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Post by nowyo on Jun 28, 2020 6:12:46 GMT -5
Blasts from the past. Yeah, I made a propane tank tumbler, standard 5 gallon tank. Cut a hole in the top, welded on about 2.5 inches of inch Sched 40 pipe, used rubber cap. Worked fine, but it was loud. At our place in Wyoming it wasn't a problem but here in Nevada we have actual neighbors, most of the doing shift work. The original barrel lasted almost two years before it started wearing through running nothing but 36 grit. Made another barrel, and still have it. Really about as cheap and easy a way to make barrels as there is. On the original I welded two pieces of 3/8 rod inside at 180 degrees for kickers, on the second barrel I left those out. No difference in performance, wouldn't bother with them. Sure could get a bunch of rocks through coarse to keep things moving along.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on Jun 25, 2020 11:11:40 GMT -5
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Post by nowyo on Jun 7, 2020 6:52:07 GMT -5
Looks like a great trip. We need to get up that way sometime when things around here settle down a little.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on Jun 7, 2020 6:19:56 GMT -5
Thanks. That's about what I was thinking. Played around a little last winter with some scrap copper I had laying around. Guess I'll pass on the silver for now. Russ I did the math. I needed a 2" x 3" piece of copper for the circle pendant. A piece of 24 gauge silver that size goes for $15. I then took the two pieces of scrap from the circle pendant and weighed those and they weighed 12 grams. The scrap value for 12 grams of sterling by sending it back to RIO is $5. So the actual cost out of pocket to make the circle would be $10. Chuck
Thanks, Chuck. Most interesting. I'll wreck some more copper first before playing with the good stuff.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 20, 2020 13:42:23 GMT -5
Thanks. That's about what I was thinking. Played around a little last winter with some scrap copper I had laying around. Guess I'll pass on the silver for now.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 20, 2020 10:09:30 GMT -5
Very, very nice, Chuck. Just curious, what gauge copper are you using on those?
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 19, 2020 13:06:59 GMT -5
Great stuff, Bil.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 19, 2020 12:32:41 GMT -5
Just saw this thread after Tommy tagged me. Yeah, looks like rhyolite, lots of it around and lots of variation. The high silica content stuff can work up nice and take a decent polish. Here is some we found more recently.
Hardly an expert, just keep running into this stuff. You know what they say about Nevada, things are tuff all over.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 6, 2020 9:52:24 GMT -5
Looks good Scott NRG. That is a pretty area. I looked at properties over south of Westcliffe 20 years ago. There is some nice stuff right there in the Wet Mountains. Lots of cool places farther west in the Sangre de Cristo Range, and you're not far from the Spanish Peaks. Spent a fair amount of time down that way for a few years. Congrats. Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 6, 2020 9:16:37 GMT -5
I think they're great, Russ! Using the moss agate on that last one that let's the light come through is wonderful. Are you using copper foil on them? Thanks. Yes, those were done with the copper foil method.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 4, 2020 8:09:10 GMT -5
Thanks again all. No real skills here, just muddle along and sometimes something turns out not too bad.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 2, 2020 12:03:54 GMT -5
Here to bore you with some pictures from April 27. Another ghost town/mining camp. Ore was discovered in 1871, activity pretty much over by the late 1880's with some minor stuff after that. This one is a little farther off the beaten path. We'll definitely go back to poke around some more.
Be it ever so humble.
Durn the durn traffic.
Some of the rocks we brought home from this location after rinsing the loose dirt off them.
Thanks for looking and have a great weekend.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 2, 2020 11:50:33 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. Kind of un to play around with different things.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 2, 2020 6:28:59 GMT -5
Thanks. Personally never thought of cemeteries as creepy or scary, they're just a place. Historical. Kind of neat, sometimes kind of sad. Now a few more pics.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 2, 2020 6:11:34 GMT -5
Thanks. Need more practice on this stuff but I may get there.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 1, 2020 15:25:56 GMT -5
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Post by nowyo on May 1, 2020 14:48:22 GMT -5
Thanks, Jean, hope you're well. Feeling a little old today and taking it easy. Building a retaining wall. Told the wife I'm getting too old to wrestle 16 foot railroad ties. Wrestling butterflies is easier.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 1, 2020 14:40:32 GMT -5
I've posted up some of the luminaries and things that I've been doing. A friend asked if I could do butterflies. Said we'll give it a shot and see how bad I can mess it up. Here is a herd (gaggle? flock? mess?) of butterfly experiments.
Thanks for looking.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on May 1, 2020 12:44:17 GMT -5
We've been doing some exploring lately. Doing our social distancing for the bad beer virus thing. Easy enough to do since we live in a county with a population density of 1.1 persons per square mile. Rock cut up the road a ways, April 5.
Across the road from the house April 9.
Went for a drive April 11 Looks like there is more of this. Brought home a few pieces to play with. Looks like it may work up okay. Another drive on April 18. Walked up the old road for a while until the sky started spitting snow in us.
Walking back down the old road.
Old foundation. Ghost town here, old mining camp. That's the reason for the old road.
The old cemetery. Most recent date on any of the markers was 1869. Reckon when it's time to be planted, there's worse places to be.
Another grave, with a flower blossoming at the base of the marker.
A little prospect in the hillside.
Part of another foundation.
![](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/49798688482_7decc81bde_c.jpg)
All for now. More to upload when I get time. Thanks for looking.
Russ
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Post by nowyo on Mar 31, 2020 13:24:29 GMT -5
Get better quick , Bill. Guess that'll teach you to kick rocks.
Russ
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