chris1956
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 8, 2023 21:17:38 GMT -5
I finished the first stab at guitar picks and since Jason jasoninsd is still up I thought I would post tonight. I started this because I was having lunch with some retirees that I used to work with and mentioned that I was polsihing rocks. One of them said that he played the guitar and thought rock picks would be a good idea. I seem to recall that Rob from Michigan Rocks at least mentioned that he had made some but I don't recall a video of it. Also, I note that there are people who sell these online. Anyway that started me on the path. Most difficult thing is getting something thin enough that won't break. These started between 2 and 4 mm which is a little thick. I intend to give the "gentleman" that suggested this a couple and see how they work. I also kept track of the thicknesses as I was polishing them. Will post that tomorrow. I bet Jason can't guess which one thinned the least. Ha Ha. There are 4 different materials. Not sure if the black is some sort of basalt or something else but polishes pretty well. Small green one is unakite. The redish ones I am not sure about. Maybe jasper or mossish agate with a little quartz and some soft stuff (probably not good for picks). And of course, the Jason Prairie Agate. If you look close at the Prairie Agate you will see a few little quartz areas. The quartz actually undercut! What are those agates made of? Pic before polishing Pic after polishing Close ups (including front and back of the prairie agate). Hard to get the light on them to show the polish because they are basically flat. Hope you enjoy, Chris
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lapidary1234
having dreams about rocks
"If you like rocks you can't be all bad!!" ~ old timer quote
Member since October 2021
Posts: 60
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Post by lapidary1234 on Nov 8, 2023 21:25:47 GMT -5
I like em!! Rock on!!
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 8, 2023 21:28:03 GMT -5
Chris, those turned out spectacularly awesome!! Of course I have my favorite! LOL - Those all polished up amazingly and kept their shape pretty dang well! I hope you give us an update on how the guys like them!! I think those Prairie Agates are actually a wickedly hard Jasper. I'd love to know for sure though!
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Post by Son Of Beach on Nov 8, 2023 21:34:01 GMT -5
Right on Chris, he's gonna be stoked
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chris1956
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 9, 2023 20:57:20 GMT -5
For what it is worth, here is the measurements I took on the guitar pick thicknesses. I had some issues trying to consistently measure the same place each time which probably accounts for a few of the thicknesses increasing with polishing. No surprise to me that the Prairie Agate had the least amount of wear. Couldn't figure out if there is a way to add a spreadsheet table so took a pic of it. I measured thickness near the tip and then opposite the tip on the "back".
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 10, 2023 9:40:02 GMT -5
I love that spreadsheet Chris! It's really cool to see the "numbers" on a tumble like this!
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 10, 2023 16:05:20 GMT -5
I love that spreadsheet Chris! It's really cool to see the "numbers" on a tumble like this! Thanks. First time I have had different, mostly flat materials that I could measure the loss.
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 10, 2023 23:37:43 GMT -5
I love that spreadsheet Chris! It's really cool to see the "numbers" on a tumble like this! Thanks. First time I have had different, mostly flat materials that I could measure the loss. I was actually thinking about all this at work today. Of course weighing the stones shows weight loss...but not actual volume loss of material. I was picturing going full-bore "Big Bang Theory" geek mode and coming up with a way water displacement could be used to calculate and determine actual volume of material lost during the tumble. Then I remembered I wasn't that smart...or motivated to see it through! LOL
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khara
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Post by khara on Nov 11, 2023 7:00:44 GMT -5
Very nice guitar pics. This is something I’ve also wanted to try as my husband plays. Yes, getting them thin enough yet strong enough sounds very tricky. I really like the black and green ones of yours. I was going to ask how you polished them, thinking flat lap at first. Then I saw your fancy spreadsheet and realized you tumbled them. Interesting approach.👍👍
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jone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since February 2023
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Post by jone on Nov 11, 2023 8:59:02 GMT -5
Those are very nice!
Decorative or functional ??
I used to play using plastic or nylon picks. Not sure who would win in the long run with these - picks or strings...
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chris1956
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by chris1956 on Nov 11, 2023 9:57:44 GMT -5
Thanks. First time I have had different, mostly flat materials that I could measure the loss. I was actually thinking about all this at work today. Of course weighing the stones shows weight loss...but not actual volume loss of material. I was picturing going full-bore "Big Bang Theory" geek mode and coming up with a way water displacement could be used to calculate and determine actual volume of material lost during the tumble. Then I remembered I wasn't that smart...or motivated to see it through! LOL Must have been a slow day at work. LOL I have tried using water displacement (for larger rocks) to calculate density before but it is hard to find measured containers that are accurate enough. Especially stuff this small. I think I need to go raid a college lab to get some. Very nice guitar pics. This is something I’ve also wanted to try as my husband plays. Yes, getting them thin enough yet strong enough sounds very tricky. I really like the black and green ones of yours. I was going to ask how you polished them, thinking flat lap at first. Then I saw your fancy spreadsheet and realized you tumbled them. Interesting approach.👍👍 Thanks. The Prairie Agate was an end piece off of a cut and was probably twice as thick as it ended up. So I reduced the thickness on an 8 inch cabber. I thought that was going to be hard to keep an even surface but it ended up ok. I was thinking it would have been a good time to have a flat lap. Those are very nice! Decorative or functional ?? I used to play using plastic or nylon picks. Not sure who would win in the long run with these - picks or strings... I made them for a friend who plays the guitar. Probably get them to him next month. The edges were perpendicular when I cut them and the tumbling process rounded them nicely. Will have to see if they need to be more tappered or less. There are people who sell these on line and it sounds like people use them to play. Will let everyone know if my guitar player is impressed or not.
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rockbrain
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2022
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Post by rockbrain on Nov 11, 2023 10:01:24 GMT -5
Those look good! I've messed around making picks but just a little. I play but prefer a flexible pick. Many people, particularly jazz players and those who play really fast leads like a non-flexible pick. Unfortunately, that's not me! From my bit of messing around with non flexing pics I think you're going to want the area that hits the strings a bit more rounded off.
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 11, 2023 10:02:42 GMT -5
Chris, that's hilarious. I was picturing my college chemistry lab when I was thinking about the water displacement. LOL
BTW...let your friend know not to throw the pic out into the audience after a good show like they do sometimes! LOL
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Nov 11, 2023 10:44:32 GMT -5
Excellent 👌
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