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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 17, 2015 15:42:22 GMT -5
Pat, it's also known as Geo-tac, Museum Tac & Earthquake tac. It's an oiless, non staining, non hardening putty that's used to hold valuables from moving around in displays. I buy the stuff by the kilo for my minerals, but it can be bought a few grams at a time too. I'll find a link to one of the sellers if you want to try it.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 17, 2015 14:23:05 GMT -5
Tom, I have the SD Delorme book around here somewhere. Doubt if I'll use it again. Something else you can try on your next SD visit is the visitors centers. They have an excellent map of the SD grasslands & black hills for just over $15.00. It's a topo map that shows all of the back roads, fire roads, trails & something that Delorme doesn't show, The boundries of all privately owned land & Indian reservations. You don't want to get caught collecting in either of those without permission.
Next time you head down here contact me in advance. I can put you in touch with someone who has access to some of the prime collecting areas on private land.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 17, 2015 13:21:14 GMT -5
I'll bet mineral tac would work too. I'm kickin an idea around in my head for a slab drilling clamp. If i decide to make one, I'll post detailed pics.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 16, 2015 17:29:12 GMT -5
nice ! another birthday Don? don't those start getting old? Happy Birthday! Not really Ed. After I reached 70, I started counting backwards. I'll be 66 this time around.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 16, 2015 13:34:57 GMT -5
Thank you Pat. It's nice having a trucker buddy who's also a rockhound. Never really know what he might bring when his job brings him up my way.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 16, 2015 13:20:42 GMT -5
Came a ring of the doorbell this morning. There stood my trucker buddy, his tractor blocking the driveway. He stopped in while in my area to hand deliver an early birthday present. A beautiful plate of smokey quartz from a pocket he found & is cleaning out.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 15, 2015 20:23:49 GMT -5
How about a limb or possibly root cast that didn't quite make it ?
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 15, 2015 11:23:40 GMT -5
A piece I won't cut. This is pet palm collected east of the Calico Ghost Town, San Bernardino Co., Ca. in the Green Ash Hills collecting area. I found this one on the early 90's. These hills had been hunted for at least 40 years prior to me finding this. I wonder how many rockhounds had tripped over this. Every rock on the surface of those hills has the same brown desert tarnish. This piece caught my attention because it resembled a horses hoof. It's the transition point between palm trunk and root ball.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 14, 2015 12:08:40 GMT -5
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 13, 2015 11:32:56 GMT -5
I like to hear things go boom. I would have been tempted to go home for my sniper rifle, and shoot at the fuse from a safe distance.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 13, 2015 11:29:07 GMT -5
Don't have pics, but I have some of my best displayed in a Ryker mount.
I like your idea of foamboard backing. Get some mineral tac to mount them so they don't slide off the backer, yet will be easy to remove if you want to.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 12, 2015 20:35:27 GMT -5
If nobody voted, Obama would stay in office. Where would that get us ? Another 18 trillion in debt ? Despised by even more of the world ? Over run by any looney bunch of terrorists that came along, because our ruller would welcome them & offer them freebies ?
One vote by itself may not make a difference, but millions of those "one votes" can make a huge difference in our future & the future of our country.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 10, 2015 14:22:15 GMT -5
LOL Bob. Think I need a big walk in for my guns. Just inherited 4 more long guns from my father in law.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 10, 2015 12:24:28 GMT -5
Shipping from China. I wouldn't expect much. After the first rough tumble that clear barrel would look like the inside had been sand blasted.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 10, 2015 9:27:30 GMT -5
Pat, first off, The max size saw that you can get away with using water + an additive is 10". Most advise using oil in a 10" saw, but if you empty the sump and spray a little WD40 on the blade after use, you can get away with water.
Most saws up to 10" have a vice which can be either lifted off or folded off to the side for trimming. Most also have a cross feed adjustment so you can cut even thickness slabs. You won't find these features in a tile saw.
The larger the saw, the larger the rock you can slab. A 10" saw will slab a rock slightly larger than fist size, where as a 6" or 8" wont without having to turn the rock in the vice. Doing this leads to uneven cuts, which leads to more wear on grinding wheels to even out the cuts.
Lapidary saws are designed for lapidary use. Tile saws are designed to make straight cuts in thin tiles, tho many people adapt them to lapidary use.
The motor on a tile saw turns at much higher RPM's than a lapidary saw. most tile saws will take a thinner lapidary blade, but the life of the lapidary blade is greatly shortened.
So the question is, do you want to spend the money on a saw which was intended for lapidary use ? Or would you rather spend that money replacing worn out blades & grinding wheels.
I've never owned a tile saw. I suppose they're great for someone just getting started in this hobby. But if you've grown to love the hobby, sooner or later you are going to want a proper lapidary saw, (or 2, or 3, or).
If cost is a problem, ask around on here or at your local rock club. You may be able to find a well maintained saw at a decent price. My first saw was a used 10" Star Diamond. It came without a blade, vice and motor. At that time parts were still available for the saw. I bought a new vice and blade, and salvaged a motor out of an old air conditioner. I think I had a total investment of around $100.00. That was back in the 80's. A few years ago I passed that saw on to a friend. It's still running strong. Don't be afraid of a used saw. Most of the older ones were built much better than the new saws are.
As for saw size, it depends on how much room you have available for it. Each time you go up a couple inches in blade size, you also go up in overall size of the saw. But if you have the room, I'd start out with a 10".
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 9, 2015 22:22:52 GMT -5
If you intend to cut slabs, you'd be better off with a lapidary saw with sliding vice. Power or weight feed.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 9, 2015 21:10:12 GMT -5
What is the matrix, and how hard ? You may be able to soak them in CLR or Lime Away for a couple days. It won't hurt the gem material, but may remove or at least soften the matrix. Anything Mohs 7 and above a soda blaster will clean without damage.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 9, 2015 16:40:56 GMT -5
I'd get a good 6" or 8" lapidary saw. You can even find them with a vice for small slabbing. Lapidary blades are thinner and waste less valuable material. Anything below 10" can be used with water & an additive.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 8, 2015 20:55:32 GMT -5
3 over easy with bacon please.
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Post by jakesrocks on Oct 8, 2015 14:35:08 GMT -5
LOL, my latest is a vintage Hillquist (Raytech) 10" with power feed. Just finished putting it back in working shape & mounting it to a stand. Tony had a new hood sitting on a shelf which he let me have at a great price.
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