Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Oct 26, 2021 10:21:20 GMT -5
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gemfreak95
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 127 
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Post by gemfreak95 on Oct 26, 2021 12:25:16 GMT -5
Can you tumble boulder opal, or would that ruin it completely?
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Oct 26, 2021 12:57:45 GMT -5
Can you tumble boulder opal, or would that ruin it completely? It's super variable from hard to soft and I think the darker colored pieces could take a gentle tumble. Most of the lighter mud colored ones would probably turn to ... well ... mud  |
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Oct 26, 2021 13:00:45 GMT -5
Adding to my answer - I really don't know. In the second photo towards the middle left the rounded piece appears to be ground to that shape on a wheel which I don't remember doing but I've had the stuff for a number of years. My point is it's the lighter color and didn't turn to mud on the wheels so...  |
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Post by Son Of Beach on Oct 26, 2021 13:01:13 GMT -5
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gemfreak95
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 127
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Post by gemfreak95 on Oct 26, 2021 13:57:28 GMT -5
It's super variable from hard to soft and I think the darker colored pieces could take a gentle tumble. Most of the lighter mud colored ones would probably turn to ... well ... mud  I thought that would be the case. Otherwise, I was going to call dibs. |
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gemfreak95
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2020
Posts: 127
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Post by gemfreak95 on Oct 26, 2021 14:00:44 GMT -5
Thanks for the info. It was an intriguing idea, but sounds like it's outside my skill level. |
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Oct 26, 2021 15:22:57 GMT -5
For $30 I'll take a gamble 👍
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Post by MsAli on Nov 5, 2021 19:54:35 GMT -5
Got home and the box was waiting. I might of opened it before Nate got home and started working on one. Tommy Thank you for these to practice on and thank you for the Xtra goodies    |
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 5, 2021 20:24:49 GMT -5
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 5, 2021 20:33:16 GMT -5
Nice job, Ali!
Here's a hint: Boulder doesn't love 3,000 grit. It loves 8,000.  |
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Post by MsAli on Nov 5, 2021 20:56:05 GMT -5
Nice job, Ali!
Here's a hint: Boulder doesn't love 3,000 grit. It loves 8,000. Thank you for the tip. This piece has some green and blue I want to see if I can bring our So far it's been a fantastic learning piece |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 5, 2021 21:05:07 GMT -5
Nice job, Ali!
Here's a hint: Boulder doesn't love 3,000 grit. It loves 8,000. Thank you for the tip. This piece has some green and blue I want to see if I can bring our So far it's been a fantastic learning piece Just remember that the opal in boulder is sometimes just a "lens". Very thin and can go away really fast. Make sure to study the areas really good (with a loupe if you have one) to determine just how thick the opal is. For some reason, thinning the opal down on boulder will sometimes make the color change or even disappear. I've disappeared enough of it to know that when you have color, it may be better to just leave it. Since it's practice opal, at least experiment a little on the one you're working on and you'll see what I mean.
Also, the darker the ironstone the harder it is and the better it will polish. The baby poop yellow ironstone/matrix is usually real soft and can be crumbly. It will grind away to mud fast.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Nov 5, 2021 21:23:53 GMT -5
Got home and the box was waiting. I might of opened it before Nate got home and started working on one. Tommy Thank you for these to practice on and thank you for the Xtra goodies Might have opened it? <rolling-eyes> haha |
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Post by MsAli on Nov 5, 2021 21:29:20 GMT -5
Robin thank you so much for the tips! I'll post this one when it's done 😊
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 5, 2021 21:37:31 GMT -5
I should have known if Tommy was offering something up for sale, his description of "waste of time" might have been erring FAR on the cautious side! LOL MsAli and NDK - that looks amazing! Please continue to post any updates on this material.  |
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Post by MsAli on Nov 6, 2021 5:54:53 GMT -5
I should have known if Tommy was offering something up for sale, his description of "waste of time" might have been erring FAR on the cautious side! LOL MsAli and NDK - that looks amazing! Please continue to post any updates on this material. We definitely will |
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Nov 6, 2021 9:52:22 GMT -5
Heh - you wouldn't be bothered with all that picture taking if Nate's trigger finger hadn't been quicker than mine... .Looks like lots of fun in there.
People do like "pattern stones" with glints of color here and there. I saw at least one darker reddish piece in there. Those can be really nice.
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Post by Rockoonz on Nov 6, 2021 11:28:48 GMT -5
Heh - you wouldn't be bothered with all that picture taking if Nate's trigger finger hadn't been quicker than mine... .Looks like lots of fun in there.
People do like "pattern stones" with glints of color here and there. I saw at least one darker reddish piece in there. Those can be really nice.
And I would have scooped you in a heartbeat as well. I have some hiding somewhere in a box, got it years ago when afraid to ruin it if I tried cutting it. |
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 4,059
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Post by gemfeller on Nov 6, 2021 14:57:25 GMT -5
I've cut a fair amount of Koroit material. Warning: put on your mud suit before grinding! Somewhere I have an image of me after tangling with my first batch and I'm red mud from face to fanny.
I've found that sometimes the patterns in the stuff are fascinating all on their own, even with no play of color. Some cabs I cut resembled Aboriginal cave paintings and were quite nice.
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