QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 2, 2016 15:18:33 GMT -5
No mention of Llanite? Is the deposit played out? Closed to the public now? Or too common out there to pursue? ? Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 1, 2016 23:21:07 GMT -5
Update: I bought the Raytech Shaw, but haven't checked it out yet. It came with a lot of equipment and material. I now have the details on the Facette: It is a Custom Portable; has the EMS 18-2 and diamond spray, index gears 72 80 G4. New it was $1719 from Seattle. Seller would like to know what to ask for it. My rule of thumb is half or less. Since this machine was used once, I'd suggest half. What would you say? Thanks, Congratulations and welcome to faceting! The Raytech-Shaw is a good machine and the free-handed Handpiece is beneficial when learning to facet. Did the portable Fac-ette model look like the one pictured here? If so, I have never seen one of those models in person and didn't even know they were ever produced until recently when Jay Connor posted a scan of the above vintage ad on Facet Finds FB group page. But if it was from the Seattle, WA plant then it is more than 8 years old. Here is an article on the Dobo brothers who used to own Fac-ette: www.starnewsonline.com/news/20100709/robert-and-william-doboAnd since I've never handled one in person or seen one for sale I have no frame of reference for a value on this model. Perhaps if you contact Cindy Young Hine through the USFG Yahoo group page, or through FB, she will be able to tell you more. Cindy used to work for Fac-ette when they were in Leland, NC and still does re-calibrating both new and old machines through Wyatt Yeagar's company Precision Faceting. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 29, 2016 13:58:00 GMT -5
I've seen several B&Is that had one end of a wide oil lamp wick wired around the drip spout so the other end can drape down onto the saw blade to help spread the coolant onto the surface of he blade rather than letting the coolant drip free-fall onto the blade only to splatter and be immediately slung off by the centrifugal force. This doesn't solve the no coolant on the underneath side but it does improve the overall performance.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 28, 2016 18:17:56 GMT -5
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 28, 2016 18:07:26 GMT -5
I have the opportunity to buy a used Raytech-Shaw faceting machine and a Facette faceting machine. Facette about 8 years old. Facette used only once due to illness. Don't know about the other, but not heavily used. I've heard Facette is the best, or was it Facetron? Anyhow, I need some guidance. I've never faceted anything, but with this opportunity, I might start. If you can, can you suggest a price that would be fair to both the seller and to me? Thanks. I buy and sell a lot of old collections and have owned multiples of most every brand of U.S. made faceting machines produced in the last 40 years. And IMO the Fac-ette Gem Master II is the best for fast repeatable accuracy. So that is what I chose for my personal machine and am very pleased with it. Three plus years ago the company that was making the Fac-ette Gem Master II machines in Eastern NC stopped production and sold the rights to Wyatt Yeagar who is currently producing parts and machines to order. His company name is Precision Faceting. www.precisionfaceting.com/ Wyatt has his new machines priced at $5,999.00 which is about $800 more than the NC made ones were when they stopped production in 2012. (These were the prices of the Gem Master II with the EMS unit. The last few years in business in NC Fac-ette did produce a Gem Master machine without the EMS unit which, if my memory serves correctly, sold for about $1,500 less). The older machines have held their value well. And one that has only been used once would be a prized find! If the Machine you are looking at is the Gem Master II model with the EMS unit and has been stored properly away from dampness and has not been mishandled then IMO the value with standard accessories would be somewhere between $4k - $4.5k. If after examining the machine if it appears to have been used more than believed to have been by the family of the late owner, but still is in very good shape then I would say $3.5k would be in line with what I have seen similar machines sale for of late. If it turns out the machine is older than the family believed, and is one of the older original Gem Master Machines that were produced in Seattle, WA, with EMS then in the $1.5k - $2.8k range depending on condition and accessories. Normally I would not recommend someone new to faceting sink this kind of money into a machine until they have first taken some hands-on faceting lessons to make sure that faceting is for them. But an eight year old Gem Master II machine that has only been used once is almost too rare of a find to pass up on unless you really aren't sure if you would like to facet. And since these do hold their value pretty well if you do buy it and decide you don't enjoy faceting you could probably still get most your original investment back on a resale. Hope this helps. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 21, 2016 13:49:01 GMT -5
QuailRiver: Thanks for the info. I'm in eastern PA, so unfortunately a still a bit far from that show you mentioned, but I'll keep it in mind if I'm ever in the area around that time. I've bought some Agua Nueva rough on EBay for $10 a pound, but seems like mixed quality material. Looks like thegemshop sells Agua for $6 to $25 a pound, but no idea of the quality since I've never bought or been to the store. I've also bought a bunch of rough Condor or Laguna on Ebay for around $15 a pound on average. Wonder if Ebay is a decent place to get a fair deal (if you wait around), and whether these prices seem fair to people? Or whether shows or dealers can offer better prices or selection? Not a big fan of buying rough sight-unseen. The few times I bought cutting rough via mail order, which was many years ago (1970s) only a small percentage of the lots would be of good quality and the rest junk that they couldn't sell in their shops or at retail shows. Don't mind buying cutting rough on eBay as long as there are good photos of every piece in the lot. Much prefer to buy in person. But unfortunately there are not nearly as many good shows in the Eastern U.S. as there used to be 25+ years ago. Due to the general public not having the level of disposable income they used to have affecting vendor's sale totals, plus the rising costs of traveling, motels, and show vendor spaces, it has become uneconomical for dealers to travel around the entire country's gem show circuit. So now we must travel to where the bulk rough dealers can be found to have the opportunity to cherry-pick good rough. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 17, 2016 21:46:54 GMT -5
Here's a photo of a Wheel Bug Larvae picnicking on a Spider Mite one afternoon on my deck railing. I got bit/stung by one of those things when I was a kid and it hurt like the dickens! Felt like a nail had been driven through my finger. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 16, 2016 13:53:29 GMT -5
Really wanted to go to the show but its quite far from me. I was wondering if anyone could share the market rate for rough, uncut, laguna or condor agate? I'm on the east coast and new to the hobby. Doesn't seem like there's anywhere to buy rough rock near me, although I've been buying a lot on Ebay. The last time I bought decent quality Aqua rough was four or five years ago for $15 per pound. I haven't seen any good aqua rough since then. You didn't specify what area of the East you are in but if you are within reasonable driving distance of Franklin, NC July 28-31 there are a few dealers who sell rough at the G&LW show outside of the main tent: El Paso Rock Shop, Gem Center USA, Enter the Earth,... The G&LW show is a wholesale show and to get into the main tent you have to have a resale tax number. But most (not all) of the dealers outside the main tent of that show will also sell retail. Also during this same week in Franklin there are four other shows. Two outdoor shows where some cabbing rough and slabs can be found, and two indoor shows including the Franklin Faceter's Frolic where faceting rough and supplies can be found. The indoor show at the High School usually has a slab dealer or two but very little if any rough. The following week (first week of August)in Spruce Pines, NC the G&LW show travels there plus there are two other shows including the Grassy Creek show. It's been many years since I've gone to the Spruce Pines show but the last time I did there were lots of rough and slab dealers at the Grassy Creek show. But I couldn't say if there still are. Maybe someone else here on the list has attended the Grassy Creek Show in the last couple of years and can update us on that? www.xpopress.com/north-carolina-gem-mineral-fossil-jewelry-shows-schedule.htmlLarry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 14, 2016 12:45:49 GMT -5
Wow! That PW is stunning!
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 9, 2016 23:56:46 GMT -5
Thanks Larry! Amazing how similar they look. I did get the slab from Roy just recently so it is the Royal Flamingo. I've been trying to remember an assortment box I might have gotten from you a couple of years ago & seem to be drawing a blank so now I'm wondering where in the heck I might have put it because I sure would like to get my hands on it. I do love those little druzy pockets in there! Hey Donnie, Back in 2012 I was lucky enough to be able to buy a 60+ lb stash of old Sunset Agate as part of a large old collection. A few pieces had this same pattern shown in the photos that resembles your Royal Flamingo cab. And I remembered that I had stuck a couple of pieces in mixed lots that I sold two or three years ago. Also I vaguely remembered you purchasing from me around that time period so when I saw your cab I thought that it might have been from one of those mixed lots that had the Sunset Agate in it and that your cab may have been from it. But I looked back and checked and it was a parcel of Spectrolite that you purchased from me in Nov. 2013. So my mistake. I stand corrected. Best Regards, Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 8, 2016 18:07:58 GMT -5
the one you dont remember is royal flamingo from nevada Maybe Royal Flamingo but IMO it looks more like the Sunset Agate from Richardson's Rock Ranch dug back in the late 60's early 70's. If it is material that Donnie bought from me a couple of years ago then it's definitely Sunset but if not maybe it is Royal Flamingo. Here's a few more pictures of the Sunset Agate with some areas of similar pattern. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 7, 2016 2:55:54 GMT -5
I was sorting through some old photo files of mine from several years back and ran across these. How's this for a Tumbler? This was an industrial grade 25 gallon ball mill used for ball milling ceramic glazes at the old Pfaltzgraff Pottery Plant in Pennsylvania. Back in my potter days I bought this at an on-line industrial auction sight-unseen. I had it shipped in to a friend's business that had a loading dock. I had originally planned to put it on casters and use it for ball milling my glazes. But when I saw it in person and found out it weighed over 800 lbs I decided that it was too big and heavy to keep on casters and move around my small shop. So I stuck it on eBay and flipped it to a guy in Texas who wanted to use it for some type of Yucca Plant processing business he was doing. The thing even had a rubber tile lining. Shown here with part of the 75lbs of porcelain ball milling media that came with it. Looking back on it, if I had realized then that my wife's spirit would have eventually been broken over resisting my lapidary OCD...uh...I mean interest, then I wish I had had it delivered to the house and stuck it on the carport and used it for a rock tumbler! Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 7, 2016 0:54:39 GMT -5
Very nice! My favorites are the Rutilated Quartz, the Calico Lace, and the Sonora Sunrise shield shaped cab! The yellow cab immediately following the "I don't remember right now" tag is Sunset Agate from Richardson's Rock Ranch property in Oregon. I think you may have bought that material from me a couple of years ago in an assortment box. I still have a few slabs I think are from that same piece. Here's another piece of it photographed wet (the piece to the right): Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 29, 2016 19:53:57 GMT -5
I found a few rocks while here in Oceanside. Not sure how they will tumble but it will be fun trying. My husbands family think I'm crazy. I've found in the past that in-laws, co-workers and neighbors thinking I'm a little bit crazy is a perk of rock hounding. It makes them more polite if they're a little afraid of you! Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 27, 2016 20:33:06 GMT -5
My first cabbing machine. Circa 1971 The machine used 4" diameter laps, was extremely noisy, and had plastic gears that stripped out after just a few stones were cut. Soon after moved on to a B&I Gem Maker. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 26, 2016 16:26:07 GMT -5
I'm for the camera evidence idea but against the vehicle vandalism idea. I believe that if you always try to do the right thing, things have a way of working themselves out for you.
I've lived in the same rural neighborhood for 27 years. During that time we have had three different young "men" (boys) who as teenagers began terrorizing the neighborhood. Two are dead now. One was shot dead by a friend's neighbor's wife who did so rescuing her husband from being beaten with the butt of a shotgun, and stomped on, by him and two of his buddies. No charges were pressed against the woman for defending her husband's life. The second one wrapped himself around a telephone poll.
The third one's family moved away shortly after "someone in the neighborhood" saw to it the he and his little brother got arrested for riding ATV's on public roads. The state confiscated their ATVs too. It was a good thing for them that they moved away when they did becasue "someone in the neighborhood" was about to get him arrested for dealing drugs out of their front yard as well.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 26, 2016 12:09:41 GMT -5
I'm not finding a match for Zekdarl in the advanced search. Is the spelling correct? Thanks. Larry C. my apologies it is spelled right but is all lower case zekdalr. You can also Google mloganrocks and it will link you to my EBay one way or another, and you can find him in feedback (just look for the big red - sign)...lol... Ebay's search engine doesn't distinguish between upper and lower case letters but you did have the "l" and the "r" reversed in his user name in your first post. I accidentally do that sometimes when typing too (right hand fingers can't always keep up with the left hand fingers). But I've found him now and added him to my "blocked bidder list". Thank you for letting us know! Looking over his left feedbacks he sure has ruined a lot of seller's days! IMO one of the most ridiculous negatives he left was "The beads are way to heavy for there size "... Seriously? ... too heavy for their size? Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 26, 2016 11:27:50 GMT -5
The seller only has a feedback of 100 and has left 61 negatives!!!!!!! Wow!!!! Would you mind PMing me the sellers name so I can put them on my blocked bidders list? I don't know what their problem is but who needs that kind of customer? Larry C. Zekdarl is the Ebay id, look up his "feedback left for others" history. It's an absolute nightmare for Ebay sellers! he will not contact you first for return or anything, he will just hit hit you with a negative. I'm not finding a match for Zekdarl in the advanced search. Is the spelling correct? Thanks. Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 26, 2016 0:28:22 GMT -5
The seller only has a feedback of 100 and has left 61 negatives!!!!!!! Wow!!!! Would you mind PMing me the sellers name so I can put them on my blocked bidders list? I don't know what their problem is but who needs that kind of customer?
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jun 23, 2016 14:07:22 GMT -5
Beautiful! Looks like brush strokes on an Impressionist painting!
Larry C.
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