pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Aug 3, 2019 16:11:53 GMT -5
Got up real early, had the bug to cut..........early around here is quite time, perfect....!
Phone camera shots of material sliced from rough collected here and there.........rather than mention what the heck it is, I'll state where it came from.
All that was cut this morning
Ophir, UT
Lavic, Mojave Desert, CA
Opal Mtn, Barstow, CA
Holcomb Valley, Big Bear, CA
Holcomb Valley, Big Bear, CA
South Cady Mtns, Btw, Barstow & Newberry Springs, CA
Crafton Hills, CA
Faust, UT
Same as above, just wet
If you pan the pic of the rough, you'll be able to find the source of the slices.......to bad I don't cab, a few would make awesome pendants.
Now onto disc grinding and polish.......I'll refresh here as they come along...........Thanks for lookin....!
|
|
oldschoolrocker
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,540
|
Post by oldschoolrocker on Aug 3, 2019 16:45:51 GMT -5
All are great but the stuff from cady mts def my favorite
|
|
|
Post by TheRock on Aug 3, 2019 18:32:51 GMT -5
Some pretty nice pickens right there!
|
|
|
Post by Toad on Aug 4, 2019 16:44:01 GMT -5
I’m confused, you won’t tumble these?
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Aug 4, 2019 18:23:57 GMT -5
I’m confused, you won’t tumble these? All but a few will get "roughed up" and shaped on 60, 90 diamond faceting disc's first............then onto 120/220 through 800 sic, after which, onto polishing stages......all vibe. I don't rotary when I can disc prep. These I'll take special care to shape and form.......all are about 2" diam and + 1/4" thick.....:
|
|
|
Post by Toad on Aug 5, 2019 3:32:21 GMT -5
Ah, so speeding up with discs. Nice
|
|
NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Aug 7, 2019 15:55:38 GMT -5
You have a real interesting batch of SoCal rock there. I really like the Opal Mtn chunks. I think those could come out stunning. The BigBear stuff looks really cool. I will have to send you a PM some time if I remember, so that I can get the proximity of those rocks from you. I visit a friend up that way semi-often, and would like to find that Honeycomb chunks of rock if possible. Those hills are kind of rugged up there.
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Aug 7, 2019 19:44:00 GMT -5
You have a real interesting batch of SoCal rock there. I really like the Opal Mtn chunks. I think those could come out stunning. The BigBear stuff looks really cool. I will have to send you a PM some time if I remember, so that I can get the proximity of those rocks from you. I visit a friend up that way semi-often, and would like to find that Honeycomb chunks of rock if possible. Those hills are kind of rugged up there. Thanks Bill..........If you are referring to the Opal Mtn. material as "Honeycomb", those slices came from a large chunk of granite encased material that had an interesting vein running through it. We collected several like it, only to find, after cracking all of them open, one that had that matrix. It's hit and miss at Opal Mtn. The area has been mined and re-mined numerous times and picked over heavily. We've been there twice now with the intent to collect Opal. Without serious picking and digging equipment and the ability to cliff-hang, it's been our experience most everything will be on the smallish scale. On the other hand, the South Cady Mtn's, not far from Opal Mtn., will bare fruits worth humping for........4-wheel drive recommended. We are limited to a newer FWD only Jeep Cherokee, although robust, it has it's limitations, so hiking in with limited carrying capacity poses collection quantity issues. Big Bear is still on our to do-over list. Come the end of fire season. If you haven't already purchased the Barstow Rockhound booklet from the Mining Supplies and Rock Shop in Hesperia, CA, I'd suggest you do so for the most complete presentation of hounding grounds in the Barstow, Southern Mojave desert area. It can (could) be purchased on-line and provides a web site with (somewhat) dated GPS coordinate information for many of the areas we frequent....... Word of Caution, the BLM out there has recently changed a few boundary's. The booklet does not represent the latest limitations......and quite frankly, they keep moving all the time....!
|
|
harrym
having dreams about rocks
NH - The Granite State
Member since January 2019
Posts: 59
|
Post by harrym on Aug 8, 2019 8:31:00 GMT -5
pizzano, I noticed your saw. Looks like an MK170. How is working for you?
I have been using a cheepo tile saw I bought at Home Depot for $65 a while back but it's really inadequate for a lot of what I need. Being a hobbyist I'm not into spending pro model type money but this saw looks like it should fit my needs well.
Have you had it long? Do you like it?
Thanks
|
|
NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
|
Post by NevadaBill on Aug 8, 2019 13:13:45 GMT -5
You have a real interesting batch of SoCal rock there. I really like the Opal Mtn chunks. I think those could come out stunning. The BigBear stuff looks really cool. I will have to send you a PM some time if I remember, so that I can get the proximity of those rocks from you. I visit a friend up that way semi-often, and would like to find that Honeycomb chunks of rock if possible. Those hills are kind of rugged up there. Thanks Bill.... If you haven't already purchased the Barstow Rockhound booklet from the Mining Supplies and Rock Shop in Hesperia, CA, I'd suggest you do so for the most complete presentation of hounding grounds in the Barstow, Southern Mojave desert area. It can (could) be purchased on-line and provides a web site with (somewhat) dated GPS coordinate information for many of the areas we frequent....... Word of Caution, the BLM out there has recently changed a few boundary's. The booklet does not represent the latest limitations......and quite frankly, they keep moving all the time....! Thank you for the information regarding the Honeycomb. I had no idea. I appreciate the suggestion on the Barstow book. I bought it last year, and did a few trips out there earlier in the year before it got hot. I mostly ended up empty handed, and defaulted to easy Lavic loctions before returning. I have the GPS locations which contain the updates. I wish I lived out there (I am 3 hours away), but I will return again when it cools off a bit for sure.
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Aug 8, 2019 13:15:22 GMT -5
pizzano, I noticed your saw. Looks like an MK170. How is working for you? I have been using a cheepo tile saw I bought at Home Depot for $65 a while back but it's really inadequate for a lot of what I need. Being a hobbyist I'm not into spending pro model type money but this saw looks like it should fit my needs well. Have you had it long? Do you like it? Thanks I've been using the MK since Feb. 2018. Like yourself, I shopped for a smaller saw (7") that would fit my "hobby" budget, working space, ease of maintenance and a manufacture that has a good rep. Asked a few questions here about wet trim saw's & blade types. The name MK kept being mentioned related to blades, so I looked into MK's saw's and found the model 170 under "tile saw" recommendations (new) for $189.00.......there about $215.00 on the average. I'm very pleased with it. As with any saw, blade selection will make a big difference. MK's blades are a bit pricey but their reputation is outstanding. I tried a couple of their mid price range continuous rim diamond blades, but bang for the buck became an issue. A friend a mine who cuts lot's of flats and polishes for profit, turned me onto a couple of blade types that have worked out great and are available at hardware stores like Home Depot (under $20.00). He has larger and higher end saw's but spends as little as possible for decent blades (he cut's volumes of larger hard material). The brands are Makita, Avanti and KD. If you're looking to just rough cut and shape and not worried about volume loss, the Avanti Pro "diamond turbo rim blade" has been my work horse. It will last quite awhile, my first one (dressed frequently) made it through over 250 cuts of very hard +7mohs material, that's before I finally learned how to cut properly. I'm on my second one now, over 50 cuts no sign of wear. The Makita premium is a continuous rim, a bit thinner than the Makita, which I use for nicer material that I want to just throw into the vibe for tumbling or touch up trim after turbo blade cuts. The KD continuous rim is the thinnest cutting. I use it for material I intend to disc shape and vibe tumble. It is by far the smoothest cutting and leaves less tracking blemishes. Don't know how long it will last, but after +50 cuts it's just now showing a little sign of wear.........I always dress my blades after long sessions of cutting, that really is a key to longer lasting diamond blades regardless of quality and cost...! You'll notice I modified my MK to now include a drainage pan spigot.........the pan is so small, and the draw pump is so efficient (I do not recirculate dirty water through the system), after about 3 to 5 cuts of a 4" thick stone, I was dumping the pan about every 10mins..........now I just let it run-off into a bucket or connect a hose to it and let it run off into my open space. I also made a stainless sheet metal table cover (not shown in the above picture) to run my stones over. The table it comes with will wear over time, causing blade tracking issues. I started to experience this with finer cuts I was trying to make. So I'd recommend or consider both mod's.............. It's a great little saw, very little over spray, easy to clean and replace blades. A little noisy due to it being a brushed motor, but the brushes are available and can be replaced without hassle (haven't needed to yet)...........I'd recommend this saw to anyone that's looking for a small saw, quality and reliability without busting open the check book......lol
|
|
|
Post by adam on Aug 8, 2019 17:30:38 GMT -5
They're all very nice cuts.
|
|
harrym
having dreams about rocks
NH - The Granite State
Member since January 2019
Posts: 59
|
Post by harrym on Aug 8, 2019 19:51:58 GMT -5
pizzano, I noticed your saw. Looks like an MK170. How is working for you? I have been using a cheepo tile saw I bought at Home Depot for $65 a while back but it's really inadequate for a lot of what I need. Being a hobbyist I'm not into spending pro model type money but this saw looks like it should fit my needs well. Have you had it long? Do you like it? Thanks I've been using the MK since Feb. 2018. Like yourself, I shopped for a smaller saw (7") that would fit my "hobby" budget, working space, ease of maintenance and a manufacture that has a good rep. Asked a few questions here about wet trim saw's & blade types. The name MK kept being mentioned related to blades, so I looked into MK's saw's and found the model 170 under "tile saw" recommendations (new) for $189.00.......there about $215.00 on the average. I'm very pleased with it. As with any saw, blade selection will make a big difference. MK's blades are a bit pricey but their reputation is outstanding. I tried a couple of their mid price range continuous rim diamond blades, but bang for the buck became an issue. A friend a mine who cuts lot's of flats and polishes for profit, turned me onto a couple of blade types that have worked out great and are available at hardware stores like Home Depot (under $20.00). He has larger and higher end saw's but spends as little as possible for decent blades (he cut's volumes of larger hard material). The brands are Makita, Avanti and KD. If you're looking to just rough cut and shape and not worried about volume loss, the Avanti Pro "diamond turbo rim blade" has been my work horse. It will last quite awhile, my first one (dressed frequently) made it through over 250 cuts of very hard +7mohs material, that's before I finally learned how to cut properly. I'm on my second one now, over 50 cuts no sign of wear. The Makita premium is a continuous rim, a bit thinner than the Makita, which I use for nicer material that I want to just throw into the vibe for tumbling or touch up trim after turbo blade cuts. The KD continuous rim is the thinnest cutting. I use it for material I intend to disc shape and vibe tumble. It is by far the smoothest cutting and leaves less tracking blemishes. Don't know how long it will last, but after +50 cuts it's just now showing a little sign of wear.........I always dress my blades after long sessions of cutting, that really is a key to longer lasting diamond blades regardless of quality and cost...! You'll notice I modified my MK to now include a drainage pan spigot.........the pan is so small, and the draw pump is so efficient (I do not recirculate dirty water through the system), after about 3 to 5 cuts of a 4" thick stone, I was dumping the pan about every 10mins..........now I just let it run-off into a bucket or connect a hose to it and let it run off into my open space. I also made a stainless sheet metal table cover (not shown in the above picture) to run my stones over. The table it comes with will wear over time, causing blade tracking issues. I started to experience this with finer cuts I was trying to make. So I'd recommend or consider both mod's.............. It's a great little saw, very little over spray, easy to clean and replace blades. A little noisy due to it being a brushed motor, but the brushes are available and can be replaced without hassle (haven't needed to yet)...........I'd recommend this saw to anyone that's looking for a small saw, quality and reliability without busting open the check book......lol Thanks so much for your reply. I did notice your modification with the drain spigot. I know what you mean about having to stop and empty too often - I have a flat lap machine and it comes with a tiny little 8 oz water reservoir and an 8 oz drain cup. Every ten minutes I was either refilling or emptying. I fixed that problem similar to the way you modified your MK. I appreciate the insight with blades, some great info there! Nice cuts by the way - about the size of material I cut - Thanks again!
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Sept 12, 2019 18:45:48 GMT -5
Got some grinding and shaping done on a few of the favorites I cut last month.......: Took about 5hrs to get these done to a point where 120/220 sic & ceramics in the vibe will do their job quickly. Still have over 20 more to complete. Once I get around to those, onto the the vibe cycles.
|
|
Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
|
Post by Fossilman on Sept 13, 2019 9:01:40 GMT -5
Looking pretty good!
|
|
hh5
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2012
Posts: 136
|
Post by hh5 on Sept 13, 2019 14:50:59 GMT -5
I have to check out that saw. Nice stones and I like the idea of prepping them for the tumbler on a diamond lap.
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Sept 26, 2019 0:31:23 GMT -5
Finished one 18hr polish cycle of Cerium Oxide..........think I'll throw them in another CO 12hr cycle just to deepen the shine a bit. They look almost identical to what they did wet after the disc grinding and shaping stage......expect refined......lol The Faust, UT material took a shine, but not a material I'll spend time with anymore.....un-eventful.....but I had to try it anyway. Onto another batch of Lavic.........love that stuff.
|
|