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Post by stardiamond on Dec 3, 2023 13:11:00 GMT -5
Better light.   |
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Post by stardiamond on Dec 2, 2023 16:48:39 GMT -5
Raining outside so I will take better pictures tomorrow. Easy Street and Lions Den Poppy.   |
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Post by stardiamond on Dec 1, 2023 14:57:04 GMT -5
Lapis lazuli with pyrite.
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Post by stardiamond on Dec 1, 2023 14:26:06 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 30, 2023 14:34:31 GMT -5
Pushing 60 which is my minimum. I have Rubbermaid bowl with a handle that I filled with hot water to pour into my tray. Ground and dopped 6 and am waiting for my fingers to defrost.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 29, 2023 18:56:03 GMT -5
10% off the machines, 15% off the wheels when purchased together at the zoom sale. This pushed me away from the NOVA wheels. I now have a CB8 ordered! I was torn between this and a Kingsley North. It looks so spacious but it seemed unnecessarily so. I hope I don't have regrets, but the HP seemed space well enough and will fit on my table while leaving room for a small trim saw. I have a Genie and like it. HP likes to design equipment improving on similar designs; KN and Cab King. From a cost standpoint you made a good choice. For how I use a cabber, I have no need for a lot of space between wheels. Someone who likes to make really large cabs it would be a benefit. Eight inch wheels have more space to work with, last longer, cut faster and are more expensive. I started with an 8 inch machine with two wheels, went to a Genie, added more wheels on my 8 inch machine and now am back to the Genie. An aggressive 6 inch wheel will cut as fast as an 8 inch and I can manage working with a 1.5 inch soft wheel instead of a 2 inch. What I like about the Genie is having Geysers under the wheels so I can add spacers to increase distance, a removable right arbor which allows for more wheels and the trim saw attachment. When my Genie dies I would definitely consider the HP. |
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 29, 2023 17:26:11 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 28, 2023 16:43:00 GMT -5
I've been buying MHPJ from Martin Kramer for a long time. Originally at eBay when he was seller philospherstone. He has a lot of old poppy from different locations. Even from the same area the material can have different looks. I marked these slabs with an E so that when I get around to cabbing it I will know where it was Easy Street.   |
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 28, 2023 13:00:04 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 26, 2023 22:21:08 GMT -5
Lapidary is not a cheap hobby. In the long run it is wise to invest in better equipment. When I bought my Genie there was a deal for the trim saw attachment for almost free. The saw uses an 8 inch .032 MK303 blade. For trimming it is fine but when I used it for slabbing it ate blades. I bought a 10 inch slab saw the has about the same kerf, vise, power feed and cuts with oil. A blade lasts much longer.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 26, 2023 19:41:09 GMT -5
I didn't know there was Hornitos CA. When I think Hornitos, I think Morgan Hill. It is interesting that there is a lot of different material with the same name. Two different places and two different rocks. Hornitos is pretty hard to find Hornitos (Morgan Hill) is tough but I keep looking and find some affordable material to add to the stash. The same with Guadalupe. I have multiple sources for Morgan Hill; Paul and his rock hounding buddy Martin. I've bought from Martin for many years starting when he was philospherstone on ebay. He has a lot of MHPJ collected from a lot of different areas; Lions Den, Easy Street and Loma Prieta. |
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 26, 2023 16:51:41 GMT -5
I didn't know there was Hornitos CA. When I think Hornitos, I think Morgan Hill. It is interesting that there is a lot of different material with the same name.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 26, 2023 13:40:26 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 22, 2023 19:28:41 GMT -5
10% off the machines, 15% off the wheels when purchased together at the zoom sale.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 22, 2023 12:00:12 GMT -5
The IRS said Tuesday that the old threshold will remain in place — this January companies will be required to send the tax form, known as a 1099-K, only to people who made more than $20,000 and 200 transactions on the platforms.
The IRS said Tuesday that it will require companies to send 1099-K forms to anyone with more than $5,000 in transactions on their platforms starting in 2025. The agency says it will implement the $600 rule the following year, giving Congress more time to change the law first.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 20, 2023 13:56:42 GMT -5
I picked up this piece of rough from the HP lapidary auctions. It must have been from someone's collection.  I ordered a 14 inch drop saw and need to fix my 10 inch slab saw before trying to cut this. The circled area is botryoidal and cutting it will be like diffusing a bomb. |
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 20, 2023 12:44:08 GMT -5
A real beauty pageant. You made these in the 60's and 70's? I didn't know the meaning of the word cabochon until around 2000.
A lot of the patterns of those are familiar. I've made cabs with the same. Rocks are really old and there are terms like old stock, original and new dig. Dug rocks and slabs float through the lapidary universe for many years.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 19, 2023 22:19:47 GMT -5
Some of the wheels look ok. The ones with fabric showing not ok. I'll repeat what I say on every wheel post. Nova wheels are great but I consider them overpriced. I have used Johnsonbrothers, Baltic abrasive and HP lapidary soft wheels. I use all my soft wheels as sanding wheels, not cutting wheels so they last a long time.
Hp 6 inch wheels are 10% off with their Black Friday sale. Free shipping and no sales tax, $63 any grit. Ron's rocks on ebay sells 6 inch Novas for $105 plus tax and shipping. A 6 inch wheel will work on any 6 inch machine. Same with 8 inch machines. A set of wheels don't need to come from the same manufacturer, so try different mnaufacturers.
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 19, 2023 17:35:35 GMT -5
I see some really great looking cabs coming out of those! I went on a spell of getting a crappy amount of yield from some expensive rough (Turkish Stick Agate, Pietersite, Ocean Jasper). I actually think it would have been more lucrative to spend the extra money for some decent slabs, rather than trying to "find" some decent slabs in all that rough. Rough is always a gamble. There is a multiplier rough to slabs to cabs to jewelry. When I can't get the multiplier from slabs to cabs, I will consider rough. When I want to Montana moss agate, I buy rough. One good nodule in a lot puts me ahead of buying slabs. Given a choice, slabs are better since you can see what you are getting and can calculate the yield. When buying rough you need to know and trust the seller. |
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Post by stardiamond on Nov 19, 2023 14:43:28 GMT -5
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