jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 25, 2017 20:20:18 GMT -5
Started this one pounder yesterday from rotary in vibe w/AO 220. Back to agate media. Should be polished tomorrow Sunday. Early stage of polish at sharp angle. Greenhouse pole starting to reflect. The steep angle reflection test. Lots of hematite. Dry. Photo under heavy overcast so a bit washed. toiv0, thank you very much. Beautiful stone.
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Post by MsAli on Nov 25, 2017 20:28:02 GMT -5
That is going to be gorgeous when you are done
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Post by toiv0 on Nov 25, 2017 20:35:04 GMT -5
Very nice James, that piece is from the actual Mary Ellen mine which the material gets it name. I see faces!
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Nov 25, 2017 20:48:10 GMT -5
She's a beauty, that's for sure. Be sure to show us when she is all polished up.
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Post by Pat on Nov 25, 2017 21:01:58 GMT -5
Love Mary Ellen!
Thanks!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 5:59:50 GMT -5
You have great taste Pat. Fossil, color, pattern, and full of hematite in one package.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 6:10:07 GMT -5
That is going to be gorgeous when you are done And mined in Minnesota Ali...where those fine Norwegian decedents live. Had a childhood crush on the neighbor's daughters from Minnesota for years. 5'10"ish, long legs, straight blonde hair, need more be said. Their Daddy was the one I told you about that was my fishing buddy. oh yea, back to tumbling.. Let 's see how the 2 step works on it, the hematite can be tricky to polish. If it takes 5 steps to get a polish it will get re-run. If memory serves the diamond wheel was challenged when pre-shaping this stuff. Should polish easy due to high hardness.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 6:15:03 GMT -5
She's a beauty, that's for sure. Be sure to show us when she is all polished up. Initial impression is excellent tumbling fodder grizman - passes all 5 categories - hard solid dense tough fractureless. Almost no waste. Gets no better.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 6:35:31 GMT -5
Very nice James, that piece is from the actual Mary Ellen mine which the material gets it name. I see faces! Thanks too much Billy for turning me on to this stone. I believe this stuff formed like the Florida coral by dissolved silica from ocean silica making some dead solid hard rock. One of the few rocks that have few fractures. Had no problem sawing perfect +/- 1 pound chunks out of it. Florida/Georgia coral, some Texas woods and palms and Mary Ellen are hell to shape on the diamond wheel. Dissolved silica from diatoms might be classified as Mohs 7.5 or higher. Super hard stuff. Fine gem stone. Petrified stromboli: Thanks Billy
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 6:47:45 GMT -5
From article:
This ancient rock is the fossilized remains of Stromatolites, stony algae colonies that built up layers and sometimes whole reefs. Now, replaced in sedimentary rock, the beautiful filaments and layered polyps are one of the earliest life forms preserved today. At over 2 billion years old, this primitive species is often credited with providing our oxygen rich environment we enjoy today! I find it fascinating that we can find and use the Banded Iron Formations these creatures laid down, layer after layer in some ancient ocean. Stromatolites are thought to have oxidized the iron rich oceans in which they lived in to iron-rich sediments, that settled on the ocean floor. Their by-product was� Oxygen! Mary Ellen Jasper and Jaspilite are excellent examples of this whole process!
Mary Ellen is a striking rock. Brilliant, intense colors are sometimes very well replaced with micro crystalline quartz that is very hard at a mohs 7 or more in the best specimens. It can be polished to a glass finish with a magnificent shine. Quality Hematite veins also polish to a metallic highly reflective surface.
It takes its name from the Mary Ellen Mine in St. Louis County, Minnesota, where it was first discovered. Rumor has it, the miner who staked out the Mary Ellen claim named the deposit after his girl friend!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 7:01:31 GMT -5
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Post by toiv0 on Nov 26, 2017 7:30:22 GMT -5
Very nice James, that piece is from the actual Mary Ellen mine which the material gets it name. I see faces! Thanks too much Billy for turning me on to this stone. I believe this stuff formed like the Florida coral by dissolved silica from ocean silica making some dead solid hard rock. One of the few rocks that have few fractures. Had no problem sawing perfect +/- 1 pound chunks out of it. Florida/Georgia coral, some Texas woods and palms and Mary Ellen are hell to shape on the diamond wheel. Dissolved silica from diatoms might be classified as Mohs 7.5 or higher. Super hard stuff. Fine gem stone. Petrified stromboli: Thanks Billy Alot of the material we get is fractured, the mines blast and we know what happens then. The materials found in aluvial till was rolled and rolled some more. Lakers are know for fractures. So pieces without fractures are the premium. Will post a pic later that has lots of faces.
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Post by toiv0 on Nov 26, 2017 8:10:13 GMT -5
Faces
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 8:26:33 GMT -5
Faces After sawing a rectangle and having a hard time grinding it rounder to simulate a tumble I ended up being happier with the rectangular faces for better viewing. When polished I want to see this stuff from 3 dimensions. To see the structure of the fossilized stromboli's. I found a site on the internet that sells 2 to 10 pound chunks of what looks like high grade Mary Ellen for 6 to 8 $/pound. greatrough.com/rough_jasper_mary_ellen.shtml
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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 Nov 26, 2017 8:33:35 GMT -5
Ok , now that is just freaking awesome! I love your giant tumbles James. Keep'em coming....Mel
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 9:05:20 GMT -5
Ok , now that is just freaking awesome! I love your giant tumbles James. Keep'em coming....Mel Hard and tough like that silicified Texas chert Mel. Texas chert probably falls in that category of silicification from oceanic diatoms. Apparently those complex super fine skeletons make for an easy dissolve putting out rich usable silicifed solutions. Guessing some of those Texas palms were silicified the same way because some of them are resistant to the diamond wheel.
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Post by MsAli on Nov 26, 2017 9:06:45 GMT -5
That is going to be gorgeous when you are done And mined in Minnesota Ali...where those fine Norwegian decedents live. Had a childhood crush on the neighbor's daughters from Minnesota for years. 5'10"ish, long legs, straight blonde hair, need more be said. Their Daddy was the one I told you about that was my fishing buddy. oh yea, back to tumbling.. Let 's see how the 2 step works on it, the hematite can be tricky to polish. If it takes 5 steps to get a polish it will get re-run. If memory serves the diamond wheel was challenged when pre-shaping this stuff. Should polish easy due to high hardness. I have some small pieces of it that are back with my parents. Didn't know what it was until now, but it was pretty, so in my bucket it went. I might of brought some back with me...need to look through my pile of rocks. When I go back home, we rock hunt the mine pits and the lakes. I end up collecting more than I can pack in a suite case so they stay there. Now I wish I would of brought more back with me. My dad has a tendency to throw my buckets out in the flower beds or in his pond😣 I have a nice piece of Binghamite that I collected from one of the pits, that is in thier curio. He has been instructed to leave it there until I come back and get it. Mn is fun to rock hound in , and you can easily find nice lakers almost anywhere up north. * Lots of tall, long legged blondes up there as well. 😉
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 13:13:01 GMT -5
And mined in Minnesota Ali...where those fine Norwegian decedents live. Had a childhood crush on the neighbor's daughters from Minnesota for years. 5'10"ish, long legs, straight blonde hair, need more be said. Their Daddy was the one I told you about that was my fishing buddy. oh yea, back to tumbling.. Let 's see how the 2 step works on it, the hematite can be tricky to polish. If it takes 5 steps to get a polish it will get re-run. If memory serves the diamond wheel was challenged when pre-shaping this stuff. Should polish easy due to high hardness. I have some small pieces of it that are back with my parents. Didn't know what it was until now, but it was pretty, so in my bucket it went. I might of brought some back with me...need to look through my pile of rocks. When I go back home, we rock hunt the mine pits and the lakes. I end up collecting more than I can pack in a suite case so they stay there. Now I wish I would of brought more back with me. My dad has a tendency to throw my buckets out in the flower beds or in his pond😣 I have a nice piece of Binghamite that I collected from one of the pits, that is in thier curio. He has been instructed to leave it there until I come back and get it. Mn is fun to rock hound in , and you can easily find nice lakers almost anywhere up north. * Lots of tall, long legged blondes up there as well. 😉 Sounds like a guard is needed to protect your collected rocks. Dad has been "instructed", but will he be obedient ? lol. I hope he is not fond of mortaring your rocks in place. Nothing a sledge can't handle. You may need a rake to uncover the rest of your collected treasures.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2017 13:18:07 GMT -5
Stunning when wet and in brilliant light: Up close But in the real tumbling world this rock will have some uneven polish from mixed composition seen in glare
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dakotabirder
noticing nice landscape pebbles
Member since July 2017
Posts: 77
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Post by dakotabirder on Nov 26, 2017 20:40:04 GMT -5
What a gorgeous piece! Looks like a Van Gogh or something.
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