rockbrain
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,183
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Post by rockbrain on Jan 4, 2022 21:04:19 GMT -5
Made a quick cabochon off the end cut of a newly acquired rock. I'm excited to get into this further. After reading up on this forum I realized I got quite a bit to learn about cabachon cutting. I'm going to do some more practice on other things before I get to involved in hacking this piece up. I've got about a 7 lb chunk of this I posted some other pictures in the specimen forum section. I acquired it from a customer's garden.  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Jan 4, 2022 21:12:28 GMT -5
Amazing material! Tell us how you made the cab- which machine, if any.
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Post by holajonathan on Jan 5, 2022 12:10:33 GMT -5
That is sweet! Beautiful material. It looks like it might not be the easiest stuff to cab, but your cab looks pretty darn good. I would snoop a little more in that rock garden if you've got a chance.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 5, 2022 15:10:41 GMT -5
I second Tela's question about how you cabbed this...just out of curiosity. I also second Jonathan's suggestion of a second trip to her yard...which I also stated in the other thread.  This is seriously some amazing material!  |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 5, 2022 15:53:47 GMT -5
I second Tela's question about how you cabbed this...just out of curiosity. I also second Jonathan's suggestion of a second trip to her yard...which I also stated in the other thread.  This is seriously some amazing material!  Some might call it sensuous... Nice material. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 5, 2022 15:59:43 GMT -5
I second Tela's question about how you cabbed this...just out of curiosity. I also second Jonathan's suggestion of a second trip to her yard...which I also stated in the other thread. This is seriously some amazing material! Some might call it sensuous... Nice material. I know the way to your heart now!  |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 5, 2022 16:02:05 GMT -5
It was a classic! Too bad the PC crowd has done it's best to censure it and keep normal people from enjoying it. C'mon, people, it was entertainment!
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,183
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Post by rockbrain on Jan 5, 2022 20:28:37 GMT -5
Amazing material! Tell us how you made the cab- which machine, if any. I cut the end off with an MK 10" tile saw. I ended up with a small uneven piece that I was able to get this thick cab and another larger one that's a bit on the thin side. I ground on an old 6" Beacon Star combo unit that I rebuilt, mounted to a deck and built the motor mount/belt adjuster mechanism. There are two 1" wide hard wheels, 100 and 220 and then the rest on a 2 1/2 inch rubber expander drum. I use SC 220-1000 then 1200 & 2000 diamond belts. Then on to the terrible polishing system of a flat pad on the side of the machine. I've been doing a little follow up with a Dremel. I'm using AO from my rock tumbling grit for polish. I still have a lot to learn. i've been picking up a lot here in the last few days. I realize now my girdles are way too small. Fortunately I have a lot of other material to improve on. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 5, 2022 22:44:01 GMT -5
rockbrain - Thanks for posting your process! It sounds like you're pretty handy! I'd definitely hold onto this piece for a little while...at least until you feel more confident in your cabbing process. I'm NOT knocking your process at all. It's just this piece is pretty special...definitely worth waiting on. If you have any specific questions about the cabbing process, you should definitely ask. There's a ton of members on here who have a ton of experience...and are very generous with the sharing of their experiences.
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Post by Rockoonz on Jan 6, 2022 8:24:18 GMT -5
I checked your other thread, 7# chunk will go a long ways. My first formal cabbing class was taught by a man who handed me a AA slab of Vistaite for my first cab, his philosophy was if your first cabs are made from desirable materials you are more likely to keep cutting cabs.
That said, materials with a more consistent hardness are better practice materials.
From what I can see from your pic, your girdle isn't bad either, unless there is something I can't see it would bezel set easily, and personally if I was setting it I would use a partial bezel with prongs to set it anyway, which works for most anything.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
Posts: 3,183
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Post by rockbrain on Jan 6, 2022 20:56:02 GMT -5
Fortunately I have a lot of beautiful material that I can definitely get inspired by. I also need to take some time and get a handle on posting some decent photos here. This was a quick cellphone pic but it looks horrendous. I don't know if I got a change in quality from uploading and size changing. It certainly wasn't anywhere close to a great photo but It looked a lot worse once it was posted. I've been shooting for years, I've sold fine art photos, shot and developed numerous large format (4X5) photos, co-instructed workshops, shot weddings and had my own darkroom. Can't tell any of that from lookng at this shot!
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