QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Mar 10, 2015 23:12:47 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 Mar 9, 2015 15:55:43 GMT -5
Nice looking bunch of cabs! The one at the bottom right corner is may fave. 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 Mar 8, 2015 19:06:35 GMT -5
*S* That is so cool. What memories that brings back. My pop bought us one of those when I was about ten years old to work on some agate we got at a Deming rock shop while driving cross country. Cut my first slabette and made my first cabs on that thing. Still was using it to cut jewelry for a girlfriend when I was in college. Don't think she appreciated the jewelry and basically thought I was just some weird nerdy guy ( I was dating way out of my league *L*) but I enjoyed making it anyway. Think the rig pictured might be missing the coolant reservoir though. It should have a little screw on tank with a drip to go on the blades or disks. Funny, now we have all these expensive complicated rigs we work with and back then, that little gizmo was fun and worked just fine. My dad had it set up in his taxidermy shop and I spent many happy hours sitting at the saw or sanding and polishing cabs or flat specimens while he stuffed critters. Even used it to make my first display in JR. high that I loaned to the grammar school where my mom worked....Mel That's very similar to my story. I got my first cabbing machine for Christmas when I was 10 years old. It wasn't the B&I but was a cheaper model that sears sold for a few years that had 4" discs, a plastic housing, and variable speed control. But unfortunately it also had plastic gears that striped out after just a few weeks of use. So the next year I got the 6" B&I unit ordered from the Sears catalog. The B&I units were the Iron Maidens, or I guess in this cast the Aluminum Maidens of flat laps. With their cast aluminum housings, and bronze sleeve bearings with grease cups, the B&I units were next to impossible to damage or wear out. I cut many hundreds of stones on it over the next five years before getting a Lortone unit with vertical wheels. And yes my friends thought I was weird for it too. But in my teens I befriended some older hippie-ish/craftsmen types that were into lapidary, silversmithing, rockhounding, artifact collecting, among other vises who thought it was cool! I later donated that 6" B&I unit to a local ministry but some years later bought another one, the 10" model to use when polishing with messy oxides. The design of the B&I housing helps contain oxide slurry so it doesn't sling polish all over everything else in my shop. Also B&I used to make a hobby grade potters wheel with a very similar design. If I remember correctly WEN or WENN Tools bought out B&I around 1980 and discontinued production. I believe they were produced for over 40 years total. I still recommend old used B&Is as the best value for anyone who wants to get started cabbing on a small budget. 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 Mar 8, 2015 2:00:45 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 Mar 7, 2015 23:18:41 GMT -5
Glenn, Easiest way to get photo files of coins and currency is if you have a scanner. Scan the coins and currency and save the files in JPEG format. You can scan multiples at a time to save space. 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 Mar 6, 2015 13:36:40 GMT -5
Thank you Don for letting me know the link is working. And thank you for your interest in the Owyhee Flower Jasper! I often have buyers ask me to end auctions early and do buy-it-now sales, but once I've listed items in the Auction format I never end them early. I don't think it's fair to others for me to offer something at auction to them and then disappoint those who were interested by stopping the sale early and denying them the opportunity to bid after having made them the offer to do so. Also another RTH member, wannabefishing had asked about the Owyhee Flower Jasper lot that sold last week even before you had, and I had told them I would be listing a new lot and would post a notice here on RTH when I did. Just trying to be fair to everyone. 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 Mar 6, 2015 3:54:32 GMT -5
There is always the buying a good used arbor and stocking it with new wheels alternative. What you see below is my 8" Highland Park arbor I bought at a local estate sale for $50. After new bearings, belt, motor and motor pulley I have about a total of $225 in the functioning arbor unit. The water delivery system I made from a harbor freight aquarium pump, some nylon tubing, a ball valve, a piece of nylon stock, a lead fishing weight, and a couple of plastic five gallon pails all for about $35.00. Then I spent another $1,200 on the wheels. (80gt and a 220gt sintered from Hans, 360 and 600 grit Crystalrings, and 280, 600 and 1200 grit Nova Wheels). Plus I have another space on the right end for my felt polishing wheel. So including the light I have about $1,500 total invested in an 8" cabbing unit that will hold eight wheels. I do have a Poly Arbor sitting next to the HP unit with my 3000 and 8000 Nova wheels that is not shown in the photo. But could have gone with the DP Titan Wheel line up on the HP unit for less and still had room for one more Nova plus my felt wheel. But instead wanted to have the 360 and 600 grit Crystalring wheels mounted with my other hard wheels for convenience. But those two finer grit hard wheels are not necessary in this line up of grits. Anyhow point being, going the used arbor route with new motor bearings, belt, and wheels I came out with only about 50% of what a DP Titan would have cost me not factoring in the several days of my labor.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Mar 6, 2015 0:29:43 GMT -5
Congratulations on your new machine! I'm a believer in taking full advantage of the aggressiveness of new grinding wheels by breaking them in with a pile of pre-forms. 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 Mar 5, 2015 23:24:14 GMT -5
Hey, Just wanted to let those who were interested know that I just listed fourteen new lots on eBay. Just a few simple lots that I didn't get included in on the last round. Only eight of the new ones are cutting rough. The rest are tools and lost wax pattern carving wax ring tubes. Also I relisted a few of the lots that didn't sell last week and lowered the starting price. If the following link fails the new items can be see by going to eBay's Advance search page and doing a "Seller" search for QuailRiver, then if you will select the "Ending soonest" tab is should pull up the new fourteen listings first. Thanks for looking! www.ebay.com/sch/QuailRiver/m.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1Larry 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 Mar 5, 2015 16:38:56 GMT -5
Very pretty assortment! My top three favs are the Amethyst sage, the Blue Biggs, and the Wingate! 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 Mar 4, 2015 10:36:53 GMT -5
With IE I can find your jewelry tool listings but no machinery, rocks etc. Both links take me to the tool page. Hey Rick, Sorry but the last round of machinery and rock listings were auction style listings and ended last week. 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 Mar 4, 2015 10:33:59 GMT -5
LOL Larry. My wife was a little upset about me getting more rocks until I opened the boxes. She spent the next hour wetting rocks so she could study the patterns in them. Now she's OK with 2 more boxes of rocks stacked in the living room. Now if only she'd learn how to help me cut them. LOL! My wife has pretty much given up lecturing me over getting more rocks. As long as they aren't left on her computer table or where she can trip over them I pretty much get a pass these days. 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 Mar 4, 2015 3:47:11 GMT -5
...There used to be a company years ago with terrific prices. People would call and want me to match their prices. I would not. Several called back to order after finding out they added a hefty credit card charge, handling charge, and inflated shipping charge. Bombay Bazar maybe? They were around for years and I believe were owned by a foreigner too, who had some strange business practices. I believe I ordered from them once about twenty-five years ago. If I remember correctly it was a Crystalite last Lap and diamond compound. Still came out a little better than their competitors back then. I think they closed down two or three years ago. I remember hearing something about why but don't remember what it was exactly. 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 Mar 4, 2015 0:30:08 GMT -5
WOO HOO, my picture jasper arrived today. Now if only the weather would cooperate and let me do some slabbing. Larry, my ebay account is acting up. I'll leave feedback as soon as those idiots get it fixed. My goodies came along yesterday as well - I'm hoping the return to daylight savings time = beginning of slabbin' season! Great material, Larry; many thanks! I strongly recommend you all take a look at his items up for bid when he lets us know there's another lot up for grabs. Best regards, Jack I'm happy to learn that your packages made it safely and that you like them. I have just a few more lots to list of rocks I had taken photos of early last fall but that I didn't get listed in that last eBay round. I'll try to get those listings up early next week and will relist any lots that didn't sell last week. But after those it will probably be another month or two before I try taking any photos of rocks out in the sun light. This time of year the sun is still so low in the sky that I have too much trouble getting the light balance correct with my camera. Even in good summer sunlight I still struggle with that. But thanks again everyone! 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 Mar 3, 2015 15:17:17 GMT -5
Love it! Biggs has always been one of my favorites! 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 Mar 2, 2015 23:45:43 GMT -5
Best Wishes for you tomorrow! The 2-3 weeks will be over before ya know it. In the last 13 months I've had four surgeries. Five if you count the last that was actually two different surgeries the same day. I'm just now starting to get back into the swing of things. I lost most of a year to recovery times and physical therapy but it went by quick. 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 Mar 2, 2015 18:01:16 GMT -5
That looks like it would be a good unit for a turquoise cutter too! If somebody here doesn't snatch it up you may want to try posting it on one of the Yahoo group turquoise sites. 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 Mar 2, 2015 12:20:37 GMT -5
If you know of any potters in your area who mix their own glazes, they may be thrilled to get it. Especially since you have so much of it. In addition to having silica, and a host of mineral oxides, the borax will act as a flux for the silica in ceramic glazes. And the presence of fine silicon carbide grit in a ceramic glaze helps deplete the oxygen in the glaze during firing which often improves colors in some glazes. Such as in glazes containing copper, SC can help turn the blue copper colors bright red. Also SC is sometimes used in glazes to create bubble effects. As a "once upon a time" potter myself, I would imagine it would be a lot of fun experimenting with glazes made of rock tumbler sludge! 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 Mar 2, 2015 1:23:09 GMT -5
Great saw! I'm excited for 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 Mar 1, 2015 15:33:45 GMT -5
Great find! And a great price too! Larry C.
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