Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Sept 20, 2012 19:53:44 GMT -5
If anyone likes holiday pictures enough to want to see mine, here they are!! it's about a 575MB video of all my pictures/videos from our holiday in Greece. www.freefilehosting.net/greece2012It was a great trip, and as I'm sure you want to know the best place I saw to collect rocks was around Olympus. Nice banded jasper in green/grey shades. It was tough walking around the site of the original Olympics though, nice jasper and fossils everywhere and I'm told collecting at that spot was frowned upon (think jail). Luckily there were rocks to be had elsewhere around Olympus.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Sept 20, 2012 18:39:33 GMT -5
I've been cutting preforms like crazy so I will have enough to do this winter (all my saws are outside and unheated). Think this should do me. Local stuff on the left, imports on the right.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Aug 25, 2012 12:39:50 GMT -5
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Jun 24, 2012 13:57:37 GMT -5
Our rock club just got our sapphires back from Lambert industries www.lambertgems.com/This is the third year we have sent stones as a group to them after our winter sapphire hunt. It takes about 3 months round trip to get them back but awesome prices and they do a great job. Here are the pics of my stones. Faceted stuff is super hard to get a good picture of so you will have to take my word for it that they are nice.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Jun 11, 2012 23:30:02 GMT -5
Bought a couple of things from www.pandahall.com/ got everything I ordered. Price was great. I would buy from them again, took about 3 weeks to get here but I selected the slow cheap method of shipping so no complaints.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on Jun 4, 2012 18:03:04 GMT -5
No problem, I just put them up after I watch them. Here is another.
Brazilian Gemstones
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 29, 2012 0:52:47 GMT -5
I have unfortunately a lot of experience straightening blades (done it dozens of times). When I first got my saw (used) there was no club within 500 miles so I was on my own figuring it out and did not know you should have wood in the vice (don't ever try putting a rock in a metal clamp without wood you won't like it). So lots of blade straightening practice (about every 10 slabs). Don't worry it can probably be straightened.
To straighten a blade place it on a piece of 3/4" plywood so the most edge touches the plywood and most of the dent bulges up. Use a steel hammer with a large face (big head). I have a 3lb short handle sledge that works well. Use the weight of the hammer only to hit the blade don't really swing use slow light taps. Tap around the blade in a circle until the blade is kind of flat. You will probably put a slight curve in it in the other direction. Flip the blade over and repeat with fewer taps. Keep flipping bump up edge down and tapping in a circle until it is flat. You will know its flat when the edge touches the plywood on both sides when flipped over.
You blade probably will not cut as smooth after doing this but it will cut again.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 29, 2012 0:21:57 GMT -5
Mainly gravel pits and farm rock piles around here digdug, but lots of variety in them (agates, jasper, adventurine, garnet, tourmaline, dendritic dolomite, porcelenite etc) and not much digging involved unless your looking for selenite. All in all pretty good collecting around here. Most of my posts are local rock. Don't know anyone named Hayes, but I'm not from here originally.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 28, 2012 2:33:48 GMT -5
Time for another one probably
Gems TV Zambian Emerald
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 27, 2012 18:25:08 GMT -5
Someones been a little rough with that one Jo. It looks sore. Don't squeeze so hard.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 27, 2012 16:54:14 GMT -5
These are all the most inappropriate looking rocks I have found over the years. The smaller ones are of course posed on Kleenex. Now I have shown you mine so lets see yours. :cheesy: Pyrite concretion Agate Agate Sandstone concretion
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 27, 2012 16:48:16 GMT -5
Glad I could help.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 27, 2012 14:03:04 GMT -5
Selenite is the crystal version of the gyprock you probably have on the inside walls of your house. It is much softer than quartz. 2 Mohs vs 7 Mohs. So it is good for display only you can scratch it with your fingernail. You can find some really beautiful clusters though if you have the patience. The crystal shape is different too, selenite comes in blades that look like trapezoids from the side. Quartz is hexagonal. Around here you find it in layers of blue grey clay. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenite_%28mineral%29
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 27, 2012 12:39:07 GMT -5
The tubes are solid full of pyrite so nothing to show there really. SE Saskatchewan.
|
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 26, 2012 19:00:48 GMT -5
Went digging for selenite today. Didn't get any clusters but got some nice singles and one twin.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 26, 2012 11:20:18 GMT -5
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 26, 2012 11:14:37 GMT -5
I have to ask Tammy, what part of North Dakota are you finding these in?? They are awesome!! I have found Montana agates by Williston and Porcelenite by Medora but I never even knew there were agates like that in North Dakota.
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 25, 2012 12:11:58 GMT -5
|
|
Saskrock
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since October 2007
Posts: 1,852
|
Post by Saskrock on May 22, 2012 0:44:34 GMT -5
There is supposed to be some nice purple agate outside the valley of fire. When we went to vegas I found this web site but never got to go to collecting, no one else wanted to look for rocks. eduscapes.com/mm/trips/lasvegas/lasvegas.htm
|
|