Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 6, 2017 16:13:47 GMT -5
I hate cabbing, have no patience for it, but I still do cabs now and then and finish them in the tumbler. For me, slabbing is the funnest part. It's like opening surprise packages over and over..Mel
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 6, 2017 16:45:15 GMT -5
Slabber, cabber, mineral collector, fossil collector, hoarder of rocks & equipment. Collector of rock, mineral & fossil books. Got bored with tumbling & gave away all of my tumblers.
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Post by socalagatehound on Feb 6, 2017 17:18:27 GMT -5
I'm a slabber for cabbing...for myself. I love to rockhound and find that killer slab in the rock. Then I love to try to find the killer cab in the slab. I do tumble occassionally, but less then once a year.
Craig
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Post by adam on Feb 6, 2017 17:27:17 GMT -5
No equipment to make cabs. So, I just tumble.
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Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,664
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Post by Tommy on Feb 6, 2017 17:58:23 GMT -5
As a tumbler, do you ever see a tumble come out the barrel that screams to be a cab and then cab it? For me it goes the other way - I spend a lot of time shaping and doming out a cab then for whatever reason I lose interest in it and toss it into the "tumble someday" pile.
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 6, 2017 18:05:38 GMT -5
As a tumbler, do you ever see a tumble come out the barrel that screams to be a cab and then cab it? For me it goes the other way - I spend a lot of time shaping and doming out a cab then for whatever reason I lose interest in it and toss it into the "tumble someday" pile. I would have a pile like that, but I know I will never tumble them. I usually give my son those cabs to do with as he pleases. He will usually finish them on the flat lap and sell them or give them away at work.
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Post by Peruano on Feb 6, 2017 18:10:05 GMT -5
Hiker and biker, but always with a rock in my hand. Needed to shape a few beach shells that begged to be pendants, so started grinding (bench grinder with water drip). Grinding resulted in scratches so I started vibe tumbling to remove the scratches, hey this could work for beach pebbles as well. Wow, some of these beach pebbles would work if they were sliced; but now I need to remove the bumps, pits, and enhance shapes with a cab machine; hey I don’t live at the beach so what about those rocks (pet wood, agates, jaspers) in the river cobble 10 miles from my home. Now I need a slab saw, supplemental vibe tumblers, and both nova and expandos to meet the variety of rocks I’m working with. Slabbing is like opening Christmas presents, but I can do it year round. Discovering that opalized wood and falling into some estate opals required a pixie to reduce contamination from harder stuff. Am I collecting rocks or lapidary equipment (both opportunistically). If I played piano, my wife wouldn’t mind if I did it a few hours every day, so how about rocks and all associated activities. I’m a rockaholic. I often slab a tumble to facilitate it becoming a cab. Beautiful women on 5 continents are wearing my pendants and one of them is in Antarctica at present (I hope she took one of my creations).
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Post by rockpickerforever on Feb 6, 2017 18:27:46 GMT -5
Started as a tumbler when a teenager, with tumbler my parents bought for me. They would drive me to rock shops and such, for rough and supplies, but it wasn't until I had friends that drove that I was able GO places to collect my own rocks. High school, boyfriend, desert trips, motorcycle... But by then, I had fallen out of love with tumbling. I wanted to do MORE, have more control over shaping rocks. I hate cabbing, have no patience for it, but I still do cabs now and then and finish them in the tumbler. For me, slabbing is the funnest part. It's like opening surprise packages over and over..Mel Mel, no patience for cabbing? I think tumbling takes way more patience. Weeks and weeks and weeks! (or months) It's not good being ADD, either, I lose interest in things so fast. Moved to slabbing those found rocks later in life, then on to cabbing on a flat lap. Kinda got tired of slabbing - cleaning up oily mess afterwards - and seems I have gone full circle, back to tumbling, ha ha. Now mostly a rock hoarder.
So, which one is it? Since tumbling is what I am doing right this minute, I'll say I'm a tumbler.
Jean
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Roger
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2013
Posts: 1,487
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Post by Roger on Feb 6, 2017 18:31:53 GMT -5
In order I guess that:
I'm a cabber. I'm a slabber. I'm a sometimes wrapper. I play with minerals all the time...
I'm a smith'er. I'm a spherer. I'm a piss poor faceter. Don't let me near your uncut gems..
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bankrunner
starting to shine!
Forager
Member since March 2016
Posts: 29
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Post by bankrunner on Feb 6, 2017 18:44:09 GMT -5
I'd rather take a tumble than take a cab (nothing intended)...the box for others is the box i should probably check. I enjoy foraging the most but have tumbled a few times, semi polished with diamond pads and grinder, made some natural necklaces and have attempted to wrap a couple times. Cheers!
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Feb 6, 2017 19:30:11 GMT -5
Started out tumbling like most. That's what brought me here. Quickly grew impatient waiting months for the rotary so I built cabbing equipment. Really enjoy cabbing. Decided I needed a slab saw so I built one of those too. I'd rather be in the garage working on something than sitting in front of the TV. Havent tumbled in a few yrs so I voted cabber.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,623
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Post by QuailRiver on Feb 6, 2017 19:34:19 GMT -5
... slabbing is the funnest part. It's like opening surprise packages over and over..Mel Yep, Evey day slabbing is like being a kid opening presents Christmas morning. Sometimes you get something really cool and sometimes you just get...well, uh...socks. Larry C.
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Post by adam on Feb 6, 2017 20:10:01 GMT -5
Started out tumbling like most. That's what brought me here. Quickly grew impatient waiting months for the rotary so I built cabbing equipment. Really enjoy cabbing. Decided I needed a slab saw so I built one of those too. I'd rather be in the garage working on something than sitting in front of the TV. Havent tumbled in a few yrs so I voted cabber. Maybe you ought to build a few more slab saws... be a good Samaritan. lol
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Post by pghram on Feb 6, 2017 20:44:52 GMT -5
Only cabbing right now, hope to get the tumblers going again, been idle since the move.
I got into it to pass the time while the tumblers were running.
Peace,
Rich
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 6, 2017 20:49:24 GMT -5
My cabbing machine sits right by the tumbling machines,both going full bore some days...LOL As a tumbler, do you ever see a tumble come out the barrel that screams to be a cab and then cab it? I sure do,especially Montana moss agate....
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 6, 2017 20:51:46 GMT -5
Another question is how did each of us first land here at RTH? was it a google search about tumbling, cabbing, wire wrapping, slabbing etc ... Chuck Was just cruisin' the sites and saw this one... Joined up and been here around 10 years now....
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,685
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 6, 2017 20:56:23 GMT -5
Like Mel,I like the hunt for rocks,than the slabbing.. I would just put the slabs in a bucket and push them in a corner... Now started cabbing and a few wraps,to go with the tumbling,I'm hooked.....LOL
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Post by bobby1 on Feb 6, 2017 23:38:08 GMT -5
I run three tumblers full time. Two 12lb and one 40lb. I tumble rocks for our show, mostly for the wheels of fortune and the various kid's events at the show. I do set aside any for cabbing and put them on our monthly general meeting silent auction. I use a two-step process - one month on coarse grind and one month+ for the polish. I also cab a lot and have started back into carving. I don't sell any of my work at this time. I teach silversmithing, casting, lapidary and carving at the local junior college and lapidary at the annual retreat for the California Federation of Mineralogical Societies in the Sierra Foothills. Bob
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Post by roy on Feb 7, 2017 11:14:41 GMT -5
Sorry, roy and all you slabbers. I don't see a way to edit the poll. If you primarily slab, add it to the comments, I'll add it to the tally at the end. no worries as a hobbie i do all of the above and more
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pistal44
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2017
Posts: 12
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Post by pistal44 on Feb 7, 2017 16:36:28 GMT -5
Tumbler with training wheels at the moment.
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