junglejim
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 344
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Post by junglejim on Aug 24, 2014 12:57:17 GMT -5
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Post by braders on Aug 24, 2014 14:42:33 GMT -5
Beautiful jim ..I do alot of cedar tumbles and found ya gotta be pretty picky with it and inspect pretty good for alot of it has lots of fractures not sure if that will help ya out . But thats a nice batch of stones thanks for sharing
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Post by snowmom on Aug 24, 2014 15:07:12 GMT -5
really pretty lot of rocks... most have a dandy shine on them... lots of color...
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bcrockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 418
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Post by bcrockhound on Aug 24, 2014 15:12:13 GMT -5
Beautiful! That's a really colourful, attractive batch. Look like little gummy candies.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 24, 2014 15:18:10 GMT -5
Those are pretty darn shiny, Jim. Were they done in a rotary, vibe, or combination?
Keeping them in rough longer is up to you. I'm sort of a perfectionist, so cracks always bug me. I tumble my rocks in rough until every little imperfection is gone on the outside, but that will never get rid of the cracks through the middle. For those, you have to break or cut the rock along the crack. You have to decide whether the rock will be better as a larger piece with a fracture or as smaller rocks without fractures. I've never had a problem with my tumbler causing fractures as far as I know. I think most of my rocks' fractures are there from the beginning, but become more obvious as they tumble.
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junglejim
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 344
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Post by junglejim on Aug 24, 2014 20:46:28 GMT -5
Jugglerguy, these are done with a rotary vibe combination. I've been tumbling one piece since early April and it still isn't close to where it should be. I don't inspect rocks for cracks but I guess I should start. They probably are there from the beginning but weren't noticed until the end. I think I need to start treating every batch as a contest and leave them in longer in the rough stage. Seeing others batches on here tells me I still have a ways to go.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 24, 2014 21:14:07 GMT -5
I have rocks that go for months in the roug stage too. I have two 3 pound barrels and two 6 pound barrels going now, so I produce enough to occasionally fill my Lot-O. It really helps to speed things up if you have equipment to cheat a little. I use my saw and flat lap to cut or grind off really bad pits or cracks sometimes. Otherwise, you have to tumble the whole rock down to the depth of the deepest hole.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,455
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 24, 2014 21:26:20 GMT -5
Great batch and what colors! Question: Are those Cedar Agates related to Brianhead Agate out of Utah? The sure have a similar look to them......Mel
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junglejim
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 344
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Post by junglejim on Aug 24, 2014 21:45:04 GMT -5
Right now I don't have a saw or other tools to get rid of the cracks, pits and other abnormalities but see a trim saw in my future. Sabre52, these came from Utah so they could be related or the same, just a different name. I love the colors and it's a really hard rock.Defintely shines up really nice.
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Post by nowyo on Aug 24, 2014 23:38:10 GMT -5
Nice colors and nice shine on those rocks. Rob gave real sound advice. I try to break things down but a rock that is really nice except for that one fracture will slide on through. I know I've become a lot more selective on what I bring home these days, but when you live in freeze/thaw land you're going to have fractures. My rejects become driveway gravel.
Russ
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Post by glennz01 on Aug 25, 2014 0:57:48 GMT -5
I like the agates! There are none up here with color especially like that.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Aug 25, 2014 3:24:45 GMT -5
The colors and patterns are awesome. Mustard color is cool. Add red and the patterns.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Aug 25, 2014 6:08:42 GMT -5
some nice material to work with and the vibe gave them a great shine. glad to see you posting tumbles now. agates are prone to pits and fractures. I have found jaspers to be a bit easier to tumble for the flawless shiny look. My brazilian agates I posted recently spent 15-16 weeks in 46/70 grit and that was after heavy grinding on a very aggressive diamond wheel. Without the grinding wheel it would not have been possible to tumble them to be flawless because to tumble out one 1/8" pit means grinding away 1/8" of rock all the way around VS just spending one minute (probably less) on the grinding wheel to remove that spot locally leaving a much larger rock in the end.
Chuck
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Aug 26, 2014 10:06:42 GMT -5
Sweet agates and a fine shine!
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Aug 26, 2014 11:02:15 GMT -5
The "cedar' agates and Brianhead agates are all part of the same formation weathering out of the mountains above cedar city. I find that the agates found in the foothills of cedar city are more colorful/variety than the stuff up at 10,000 FT at Brianhead.
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Joe
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2014
Posts: 274
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Post by Joe on Aug 26, 2014 20:50:29 GMT -5
Beautiful stones Jim!!! Gotta hate when them fractured ones slip in the batch! I have the same problem and am working towards being a lot more selective. Love the variety in colors. Best of luck and happy tumbling
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