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Post by rmf on Dec 12, 2020 23:21:47 GMT -5
looks like mica on quartz. maybe granite
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Post by rmf on Dec 12, 2020 23:20:44 GMT -5
I have never needed to break in my metal bonded wheels. I coarse grind with 80 grit diamond and then go to 220. The Nova wheels have diamond in a plastic and they require the break in time. the plastic which holds the diamonds has points that dig into soft stones even agates. I use a knife from good will and take the back edge and hold it perpendicular to the wheel and gently knock off the high points. Then I start with the agates as stated above. the finer the grit the longer it takes me to break in. I use 80 & 200 Galaxy wheels followed by 220, 280, 600, 1200, 3000, 8000 Nova Wheels. the 220 galaxy leaves hard scratches and the 220 Nova leaves a better finish and I have less to do on the 289 grit.
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Post by rmf on Dec 12, 2020 10:06:38 GMT -5
goldfinder Though it is possible it is not recommended. The Lortone unit is designed for oil. on the other end it is for water but to keep the rust down you need to clean it out after each use. using water may damage the saw tank over time and you should use a stainless diamond blade. I would use oil in the Lortone and there are other manufacturers that make plastic or aluminum saw housings that would be better suited for water. keep in mind your mileage may vary.
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Post by rmf on Dec 12, 2020 10:00:36 GMT -5
rockjunquie when you try to ball the metal are you using borax on a carbon block with a small divot? If not try adding borax and see if that helps.
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Post by rmf on Dec 11, 2020 11:41:49 GMT -5
dcline75 the closest place to you would be in the Bean Blossom IN area stream beads. This is an ask the locals after about 120 mile drive. The ones I found were all solid much like TN geodes. there may be stuff near Cave City KY near Mammoth Cave but that is again more miles but I highly recommend Mammoth Cave. There are streams in south central KY and Putnam Co TN but I have not hunted them, they are also about 4hrs (300mi more or less) away. If I wanted to make sure there were geodes with holes I would try Keokuk IA. this is a true commitment at about 450 miles. All that said these are all white ocean bottom formation geodes. If you are looking for the more colorful volcanic geodes like Choyas (Mexican coconut), there may be tourist places closer with crack your own geodes.
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Post by rmf on Dec 11, 2020 11:25:21 GMT -5
Tela, I'm obviously no help with this...but I had to say, I really should have more coffee before I start reading the forum...I read "I'm making earwigs..." I thought, "Well that's a new one!" LOL So is that earwig like the insect or did you mean ear wig like the the reason old men have so much hair around their ears - they are wearing and ear wig.
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Post by rmf on Dec 10, 2020 12:05:36 GMT -5
Mel from Yuma & Spokane I don't have pictures but I can tell you I started out 40+ years ago more like @drummond Island Rocks though not quite as well labeled. But now I am more like @azrockgeek. At one point we purchased a collection and my garage was filled and we had pile of rocks outside 4ft high and 20 feet in diameter with no buckets just rock. I don't really know if I have too much stuff or I live in too small a house.
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Post by rmf on Dec 10, 2020 11:54:11 GMT -5
rockhoundmn Yes a scratch test is done dry as you have stated. It is a relative test. Take a glass jar and try to scratch with a pocket knife. It slides over the surface no scratch. they are about the same hardness. If the rock is harder than the agate, the agate will not scratch it and should glide over the surface about like the pocket knife and the glass jar. For softer rocks like feldspars the agate will leave a visible scratch possibly with some white powder which is the pulverized rock scratched out of the softer rock. for equal hardness you still may see white powder where they two rocks grind each other but you should not be pushing so hard you pulverize the rocks. Your observations are right on the $$. once you get a feel for what you are looking at you will not do hardness testing, your eye will take over and only when it gets stumped will you test. You will also learn that quartz and agate are the same hardness but not the same toughness. Agates like the lake superiors you have are tougher than quartz and it is good to separate the quartz and quartzites out from the agates if you have larger diameter tumbler drum like a 6lb or 12lb drum. The toughness does not matter as much in the 2-3lb tumbler drums. Agate is composed of layers of quartz and moganite. this layering makes agates tough. agates will take more impact force than quartz. Also for rocks that you think are harder not just equal hardness. try to scratch your agate with the "harder" stone. sharper edges scratch easier but are not always convenient.
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Post by rmf on Dec 9, 2020 23:16:11 GMT -5
Here's what happens to a thumb when a person decides to make a ring-sized cab with a dremel. Not advisable.
When I was in high school I went to a guys house to learn how to make spheres. He did everything by hand, only home made equipment. I ground the sphere by hand in a steel pipe. After two days of grinding all the skin on my palms was so thin even warm water felt hot.
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Post by rmf on Dec 9, 2020 23:11:46 GMT -5
rmf - very true, 25-40 extra pounds depending on if its the 3 or 1 year old! It's good though, forces me to be a little more selective (a LITTLE). I guess that will encourage you to get them walking faster. I my case my son wants nothing to do with rocks. We took him to too many hunts/shows.
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Post by rmf on Dec 9, 2020 5:14:40 GMT -5
chandler search on your favorite web engine for radiolaria and you will find similar images.
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Post by rmf on Dec 9, 2020 5:10:13 GMT -5
You said, "I'm fairly new to rockhounding, but I'm already obsessed and my favorite thing to do is surface hunting Graveyard Point OR with one of my two daughters in the backpack." I don't know how big your daughter in the back pack is but if you kick her out you can probably carry at least 20 more pounds of rock back:)
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Post by rmf on Dec 9, 2020 4:44:00 GMT -5
What rock formation is this from? I have seen skin images that look similar but most do not. the strata might tell us if the rock is from the correct time period. See if the state has a geological quadrangle of the area. locate where you found the rock and the map will tell you what formation(s) you were in. If you were not well into the Cretaceous-Jurrasic it is not dino skin.
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Post by rmf on Dec 5, 2020 15:06:37 GMT -5
The problem is I want to know what the name of 8 and 14 are. Does someone out there have any guesses?
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Post by rmf on Dec 5, 2020 14:36:16 GMT -5
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Post by rmf on Dec 3, 2020 12:05:12 GMT -5
jasoninsd said Birdseye rhyolite and I agree. Definitely looks like a rhyolite I don't know. Can't recall ever seeing rhyolite with drusy on it. Agreed, I also missed the agate around the orbs at the top. How hard is the white material in the center? How hard is the red material in the center (not the pheoncrysts)?
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Jasper?
Dec 3, 2020 12:02:36 GMT -5
Post by rmf on Dec 3, 2020 12:02:36 GMT -5
How hard is it? H=7 chert or maybe a jasper
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Post by rmf on Dec 2, 2020 18:53:03 GMT -5
chandler can't tell due to erosion on the exterior. Need a fresh break to tell.
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Post by rmf on Dec 2, 2020 18:50:43 GMT -5
jasoninsd said Birdseye rhyolite and I agree. Definitely looks like a rhyolite
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Post by rmf on Dec 2, 2020 18:46:42 GMT -5
rockhoundmn In my opinion start with the best, most consistent rough to get a good result right out of the gate. Follow the store bought recipe that comes with the tumbler to get a feel for what you are doing. So what is your best stuff. Image 6 is mostly Lake Superior agates. they will allow you to see your results with a uniform product of hardness 7. Use one of those agates as your scratch test master until you can visually tell agates and jaspers. Fill the rest of the drum with the stuff that won't scratch from image 5. This is your first batch. Fill the drum about 75% full and do not be afraid to add some pea size pieces to fill up the gaps. Do not use the dremel on this first batch. Learn tumbling first then try the dremel. You can always retumble a stone. Using a dremel is an expensive way to shape rocks due to the burs and time. Be careful not to get the rocks too hot when you use the dremel and wear a dust mask you don't want silicosis. For really dirty rocks you can tumble for a day or 2 in coarse and then wash and sort. You have a great start and some really nice lakers. Have fun!
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