zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 20, 2018 9:46:12 GMT -5
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 18, 2018 16:49:53 GMT -5
I'm curious about the vacuum method too but not even sure what we're talking about. Does it require a chamber device or something like a vacuum sealed bag? He sets the slab or preform in a plastic tray, paints it with Hxtal, and puts it in a vacuum chamber. A vacuum pump removes the air from the chamber. He has a glass bell jar and silicone seal on a flat base hooked up to the pump. Release the vacuum & the Hxtal gets pulled into the pores & fractures. He removes the tray from the chamber & does the next slab(s). It's easier to stack multiple trays under the bell jar because it sits on a platform, as opposed to having to reach into a deep steel pot. My chamber is a steel pot with a silicone seal around the rim, & a thick glass plate for a lid. I've used it with Cactus Juice to stabilize porous stones such as chalk Turquoise & Chrysocolla. I picked up a bell jar at a thrift store & will make a base for it. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 18, 2018 13:50:01 GMT -5
I put it in squeeze dropper bottles that I buy at JoAnn Fabrics or other hobby store. I measure it out by the drop - 3 drops of part A to one drop of part B. Perhaps my drops aren't too precise since one part is thicker than the other. When I initially got it from Helen here on RTH, the ratio was 1:2. She said it was the same Hxtal, even though it used a different ratio. I've never mixed enough to do it by weight. A guy I met at the Denver show uses a vacuum and doesn't use heat, but lets it cure for a week or so. I'm going to try that method & see. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 16, 2018 19:57:01 GMT -5
Tommy - resurrecting this to see what you think of that sintered wheel. Should be still grinding along. OMG, it's a workhorse and I love it. I rarely even have to dress it and it just keeps grinding and grinding and barely shows any wear. Just doing a rough calculation based on Etsy sales since this thread I believe I have cut over 1200 cabochons on it and still has a LOT of life left. I haven't dressed my 60 grit sintered. I get a little dip here or there because I'm not great at using the whole width of the wheel all of the time. I level it off by using the extreme edges during the initial roughing out stage. Glad you're loving it. Well worth the initial investment to anyone who cabs alot. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 16, 2018 14:53:50 GMT -5
I've been using an 8" 60 grit sintered wheel from Lapidary Tools (MoHan) from China for about 6 1/2 years. It was about $230 shipped, but costs more now. He sells on Amazon, eBay & direct. It started with 5mm deep of diamond/bronze mix. I've cut several hundred or even more than a thousand cabs with it & I hardly notice any wear. It may outlive me! Inland brand have 3mm of diamond. It is recommended to get it one step coarser than you use in a plated wheel. So 60 instead of 80, etc. I think that the 100 grit you're buying is overkill. I'd do 60 & 180. You get most of your shaping done on the 60. The 180 refines it & then you jump to your 280 soft wheel. I actually have a 360 plated wheel in between. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 16, 2018 14:39:44 GMT -5
It reminds me of Crowley Ridge agates. I'm not sure where they're found, though. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 16, 2018 1:21:18 GMT -5
I love that roadside collected orbicular jasper. You should be proud to have collected something so unique & awesome! Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 16, 2018 1:15:56 GMT -5
I agree with @rocks2dust. Dyed! The hot needle test isn't to detect dye, but to detect stabilazation via resin. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 16, 2018 0:58:14 GMT -5
Overhead drip. I think it may be an extra cost, not sure. I think the price is about $1700, and this is an 8" machine with lots of space between wheels. The soft wheels are 2" wide instead of the standard 1.5". It has a 2 speed motor. Their site is pretty low-key. They don't say much about the machine. I guess they want you to call them & get details. There are authorized resellers on some rock related facebook groups. The name Vince Allred comes to mind. Lynn Would you go EZ cab over 6" cabking? Please and thanks. If I were shopping, I'd get the EZ Cab over the Cab King. I would look at the specs for the Cab King & then call the EZ Cab people or a dealer like Tony ( catmandewe) & compare. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 9, 2018 0:10:30 GMT -5
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 8, 2018 23:02:47 GMT -5
Buy some diamond powder on ebay, some epoxy & recoat your disk. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 7, 2018 11:42:42 GMT -5
fantastic5 - your link links back to this post. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 6, 2018 11:50:27 GMT -5
I've been using Make Offer recently. I've been dealing with a group of Chinese sellers & get accepted at 60-70% of Buy-it-Now price. With that group of sellers, I've never been turned down or been offered a compromise price. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 5, 2018 16:23:56 GMT -5
socalagatehound - Thanks for that feast of plumage. with a side of dendrites & purple! I especially like the Bob Marley moss. You know, the one with green, red & yellow. It reminds me of the color gradient often shown behind pictures of Bob Marley. I've been wanting to go to Texas & collect at the Singleton Ranch after seeing some photos here on RTH. Was that your post? It was probably a year ago. I'm bummed to hear of its closing. It seemed the best choice for this plumehead. What's your recommendation now for West Texas plume agates? Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 5, 2018 15:50:23 GMT -5
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 5, 2018 1:59:16 GMT -5
There's alot going on in those slabs. I'd love to be cabbing that! Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 4, 2018 10:49:25 GMT -5
Tommy - I wonder if the first one is a variation or Rhodonite. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 3, 2018 18:40:29 GMT -5
rockjunquie - Love them all! Especially Raspberry Dino Bone. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 3, 2018 18:06:50 GMT -5
I finally got around to shooting pix of recent cabs & pendants. Brenda agate & some jasper or something on the left, collected at the same location as the agate. As I collected it, I thought it was common opal, but after cabbing it I think it's a very hard jasper. Check out the concentric pattern in the light green. melhill1659 , I was showing it to Chris at the top of the hill. I bet she has some at home too. I found it at both Brenda locations I went to during Quartzite last Jan. Holt Canyon jasper/agate. The 2 on the lower left are from sister slabs. Tallest is about 2".
2 Kingman Turquoise and a self-collected Royston Turquoise. Tallest is about 2". Botswana agate, Holt Canyon agate, Montana Moss agate cab that I cabbed at the age of 12. A free scrap from the driveway of Stan Jones's rock shop in Provo, UT. Cedar City Cosmo agate 2 sided, ready for a cord. This is one of the patterns I love to find, but do so rarely. Grape agate from the San Rafael Swell near Green River, UT. The outer 2 are polished flat on the back & show concentric patterns. The setting was lots of fun to design & make. Egg-sized Grape agate nodule Green Moss agate of unknown origin. Slabbette bought for $1 rock club sale. Botryoidal Hematite, Ocean Jasper, Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper with "facetted" sides & a bull-nose top edge Indian Blanket jasper 2 sided pendant. I live 1 hour from the mine, but bought the slab for this pendant from a Facebook seller in Iowa! The slabs had lots of fissures, but don't see this pattern very often, so I bought them anyway & used Hxtal.
Indian Blanket jasper. We've named the setting UBBB - Uni Back, Bail, Bezel. It's all one piece except for a wire soldered onto the Bail
Indian Blanket jasper in sterling silver
Madagascar River agate 2 sided pendant. This was from a slab in the traveling rock box. It was labeled Zayamara agate & was from melhill1659 . Madagascar River agate that's been ground down, tumbled & heat treated. The heat only affects the outer 1/8" or so. I'd like to try my hand at heat treating so I can get the cabs to look as colorful & contrasty as the tumbles I bought.
Madagascar agate. I love this stuff! I didn't tumble this. I may cut it & make a cab of that top layer.
Moroccan Seam agate
Still cutting Royston Turquoise I gathered 2 1/2 years ago at the mine in Nevada. Tallest is about 1 3/4"
Unknown agate double sided pendant. From a $1 slabette at the rock club
Variscite. First one is purchased slabette. The others are from a larger cab given to me. Thanks Rick! - carver2 on eBay Thanks for looking. Lynn
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zarguy
fully equipped rock polisher
Cedar City, Utah - rockhound heaven!
Member since December 2005
Posts: 1,791
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Post by zarguy on Sept 3, 2018 12:39:23 GMT -5
Looks like Deschutes or Biggs jasper from Oregon. Lynn
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