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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 24, 2010 17:33:46 GMT -5
Very nice! You`ll be drooling on your cabs when you start working that material, but at least it will keep the wheels wet. If you mail that Parrot Wing now, it should arrive in time for Christmas. LOL
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 22, 2010 17:58:02 GMT -5
I like the shrikwood in the 4th pic. Looks like petrified snakeskin.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 22, 2010 17:41:28 GMT -5
Nice! Almost looks like a band of tigereye running through the top half.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 22, 2010 17:38:57 GMT -5
Nice! It looks very similar to some carnelian that I purchased through The Little Red Store in California. I believe that material was from `an old estate sale`. Check out the site and e-mail Steve Hart. He may be able to suugest some source locations. I posted a photo of some polished pieces in this section.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 20, 2010 19:02:54 GMT -5
Start with a Thumler AR-2 with two 3-lb barrels. Get a few extra barrels. Preferably, a barrel for each stage. Minimally, a dedicated polish barrel. These machines are reliable and easy to find parts for should you ever need one. Mine hasn`t stopped running in two years.
Thumler`s thermal shutdown will give you peace of mind. If the barrels ever jam, the motor will themally shut down before it burns out, or starts a fire. I have tested this feature twice now. Simply cool it down and start it running again.
If you get addiced and buy a larger rotary, or a vibratory tumbler, the AR-2 will still be useful. I use mine for specialty small batch loads, or to prepare rocks for my vibratory.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 20, 2010 5:35:44 GMT -5
It’s been awhile since I posted some tumbles from the UV-10. Here are the best of the last batch that will soon become pendants in time for the Christmas Craft fairs. Rutilated Quartz Graveyard Point Plume Agate Carnelian Agate Rose Quartz Petrified Wood Leopard Skin Jasper Brecciated Jasper Brazilian Agate Brazilian Agate Brazilian Agate Amethyst Golden Tiger Eye Enjoy the pics. Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 17, 2010 6:23:06 GMT -5
And to think, the Aussie`s almost bought it. Nothing against Aussie`s. Given that potash will become a futre currency to feed an overpopulated world, we need to hang onto one of our resources.
Very cool pics. They also have operations in New Brunswick, but I don`t imagine they will lwt me in for a tour.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Nov 17, 2010 5:58:04 GMT -5
Looks like the orange and licorice ice cream that we once got as kids. Very nice! Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 4, 2010 9:43:47 GMT -5
Incredible material and incredible prices. It looks like that slabs were priced out in the 70's and never updated. Nicle haul.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 4, 2010 9:14:27 GMT -5
This is probably the only saw that you will ever use that you can't cut yourself on. My fingers are brushing against the blade on may cuts. If I leave my finger in one place too long, I may get a friction burn and I have ground a few fingernails a little short, but never required a band aid.
The danger of a tile saw is that it will teach you sloppy saw safety. Sloppy saw safety can be an issue on any saw other than a tile saw. A few members have cut themselves using real saws after learning bad habits on their tile saw.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 1, 2010 6:28:29 GMT -5
Nice finds. Welcome to the board. Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 1, 2010 6:25:43 GMT -5
Burnish bewteen every change of grit size as John said. I have found this makes a huge difference in the quality of the end polish.
Get your rocks and bowl as clean as possible and add fresh water and borax for a burish. Let it run between 12 and 24 hours. When you check the water after the burnish, you should be amazed at how much additional residue came off. If the water is as clean as before the burnish (not likely), then you don't need to complete this extra step.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 30, 2010 6:32:46 GMT -5
Nice trip and some amazing finds! If you can find access to a UV light, check out your flourite. Some of that can be amazing.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 30, 2010 6:26:56 GMT -5
Too cool! An early Haloween treat. Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 29, 2010 10:04:22 GMT -5
A month may not even be long enough. The stones should be the finished size and shape that you want with no pits, scratches, or blemishes before you move them on from the 60/90 grit. The 60/90 grit stage is where all the time and work in grinding is. Everyy stage after the 60/90 should be considered polishing. You are removing microscratches only. You are not removing pits, scratches, or blemishes.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 27, 2010 13:56:35 GMT -5
600 x $5 = $3,000 (600 / 3) x $10 = $2,000
Yup ... it all makes sense to me. Dollars and cents. Nice way to fund the addiction. You've got to sell some low-end material so that you can afford to play with the higher-end stuff. That should buy a few Hot Dogs.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 23, 2010 11:25:18 GMT -5
Definately a "concretion". Probably limestone.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 22, 2010 9:44:06 GMT -5
Everything you need to know has been answered. Obsidian is both soft and brittle. It is a rock for the "advanced", rather than the "beginner", and is a good test of even a veteran tumbler's skills.
Remeber: (1) separation (no other rocks) (2) pellets (25% to 50% of the load) (3) additional stage (1000F as a pre-polish) (4) additional burnish (between every grit/polish change)
It's a simple recipe. If you carefully follow all the tips & tricks, it will work for you.
Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 14, 2010 19:20:40 GMT -5
Home Depot stopped carrying Qep blades in Canada. Can’t even get them on-line. No more “300 cuts for only 20 bucks”. Finally got my Hot Hogs in the mail. They are expensive to import, but oh so nice! Here’s my first few cuts with a thin blade. Brazilian? This came in an order of Carnelian from California. Mislabelled, but I’m not complaining. Feldspar and Quartz, Breton Cove, Cape Breton Island – This was originally pegmatite (really large grained granite), but was drawn out by some contact metamorphism. Smokey Quartz with some inclusions, McKay Head – Parrsboro, Nova Scotia Petrified Wood, Arizona Nica Pluma Agate, McKay Head – Parrsboro, Nova Scotia Full-O-Fractures Rock, McKay Head – Parrsboro, Nova Scotia Wormhole Agate (for lack of a better description), Partridge Island – Parrsboro, Nova Scotia Hope you enjoy the photos. Darryl.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Sept 14, 2010 18:39:54 GMT -5
Went for a little drive to the coast on Saturday morning. It was raining, so I packed up the foul weather gear and persevered. While putting on my hiking boots, I stepped on a nice little agate that someone dropped in the parking lot of the beach access point. I guess that was a little omen of good fortune because I was invited to the beach by a beautiful sunrise rainbow. What a way to start a day! “Somewhere over the rainbow, agates lie” Beats having the red carpet rolled out for you Had to pass by two islands to get there. You can barely see three distinct lava flow lines through the fog. There are actually several more if you get up close and personal. The basalt at McKay Head is highly fractured. The jaspers and agates occur in seams, rather than nodules. If a seam is vertical, it is a dyke. If horizontal, a sill. Frost action and intense storms crack the dykes and sills out of the exposed basalt on the cliff face making for easy pickings along the beach. The haul is less spectacular late in the summer, but still worth the walk. Hope you enjoy the photos. Darryl.
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