch Target thanks for posting  |
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Post by drocknut on Aug 13, 2021 19:30:00 GMT -5
Those are all very cool looking agates. It amazes me the variety of colors and patterns that can be found in prairie agates. I think they are given a bad rap because they are found all over the place so most people don't even pick them up. I do of course.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 13, 2021 19:53:07 GMT -5
Outstanding material, jasoninsd ! The red shell stuff definitely takes the cake on this batch. You need to go back to the exact spot you were at and get more. All of it looks like it will cut some awesome cabs and I want to see how it polishes. Thanks Robin! I looked all over that hill VERY closely for more of that shell agate stuff...but nothing! LOL - It was just coming out of the hillside and was one of the few rocks I had to "dig out". I'm curious to see how it polishes. I'm hoping it isn't going to undercut, but my gut is telling me there's a possibility. That a serious saw jase ya know what your doing ya need to cause that saw fly's I rented a saw like that when I first started in the hobby for a few hours think it was a 10" Target ripped a lot of rocks its in the archive think it was a 10 inch Target thanks for posting Thanks Ed! Yeah...the RPM's are kind of high I think...so I've developed a style of cutting where I "slide" the saw over the rock, only cutting 1/8" depth at a time, rather than trying to push the whole rock straight through the blade and trying to cut a 3" rock all at once... if that makes sense. Those are all very cool looking agates. It amazes me the variety of colors and patterns that can be found in prairie agates. I think they are given a bad rap because they are found all over the place so most people don't even pick them up. I do of course. Thanks Diane! I was trying to find as many chert Prairie Agates that I could yesterday...but it seemed jasper Prairie Agates were really prevalent where I was looking. I'm surprised there aren't more cabs made from Prairie Agates too! They may be "common", but I too pick them up constantly! |
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Aug 13, 2021 19:53:40 GMT -5
Dang, Jason! Those are some amazing cabs! The variety is incredible! The shells are awesome, and I love the colors in the 2nd and 5th slabs. I can't wait to see the cabs that come out them.
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Post by jasoninsd on Aug 13, 2021 20:04:02 GMT -5
Dang, Jason! Those are some amazing cabs! The variety is incredible! The shells are awesome, and I love the colors in the 2nd and 5th slabs. I can't wait to see the cabs that come out them. Thanks Brian! I LOVE the colors that came out on some of these too! I'm kind of excited to see what cabs are hiding, and just waiting to come out of these slabs. As far as the "when"...I've been cutting preforms pretty much every day for the last week plus. I'm going to post a picture one of these days...probably at the end of this coming week...to show how many preforms I now have which are ready to be cabbed. The "queue" is getting REALLY long! LOL |
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(Operative word in there is "think"! LOL)
& slabbed stones jase 
