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Post by tims on Aug 17, 2017 14:40:42 GMT -5
Have been encountering many skeptics regarding the agatized baculite piece. I did a scratch test and it won't scratch with a nail. Bought muriatic acid today for an acid test and it doesn't fizz. I'm calling it agatized unless someone here can set me straight
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Post by tims on Aug 17, 2017 14:37:08 GMT -5
Cool. I've only cut one so far and missed the inner chambers so it's very blah. If those are sturdy enough to polish they'd make awesome pendants.
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Post by tims on Aug 16, 2017 21:27:48 GMT -5
I'd like to hunt around Glendo and Guernsey but haven't yet. For jasper etc i usually head to the Black Hills or east to Buffalo Gap, closer and a more scenic trip.
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Post by tims on Aug 16, 2017 14:59:30 GMT -5
coloradocliff the clinker I find usually isn't as smoothly weathered as rockdunker's or as large ... most of the pieces I see are fist-size or smaller and any larger pieces are really jagged. I very rarely see any hard material out there other than plain chert, I've found one little mossy agate but almost no jasper / agate / quartz rock out in the shale.
timloco the main mining in that area are coal (some of the largest mines in the country) and bentonite. Lots of oil pumpjacks scattered around and some natural gas drilling. It seems like depending on elevation you hit different shale formations ... I'm assuming the real fossiliferous areas are in the Pierre shale but may be wrong. If I could go back and do it again I think i'd study geology.
Fossilman I saw your baculite post, good luck putting that sucker back together. The only long intact pieces I've found were maybe 1 foot long and super muddy and weathered. The spot i found all these segments was an oddity, usually there are more broken pieces and few intact segments. The spot i was hunting was utterly devoid of plants (no place for rattlers to hide, looks good to me) and most of the pieces were found along the verge of this dead area. For some reason they like to perch right on top of the shale like they can't wait to jump in your pocket.
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Post by tims on Aug 16, 2017 14:31:58 GMT -5
Wow that's a huge one, curious to see it all assembled. I've heard baculite referred to as "walking stick" stone but my longest intact piece is only about 1' long ... still waiting to find a good intact one.
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Post by tims on Aug 16, 2017 1:07:51 GMT -5
I'm wondering whether the colorless transparent pieces might be selenite. It occurs in several spots in the Great Basin. Selenite, i'll try scratching them tomorrow. The clear piece in particular seems too hard but i didn't actually scratch it, and it may be different material than the yellowish pieces. Will read up on selenite and try some basic tests to see if they might be, thanks for the suggestion.
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Post by tims on Aug 15, 2017 22:03:44 GMT -5
All found in Thunder Basin Natl. Grassland, between Newcastle and Wright WY.
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Post by tims on Aug 15, 2017 21:35:32 GMT -5
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Post by tims on Aug 15, 2017 2:22:09 GMT -5
One issue i notice rolling soft stuff in a rotary is that it can make the slurry thick and gummy to the point that it seems to work the motor much harder, and can cause the barrel to jerk and stutter instead of rolling smoothly. I check my tumbler daily at least and it's an easy fix to muck out some mud and add water to thin the slurry, but if it was running unattended for weeks i could imagine it possibly overheating or binding up a motor.
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clinker
Aug 8, 2017 19:44:28 GMT -5
Post by tims on Aug 8, 2017 19:44:28 GMT -5
That is cool stuff. ColoCliff sent me over here to identify the clinker that I have been picking in North Dakota. It sure does shine when polished. Do you have any pics posted? Would love to compare colors.
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Post by tims on Aug 5, 2017 21:22:24 GMT -5
very pretty. now I want candy corn.
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Post by tims on Aug 2, 2017 1:00:59 GMT -5
Teepee Canyon quarry is about 20 miles west of Custer on Hiway 16, and it's just a few miles past Jewel Cave National Monument (worth a look if you like caves). I should have the mile marker memorized but could get it if you'd want to hunt teepees. Also good garnet picking just a couple miles west of custer ... drive in on good gravel off the highway a couple miles, pull off on a dirt turnout, get out of the car and pick garnets out of the road. East of Custer 60 miles or so and you're into Buffalo Gap NG, fairburn country. Even if you don't find a fairburn the drive through Custer State Park is gorgeous (don't pet the buffalo).
For more touristy stuff it sounds like you have the basics covered, and staying in Keystone you're right on top of Rushmore and Needles Highway. Hill City has the 1880 train ride which is fun if you don't mind coal soot. Custer is pure tourist trap but charming, and there are several rock shops. IMO Sturgis is worthless except during rally week (when it's a total nightmare). Spearfish Canyon is a gorgeous drive with some nice waterfalls (Bridal Veil and Roughlock). Deadwood is touristy but fun, and its Mt. Moriah cemetery boasts some venerable names (Wild Bill, Calamity Jane, etc). Lead, directly adjacent to Deadwood, has the massive open-pit Homestake Mine. Belle Fourche is the geographic center of the US and has a small but interesting museum.
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Post by tims on Aug 2, 2017 0:05:47 GMT -5
Just trying to use a bit of logic on the system, I'd guess that the term clinker refers to the way a rock has been modified by heat (due to coal fire or ??) - and the original rock could have been almost any type of material (although some would be more prone to modification than others). Thus I wouldn't expect clinkers to have consistent hardness or utility in lapidary. Some will be nice like the ones posted first and others?? Seeing the reds is not surprising because reds are often enhanced by heating. Are you listening James? So . . . I'm guessing clinker is a generic term describing what happened to a rock rather than where it came from or what it was. OK I"ll go back for my second cup of coffee now. I think the hard and colorful clinker here is primarily baked shale with various impurities that add color. The red i attribute to iron content but it may be a poor assumption. Geological surveys etc for the area focus primarily on the abundant fossil fuels and only mention clinker as a side-note (if at all). For instance: " Differential erosion of soft Tertiary sandstones and shales and more resistant clinker (baked shales resulting from burning of coals seams) create an irregular topography of rolling to steep hills and badlands. " Oil and Gas Resources of Thunder Basin National Grassland, Wyoming www.fs.fed.us/ngp/final/pdf_feis_append/RFD_TBNG_010531.pdf
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Post by tims on Jul 31, 2017 19:03:28 GMT -5
Nice shine on those pretty mossys. They get such nice natural shapes it seems counterproductive to shape them too much.
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Post by tims on Jul 29, 2017 13:56:42 GMT -5
Nice looking pieces, lots of diverse and beautiful stone.
I almost picked up a swap-top on ebay but read some bad reviews that scared me off. Why don't you like it as a lap, is there some wobble?
I ended up buying an old B&I Gem Maker which is worthless as a saw and wobbles enough with the 10" cast iron lap plate that I only use it sparingly for rough grinding. Might have to try a grinder head on it after seeing your setup.
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Post by tims on Jul 29, 2017 13:18:49 GMT -5
Dazzled by the Cherry Creek and palm root. Cherry Creek reminds me of Japanese flower painting.
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Post by tims on Jul 29, 2017 13:14:20 GMT -5
Wow. All your work is superb.
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Post by tims on Jul 29, 2017 13:11:41 GMT -5
Great cuts. The botryoidal floaters are amazing.
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Post by tims on Jul 29, 2017 13:09:04 GMT -5
Fun stones. I immediately thought Mars-scape on the 3rd one too ... spent a minute looking over the edge down into the valley and out across the plain to the horizon.
Something extra-terrestrial about that purple lace too, can't decide which side I love more.
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clinker
Jul 27, 2017 12:41:28 GMT -5
Post by tims on Jul 27, 2017 12:41:28 GMT -5
Nice, is that copper wire? Or copper color? Complement's the stone well. Yeah it's solid copper wire.
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