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Post by velodromed on Aug 21, 2023 12:59:27 GMT -5
My wife and I have been trying to figure out what these semi-common rocks are that we keep finding here in Texas. Red and black are the typical colors, though we have found a lavender one. They are extremely tough rocks, requiring multiple hard hammer hits to break and take a long time to tumble. They don’t break on any specific plane or shatter. Typically they will break into just a couple pieces. This is the first one I polished and wow, they take an amazing shine. I just wish we could figure out what it is. This one has some banding, but most that we find are solid color. All of them sparkle quite a bit. Many thanks y’all!
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 21, 2023 13:06:20 GMT -5
Looks like man made goldstone, which is basically copper flakes in glass. There is also a blue version.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 21, 2023 15:15:57 GMT -5
Looks like man made goldstone, which is basically copper flakes in glass. There is also a blue version. It totally does! But my wife and I researched that up earlier and these stones we find are definitely not man made. I’m finding these rocks in the wild and also at rock yards in the ‘Texas river rock‘ piles. They are often quite large with a thin outer host rock layer. Dark red, black and even found a lavender one with blood red veins. They are also extremely tough. I mean it takes a dozen+ hard hammer strokes with a 3lb sledge to break, takes a very long time to tumble. They don’t shatter either, just break off in large, often triangular, chunks.
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Aug 21, 2023 16:30:46 GMT -5
Up close it almost looks like quartzite
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Post by velodromed on Aug 21, 2023 17:01:16 GMT -5
Up close it almost looks like quartzite Interesting. I’ve always thought of quartzite as being light colored because we have tons of it around here. Here’s a couple of rough pieces, one dark red and the other black. It really does look like quartzite just the color is throwing me off.
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fuss
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2018
Posts: 250
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Post by fuss on Aug 21, 2023 17:01:31 GMT -5
It would be helpful to post some images of them rough (non polished) dry and wet.
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fuss
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2018
Posts: 250
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Post by fuss on Aug 21, 2023 17:03:03 GMT -5
does look to be Quartzite which can be many different colors.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 21, 2023 17:03:06 GMT -5
It would be helpful to post some images of them rough (non polished) dry and wet. Lol yup I just thought of that and found a couple pieces. It’s in the previous response to Ashley.
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,592
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Post by dillonf on Aug 21, 2023 22:57:04 GMT -5
Don't know what it is, but I will keep an eye out for it now - polishes up real nice! You did great on that polish!
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Post by HankRocks on Aug 22, 2023 7:16:15 GMT -5
I would say Quartzite. Have about 10 lbs tumble polished set aside. It's plentiful a bit north northwest of me on a friends property. I pick it up to be used as tumbler fill as most is already pre-tumbled. As soon as few thing are out of the way around here will post a picture along with some recent ones finished and now in the picture queue.
Henry
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Post by velodromed on Aug 22, 2023 11:56:54 GMT -5
I would say Quartzite. Have about 10 lbs tumble polished set aside. It's plentiful a bit north northwest of me on a friends property. I pick it up to be used as tumbler fill as most is already pre-tumbled. As soon as few thing are out of the way around here will post a picture along with some recent ones finished and now in the picture queue. Henry Thanks Henry! I’d love to see your polished quartzite. Using it for tumbler fill is a good idea. It wears down very slowly.
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ashley
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2023
Posts: 914
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Post by ashley on Aug 22, 2023 14:23:55 GMT -5
I would not have expected the before and after! It looks amazing compared to prepolish look.
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Post by velodromed on Aug 22, 2023 14:30:46 GMT -5
I would not have expected the before and after! It looks amazing compared to prepolish look. Right!? I only tumbled this one to take up room and threw it in a polish cycle just for fun. I’d no idea it would polish so sparkly and all. But now I’m looking for them. It’s the perfect beginner tumble rock actually. It’s taken a beating as filler for over 8 months, doesn’t crack or pit and polished so easy.
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