barclay
has rocks in the head
Lowly Padawan of rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 510
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Post by barclay on Apr 12, 2015 19:17:33 GMT -5
I went on Kris Rowe's January Mojave Odyssey and he took the group to the outcropping that is affectionately called Christmas Tree. People broke out sledge hammers and gads and only a couple came home with good quantities of nice material. I got a few small pieces. Here is the first one I cabbed. The green section is a lot softer than the red. I had to stabilize it to firm it up a bit. Christmas Tree I remember reading somewhere that Horse Canyon agate was really spectacular and it was a popular collecting place in the 50s - 70s until the property owner refused to let folks collect there any more. One of the older members of our club brought in a shoe box marked Horse Canyon containing mostly smaller pieces he said he collected in the 50s when he was new at rock hounding. I won the box and there are a few pieces in it to make good sized cabs. Here is the first piece I worked. It too had some holes I had to fill and it was a pain having to stop, clean out the hole, stabilize it, let it cure and start again. The two pieces came out ok and I will wire wrap them since they are free form pieces. Horse Canyon
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 12, 2015 19:25:12 GMT -5
I really like your Christmas Tree agate and Horse Canyon cabs, barclay. Nice photography with your cabs and the quartz! Congrats on winning a box of Horse Canyon agate collected in the '50's. I hope you'll show the guy who collected the material your cabs - he'll be proud to see them! What resin did you use to treat the Christmas Tree and Horse Canyon materials?
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barclay
has rocks in the head
Lowly Padawan of rocks
Member since November 2011
Posts: 510
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Post by barclay on Apr 12, 2015 19:57:26 GMT -5
I use Starbond. It is like Crazy Glue on steroids. In 2007 I was visiting a rock shop in Tuscon and they were selling a number of different slabs of stabilized stone. I asked they what they were using and they told me about Starbond. They loved it so much they were asking to become distributors of it. I figure you can't get a better endorsement than that. I ordered it from Amazon. It runs $6.25 for a 2 oz bottle. It comes in a variety of thicknesses. I got the extra thin and porous stone soaks it right up. I used the medium thin grade for filling holes and I think a thicker grade would do better. The accelerator is just acetone. When I use the accelerator it dries instantly, but not evenly. It leaves a bumpy surface so I don't like to use it if I can avoid it.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,686
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 12, 2015 20:06:40 GMT -5
Totally awesome scores!!!!!!!!! Congrds on the win too..............
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 12, 2015 20:08:00 GMT -5
Thanks, barclay. I'll check Amazon for it. I haven't resin-treated anything yet. But have cabbed materials that I think surely needed to be treated or stabilized.
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Post by roy on Apr 13, 2015 9:11:33 GMT -5
nice cabs !
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 13, 2015 10:02:47 GMT -5
Nice! I'm going to have to get some of that Starbond for cabbing Wingate Plume. I have a couple of slabs of that Xmas tree from rough Lowell sent me. Going to have to remember the green is softer when I cab it...Mel
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Post by stephan on Apr 13, 2015 11:17:22 GMT -5
PaleoBond works very well, too. It was developed for stabilizing dino bone. The primary purpose isn't for lapidary, but for museum pieces. IMO, is wonderful for anything lapidary as well.
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Post by pghram on Apr 15, 2015 18:26:40 GMT -5
Great capture on the Horse Canyon.
Rich
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