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Post by holajonathan on Dec 23, 2021 12:33:39 GMT -5
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agatewhisperer
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2020
Posts: 836
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Post by agatewhisperer on Dec 23, 2021 13:10:43 GMT -5
Very cool. Can't wait to see what you do with those
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Post by perkins17 on Dec 23, 2021 14:07:08 GMT -5
Nice! I think Montana agates are my favorites. Those are a awesome.
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 23, 2021 14:51:56 GMT -5
Those are absolutely stupendous! Top notch. You've got a good eye!
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 23, 2021 18:49:03 GMT -5
Those are absolutely stupendous! Top notch. You've got a good eye! I am getting better at cutting an edge, evaluating fractures and patterns, and repositioning. That is why so many have at least one flat outside edge. I end up with a lot of small slabs this way, but I'd rather have a 1"x2" slab with a good pattern and no fractures, than a big slab full of fractures. Most are bigger than 1"x2", but I will cut them that small if necessary to work around fractures. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 23, 2021 18:53:56 GMT -5
Nice! I think Montana agates are my favorites. Those are a awesome. They are easy to love, and hard to cab. Or slow to cab, at least, and potentially very frustrating. With that said, you'll have to give one a try sometime soon. If you've never seen a highly polished Montana agate in person, you're in for quite a treat.  |
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Post by perkins17 on Dec 23, 2021 18:56:30 GMT -5
Nice! I think Montana agates are my favorites. Those are a awesome. They are easy to love, and hard to cab. Or slow to cab, at least, and potentially very frustrating. With that said, you'll have to give one a try sometime soon. If you've never seen a highly polished Montana agate in person, you're in for quite a treat. I actually just broke a Montana preform out today! I didn't start the grind but I probably will tomorrow. Polished Montana's are a treat. I wish they made candy that looked like them! |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 23, 2021 18:58:40 GMT -5
They are easy to love, and hard to cab. Or slow to cab, at least, and potentially very frustrating. With that said, you'll have to give one a try sometime soon. If you've never seen a highly polished Montana agate in person, you're in for quite a treat. I actually just broke a Montana preform out today! I didn't start the grind but I probably will tomorrow. Polished Montana's are a treat. I wish they made candy that looked like them! You gave me an idea... A fun way to present tumbled rocks as a gift would be to wrap them in candy wrappers, with a tootsie-roll style wrap. Don't do this for young children. |
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Post by perkins17 on Dec 23, 2021 19:07:29 GMT -5
I actually just broke a Montana preform out today! I didn't start the grind but I probably will tomorrow. Polished Montana's are a treat. I wish they made candy that looked like them! You gave me an idea... A fun way to present tumbled rocks as a gift would be to wrap them in candy wrappers, with a tootsie-roll style wrap. Don't do this for young children. Good idea! Oof. I can already hear the crunch ouch. |
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 23, 2021 19:43:18 GMT -5
Those are beauties! I see lots of nice cabs in all of those.
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Post by jasoninsd on Dec 23, 2021 19:46:45 GMT -5
Another great batch Jonathan! I'd say that second one is my favorite by far! There's several that have those small black spots. I wonder if they're going to give you any trouble like that other one you did this last week...I hope not! |
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Post by Starguy on Dec 24, 2021 10:59:58 GMT -5
Great looking slabs holajonathan. You must be getting some nice calluses on your thumbs. Thanks for sharing. They’re exceptional especially considering they are hand pushed. |
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Post by holajonathan on Dec 24, 2021 12:34:55 GMT -5
Great looking slabs holajonathan . You must be getting some nice calluses on your thumbs. Thanks for sharing. They’re exceptional especially considering they are hand pushed. I would be getting calluses, but I cab without dop sticks, so my cabbing wheels take care of the calluses. I've figured out a pretty good technique for the hand-pushing. I attached a little stainless rip fence that came with the saw. I don't actually push the stone flush against it, however. I simply use it as a visual guide, which allows me to keep the rock straight as I line up each cut. I cut some slight wedges, but rarely are they extreme wedges. And when I get deep saw marks, I toss those slabs in a vibe tumbler for a few days, which removes the saw marks and helps expose any hidden fractures. |
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