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Post by holajonathan on Dec 16, 2021 21:51:33 GMT -5
A few of those cabs look like ones I could have made (not normally the case).  When it comes to making great cabs, I've thought a lot about the relative importance of: 1. slab quality; 2. skill in marking preforms; and 3. actual cabbing skills. Obviously all are important. When I started cabbing, I had low quality material, was bad at marking preforms, and was bad at the actual cabbing part. Now, I have pretty good slabs, I am ok at marking preforms, and I am competent but not great at the cabbing part. You generally cab very good materials, you have a good eye for preform shapes, and you are very skilled at the actual cabbing. The photos you posted this time help me understand that good cabbing skills are only part of the equation. There's nothing wrong with any of these cabs, but only the Sonora jumps out at me, whereas normally I think all of your cabs are really special! That Sonora is great, orange peel and all. One thing you left out was dealing with issues. I completed 5 cabs today, 2 needed work on vugs, 1 had an unattractive pattern and need to be ground to potato chip thickness and 1 I went inside the line and needed to adjust the shape. There also unexpected fractures and the shape needs be redone. The one where I went inside the line was from working in the cold and fatigue. I mark withe an extra fine sharpie. I was using pencil but that goes away sometimes. I usually need to use acetone to remove the glue and it also works on ink. The ability repair and sometimes salvage cabs when problems occur is certainly another important skill set. A lot comes down to what type of material you want to cab, and how picky you are about slab quality. If someone cabs a lot of Poppy Jasper (like you), then the ability to improvise, reshape, and rework is very important. Other materials rarely have hidden fractures or uneven hardness. I have become obsessive about trying to identify all fractures, soft spots, and vugs when I am marking out preforms. If at all possible, I work around them, even if that means only marking one cab on a large slab. I cut about 40 preforms today and only one fractured on the trim saw. With small slabs, and with high end materials, it is often necessary to take more risks when marking preforms, with the understanding that you'll almost certainly be dealing with issues that come up later. |
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 17, 2021 9:01:55 GMT -5
I think all the cabs I posted had one issue of the other. Yes, corrections on the fly are part of the process.
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cadefoster117
having dreams about rocks
Member since December 2021
Posts: 62 
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Post by cadefoster117 on Dec 19, 2021 15:11:27 GMT -5
I think I am drawn to the Pickett plume most here but all are excellent work. I like the raw edge on the Aztec lace a lot.
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 19, 2021 15:14:30 GMT -5
I think I am drawn to the Pickett plume most here but all are excellent work. I like the raw edge on the Aztec lace a lot. Thank you! I have more of the Aztec lace with raw edges. All are small pieces, though. |
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