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Post by stardiamond on Jun 14, 2023 11:32:33 GMT -5
I like the shape on the 3rd one. Looks like you were venturing out Patty
I prefer symmetrical shapes. For me, it is finding a pattern on a slab and framing it. I generally can frame a pattern with a symmetrical shape from a template. On this piece the full pattern dictated the shape. I could have broken the pattern into two parts and made two cabs but that wouldn't be the best use of the material. Many people here frame a pattern with an asymmetrical shape. I'm working on another Bruneau cab where the shape follows the pattern.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 13, 2023 13:09:15 GMT -5
Never been there. Looking at the internet there are crystals in nearby Oroville. There is also the Feather River Mineral Society you could contact.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 12, 2023 18:29:08 GMT -5
Wow! Really nice set! The first one is mind blowing. That's Tahoma?? Tahoma is From Mt.Tahoma. Frogskin is from Mt. Ranier which is the same place. Tahoma is a seam agate/jasper and is usually cut across the seam. Cutting with the seam can produce the frogskin look. The issue with cutting with the seam is that the pattern can drastically change when grinding.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 12, 2023 18:21:52 GMT -5
excellent framing of the patterns. I also like working with frogskin.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 12, 2023 12:28:04 GMT -5
Great. Send me a message with your mailing address and I will give you the paypal information. Looking at the slabs again, the larger one is better.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 11, 2023 15:47:31 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 11, 2023 15:03:47 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 10, 2023 22:19:59 GMT -5
What types of polish do you have? Well, I should know that, but I've been applying AO to a leather pad that already had something else on it. Not the best but it's actually pretty well on most stones. Each material can have special polishing needs. I generally use 100k diamond paste on canvas. I have tried zam on canvas. I also tried tin oxide or cerium oxide on leather. That was on my star diamond machine which not working now. Paul/fencejumper uses wheels and gets an excellent polish on MHPJ and Noreena. I haven't had much luck with Noreena, but don't work on it very much. My diamond paste stopped doing a good job so I tried other methods. I bought a new canvas pad with new paste and I'm back only using the 100k.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 10, 2023 18:55:54 GMT -5
What types of polish do you have?
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 9, 2023 22:49:30 GMT -5
Good to see you are back to having your nose to the grindstone.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 9, 2023 21:18:25 GMT -5
I spent 2 1/2 hours watching the auction while doing other stuff including eating dinner. The zoom worked this time. A lot of the material I was not familiar with. Some I was familiar so I didn't need to do research. They had a piece of Morgan Hill and a piece of Bruneau that were leftovers from sphere making. I have a really good eye for yield and with all the knife edges, the yield was not very good and working with the pieces would require extra effort. They sold for much more than I would pay. On other auctions, max bids were placed as soon as the item appeared. On other items I've made cabs from better material and won't pay a high price for lesser. It was entertaining, but it is not a place for me to look for material.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 9, 2023 17:21:51 GMT -5
starts today at 7:00m eastern. I doubt I would be able to buy anything my trigger finger is too slow and I like to do research before I buy. As an example, I see some material that I haven't bought before, I calculate the yield and see what cabs sell for. It takes minutes not seconds.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 8, 2023 21:54:08 GMT -5
I received an email from them announcing the auctions. I accepted the invite and received an email just before with a link. I tried the zoom option which I have used for their webinars but couldn't get it to work. I finally was able to get in using the web option. I don't watch the home shopping network but it was a combination of that and a regular auction. Mainly rough agates with high prices and a lot of bidding. I'm a bargain hunter so this was not a good fit. I also buy a high percentage of jaspers.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 8, 2023 19:03:19 GMT -5
Tracie, I bought extra slabs because I thought you might like one. The larger one on the left, I paid $20 and the smaller one $19, plus combined shipping. Here are the two cabs I made from the larger piece: The three slabs were cut from the same rock and for me, the usable area is about the same. You can buy either one and I will mail in a padded flat rate priority mail envelope for $10.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 8, 2023 15:02:13 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 8, 2023 13:35:59 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 8, 2023 13:07:34 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 8, 2023 11:05:08 GMT -5
I have found that the same technique works on different shapes. Material needs to be removed at the beginning and for triangles I grind straight to the girdle line on each side and then rock between two adjacent girdle lines for all three sets of adjacent lines. That produces three ridges. I grind the ridges until they match and then work circular until the highest point is in the center. A person could do the entire process working circular, rotating the stone above the girdle line until it is ground to the girdle line.
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 7, 2023 14:27:23 GMT -5
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Post by stardiamond on Jun 6, 2023 18:29:17 GMT -5
I'm hoping. I thought all three were solid. The only problem area was in the yellow and I moved the design away from it.
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