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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 19, 2011 21:06:12 GMT -5
Not sue about the topography of your area, but rock cuts along highways can often expose material in veins and outcrops. Obviously, the rural routes are a little less conspicuous.
Rocky streams are also a good place to find exposed material if you have any. Rocky beaches and rocky lakeshores are also good.
Look for abandoned quarries and abandoned mines. Often they are published by agencies or in collecting guides. You may have to make ay trips if there is nothing in your immediate area.
Don`t overlook building material resellers. Often decorative rock salvaged from old buildings is available.
In our area, the local monument and coutertop finishers will leave their scrap out for the picking.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 19, 2011 7:56:31 GMT -5
I am getting a little more adventurous with my new found cabbing obsession and have some questions about glue.
(1) For filling cracks and pits in the polished face, do you use the same glue as you would for gluing a doublet. ie - Epoxy 330.
(2) To glue a for intrasia like work, how polished should the glued faces be for bonding. Rough faces (80 mesh or 180 mesh) would give the best adhesion. Smooth faces (325 mesh or 600 mesh) would give a clean appearance. There must be a `sweet spot` for gluing.
(3) To glue a true doublet, the kind you see through a clear cover, how polished should the glued faces be for bonding. Do scratches between the glued pieces appear through the clear cover.
Thanks for any advice from all you veteran cabbers. I`m learning FAST and having a BLAST!
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 17, 2011 23:55:36 GMT -5
Don:
Thanks for the tip on the bezel on the underside. Chipping has been a problem common to my cabs so far. I edge grind on a Gryphon Grinder with an 80 mesh diamond bit then cut the dome on a 80 mesh disk. That`s a pretty unforgiving bite on the thin edge of a cab.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 17, 2011 23:50:09 GMT -5
Definately Photo 2. It hides the small fracture at the tip visible in Photo 1. Gold wire should work nicely with the natural gold tones of your cab.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 17, 2011 0:52:16 GMT -5
Here`s my second week of cab production. A little better than my first week. Better control over the girdle thanks to a tip from christopherl1234 on marking the girdle, then grinding to the line. This is recycled material from failed preforms from my rotary and vibratory tumblers. Cracks and chips along the edges of the failed tumbles left opportunity to salvage the centre cuts. I guess every rock deserves a second chance. Darryl. Bloodstone Brazilian Agate Carelian Agate Carnelian Agate Leopard Skin Agate Utah Agate (Thanks, Chuck!)
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 12, 2011 8:07:15 GMT -5
Here is a sample of what I have been doing with my new toy. I bought an Ameritool Universal Grinder from JS Gems to polish some end cuts and try my hand at some cabochons. I`m not bragging about my end cuts yet, but I am pleased with my first attempts at some cabs. They are not geometrically perfect and I am still struggling to cut a uniform girdle, but a little more practice should help with that. These first 9 were made over 3 days. What a blast! Unfortunately, there are not enough hours in the day for play. Darryl. Brazilian Amethyst Crazy Lace Crazy Lace Flow Banded Obsidian Arizona Petrified Wood Montana Agate Montana Agate Picasso Jasper Picasso Jasper
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Post by 150FromFundy on Jan 1, 2011 14:58:37 GMT -5
I have used the Thumler AR-2, Model B, and UV-10 for a few years. All have served well.
I also prefer red and drive a Chev truck which may be a factor.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Dec 30, 2010 16:40:26 GMT -5
If all works out well, you will abandon your New Year`s resolution long before the return of rock hounding season. Keep your fingers crossed.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Dec 30, 2010 16:26:35 GMT -5
I think bikerrandy is using a UV-10. ie - 10 lb bowl
I use 3 tbsp of grit or polish in my UV-10 and run 3 day cycles.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Dec 5, 2010 19:18:35 GMT -5
It's hard to say which is louder unlss you run them both side by side. I run a UV-10 in my basement and keep the door closed. It can barely be hear it on the first floor, and not at all on the second floor. Then again ... I'm hearing impaired fromall that rock tumbling.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 30, 2010 11:05:02 GMT -5
I'm new to flat laps, but everyone I have asked the quetsion to says that I need to add a #80, #90, or #100 diamond mesh disk for the first stage. The #180 is a little too fine for getting saw marks out. It will work, but it will be slow.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 28, 2010 16:48:36 GMT -5
That last one smacks.
Darryl.
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Drill
Nov 25, 2010 19:20:46 GMT -5
Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 25, 2010 19:20:46 GMT -5
That`s funny! All you need is a mouse and a wheel to power her up.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 25, 2010 19:16:00 GMT -5
If you are new to the hobby ... simplify.
Use silicon carbide (SC) for your grit (60/90, 120/220, 500). It is affordable and continues to grind even as it breaks down.
Use aluminum oxide (AO) for your pre-polish and polish (1000F, polish). It is affordable and will polish well for most starter material.
Once you have conquered the starter material (agate, jasper, quartz, petrified wood), experiment with more challenging material (obsidian, tigereye, sodalite) and try other poishes then.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 25, 2010 19:04:29 GMT -5
Snuffy beat me to it. You found a petrified, or agatized kiwi.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 25, 2010 18:59:35 GMT -5
I have never seen anything like that and am blown away by it. It looks loke somebody spilled some oil paint on a beatiful balck and orange floor.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 25, 2010 12:30:42 GMT -5
Thanks for all the input and positive reposnse on this machine. If I sell enough pendants at the Christmas craft sales this year, I will definately order the 8" machine. From what I can find, JSGems still has the best price on this machine. Thanks again.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 24, 2010 18:11:30 GMT -5
Are there any RTH members using the Ameritool. I am considering buying one as an entry level machine for making cabs and polishing small slabs.
How long do the grinding and polishing pads last before needing replacement. Will this machine work for years, or does it have a limited life.
I would appreciate hearing your stories.
Darryl.
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Pricing
Nov 24, 2010 18:01:14 GMT -5
Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 24, 2010 18:01:14 GMT -5
There have many good suggestions here. I`ll echo the suggestions to have a wide range of prices and a wide range of items. Humans are unpredicatable critters and there isn`t a whole lot of confidence in our economies anywhere. Kids love rocks and are often resticted to a dollar, or two budget. They will gobble up your loose tumbles. Many people are psychlogically restricted to a $10 to $15 budget, so you should have something for them. Fortunately, there are some that beleive they must spend $40 to $50 to get anything good. You should have something for them, and keep you fingers crossed.
Good luck and let us know what works (or doesn`t work) for you. As you can gather from the posts, many of us struggle with this.
Darryl.
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Quartz
Nov 24, 2010 17:45:22 GMT -5
Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 24, 2010 17:45:22 GMT -5
The south shore of Nova Scotia has a gold district that has been worked since the late 1800`s. The gold deposits in this region are in fact associated with quatrz. When the plates colided, fractured, and magma oozed up, the quartz carried gold and other metals with it. The key is to find quartz in veins, rather than massive quartz deposits, or quartz in granite. The gold is also often associated with arsenopyrite and the grounwater reflects that. If you have a well, get it tested for arsenic as another indicator of gold potential, and use care when licking the metalic samples.
Darryl.
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