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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 11:39:36 GMT -5
Susan, congratulations on a great read with all the appropriate images to covey just what you did. Skillfully presented, well done. From concept to conclusion what was the elapsed time? I could not find that detail and possibly I may have missed it.......... Oh, and you have a very nice clean area for your work to be crafted. Cheers, johnw Hi John. It only took about 2 weeks to get the expando belt changed out for the grinding blades. Most of that time staring in consternation at the computer trying to figure out the differences between the types of blades and bushings. I procrastinated a long time on getting the whole unit bolted down and plumbed up though - that part was basically a weekend (it has extremely impractical attachment points so it was really hard for me to bolt down - had to shorten some bolts, had to recess some bolt heads, etc. PITA.)
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 11:22:58 GMT -5
rockjunquie is thinking of Plumite (Plumosite?) from China. I have some, but it definitely has very round blobs. Colors are a lot the same though. Black matrix. I think #4 is Rhodochrosite, but perhaps from the Colorado mines, not the South American ones. The quartz in it is weird, but the metalic bits are typical. It's not the highest quality Rhodochrosite, that's why it was cheap, but it's a very nice clean pink and should cab up fine.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 6, 2019 11:15:41 GMT -5
Those are great! Love how you captured the symmetry in the pattern on the Cherry Creek/Picasso.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 4, 2019 9:37:00 GMT -5
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 3, 2019 13:51:27 GMT -5
Ok blue & toiv, thanks for the comments. So if I soften out the pretty girdle line it will be more advantageous to bezel setters but still fine for wire wrappers? What about the 12.5 degree angle on the girdle? All my stones have straight girdles, do you also find the angle to be better suited to smithing? Maybe I'll learn the angle technique and make both kinds, that couldn't hurt You definitely need the angle on the girdle. That's what holds the stone into the bezel cup - the bezel "wire" (really it's a strip but it's called wire often) bends over that angled girdle face, that's what holds it in. You don't have to be super exact about what angle you use, but it is good to have it be the same angle all the way around (or the bezel looks funny when set). The tendancy will be to make too much of an angle at first, but you'll quickly get the hang of it. Trying to think of a visual analogy for you about the bezel mechanics . . . can't think of one right now though. Definitely do the angle on all your stones. That will be fine for wrappers and crucial for bezel setters. If you want to cater to wrappers too, maybe make some stones with the sharp girdle corner. Maybe rockjunquie can chime in on that, but I thought I heard somebody say once that wrappers like that sharp corner to anchor their wires on.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 3, 2019 12:16:15 GMT -5
why don't I see bumblebee for sale that looks that good? It's because he has done a decadent and fabulous thing - cut across the top of the rock, rather than in vertical silces. You get a lot fewer slabs that way, and most sellers aren't willing to do it. But the few slabs you do get are wowsers! That's a stunning slab!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 3, 2019 12:14:34 GMT -5
Aaaaah, bmw2003, you now have THE PERFECT EXCUSE to acquire another toy! You need a smaller saw. A little trim saw of one sort or another. Then when you put a 4" or 5" 303b blade on it, the blade will be nice and then. That won't help with your fracturing much though, lol.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 3, 2019 12:04:50 GMT -5
What they said - very beautiful, and great workmanship - square corners, straight lines. Love the choice of colors too.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Jan 3, 2019 12:01:41 GMT -5
Hi Julie. You're getting really good comments on here. I'd like to exapand on what Opalrexia said "almost always gradual, sloping/curved sides with really no definite girdle or "break" where the dome starts." I TOTALLY agree, as an intermediate silversmith.
Before I took up silversmithing, I cut my cabs with girdles with nice sharp corners like a lot of folks on here. They look very nice, and show off how even your cab is. But when I started learning silversmithing and tried to bezel set those stones, I found that the sharp girdle corner is a TOTAL PAIN IN THE YOU-KNOW-WHAT if you're going to bezel set. Like, basically impossible to do well without significant additional (difficult to get right) steps. I'd love to hear how pro silversmiths set stones with sharp girdles (maybe there's some secret I don't know?), but my feeling is that a sharp girdle corner makes a cab a "no-buy-cab" or (if it's really nice, a "buy-it-and-recut-it" stone). I just went and looked at the cabs I have purchased (mostly at the Tucson show, of materials too fancy for me to cut) - none have a girdle line visible.
If you're just going to sell, and not set the stones yourself, you might be fine doing it this way. Wire wrappers seem to like the sharp corner, as it provides a better grip for the wires apparently (don't know exactly). And I wonder if most of the Etsy buyers might be wire wrappers? But if you want to set them yourself, I'd advise rounding over that girdle line more than you're doing.
What I do now is basically what you're doing with one modification. Cut the dome shape with the girdle corner nice and sharp on the initial shaping pass. That helps me judge that the dome height is even and helps prevent grinding the corners down too much (which I also tend to do, haha). But then, I grind the sharp girdle corner off before moving on from initial shaping.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 22:00:00 GMT -5
I looooove moss. That's a sweet one too!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 21:55:37 GMT -5
Not sure a stone business would be super profitable either, but at least he probably got a good price on the rough! Either way, it's gorgeous. If technology made it easier to get right, I'm all for that!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 19:17:37 GMT -5
I bet he made a miniature version from clay or something first. Or if he's a trust fund kid, he probably designed it with a CAD program and 3D printed his test model!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 13:18:33 GMT -5
Yeah, can't make a living doing that! Maybe he's a trust fund kid. And I wonder if he got it right the first time, or how many broke on him when he was halfway finished?
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 11:23:12 GMT -5
Beautiful! And perfect fit on those points in the center - precision!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 11:21:18 GMT -5
Fun video, thanks for posting Scott. That looks like a LOT of work! A mini version in soapstone might be more my speed though!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 30, 2018 11:16:10 GMT -5
I like them all! The Black Butte piece is my favorite though. Striking red!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 29, 2018 15:20:59 GMT -5
a gem show vendor ... that I've become friends with over the years took me aside all excited to show me a bin full of _____" Isn't that just the most exciting feeling in the whole world? cuz you know if THEY'RE that excited about it, it's got to be amazing! Thanks for the story!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 29, 2018 10:58:08 GMT -5
I too just saw the thread, and love your work mossyrockhound. Anytime you want to post a WIP or tutorial, I'd be all eyes/ears!!
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 29, 2018 10:54:46 GMT -5
Those are freaking gorgeous Tommy! My favorites list would be a long post. However, I'm really drawn to the wildflowers rhyolite - where is that from? Is it old stock or can you still get it (hunt or buy)?
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 29, 2018 10:46:46 GMT -5
I like it! I'm always a fan of alternative materials.
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