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Post by HankRocks on Dec 14, 2020 21:29:59 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for all your kind comments! Some thoughts on the materials and cabs... The azurite in barite is sooooo soft, but it does have a bit of a polish on it. You can shape it easily with the 600 wheel and maybe even the 1200. The amethyst sage cab is very thin. I thought about making a doublet with it when I bought the slab a couple of years back, but decided to tackle it straight up. I guess it worked out. I do love that snowy scene. The Bot was almost a disappointment. It's only centered on the front. The red center veers off severely to the left on the back. I love to cab the Singleton ranch stuff, but every time I do I realize I'm reducing my own stash that will probably never be replaced. Sad situation. And the new stuff off the 06 Ranch is wonderful, but lacks some of the colorful displays of Singleton material. If the 06 stays open long enough for Covid to be gone, I'll be there, though. Plumes are still plumes. I should get some more cabs posted tonight or tomorrow. Craig I have not heard about the 06 Ranch, have you seen agate from there? Also waiting on Covid before venturing out too much. Have some larger flat nodules of Singleton material found on the last couple hours of the day I spent on what Teri called Telephone(telegraph?) hill. They show some promise. The slope off to the east of where we parked produced these larger nodules. Need to get them glued and cut. I think that after 3 years they should be just about be ready!!
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 14, 2020 14:05:45 GMT -5
Thanks! Those stones are finished, and I didn't expect more than a nice satin finish. I tend to collect a lot of things like that, lol. Those and my Vernon Wonderstone are some of my favorites. So soft and buttery! I've recently picked up a couple of vibratory tumblers, and am interested to see how they do in those. I also collect a lot of banded calcite that tumbles quite nicely, but again never achieves a super polish. But I just picked up some muriatic acid and am going to have fun giving that a go! Interesting Sue. I've not even heard of using Muriatic Acid for any sorts of polishing. I can't imagine how it would be used. I guess there is no end to learning. You are ahead of me in the tumbling hobby for sure. I wish you the best of luck using it! Thank you for mentioning. Muratic will put a waxy, semi-polish on calcite. Most of the big hunks of massive, non crystalline Calcite you see at Shows has been treated in Muratic, even thought some Vendors will deny it. WARNING!! Muratic and Calcite create really nasty toxic fumes, so be very careful while using it. Should be outdoors with a covered container, and be sure to be down-wind when opening container. Thick rubber gloves are also a good idea. Be careful!!
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 14, 2020 6:45:33 GMT -5
Nice batch.
Everytime I see a nice great piece of the Singleton Ranch material I get a sad feeling knowing that collecting is now closed there. I really need to get cutting on the material I brought back from there.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 13, 2020 16:40:41 GMT -5
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 12, 2020 9:45:06 GMT -5
Jugglerguy It would be interesting to see what an extended run with just rock and water would do. Most of your SiC is going to be reduced to micro particles after 2 or 3 weeks, after that it's the slurry that's going to be doing the work. Nature works that way, of course the time frame is in thousands if not millions of years. On the other hand there is not continuous wear going on in a river, most rocks only move during heavy water flows, a good portion of that time they are buried and not moving. Seem to remember a show on Nova(?) where they took some sample rocks on the Colorado River and drilled and embedded sensors and established position of each. After a period of time with increased flow they back to see how far the rocks had moved. Geologist were astounded at some of the travel distances, even on some of the larger boulders. I don't think they thought about doing any mass change measurements.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 10, 2020 19:01:08 GMT -5
Am I the only person who works outdoors? The only issue for me is a few really cold days and then I either take the day off or start later. Current temperature is 65. During the 100+ days, I start earlier and quit earlier. No mess to clean up. I work outside. My rocks are everywhere, but my saw is on a table on the open patio (covered with junk), my flat lap is used on a table on the patio (after I clean enough rocks off the table to make room for it). My rotary tumblers are on a table in an area next to the patio, which is covered with a large tarp (stuff that doesn't fit in the garage or on the patio). All work done with these machines is outside. But, hey, this is SoCal, not having to worry about snow, lol. No, absolutely not, I do not hoard rocks!
Only my little vibe tumbler (don't even remember the name of it, I'm so bad) gets preferential treatment, it gets to run inside the garage. (Quietness has its benefits!)
Does opening the big garage door count as being outside? Hey the garage is almost like being outside, heated in the Summer and cooled in the Winter!!!
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 10, 2020 17:23:54 GMT -5
Last week I toured the Wesley Bolin Plaza Park at the Arizona State Capitol Complex. The Pearl Harbor name display emotionally affected me. Went back yesterday and captured some pictures. All the 1,177 names from USS Arizona are stamped on metal slabs and individually hung. The artist/architecture of Arizona are real ingenious about capturing the sunlight & solstice shadow. the Memorial is difficult to capture in with my photo skills Hope you enjoy them for what was solemn occurrence have an interest there is plenty of information on the Memorial and USS Arizona en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Bolin_Memorial_Plaza My wife and I went there many years ago and also took the shuttle boat out to the Arizona memorial. Seeing those 1177 names on the wall was an emotional moment that neither of us will ever forget. Thanks for posting.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 9, 2020 9:39:15 GMT -5
I seen Roy was cleaning his shop out because he had only game trails to get around. Well my game trails were blocked by more pails. Well I bought a container. Now I have room for another couple hundred pails abd more equip. I guess I can start with the last trailer load. I have one more yet to haul. When you "Throw down the Gauntlet" you don't mess around, did it have to be the nuclear option!! Guess I need to do a bucket inventory to see where I stand!
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 4, 2020 14:11:03 GMT -5
Thank you very much, 1dave ! I appreciate the kind words, and you know that I enjoy the whole process of learning, and putting the pieces together some come full circle on these Stromatolite guys.
I also agree that lapidary is an art which is evolving for me. When I started out, I used templates for all of my grinding. Dop sticks, templates. This produces a most pleasing result if you are patient and skilled. There is some extra beauty added to a stone which is geometrically shaped or symmetrically fashioned. But I have drifted more towards freeforms this past year. I am trying to let the stone tell me what it wants to be. If that makes any sense! But I believe that each stone has an intended shape or design in mind, and that I just need to find out what that is. I try to allow every stone be that best that it can be. But I am too inexperienced to really be able to do this very often with success so early in my lapidary career.
Wow! Will you look at that!! Your pictures are amazing! All of those little rock guys sitting naturally out there on the plains, waiting to be discovered like that! The coloration of the Eastern Utah ones which you found are incredible. Much richer in color than the ones in my Southern Nevada neighborhood. I was going to spend a bunch of time on the RTH this morning, but your like has me more than intrigued. I am going to have to follow the link and begin to read up on the rocks found in Eastern Utah (where I have spent a great deal of time lately, Gunlock & Holt). Your Rocks of Paradise article was very inspiring and timely for me as well. I appreciate your time very much! "....Be the Rock..."
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 3, 2020 18:01:00 GMT -5
For the last year or so, I have had terrible tip of the tongue syndrome. Words just escape me. They are right on the tip of my tongue but I can't for the life of me remember what they are. I don't think it is a side effect from my daily meds. I also forget things, where I never really did before. Here lately, I've been really worried about my memory and some kind of (early) dementia. My dad had vascular dementia. So, I did some research and ran across a test online. Turns out it's normal age related memory issues. But, man- it sure scared me!!!
Any of you notice this issue as you age? Yes. Doesn't matter who I am talking to, or what the subject is. Some words just escape me. I'll be talking with my Dad, and more and more often, I find myself telling him "I lost my words." Happened today talking with my DH, but did come up with it an hour or so later. I wonder if there is an island of lost words somewhere? LOL. I think there's a whole chain of islands, one for all the missing Pens, and another for all the missing socks. And there has to be one for all the words my wife said she told me but never got to my ears!( I know I am thin ice with that one!!)
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 3, 2020 13:40:17 GMT -5
Oh I am gonna have so many pics...! Thanks Jason and I forgot to add earlier - good point about the 40lb. I would have no trouble keeping it running during warmer months but may come up short during winter. One other point about a 40lb tumbler. It needs to be picked up and moved around every cleanout. I consider myself in decent shape and with decent strength and I would not even consider wrestling a 40lb model on a regular basis, the strain on my back would be an issue. I have 3 - Thumler's Model B's and that gives me the flexibility of running 3 different types of loads. Plus they are reasonably easy to tote around.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 2, 2020 17:27:48 GMT -5
Used Ceramics for a couple of months but switched to Pea Gravel as a cheaper alternative. It is only used for a Run of Slabs/Pendant Preforms or a Run of Arkansas Quartz. In most cases for the Slab/Pendant Preform run I usually have enough trimmings from the Preforms to add and only add the Pea Gravel to make up any difference. For the Quartz I happen to have come into possession of about 3 gallons of small Apache Tears that I use as the smalls. On the Quartz I usually make a couple coarse runs to get enough material to move to the later stages.
I did use Plastic Pellets for a short time, but decided that they were a pain to mess with so I dis-continued their use.
I never add any Pea Gravel to a normal run of Agate, Jasper or Wood. Try to have a size balanced load, but sometimes not. Have a load of Petrified Wood in Pre-polish that has no smalls at all and everything is in the 3/4" to 1.5" range with a few larger
The only time I add Pea Gravel to a Agate/Jasper?Wood run is for Polish as I am moving from a 15 pound Thumlers B to an UV-18 Vib machine. I end up adding about 3 pounds of previously Pea Gravel.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 2, 2020 7:38:18 GMT -5
I suspect that anybody who asks you to make a sphere has no real concept of the work involved. The Saw time alone it daunting. And not just the cutting, the setting up the cuts. At one time I thought about making a few just to do it. I backed off once I understood the work and time required. I had much better ways to spend my time.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 1, 2020 19:08:24 GMT -5
I would say not petrified wood, don't see the grain.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 1, 2020 13:29:31 GMT -5
It seems to me that the 46/70 will breakdown to a extremely fine grit, just not sure it will ever be a true polish as it is still has it's sharp edges. It might give you a close to great polish, but not quite the high polish. Only one way to find out.
I would also think that you will be able to judge progress by the sound. I can usually tell if the run is getting too much slurry rock noise disappears, or getting a smooth finish which gives a different tone to the rock to rock hits or so it seems in my mind.
Talk about patience!! as I quoted the other day, "Beware the fury of a Patient Man!!"
Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 29, 2020 8:18:28 GMT -5
"They swept in out of the frozen wastelands of the North, pillaging as they went. No collection or equipment was safe from this marauding hoard"!!!
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 29, 2020 7:46:53 GMT -5
To kind of give perspective. Here's the trailer. Now that's a "collecting" rig!!!
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 28, 2020 18:13:49 GMT -5
Tela, Belated Happy Birthday!!
At least none of us are getting older!!!
Henry
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 28, 2020 18:10:01 GMT -5
....and a partridge in a pear tree!!!
Seriously, nice haul.
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 28, 2020 7:43:19 GMT -5
1dave Happy Birthday, a bit late but in Geologic time not so much. You are truly the Sensei of this Forum and your efforts to educate are most appreciated.
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