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Post by Peruano on Sept 14, 2021 16:55:53 GMT -5
Perhaps without good reason we tend to expect jaspers to have colors (often reds and browns) produced by contaminants in the silca oxide matrix. Cherts tend to be greyish and less brightly colors. Off the top of my head, I always envision cherts to be formed under water whereas agates and jaspers may form in cavities often far below the surface. But I'm reaching to make those hard rules. Some of the more refined distinctions may be read in www.quartzpage.de/ an invaluable source of photos, definitions and terminology for all of the quartz/chalcedony relatives.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 13, 2021 18:10:12 GMT -5
I tripped upon a bargain tile saw at a community yard sale and forced myself to score it to pass on to someone in the lapidary community. It has a 4 or 4.5" blade, plastic table with a fence as a guide, a guard over the blade to reduce splatters to the horizontal trajectory, and "gasp" a 1/2 hp motor (it must have been a tiny horse). Here's the saw. I had not idea of the condition of the blade but plugged it in through a ground fault interrupter and trimmed a slabette of Marfa plumb agate. Yes it threw plenty of water to the front of the saw and I ended up with a wet right arm. But . . . taking note of the thin lip on the front of the tray and its suitability for holding a plexiglass plate with an aluminum bracket borrowed from the shower surround folks, I was able to fashion a pretty darned dry trim saw. I've posted this aluminum strip before but it certainly warrants search at the home depot or your fav supplier because it allows you to place and adjust a water/oil barrier when and where you need it on any saw with a lip to hold the bracket. One more shot of the working model. If I had to pay retail, I might not select this saw, but when it is costing less than $10 it warranted adaptation. With these little blades costing 7 to 10, you could afford to use it for minor grinding on stones like apache tears before they go into the tumbler. I don't need this saw so its going to be passed on to someone who might try to use it.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 13, 2021 11:22:40 GMT -5
Welcome. Between Colorado and Superior you should have lots of fodder for stimulation and creativity. Show us your stuff.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 11, 2021 19:45:12 GMT -5
I was tempted to say I could drain and muck out my hp14" in an hour but thERE is undoubtedly another hr of clean up. Paper bags seem to be less permeable and I sometimes cheat and only use one per pail but lift carefully when it time to dispose. I tried thrift store pillow cases but they drained no faster. If you have the space buckets can filter for 2 weeks but 75 % of the oil that will be recaptured is probably sooner than that. I use every tool known to squeegee it out but fiber shims from cabinetry or plastic spatulas from tile installation work best to push the muck to the drain. Tilting my saw would not do much to speed the process. The key is to have extra oil like you have and to have time to recycle the used stuff. I won't suggest that you consider cutting cleaner rocks. I hate iron and copper. I enjoy the blues of lapis. I feel for you but hey this fun, que no?
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Post by Peruano on Sept 9, 2021 15:39:43 GMT -5
No, no. Alberta has to have great opportunities for lapidary and rock hounding. Potential sources of info and inspiration are the rock and gem clubs (one is in Edmonton). I have an 8" trim saw fabricated in Edmonton by Mercury Lapidary Co. (I'm assuming in the 60's). I know western Canada is a big place, but given some miles of travel it is a bonanza of rocks and tranquility.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 8, 2021 14:46:43 GMT -5
Welcome. Rocks are tactile and visual. I distribute thumb stones to special people and they are almost always warmly appreciated. What region are you located in?
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Post by Peruano on Sept 8, 2021 9:07:56 GMT -5
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Post by Peruano on Sept 6, 2021 6:10:08 GMT -5
If I ran across a bucket of those , I would certainly look through them carefully for some good stuff. Meaning it looks interesting but its hard to tell what you have from photos. You certainly have a variety of color. The last pic looks like quartzite, the next to last hematite nodules, and the next ? But do some of the ones with cavities appear to have vugs or indications of agates. It would be agate and jasper material that could be represented in some of the darker rocks with indications of a silicated origin. That area appears to be focus of a large wind farm. Is it accessible to the wayward rock hound or only to construction crews and owner authorized folks?
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Post by Peruano on Sept 4, 2021 6:19:30 GMT -5
True, some rock fouls the oil quicker than others. Keep on cutting.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 3, 2021 11:48:12 GMT -5
Could it be you are changing your oil more often than necessary? One criterion for my slab saws is when the oil is so thick that it obscures (not just fogs) the observation window, . . . or when it approaches the chocolate pudding stage rather than just having suspended material. I run my saws hard but not so hard that they need to be cleaned on a two week basis. When I drain my saw about half or more of the volume is rock flour and the actual free flowing oil that runs eagerly out of the saw is limited. So its putty knife and scrapers to the task. Some oils are light enough that the rock flour settles out and leaves a layer of oil on top until it really get foul, but the oils that I have recently tend to suspend the rock material and just get thicker and thicker through time (one the stuff starts accumulating that is). Just thinking out loud here.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 2, 2021 6:33:58 GMT -5
Funny you should mention it. I just added a switch to my trim saw. I've had the saw for years but always had to pull the plug from the outlet with oily hands and a big reach across the work bench. Now with an on/off switch so handy beside the saw, I use the saw more frequently, probably for shorter tasks, and its a better operation in general. So, I agree with your efforts.
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Post by Peruano on Sept 1, 2021 20:25:52 GMT -5
not helpful.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 30, 2021 15:00:31 GMT -5
Its an albatross or frigate. Easy to take that slice off by gluing that face to a 2x4 with wood glue, then take as many slabs off of the back as you have space for. The surface that you like is just as desirable/pretty without a convex mass behind it. IMHO.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 25, 2021 6:20:52 GMT -5
Listen to the old timers long enough and suddenly you "is one". Said kindly, of course.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 23, 2021 11:41:05 GMT -5
A lot of the examples visible in the photos look like a chert. The beige/white base rock blending into the black and reds resemble oxidation and or different quality of the stone. That material should tumble well, probably has sharp edges when broken, and will give a delightful range of shapes and colors when properly prepared and tumbled. To my eye it looks a lot like Pedernal Chert from New Mexico. Google that name if you want to see if it strikes you the same. When I collect in a locale with similar material I often walk roadsides to get the material kicked up and broken by the road graders. It often is broken into tumbler sized pieces and is easily accessible. Enjoy!
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Post by Peruano on Aug 22, 2021 19:46:58 GMT -5
Hey, your time is "free"; the rocks are inexpensive and you can do anything you want with them. The way to learn what will tumble and what will not is to do it. Color is only one index of what a stone is. . . all green autos are not Chevy's or reliable. What you are calling septarians may just be quartz veins in base rock. I'd read a lot, pay attention to cleavage, streak, and granular texture and modestly begin to learn the rocks in your area. I wouldn't trust most ids given on the basis of a photo on the web. Just saying.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 21, 2021 12:06:17 GMT -5
In a vibe, yes.
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Post by Peruano on Aug 19, 2021 8:52:36 GMT -5
I was under the impression that parcel post charges for Guam were heavily subsidized or reduced relative to what they might otherwise be based on distances. Did that change?
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Post by Peruano on Aug 19, 2021 8:50:38 GMT -5
Nice!
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Post by Peruano on Aug 19, 2021 5:57:05 GMT -5
Looks fine to me but you need rock, not ceramics. I use the rule that if the movement is that good, no additional water is needed. If it was slower than that water might be needed. If the water splashes/squirts/pops out, you probably have too much water.
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