metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 8, 2017 2:25:19 GMT -5
I didn't expect such pure AO. That is sapphire crushed into grit. Wow! Goshenite, but yeah, same difference. That's just about cuttable!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 7, 2017 5:49:48 GMT -5
OK metalsmith, you got me! Is that REALLY coal cut on your new Facetron? Must know more. captbob - I'm also a fan of the Viburnum Trend and have a few others from this fascinating MRV type formation. I guess a visit is on the bucket list. Don't rock lick the Galena. Darryl. Haha ... yes it is coal. A sub-type of coal anyway. Whitby Jet, a type of lignite coal local to here in NE England is fossilised Araucaria. The image above is hand cut and polished. Below is facetted. More info (tho' not many more pics) here: forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/thread/76274/whitby-facet-added-hand-cutsJet can also be found in France, Mongolia and the US (maybe Russia, I can't remember)
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 6, 2017 14:13:22 GMT -5
Fossilman Good material and free too ... all the better! NDK Yeah, I think maybe I underestimated the work and ran out of beans towards the end. I'll go back and finish the polish later. Pat I did the base with the facetter. I just couldn't get that to square off. Any one side was fine; rotate and do another; repeat, repeat, repeat - still not level. I was tempted to facet the faces too but I don't think dop wax sticks to marble very well. At least not when the prep lacked effort and the dust weakens the bond! Thanks for all your kind comments
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 6, 2017 1:24:50 GMT -5
Shame about the new basalt. In a few hundred million years, those gas bubbles and cavities may be filled with amazing crystals forming from hydrothermal solutions. What is the elevation on the caldera photo? The air appears to be getting a little thin looking down on the clouds. Darryl. Yeah, about 2420m ASL - apparently the air has only 75% of sea level equivalent vol oxygen. Temps were down to zero in the shade from around 20C at SL before wind-chill. We parked the car and walked about 6k around the rim then the family hid from the wind in the rocks and I jogged back for the car and drove around to the pick up point. I'll put a few more photos up at my flickr - warning those not wanting to see lizards in distress look away @shotgunner - surprised to find abundant lizards even up here with shade temps @ to well below freezing.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 17:52:19 GMT -5
I found this 500g piece of marble fly-tipped on the Canary Island of La Palma. There's no marble naturally occurring there so it must have been imported then, surplus to need, abandoned. I cut this obelisk today. The obelisk is the apparently featureless longer left edge of the slab. There's still two-thirds more material to work with. It is tapered from 23mm to 16mm with the opposing faces straight at 20mm; length 103.6mm and coincidentally weight: 103.6g. All the faces are hand cut, except the base. That was the most problematic, because, I think, the length of the 'needle' magnifies the error. Method as below. Polished up quite nicely but tbh, there are a couple of areas need a rework just to bring the finish up to standard. Measure and mark with a pen; cut with a diamond blade - mine was a 40mm diameter pendant from my small bench grinder, but a dremel tool would be quite adequate. On a flat lap, the angles were squared at the obelisk base and the faces slabbed allowing for the taper. The 'peak' was coarsely cut by eye, making sure that the angle across the face kept square. The edges were bevelled again, by eye, balancing the obelisk on its edge and holding the angles between the faces and the lap equal. All of the above was repeated at finer 220, 600, 1200 grades Pre-polishing at 3000 grade and reworking the peak faces until the meet-points were achieved, again double checking the face angle is still square and the rest falls into place. Polish, here, oil-based diamond #3000 using a felt mop on a dremel pendant
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 17:02:14 GMT -5
What do you call Greenstone ... nephrite jade / bowenite / serpentinite / something else?
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 17:00:21 GMT -5
Thanks for the trip pictures, rugged place with lots to see. Surprising to us how many people comment on some areas being so boring to have to cross; they never slow down enough to see all the natural beauty. Back at work this week I overheard someone saying they'd been to the next island (the slightly more well known) Tenerife ... and said they found the week boring! A week! I was gob-smacked. I reckon I could run around there for a year of sundays and still find things to do.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 16:46:22 GMT -5
Beautiful. The dendritic margin adds a wonderful detail.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 16:42:13 GMT -5
Great going! Most excellent cabs!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 5, 2017 13:07:49 GMT -5
hello everyone or anyone who cares to read this? jumped head first into this cabbing stuff after see everones cabbing and countless you tube videos i decided to try it ... hope you liked them. Glad you decided to dip a toe in and try it. Be careful not to get carried away, start enjoying yourself and cut a whole load Oh you did and they're great! To improve the polish (you know this already) you need to go up the grades. A set of 5 different grade diamond polish syringes from the-bay China weren't much $ and helped me along with final polishing.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 4, 2017 16:52:45 GMT -5
That depends on your coal But yes, lovely minerals all the same! (More coal on order )
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 4, 2017 16:45:42 GMT -5
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 4, 2017 16:35:24 GMT -5
They're supercool!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 4, 2017 16:26:35 GMT -5
This jerk hops off the watermelon truck and nails el perfecto tumbles with no effort. Lucky I found a hobby that rewards a keen eye for finding faults, it's normally not a flattering attribute. Hmm - the Mrs doesn't think so!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 4, 2017 16:25:14 GMT -5
Ha, the Bryozoans. Still do not know if they are plant or an animal. Neither do they!!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 3, 2017 17:53:43 GMT -5
Shame about the new basalt. In a few hundred million years, those gas bubbles and cavities may be filled with amazing crystals forming from hydrothermal solutions. What is the elevation on the caldera photo? The air appears to be getting a little thin looking down on the clouds. Darryl. Yeah, about 2420m ASL - apparently the air has only 75% of sea level equivalent vol oxygen. Temps were down to zero in the shade from around 20C at SL before wind-chill. We parked the car and walked about 6k around the rim then the family hid from the wind in the rocks and I jogged back for the car and drove around to the pick up point.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 3, 2017 2:42:54 GMT -5
Nice job all around. Uncommon reptile included. Thanks! Thanks - we find these at a Mirador - a view point. Everyone else is looking at the view. We're on the other side of the viewpoint, looking back at the walls! There are probably mutterings about the 'special family' ... The Moorish Gecko is another thing all together. Frequently solitary, dark and inhabiting shady cracks in black rocks they're difficult to find. Luckily I've brought my young 'uns up to be sharp eyed and appreciate all the things that others just walk past.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 3, 2017 2:38:13 GMT -5
Looks good, my only suggestion is that your bail needs to go the other direction or you need to add a larger jump ring to it. The reason for this is so that it will lay flat when you put it on a chain. Great job for a first wrap. Good suggestion. I wonder if I could twist it without breaking the solder on the back? I'll have to play with it a bit. Yeah, probably. So long as you made a decent job of it, soldered silver is pretty solid. If it is 'biscuit' that's because the join didn't form. It should take a 90 degree rotation no trouble. Of course, your pendant could be worn on leather in a similar way to that presented. That's a good first wrap btw!
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 2, 2017 17:16:48 GMT -5
Two thumbs up on your work and material!! Thanks fossilman! This is today's contribution. I've cut mostly turquoise today, but this slice of Hungarian Plume Agate has been sitting around for a couple of months since I cut it (yep, back in November!) waiting for inspiration. I hope I found it. Anyway, I 'saw' the design and cut the facets.
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metalsmith
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 1,537
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Post by metalsmith on Jan 2, 2017 17:13:51 GMT -5
metalsmith Herbst arrived recently, and I've revised my starting rocks now that I know more about selecting them. Next is the examination and preforming. Your stones look marvelous! Thanks Pat. I thought Herbst(I) was great, if a little simplistic. Vol II looks quite technical ... I haven't gotten into that just yet! Vol I is written in an entertaining style, I'm sure you'll like it and you can make good progress and don't even have to read half of it!
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