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Post by tims on Jul 9, 2016 23:31:59 GMT -5
No Pat, i haven't cleaned it up yet but tomorrow i'll give it a soft scrub and try to get a better picture. It's an interesting oddity if nothing else.
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Post by tims on Jul 9, 2016 13:40:52 GMT -5
Hmmm OK, thanks Fossilman. It might just be a weirdly eroded rock, reminded me of a hip or shoulder socket or something. Another mystery yard find that I can't quite fathom why it got picked up originally.
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Post by tims on Jul 8, 2016 22:45:07 GMT -5
So geometry does have a use after high school. That's gorgeous.
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Post by tims on Jul 8, 2016 15:59:25 GMT -5
Sold. Thanks guys.
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Post by tims on Jul 8, 2016 1:30:09 GMT -5
Anyone have a favorite adhesive for repairing broken rock? I'm slabbing some teepee canyon agate, most of which is riddled with hairline fractures, and of course one of my pretty pieces split in half. I've seen threads on adhering stone to jewelry settings etc., would the same adhesives work for stone on stone?
I'm leaning toward epoxy 330. Anyone know if it can be polished ok, or have other suggestions?
TIA
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Post by tims on Jul 8, 2016 1:05:53 GMT -5
Beautiful stuff. Carving and shaping is awesome but there's something to be said for polished rough.
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Post by tims on Jul 7, 2016 2:31:43 GMT -5
I've got a bunch of shark teeth and baculite, probably more than i need. Also some ammonite, clams etc. Shoot me a message and we can put together something for starters. This is all Wyoming / South Dakota origin, collected since the 1940s.
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Post by tims on Jul 6, 2016 21:40:26 GMT -5
OK, that's some cool rock you got there. Whatever you're trying, I like it. Keep up the experimenting and sharing results. I'm really not sure what i'm doing Just trying to put a little shine on some rough cuts for now I guess.
jamesp I took your advice and cut a few little teepee nodules today and spent about 45min total going from 50-3000 on one piece. Waaaay faster than the big slab, especially since it's easier to cut small stuff without getting blade gouges.
![](http://westoncountybuyselltrade.com/miscpics/littletp.jpg)
This piece is 2" x 1 3/4" and it looks better than the rushed photo ... i'm going to wait on the AlO stage until I've got a few pieces ready just to save on cleanup. I'm also going to grab a 8,000 pad, and wish they had something still finer because i'm loving the pads. This piece is still nearly 2" deep but I keep breaking the teepee stuff when I try to cut slabs < 1" thick (the heel piece on this fell apart) so i'm just keeping it as is for now.
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Post by tims on Jul 6, 2016 14:55:03 GMT -5
Nice how the shape shows off the banding.
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Post by tims on Jul 5, 2016 20:37:41 GMT -5
Polished (?) vs Cut
![](http://westoncountybuyselltrade.com/miscpics/polish1.JPG)
![](http://westoncountybuyselltrade.com/miscpics/polish2.JPG)
Got the rest of my pads today and spent the afternoon working through them at 20-30 min. per stage, finishing with aluminum oxide polish on wet leather. I swear it looked shinier after the 3000 pad and before polish but maybe my eyes just got accustomed to the smoother finish. This was a test run so i'm not sure I spent enough time on it for a proper polish ... I figure about 120-180 rpm so 10 or 15 minutes my time per 1 on a lap @ 1800 rpm. I'm also assuming you'd get better downward pressure using a lap which might make it even quicker especially at the rough stages.
I'd like to borrow a good saw and try to get a good thin slab to work on --- i'm guessing the translucence would brighten it up a bit vs. this heel piece. There are some noticeable hairline fractures though that I hadn't noticed before. They seem healed (I can't feel them) but i'm wondering if cutting a thin piece might prove me wrong and break.
Anyway, comments and suggestions welcome.
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Post by tims on Jul 5, 2016 15:24:29 GMT -5
The fossil fish in #9 is neato.
EDIT: IF it's a fish. Do you see any evidence of a skull? maybe you'll get a second opinion. neato nonetheless.
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Post by tims on Jun 30, 2016 15:56:49 GMT -5
Thanks again James. I'll get the 200-3000 in the same 5" as i'm afraid 4" would be a little cramped to work with. I'm not sure exactly how to do the AO stage, would just a wet piece of leather laid over glass work ok?
I've been haunting ebay looking for a cheap 6" lap but it seems the days of smoking deals on ebay are a thing of the past. That's fine though; Summer is slow for my PC business and I've got more time than money. Plus the process is very meditative.
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Post by tims on Jun 30, 2016 3:38:13 GMT -5
These 50 grit diamond pads should last about 50 years hand grinding and sure cut fast. They seem to have very sharp diamonds unlike diamond segments, they cut quick. Must be cracked diamonds instead of dull crystals requiring less pressure. By a set 50-100-200-400-800-1500 to get to polish. 5 inch probably better than 4 inch. Maybe that depends on your range of motion. Or you could just try a 50 grit pad for coarse to try for coarse. I think you would be pleasantly surprised. www.mcgillswarehouse.com/dpp126-5in-50-grit-diamond-pad-for-wet-polishingOK, been at this for a few weeks whenever i need some zen time. I'd started the slab with 80 tumbling grit trying to knock down a fingernail-depth saw mark. After 2+ hours it was only slightly smoother (if at all), my arm hurt, and i was losing hope for hand polishing. When my 5" 50 and 100 pads showed up i gave it another go, and after ~90 minutes with the 50 i had the slab smooth to the touch and free of saw marks. Gave it about an hour on the 100 pad, then an hour with 220 grit, and today an hour with 400 grit. It's not a shiny polish yet by any means but the colors and banding are starting to show better. I ordered some aluminum oxide polish and am debating going from 400 to polish, but i should probably get another intermediate step of 800-1000 in first (correct?). Anyway, the finer grits seem to work better than the course 80 grit did. I'm wondering if maybe a cast iron sheet rather than glass might work better for course grit to hold it in place rather than having it slide around, but since i've got the pads now i have no reason to test it. I'd like to test a 200 / 400 pad vs. the grit to see if they'd be as huge an improvement as the course pads, but since i'm cheap and i have lots of grit on hand that will probably wait. The 400 grit today was interesting; it was 90ish outside so my slurry would go from wet to dry every few minutes, and i could feel the resistance build as if the rock was magnetizing to the glass. After a couple cycles it started getting difficult to pull the slab off the glass in order to spray it with water, and after 30 minutes or so i could easily lift the 2.5 pound glass plate by lifting up on the slab. I'll get a comparison pic of the polished heel slab vs. the unpolished cut when i get to a fair polish ... Haven't been getting any pics during the process but if it works out well i'll try to get some visual documentation on the next piece. Maybe a 4 hour montage video that i'll post to youtube at normal speed as ASMR or something ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) It is kind of soothing and puts my cat to sleep. Oh yeah another thing i'd highly recommend to anyone using the 5" pads is a palm sander. I got a nice ergonomic foam one from amazon for ~$15 and it was worth every penny: Hand Sanding Kit
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Post by tims on Jun 23, 2016 21:38:42 GMT -5
A flat duck staring at seashells. Obviously.
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Post by tims on Jun 22, 2016 15:49:47 GMT -5
Welcome. I'm a noob and have found that even my most obtuse questions usually result in a helpful answer or 3. Be careful though, the sig lines indicating how much $ you're spending on rocks seems to be eerily accurate ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by tims on Jun 22, 2016 15:32:45 GMT -5
"txrockhunter I want to see pics of your rocks from Oceanside if possible when you get a chance. " A few waiting for their turn in the tumbler. ![](http://i1383.photobucket.com/albums/ah290/jawilletts7872/Locations/California/20160620_223142_zpsycxhwuer.jpg) I'm hoping to see this one after a tumble, it smells agate-y (but my nose is often wrong).
The beach shots remind me a little of South Dakota agate beds --- just an overwhelming variety of naturally rounded stone that insists on jumping in your pocket. Having everything wet probably makes them even harder to resist.
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Post by tims on Jun 21, 2016 0:52:40 GMT -5
Those are gorgeous cuts and beautiful agate. Do you have some kind of mechanical feed on your saw? How thick are the slabs to get such nice translucence?
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Post by tims on Jun 15, 2016 14:45:12 GMT -5
That's brilliant, easy to get lost in that piece.
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Post by tims on Jun 15, 2016 14:41:37 GMT -5
The snakes are looking awesome. If I found one on the ground I think i'd walk away before picking it up ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by tims on Jun 11, 2016 14:35:57 GMT -5
Wow James your studio is incredible. Loving the coral displays. Someone from McGill's called me this morning asking about my order. What will I use the pads for? What kind of equipment do I use? What materials do I work on? (But aren't agates round?) They seem very interested in providing customers with exactly the products they need. I wish they would supply the pad without velcro so that it could be glued(epoxy) very flat to face plate. If they ever come out with affordable 8 inch pads they would revolutionize lapping. And a precision aligned face plate unlike my welded 4 inch washer face plates. It might be worth contacting them with your suggestions. Let them know there is a legitimate market for a new product and maybe they'd manufacture it.
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