|
Post by rmf on Jan 28, 2024 19:05:26 GMT -5
maximus No, no tumbling required unless you want them rounded like beach stones. the muritic acid rounds and polishes both but the original shape is maintained in a way that is similar to the difference between stones rough tumbled in a vib vs a rotary tumbler.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 26, 2024 19:58:22 GMT -5
I have polished both Green and yellow calcite with muritic acid.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 26, 2024 19:55:42 GMT -5
Thanks Ashley for volunteering. Vance said there were differing opinions on whether they were Crowley Ridge or something else. I don't tumble, but I did examine the nodules and faced polished a few with my Genie. I don't much about agates but they looked like pictures of Crowley. When they are finished and there is interest, I will offer rough nodules here. Yes they look exactly like Crowley's Ridge Agate.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 26, 2024 19:52:19 GMT -5
Tripoli is a polish which works well on Agates. It can also be used as a prepolish. It is composed of SiO2 so it might work well on true jaspers.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 26, 2024 19:48:16 GMT -5
velodromed Not sure if it is Golden Wood or not but it is Golden and it is wood so great find. I am not familiar with Golden wood either but I will check out riverbend lapidary so thanks!
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 24, 2024 22:39:49 GMT -5
don't you just love incompetence
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 24, 2024 22:35:32 GMT -5
zebra61 From what I can see of the fracture angles I'd guess it's Feldspar with bits of Hornblende... the geologist is perhaps correct. ThomasT is correct I think. The fracture is not conchoidal in any way which I would expect from jasper though not 100%. looks like ND rocks are 99.9% sedimentary except for lowest rocks in the Geologic column where there are igneous & metamorphic. This is where we can guess but a picture is not going to give enough info to be sure. Try hardness test if you have any agate or quartz will they scratch your rock If so the rock is Feldspar.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 11, 2024 13:27:37 GMT -5
in the quarries in the Sparta Area there is what is called Calfkiller Agate. I have seen some of that is real solid. Do you know any public rock hunting areas there? That’s something I may have to look into for some marbles. I used to work and live in Rock Island State Park and don’t remember seeing much for interesting geology. It seems hard to find a good place or a community out this way. I have never hunted it but I have purchased a couple of pieces. The knoxville rock club or there are two in the nashville area that might know.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 11, 2024 13:24:36 GMT -5
jasoninsd I like the cab. It looks like it took a great polish.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 8, 2024 20:32:12 GMT -5
in the quarries in the Sparta Area there is what is called Calfkiller Agate. I have seen some of that is real solid.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 7, 2024 19:49:46 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Jan 7, 2024 19:44:25 GMT -5
the green to me looks like a high quartz epidote with hornblende so that might be a amphibole no lapidary name though Or if @perano is correct Olivine and hornblende the it is a Gabbro which is composed of pyroxene and plagioclase depending on % or various stuff. Again no lapidary name other than gabbronorite
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 28, 2023 18:25:27 GMT -5
1Mark K What kind of glue do you use?
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 27, 2023 20:13:30 GMT -5
The last thing you want in a dishwasher or a house drain for that matter is grit and/or rock mud. Won't hurt the drum but the grit and mud can set up in drain traps like concrete.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 25, 2023 12:45:54 GMT -5
When I got the room in our guest house building with almost 30 feet of wall for benches, I thought it was enough. I thought... There is nothing that can't be fixed with just a little more equipment:)
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 25, 2023 5:16:46 GMT -5
The best "dop pot" I ever had was a tuna fish can with dop wax and a frying pan over Mom's gas stove when I was in high school. I put about 1/4" water just below the back of the upside down cab and the tuna can sat in the water too. Uniform heat just below boiling and wax was hot enough as was the stone. When I got out on my own, neither rental property or my home had gas available so I had to improvise with store bought dop pots. I purchased a collection which had a good dop pot in it that worked but I forgot to turn it off once and it burned out. I bought the Rock Rascal one and it is poor. I got really frustrated with it and went to CA.
I finished two stones for a friend by hand (no dop stick) this past week. I can't do the best job that way the stick gives me greater control.
Thanks to all for comments.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 24, 2023 14:48:02 GMT -5
For all cabbers: I quit using dop wax a couple of years ago due to poor commercial dop pots and the time required to redop stones. I have been using Al dops that fix to a handle made by minerken. The dops are attached with CA glue to a cabochon and I remove the glue in acetone. This works great for most stones. I can always fall back to dop wax if needed. However I recently have been considering stabilizing some rocks with Cactus Juice(CJ). When I contacted the maker they said CJ was not soluble in acetone. I found another vendor hawking there "better than CJ" material (due to being crystal clear) and I inquired about it. They stated it is "not soluble" in acetone but CJ is not compatible with acetone because it will dry out and ruin the finish and structure of the CJ. That means it is al least partially soluble or it would not ruin the structure or finish.
So my questions are: 1. is anyone on here using anything different than dop wax or CA glue to dop stones?
2. Has anyone ever tried using elmers glue? I am hoping its solubility would be slow enough that after cabbing I could soak in water for 24hrs and the cabs would come off.
3. any other thoughts recommendations?
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 24, 2023 13:09:20 GMT -5
I don't tumble much any more. When I did, wash over 1/4" screen sitting on a wheelbarrow to get mud/grit off. wash good with spray and drip dry for a min more or less then dump in a 5 cal bucket. Fines/mud from coarse or medium grit I add more water from hose and let it set a min for grit to settle out then pour off muddy water. then if there is grit pour into a 5 gal bucket and add more water to increase rotation motion in bucket. decant remaining mud and recover remaining grit. 220 grit is hard to recover and anything finer is all lost.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 22, 2023 15:28:54 GMT -5
Very interesting read. I swapped my 80 plated for 60 sintered and love it. I switched my 180 soft for a 220 soft and absolutely will not go back. I tried that and the loss of cutting speed was too much so I had to order the 30 grit. The problem with the 30 grit is the chipping I have to stay back from the edge more so I am focusing on the top dome the finish to the outline on 80 grit plated. I am contemplating ordering a specialty wheel but not for now. I have an 80 grit and a 60 grit plated I have to wear out first. I agree with stardiamond I like to cut fast.
|
|
|
Post by rmf on Dec 22, 2023 15:22:19 GMT -5
I like the video but they did not round the left and right side they left it knife edge. On my Titan I have added plastic tubing toe round the edges then last year I added foam water line insulation over that so they are nice and cushy. I do not like the motor on top since it blocks the top where I like to store dops and preforms while working. On the titan the wheels are indeed too close together especially when roughing out by hand. I guess we all have our likes and dislikes but it looks like a good machine and I do not like the fact that the DP units are totally gone if the motor dies.
|
|