metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 14, 2017 3:57:13 GMT -5
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on May 14, 2017 3:27:28 GMT -5
The prize for identifying where Mary (ever) takes a breath - or the join between the 2 songs - is just a nice warm feeling.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on May 13, 2017 14:24:47 GMT -5
A respirator is essential equipment. If you have a beard and that stops them working you need to think outside the box. This looks to be a good piece of kit: the air intake looks to be at the rear, which is good if you are facing a dusty working environment, but note that fine dusts go 'global' in any room you are cutting in. The downward pointing exhaust is good too. Keeping things wet and adding outside ventilation can help as well, but whatever you do, don't breathe dust. They're all dangerous and some are poisonous to boot...
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metalsmith
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Member since October 2012
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Post by metalsmith on May 13, 2017 13:47:08 GMT -5
That's cool. The theme is meant to guide, not exclude. Looking forwards to seeing the carving too.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 10, 2017 17:05:00 GMT -5
Sterling work! (pun intended)
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on May 9, 2017 23:49:30 GMT -5
Keep on enjoying your new hobby . More importantly , enjoy the time you and your Dad spend together with the hobby . I'm not overly young, but not too old either (in my mind anyway). I'm part of the 45+ club anyway. Still applies... Maybe more-so!
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metalsmith
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Member since October 2012
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Post by metalsmith on May 8, 2017 12:21:21 GMT -5
This was my first torch. It's a cracker! I still use it pretty routinely as it is quick to pick up and put down. The piezo ignition went wonky pretty quick, but I don't mind lighting it with a lighter or from a tealight. Beyond that I've made many bezel cases, a belt buckle all in sterling and in one case with a small 'igloo' to capture the heat, even melted a small amount of copper. That takes some heat.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on May 8, 2017 12:14:18 GMT -5
In reverse order ... Laguna, vistaite and Orpheus cab 3 - wow! Love 'em.
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metalsmith
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Member since October 2012
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Post by metalsmith on May 8, 2017 12:10:49 GMT -5
Also, note the imperfections (/pitting) on the laguna agate here. Some imperfections don't matter as much as others, but sometimes (in other cases as this is pretty obvious) do let us know that rock is real and not synth.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 8, 2017 12:07:50 GMT -5
If you have deep pits / cracking / crazing, consider grinding locally just to eradicate those; when you're nearly done, pop them back in the tumbler. This means that the majority of the loss of material is limited to where the imperfections are.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 17:25:34 GMT -5
My eventual aim is to make spheres, I know the first step it to make a perfect cube. I had a go at this today and struggled to get all angles to 90° and each face a perfect square. BTW Cutting of square cabs is considered to be really difficult. Cutting a cube will literally take that degree of difficult and add a whole new dimension. A facetter would help nail those 90 degree angles down but in the UK particularly ... £££!
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 17:16:55 GMT -5
Their products look to be pretty much diy anyhow (no disrespect to them). Clearly a decent piece of kit, but not something you couldn't make with some effort. BTW it's good to see another Brit here butcha There have been a few in the past but come and gone and now just me for the last couple of years.
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metalsmith
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Member since October 2012
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 17:13:39 GMT -5
I went to my mate's new place, a lovely little farmhouse in France then identified that some local rocks were magnetic leading to the significance of the location in relation to the Rochechuart meteorite impact zone and so before I left, I cleared half of his driveway gravel for polishing (with permission). He's a great guy!
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 17:10:44 GMT -5
One large tumbler required!
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 0:52:34 GMT -5
...but we're having fun doing it. Dad had this rock that is covered in shells on the outside so he decided to cut it open to have a look inside. We don't know what the rock type is called, but it was sure neat looking on the inside: You can see what the outside of the rock looked like, on the top, and what the inside looks like on the bottom: I cut a piece of Teton Jade the other day and made it pretty thin so you could see what it looked like with a light behind it. Then I took a small piece and just tried rounding it off on one side. You can see what it looked like before and after in the second picture, and the thin piece lit up, first: It's pretty dark, but you can see the lighter colors on the top edge and bottom edge, and if held up to a light you can see the green come through. Not great work on my part, but it was fun to do. Looks like your starting off in the right direction! Jade is hard to get good results on... a difficult first stone. Don't be afraid to come back to it later.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 0:36:46 GMT -5
Haha! From your first post I thought you had done that in 24 hours! I was thinking I'm missing out on something here... since January in the rotary ... LoL!
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 0:33:06 GMT -5
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metalsmith
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Member since October 2012
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 0:31:12 GMT -5
Both good looking. Thanks for showing. I've always liked "devil's toenails" , but wonder what that rock is really. Bioclastic limestone. I don't know how hard it is (in the US you guys seem to frequently get silica cementation / replacement of things that elsewhere would remain lime). It is a shelly death assemblage (don't let that put you off though!) In the UK, Devils Toenails refers to a specific bivalve, Gryphaea but which tend to occur in mudstone/ shales and really do look the part of their name. Since such fossils are found worldwide (hence their use in stratigraphy) it is possible that you have the same in which case the bioclasts are probably a stack of immature bivalves hit by a catastrophic event ... for them anyway!
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 0:24:39 GMT -5
The bloodstone is beautiful, but I suspect that we're not seeing the depth you mention in the Bighorn on a flat-screen 2d image and that really it steals the show.
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metalsmith
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Post by metalsmith on May 7, 2017 0:01:26 GMT -5
Yeah, cut it!
It might be a stack of plagioclase needles (with what I don't know). Whatever it is, the internal behaviour is likely to mirror the exterior and you should beware undercutting. Interesting though and definitely worth further investigation.
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