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Post by holajonathan on Dec 14, 2021 13:04:55 GMT -5
I’m sure it was not an insignificant amount of work to find the ones you ended up slabbing, but I’d say the effort was probably well worth it. Those are some gorgeous slabs! You got a lot of nice colors and patterns in those. The Imperials and Owyhees are also lovely to look at. I suppose it was a lot of "work" cutting corners off the rock and trying to look inside of them with a bright flashlight. But it was the best kind of work.  I love looking closely at rocks from all different angles, trying to determine what is inside, locate fractures, patterns, etc... And then I make my first cut, evaluate, and reposition if necessary. I feel like the whole process is an extension (pre-cursor) to cabbing, since really good Montana agate cabs start with skilled and patient cutting. Montana agates are tricky to evaluate ahead of time, which makes the process fun. No matter how many you have cut, it is difficult to high grade them without cutting some windows or tumbling them for a few weeks. Some of the really nice cutters are easy to spot, but those have mostly been high graded out before I get the rough. And it's almost impossible to know how many fractures are hiding inside until you start cutting. Fortunately, many of the ugly ones (from the outside) are really great on the inside. The ones with green or white moss are usually quiet gnarly looking on the outside, for example. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 14, 2021 13:11:19 GMT -5
Peruano No need for surgery yet. Maybe just a manicurist. Diamond blades wear off finger tip calluses, but don't usually draw blood. My fingernails, however, look like they were attacked by an angry beaver. 
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Post by perkins17 on Dec 14, 2021 13:14:35 GMT -5
This kind of gives me hope for using a trim saw as a slab saw as that will probably be the biggest saw I purchase. Thanks for the information. I'm defined following threads like this with interest. It is very possible to cut slabs from small to medium size rough with a trim saw or tile saw. jasoninsd cuts boat loads of small and medium size slabs with a 10" tile saw. Little trim saws designed for cutting preforms from slabs won't cut slabs very well. But bigger trim saws, or better yet, an 8" or 10" tile saw will little slabs without too much drama. Alright. Thanks for the information. An eight inches is what I am looking for. Tile saws were on my wish list but I thought it better to get the right tool for the job, but in this case, tile saws seem like the right tool. Thank you for telling me that! |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 14, 2021 13:26:36 GMT -5
perkins17 Tile saws are generally much more powerful at a given price point. They get this power from small and loud induction motors, whereas lapidary saws typically use much quieter and more civilized motors. You lose some finesse with a tile saw compared to a true lapidary saw, but with practice and a good blade, you can make clean cuts with a tile saw. 8" is the smallest I would get if you want to cut slabs. That is the blade size used to cut these Montana agates. A 6" saw will only cut tiny slabs. 8" is a much better choice.
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Post by Pat on Dec 14, 2021 13:34:55 GMT -5
When I had a 10” saw, I used fingers instead of the vise with shims. Setting up the vise with shims and resetting for each slice was a pain in the neck. I decided to use just my hands. Much easier.
Same with using dop sticks. Much easier to use fingers, except for the very small stuff.
Good collection, especially the dotted Montanas. Thanks for the show. Now I’ll go through your collection again….
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
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Post by Tommy on Dec 14, 2021 15:45:23 GMT -5
Wow, nice work! Those are some exceptional quality Montanas. Last time I hand cut Montanas maybe one in ten looked even close to any one of those you cut.
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 14, 2021 22:58:52 GMT -5
Wow, nice work! Those are some exceptional quality Montanas. Last time I hand cut Montanas maybe one in ten looked even close to any one of those you cut. I'm not sure my odds are any better than that. I'm just diligent about weeding out the bad ones before I actually get to work cutting slabs. I've always wondered what percentage of those found on the Yellowstone are good cutters? An old timer from that area told me 15-20%. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 14, 2021 23:13:08 GMT -5
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Post by perkins17 on Dec 15, 2021 10:17:58 GMT -5
Cool slabs! Those look nice. Can you still feel your fingers?
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 15, 2021 10:26:08 GMT -5
That last blue Royal Imperial is awesome!
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 15, 2021 12:08:55 GMT -5
That last blue Royal Imperial is awesome! Yeah, it pays to cut them as to create the largest possible face. The RIJ I've been cutting is 75% duds or not solid, but the 25% that are good are incredible. |
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Post by Starguy on Dec 15, 2021 13:50:26 GMT -5
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 15, 2021 14:43:06 GMT -5
Someday... As you know, cutting the slabs is the quick part compared to grinding domes on Montana agates. If I use an aggressive hard wheel to dome, it causes subsurface damage that I can never get out later. If I use a less aggressive wheel to dome, it takes forever. My favorite wheel for doming Montana agates is a new 220 grit hard wheel. Grinds super fast and doesn't cause much subsurface damage. Unfortunately, once it breaks in (5-10 cabs) speed slows way, way down. The best option I have come up with for doming Montana agates is an 8" 220 sintered wheel. I can dress it to keep it somewhat aggressive, but not as aggressive as an 80 grit hard wheel. |
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lunker
Cave Dweller 
Member since April 2021
Posts: 430
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Post by lunker on Dec 16, 2021 13:02:23 GMT -5
Fine looking stones ya got there
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 16, 2021 14:53:36 GMT -5
Fine looking stones ya got there I knew you'd like them. I cut Montana agates again last night but got almost nothing good out of at least 20 nodules. They were ones that didn't look great from the outside, but there's always a chance... Two hours later I probably got 10-20 small, very mediocre slabs out of 30 pounds of rocks. Not a great use of my time, but I was so excited about what I had cut the previous two days, I couldn't help trying again. |
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lunker
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2021
Posts: 430
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Post by lunker on Dec 16, 2021 23:12:05 GMT -5
Fine looking stones ya got there I knew you'd like them. I cut Montana agates again last night but got almost nothing good out of at least 20 nodules. They were ones that didn't look great from the outside, but there's always a chance... Two hours later I probably got 10-20 small slabs out of 30 pounds of rocks. Not a great use of my time, but I was so excited about what I had cut the previous two days, I wanted to try one more time. I understand that. I like the boring ones too though. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 17, 2021 13:34:54 GMT -5
I knew you'd like them. I cut Montana agates again last night but got almost nothing good out of at least 20 nodules. They were ones that didn't look great from the outside, but there's always a chance... Two hours later I probably got 10-20 small slabs out of 30 pounds of rocks. Not a great use of my time, but I was so excited about what I had cut the previous two days, I wanted to try one more time. I understand that. I like the boring ones too though. I've rarely seen a Montana agate that I didn't want to tumble. They all tumble great unless they are extremely fractured or a pure dud, as in solid gray / brown / black chert and no agate. You ever cut any of those? They look just like a Montana agate on the outside, but no agate inside. |
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cadefoster117
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2021
Posts: 62 
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Post by cadefoster117 on Dec 18, 2021 11:29:57 GMT -5
Gorgeous. I had no idea there was such color variety. Now I have to add this to my very long wish list.
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I love looking closely at rocks from all different angles, trying to determine what is inside, locate fractures, patterns, etc... And then I make my first cut, evaluate, and reposition if necessary. I feel like the whole process is an extension (pre-cursor) to cabbing, since really good Montana agate cabs start with skilled and patient cutting. 
