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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 29, 2018 14:35:11 GMT -5
Glad you got that machine up and running. Sounds like the perfect piece to get that final bit of shine on your glass rocks.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 29, 2018 13:31:27 GMT -5
What a great batch of rocks and superior polishing. How many other folks noticed the VERY suttle banding in the #11 stone. Ya gotta look hard! You're right, it's very subtle banding. But it's complex when you look close enough. ETA - Here is a macro shot of that yellow banding in another KY agate.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 27, 2018 16:51:55 GMT -5
Still catching up on the backlog I have waiting to go into the Lot O. It's been running about once every two weeks, a leisurely pace. This is what I got finished up in March.
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Thanks for looking. I'll try to do photos with a smaller batch next time. Try...
Randy
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 27, 2018 15:10:15 GMT -5
Always like seeing photos of The Wave. Thanks for sharing!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 24, 2018 19:53:05 GMT -5
I would second the Lot O, but if we are talking rotary tumbler, it would be hard to beat the QT66. Double barrels, increased tumbling capacity over the 33B, and larger diameter barrels. Those things will matter, if you want to get more involved in this hobby.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 24, 2018 16:01:07 GMT -5
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 24, 2018 15:28:34 GMT -5
Nice shine on those. I really like that big piece.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 24, 2018 9:12:37 GMT -5
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 24, 2018 8:14:27 GMT -5
That first backlit piece looks like a dog's head, in profile. The second one is a moth. I'm usually not one to notice such things, but those kind of jump out. Again, nice batch, tkvancil. After seeing Mike's video, I guess this thread sealed the deal on my decision to cut Montana's last weekend.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 20:02:43 GMT -5
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 13:38:21 GMT -5
Well done Randy Garage Rocker. I got a sneak peak of your rough photos, and I was left wondering what you had up your sleeve. Very informative. I've not had too much luck with Montanas - not so much with not being able to get a shine, but I must be getting all of the fractured stuff that is out there. I'm not ending up with many flawless pieces at the end of the day. Then again, I'm just throwing the stuff in the barrels, and the pieces aren't too big to start with. I can see where sectioning out the good stuff out of larger pieces is probably the best way to go. Good on you for finding great material. Dave, are you buying Montana agate 'tumbling rough'? That stuff has likely been crushed, literally, in the process. I prefer to buy cutting rough these days. There are fractures in all Montana's, I like to have the whole thing so I can try to cut through the obvious ones. There is some material loss, but you get some clean pieces too. Granted, it is tough to break down the really big ones with the 7" and 10" tile saws, but still worth it.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 13:31:57 GMT -5
First off great post. I have taken to breaking mine along existing fractures, common for Montanas, the fractures. I have a set up using a bench vise that is quite effective. Without scoring the hammer/chisel can sometimes make more fractures, at least for me. Do you find that the larger the rock the longer it takes? Also do you find that flat surfaces tend to go concave when tumbled for long periods of time? Thanks, Ken. I don't like smashing rocks with the hammer, for that reason. A lot of the time, if you can find a natural fracture, the rock will split along that fracture if you start cutting along it. There's some work involved and material loss when prepping Montana's. I have never kept notes on my tumbling process, but going off memory, I don't notice a difference in the time needed to round out a larger piece. Of course, I have pieces coming out all the time and probably just haven't paid too much attention to when they went in. I haven't had any trouble with flats going concave. Do you have any examples?
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 13:24:17 GMT -5
Well done, Jeremy. Those are some of the nicest Rio's I've seen. Looking forward to cutting the Condors I got from Billy, especially now. I think #17 might be one of my favorites here, but they are all top notch. Liking your lightbox pics!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 8:36:40 GMT -5
Love the Spring pics. Always nice to see what we have coming. It would have been really encouraging, if we hadn't got hit with 3" of snow on the first day of Spring.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 8:31:27 GMT -5
Very cool, Rob. That material looks good in a heart. The duck looks labor intensive, but came out great.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 23, 2018 8:29:24 GMT -5
Leave it to Jean. Doesn't matter what language, what continent...she's on it!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 22, 2018 15:52:33 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum. Look forward to seeing your tumbles!
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 22, 2018 14:51:47 GMT -5
These are such good posts, Randy. I love the before pictures, the finished pictures, and the additional information on how to tumble a particular stone. Whenever you do one of these, it makes me want to start tumbling the highlighted rock right away. Unfortunately I have too many rocks stockpiled and not enough time to tumble all of them. Thanks, Rob, appreciate the compliment. If you don't have more rocks than you can tumble, you're doing something wrong! I don't know if I will ever get through all those big honkin' Montana's, but it'll be fun trying. I'm sure I'll consider buying more if I see a good deal on some nice ones. 'Hi, I'm Randy. I'm a rockaholic.'
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 22, 2018 14:40:36 GMT -5
it takes a lot of grit to have that much patience I see what you did there.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Mar 22, 2018 12:56:37 GMT -5
Thanks, Jean rockpickerforever, for the kind words. They really are a great tumbling rock, but they do test the patience.
"Check back about this time next year" - Ain't that about the truth! I sometimes wonder if it is preferable to be honest with newbies. Tell them the truth (It takes longer then one week per stage), or tell them what they want to hear (It DOES only take one week per stage). I don't like to mislead people, maybe it's just me?
Anyway, we want folks to know what they are getting into, not have surprises along the way. Right?
The way I see it, there isn't any reason to sugar coat it. Once someone does the first cleanout with Montana's, they are going to be hit with the truth anyway.
As far as wrapping those pendant shaped stones...uh, no!!! I did a few and took my retirement early. I'll leave that to the nimble-fingered, talented people.
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