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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 2, 2017 11:05:42 GMT -5
Here are a couple that I had high hopes for. I still like them even with their imperfections though! (Isn't there some famous quote about that?) Canadian River Plume (finally got a good little sliver of it). The fracture opened up to a huge trench on the surface unfortunately, but it's holding together. That white line really bugs me though, not going to set it. Unknown agate I was going to use for the contest until the center small yellow plume started to disintegrate. It might be fixable with Hyxtal once I get some: Here's the slab, maybe somebody can ID it. I still have the other preform from the other end that might not crater on me, no yellow plumes. Yellow is usually bad news in agates in my experience!
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 2, 2017 11:29:02 GMT -5
Ugh! I hate it when that happens! The worse I ever did was overheat a simply divine agua nueva and CRACK! It's such a beautiful stone that I will opticon or hxtal it one of these days.
The yellow plumes are a big problem in wingate, too. What I have done is coat it with thick starbond to keep it from digging out. Looks fine when you're done.
Did you try some thing starbond on the Canadian plume? Heat the stone under a bulb, apply glue, heat again until dry. As long as it isn't a through crack and just cosmetic, I don't find an issue with doing that. You could probably even recab that one.
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fishnpinball
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Post by fishnpinball on Dec 2, 2017 12:04:48 GMT -5
And of course it is pretty cabs that have issues.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 2, 2017 12:33:59 GMT -5
Wow, that unknown moss/plume is gorgeous! So sorry you had those problems. I can't ID it, only wish I had some. I've had good luck using Hughes Epoxy 330 to fill small voids in cabs. It's much quicker and faster for small jobs than HXTAL and of course much cheaper. Never tried Starbond but after Tela's recommendation I'll hunt some up.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Dec 2, 2017 13:33:52 GMT -5
Beautifully done cabs. Imperfections always have a way of raining on the parade.
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 2, 2017 14:16:07 GMT -5
Wow, that unknown moss/plume is gorgeous! So sorry you had those problems. I can't ID it, only wish I had some. I've had good luck using Hughes Epoxy 330 to fill small voids in cabs. It's much quicker and faster for small jobs than HXTAL and of course much cheaper. Never tried Starbond but after Tela's recommendation I'll hunt some up. The starbond is just a brand of CA glue. I had been using my husband's brand, but switched to starbond because they offer more viscosities. (spell check says that word doesn't exist!) It's really handy to have a choice for each situation.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 2, 2017 14:23:46 GMT -5
rockjunquie, I gave up on CA adhesives because with infrequent use they dried up on me. Every time I started to use it I found the applicator tip was plugged and I had to buy new stuff. I tried everything I could think of to prevent that problem but no cigar. Any suggestions?
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 2, 2017 14:30:46 GMT -5
rockjunquie , I gave up on CA adhesives because with infrequent use they dried up on me. Every time I started to use it I found the applicator tip was plugged and I had to buy new stuff. I tried everything I could think of to prevent that problem but no cigar. Any suggestions? You can store it in the fridge to prolong the life. The starbond comes with several micro tips to apply minuscule amounts with. Where glue stays in the tip, you can snip it off behind the dried glue and reuse it. I haven't really had problems with the regular tip because I knocked the glue down out of it like one would do a hyperdermic needle. Also, you can buy extra tips and micro tips. The starbond has a little cap with a pin in it. eta- you can get applicators separately, too.
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NDK
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Post by NDK on Dec 2, 2017 14:33:15 GMT -5
I always store my super glue tubes in my pen cup on my desk. Keeps them upright so the glue stays out of the applicator tube. Very seldom do I have a tube dry up on me. I always but whatever's cheapest. Usually a 4 pk for a buck or so.
I have also seen a YouTube video of a guy storing it in a baby food jar with I think a dessicant packet. I believe his theory was moisture makes it harden.
If I remember when I get home this evening I'll try to find it.
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 2, 2017 14:49:40 GMT -5
I always store my super glue tubes in my pen cup on my desk. Keeps them upright so the glue stays out of the applicator tube. Very seldom do I have a tube dry up on me. I always but whatever's cheapest. Usually a 4 pk for a buck or so. I have also seen a YouTube video of a guy storing it in a baby food jar with I think a dessicant packet. I believe his theory was moisture makes it harden. If I remember when I get home this evening I'll try to find it. I think I saw that vid. Some brands of CA glue have preservative in them and you don't need to store in a fridge. Starbond does not. I don't store them in the fridge, though- upright, like you say. Never have dried out. DH keeps a pin in the end of his brand. Starbond has one built in the cap. That'll keep air out.
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 2, 2017 22:07:09 GMT -5
I always store my super glue tubes in my pen cup on my desk. Keeps them upright so the glue stays out of the applicator tube. Very seldom do I have a tube dry up on me. I always but whatever's cheapest. Usually a 4 pk for a buck or so. I have also seen a YouTube video of a guy storing it in a baby food jar with I think a dessicant packet. I believe his theory was moisture makes it harden. If I remember when I get home this evening I'll try to find it. CA glues are indeed cured on exposure to humidity, accelerators are mostly water. When I want to speed a cure I just breathe a deep lung breath on it like fogging glasses lenses to clean them, pretty much does the same thing for free.
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Post by socalagatehound on Dec 3, 2017 2:42:56 GMT -5
Two thumbs up!!! I like them both. I think you might be able to fix both imperfections with a little CA glue. The unknown plume for sure. And I'd at least try it on the Canadian River. I'd use the thinnest variety of Hot Stuff (Red), heat the stones in the sun and then drip it on. Let it cure a day and if it doesn't look like it filled, do it again. You might want to grind the glue off the CRiver before you reapply. On the other one, buildup will help, then grind it smooth, or you can use a thicker variety of Hot Stuff (green). I've done it both ways.. Lots of my plumes and mosses get a little glue when the inclusion breaks the surface, and lots of plumes have unfortunate cracks and yours are both killer cabs, so worth the time. Love your work as always!....And I am jealous of that slab. You get some great materials!
Oh, and I use a long, thin, metal dentist probe to clear the glue out of the bottle neck after each use. After that, cap it. Make sure it stays upright, tap it on the table a couple times to send anything left in the neck to the bottom and store in a cool place. Never have much of a problem with plugging up.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 3, 2017 10:15:16 GMT -5
Thanks you guys, both for the sympathy, compliments and the glue advice. I think my hotstuff dried up (it is many years old), so I'll have to reup with either starbond or more hotsfuff or maybe hyxtal. I tried e330 one time and it popped right off when I went to grind the cab.
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zarguy
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Post by zarguy on Dec 3, 2017 13:23:39 GMT -5
Bluesky78987 Susan, I love the plume agates. Those are definitely worth whatever trouble it takes tosave them. I'm a fan of Hxtal, which will render the fractures & pits invisible. As for CA glues clogging the applicator, I unscrew the 2-piece cap & soak it in acetone to unclog. If successful, I can separate the top cap from the screw on part. Lynn
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Post by rockjunquie on Dec 3, 2017 14:34:26 GMT -5
I think that the value and visual appeal of the stone will dictate which to use- Hxtal or CA. I agree that the plume is definitely worth saving.
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victor1941
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Post by victor1941 on Dec 3, 2017 18:05:39 GMT -5
The plume that you have appears to be like some of the Woodward ranch south area and possibly Needle Peak area. This area is near Big Bend National Park and south of Alpine,Tx.
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 4, 2017 9:18:17 GMT -5
Yikes! That Canadian River Plume is almost always very fractured. Met the guy whose ranch it comes from at Quartzite one year. He had a whole trailer full of big boulders and said all the stuff is surface colleced material that had been exposed to a lot of freezing and thawing. I went through a huge pile and could find none that was a good fracture free cutter in a size my saw would handle. Guy would have to pay a bunch for a big boulder and break it along fracture lines to see if one could get good sections, almost like one has to do with Morgan Hill poppy. Beautiful stuff though. Plumes usually kind of in bands and often with red, yellow and black in the same hunk. Red sections were the most solid in what he had.....Mel
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 4, 2017 18:59:02 GMT -5
Bluesky78987 , the moss agate you posted looks a lot like this Indonesian material I saw on Facebook: As for using 330 to fill pits on cabs, it probably won't work well on shallow pits but I've had good success using it to fill gaps on boulder opal and just recently a Feather Ridge plume that had a few open spaces on an otherwise very nice stone. I heat the stone for a couple of minutes under a 100W light bulb, and after mixing the epoxy also warm it the same way (but only 30-45 seconds) to make it more runny. It works well in many situations.
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Dec 4, 2017 22:42:17 GMT -5
Yeah, that plume does look quite similar gemfeller. Interesting re the E330. I have one of those little feather ridge plume slices with the gap in the middle. Might try it. I could see it being TX material also victor1941.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 5, 2017 20:02:14 GMT -5
North Cady's has green/yellow/red plume/moss too. But that is far nicer than any I have seen.
Those Indonesian's! Wow!
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