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Post by stardiamond on Mar 19, 2024 14:32:09 GMT -5
I don't go to shows. Most of my slabs are bought on Facebook. Hobbyists selling to hobbyists. What I pay for a slab is the quality, rareness and how much of the slab will make excellent cabs. Mediocre is only good for practicing. Other than 20 years ago this is a good time to buy slabs.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 18, 2024 19:52:40 GMT -5
HP Lapidary has had a lot of demos for sphere making. I have to buy all my rough and beside the cost of the equipment the rough for spheres would be expensive so I am sticking to making cabs. Someone who has a lot of rough can convert it to cash faster than cutting cabs.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 18, 2024 15:06:27 GMT -5
Blue Mountain group shot.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 18, 2024 14:51:31 GMT -5
Dark and shiny is tough to photograph, so I will try again tomorrow. I got a decent picture of the 40x30 pear. This one was so bad it made me consider another hobby. 100 passes on a wheel would not be too much of an exaggeration. Grind, dry, curse, grind dry curse.... So what did I learn. Two things; leave some material to grind after the aggressive wheel and grind with a not so wet wheel to avoid hydroplaning.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 18, 2024 12:43:36 GMT -5
There are four domes and the edges are cut with the edges of the wheels, like the notches on a heart.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 17, 2024 19:38:57 GMT -5
What a frustrating day. I have a top 80 textured wheel that is new and chews rock without chipping. It does leave deep scratches. I worked on three Blue Mountain jaspers today and still have scratches on the largest one. I've made an embarrassing number of attempts including going back to the textured wheel with a light touch. So much grinding my hand started to cramp. Tomorrow is another day.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 17, 2024 17:08:21 GMT -5
I deactivated my 16" Covington combo saw. Either I don't know what I am doing or the saw doesn't like me. It kept jamming probably because the cross feed drifts. Getting the clutch right is above my capabilities and over adjusting it can ruin it. It is a great saw when it is working right and support is excellent.
I replaced it with a 10 inch HP saw. For years I slabbed with a trim saw 8 inch .032 kerf. The HP is 110 inch with a .032 kerf. I buy expensive material and don't want to donate it to the saw. Most of what I buy is small rough. The HP is slow and reliable and obviously more accurate than my had cutting with a slab saw. The vise goes up and down rather than the usual side to side which. The HP vise requires less material in the vise to hold it in place. I also bought a 14 inch HP that has the same design as the 10. I also bought a HP 14 inch drop saw. I have not unpacked either from the crate. The drop saw is likely the first one set up since it cuts fast and is lighter to put on my work table.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 16, 2024 16:09:48 GMT -5
I dopped three Blue Mountain Jaspers and while waiting for the glue to dry, I did some more work on the Bruneau and a flat top Montana that also had scratches. Two of my most difficult materials to get clean. I dry and mark with a pencil and still don't see the scratches. In a perfect world, I wouldn't need to keep going back.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 16, 2024 13:33:07 GMT -5
I have a very large rock pile. There was a side yard paved with river rocks. I dug them all up to put in drainage and put them in a pile. I'm taking them for granite.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 15, 2024 17:35:08 GMT -5
too much stuff on work table. I found the missing slab and then lost my macro lens. I found it and took one picture. Light is now bad so I will try again tomorrow.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 15, 2024 17:21:14 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 14, 2024 15:07:09 GMT -5
I did the trim saw this morning and will grind the preforms for the four marked. The slab with the oval pattern went missing and I will deal with it later. Tomorrow is warmer so I will start making the cabs. Bottom right is a trim saw scrap that is too nice to toss.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 11, 2024 18:52:14 GMT -5
For $600, I would submit a schedule c with an explanation regarding the 1099k. The IRS knows the 1099k is a mess and they will likely adjust your return. Best case you don't owe the amount from the 1099k, worst case you do but it isn't reasonable. www.wikihow.com/Report-1099-K-Income-on-Tax-ReturnI have a story for you. My adult son lives with me and is unable to have a job. He has a good friend who has a sports betting business, aka bookie. I don't know if he is licensed or not. He had my son produce spreadsheets for gamblers who had accounts. He also had payments and disbursements done through his Paypal account. It was in tens of thousands of dollars. He did not receive a 1099k from Paypal. I expect it was how the transactions were coded when Paypal was used. All transactions were coded friends and family.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 11, 2024 17:45:56 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 11, 2024 15:00:32 GMT -5
I've been busy shopping.
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Post by stardiamond on Mar 11, 2024 13:56:14 GMT -5
I've picked up some nice material. Unfortunately, it has been a cold Spring. That is about to change.
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 26, 2024 17:38:34 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 25, 2024 21:02:31 GMT -5
It used to bother me seeing rare and expensive material being tumbled. I don't rock hound so I have to buy all my material. I adjusted my attitude since a person who has an abundance of material can do whatever they want with it.
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 25, 2024 20:59:17 GMT -5
I had a 14 inch Covington that sat in a box for longer than yours. The clutch is an interesting design feature; cuts really fast until there is resistance and then slows down to clear material. Here's what I don't like; over tightening and loosening the clutch can wear it out and the cross feed drifts causing the blade to jam. You didn't mention how much you had used it before having the problem. The blade needs to be dressed more than other saws.
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Post by stardiamond on Feb 25, 2024 16:01:19 GMT -5
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