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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 15, 2019 11:37:12 GMT -5
Ok I did it, I'm going March 20-27 (Wed-Wed). 4 days hounding with Teri and 2 extra days. If anybody else wants to show up, cool!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 13, 2019 22:20:14 GMT -5
Thanks MsAli. I'm partial to the ring myself. It's a rough apatite crystal.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 13, 2019 22:15:11 GMT -5
Actually, after some googling, looks like these, from Oregon, maybe Richardson Ranch: www.mcrocks.com/FTR-A/FTRDanKellyMay22-23,2004.html Might have to copy and paste the link - the comma in it is confusing the link editor. And, that dragon has cataracts! ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 13, 2019 22:14:00 GMT -5
Is that the utah blue opal? From ( ![???](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png) ) St. George area? I'm hearing some very faint echoes in my own mind too but can't place it. Mojave blue agate? Those are definitely opalized thundereggs, except the one that looks like a fossil, hm.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 13, 2019 22:10:34 GMT -5
Eh, Chapenite I think. That bit near the bottom right looks a lot like Youngite, but I think chapenite gets that look too sometimes, and the "bits" are bigger than usually in youngite. Somebody else will know better though, I'm not a chapenite officianado.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 13, 2019 21:59:44 GMT -5
Sweeeeeet. Especially #3. You got me drooling!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 13, 2019 21:44:56 GMT -5
I make my bails from metal clay, and have messed around with it some and taken a couple of seminars. My advice is that it is very (and I do mean very) delicate and fiddly. It's a bit nervous-making for me to use, and I have good dexterity and am detail oriented (it's not going to be rewarding for the fat fingered or seat-of-the-pants type personality probably). That said, you can get great patterns that can't be produced any other way, for simple things, or you can create all manner of amazing stuff if you get more complex, like MsAli linked. If you want to try it, definitely take a class, don't just watch youtube videos. I use a Rio jewelry kiln that I found on craigslist. I haven't had much luck with torch firing but others have. Here are a couple of pics of stuff I've done with it: The band here, I just made a flat piece with the pattern and cut out the rectangule and (carefully, it's brittle) bent it.
![](https://photos.smugmug.com/All/Rocks-2015/i-fzkpQz8/0/289c342f/M/FullSizeRender-M.jpg) And the bail here, which I can get a bit thicker and whatever patterns I want: ![](https://photos.smugmug.com/2017-Rocks/i-dbnfV85/0/5a32540b/M/IMG_3333-M.jpg)
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 12, 2019 17:19:45 GMT -5
Yeah, my cabking doesn't walk, so it must be a problem of yours. Hope you figure it out and get it fixed, that would be really annoying. Mine does, however, have problems with the set screw for the right hand set of wheels - not a solid design, and the CK engineers couldn't help me other than to say "screw it in tighter". Might modify it someday. Also the drainage - I was worried about those little clamps too, but they're still good and tight, several years later. There's really no force on them, so they don't need to be strong. The angle of drainage is bad though - they have it set so your hose has go go straight back, it can't angle downward. In fact, because of the material the drain tubing is made from, it wants to bow up before turning down over the back of the table. I fixed this problem by drilling a slot in the table behind the unit so the tube can go out the back of the tray and then cruise down through the table at a nice angle to the bucket. Mine's an IKEA table (hollow, haha), so that was easy. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) Oh, and I don't think I've ever cleaned the trays - enough gunk seems to wash down to avoid plugging up. Maybe yours came with smaller tubing - mine is 3/4" or so tubing, so hard to clog that.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 11, 2019 16:48:47 GMT -5
Ah, but Common Opals are too polite to do that, only the super fiery ones might have the gumption for that. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 11, 2019 11:49:14 GMT -5
That was fantastic, thanks for posting! I've only ever cut Welo opal, but even that is hard to buy online. The cheapest I've seen rough was in Tucson. May have to cut one tonight now . . . dang. Opals are so pretty, just flashing away at you as you cut them! Not all opal has "fire". There are about 300 types of opal. Common opals do not have "fire". True. I was speaking of opals with fire, flashing you.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 11, 2019 11:37:07 GMT -5
This morning I'm thinking I'm almost definitely going to go. As long as Craig confirms that it would still be worth it without Woodward Ranch and Singleton Ranch.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 10, 2019 20:33:13 GMT -5
Gosh that's sure tempting!!! Especially Stillwell. Anybody else tempted? we could share a rental car.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 10, 2019 20:23:25 GMT -5
That was fantastic, thanks for posting! I've only ever cut Welo opal, but even that is hard to buy online. The cheapest I've seen rough was in Tucson. May have to cut one tonight now . . . dang. Opals are so pretty, just flashing away at you as you cut them!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 10, 2019 10:31:48 GMT -5
I just keep going until it looks shinyish. Sometimes that is higher than other times.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 10, 2019 10:29:42 GMT -5
All beautiful, but I especially like the crinoid marble.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 8, 2019 10:42:02 GMT -5
Love that stuff. You did a beautiful job with those. It's one of those materials that tells you what shape it wants to be, not the other way around!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 19:48:36 GMT -5
That's a beautiful cab Tommy! I agree, it definitely looks like winter!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 15:41:46 GMT -5
But is that an imperfection that you're removing prior to tumbling? Prior to specimen polishing? Cabbing? Big hole? Little hole?
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 14:39:47 GMT -5
johnw: ""Belt or Grinder" for smoothing out "bumps, dings and or pits" and why?" - depends on what your end product is. What are you looking to do with yours?
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 11:52:50 GMT -5
My resolution is to enter the cab contest every month (which will force me to keep cabbing consistently). I also have had too many house (and gardening) time suckers this last year and want to get back to my hobbies. Also, to cut and make at least one cab from every slab I cut or buy this year, rather than sticking them all in the cupboards to "save for later".
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