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Post by HankRocks on Jun 20, 2024 8:47:18 GMT -5
Bob I am beginning to catch up with you. Just added 2 more Model B's to the fleet for a total of 5. Probably will not catch you as I really have no intention of using anything larger than a Model B. I suppose if a 20 pounder became available at the right price I could be persuaded. The 2 new Model B's were the result of a contact out of the blue. A gentleman saw some of the polished material a Vendor had at a Show in central Texas. When asked "did you polish those?", the vendor responded that he had bought them from a guy in Houston who tumbled them. The vendor gave him my phone number and he called. Apparently he has a bit of Texas wood and was wondering if I could tumble some for him. He came by and brought about 150+ pounds over to the house and we spent 3 hours looking at it and talking. Included in the load was Shrink Wood, Toreado Wood, Palm Wood, and what appears to be Shrink Palm. Also included in the load was some previous attempts at tumbling. Told him I could tumble a good bit but would probably cut and face polish some of the fist size and larger pieces. That way a good bit of the character of the outer skin could be preserved. He left the 2 tumblers for me to use. Already have his two tumblers running on 35/70 and will use the ready to move forward rocks in one of my for the next stages. Any larger tumbles were(will be) sorted out and put into my large rock process line. Anyway we agreed on a compensation method. The wood is really very nice and am excited about tumbling/cutting/polishing it. He was impressed with my preference for preserving the "character" of selected pieces. I have cut about 8 or 9 fist sized pieces and most are on the Vib Lap now, just moved some to 600. Like I told my wife, I needed more rocks and all those buckets she sees are mostly empty!! Henry
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Post by Bob on Jun 20, 2024 14:41:59 GMT -5
Way to go Henry! I may get rid of a couple of 12lb Lortones as I've got so much rolling now, total of 199lbs in 10 barrels.
I've never seen some of those kinds of woods. I'll bet you're going to do a beautiful job and can't wait to see the results.
Walter and I were out last weekend collecting Rosebud agate at that ranch in NE New Mex. Strange stuff. Haven't decided if I like it a lot or not.
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Post by HankRocks on Jun 20, 2024 14:56:59 GMT -5
Way to go Henry! I may get rid of a couple of 12lb Lortones as I've got so much rolling now, total of 199lbs in 10 barrels. I've never seen some of those kinds of woods. I'll bet you're going to do a beautiful job and can't wait to see the results. Walter and I were out last weekend collecting Rosebud agate at that ranch in NE New Mex. Strange stuff. Haven't decided if I like it a lot or not. The Teredo ( I mis-spelled earlier) Wood, looks interesting, not sure tumbling is the best way to go. I will probably cut a few pieces and face polish those to preserve the rest of the bore holes. A good many of those seem to be quartz crystal filled. |
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Post by HankRocks on Jun 28, 2024 3:52:38 GMT -5
Just received about 200 more pounds of petrified wood this past Wednesday from the same source. There were a lot more of the bigger pieces, maybe 2 to 3 pounds and a few larger. There will definitely be more cutting on the 20inch and 24 inch saw from this latest installment.
Hope to have the first few small pieces I cut with faces polished off the Vibe Lap and cleaned up in the next 2 or 3 days. Have more ready to go for for more Vibe Lap batches. Have 3 Model B's running this wood now, 2 are dedicated 1st stage machines with one Model B running the ready for next 3 stages before polish which I will run in the UV-18.
Also have some of the sorted out larger pieces that were "ready for next 3 stages" moving along in my large tumble processing line, the first ones just went into 600 SiC. in 5 or 6 days those first ones move to 500AO with new rocks filling in behind these. The machines in this process are a Lortone 33B(220SiC and 600SiC stages), a 3 bay Minisonic with a 10 pound hopper(500AO) and a 4 pound hopper(polish). They all get changed on the same day except for the polish in the 4pound Mini hopper. They come out when I deem they ready which can take longer. Any of the 500AO overflows are going into queue and will get polished in the UV-18. This sounds complicated but it's easier to explain when looking at the machines in person.
Hopefully I have some pictures to post in a few days to show some of the material. There were a couple types of wood I neglected to mention, Pocket Rot Wood and Snakeskin or Snake Wood as there seems to be some confusion in the naming. I had never really heard of these but the pieces are pretty neat.
Unfortunately all of this wood processing has started with the temp in the garage set to "heat". It's been consistently 91 or 92 the last couple weeks in the afternoon inside the garage. Last summer it got to the upper 90's inside during our 100+ degree run. Cloudy rainy days will be the only relief until late Sept. It builds character!!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,642
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Post by jamesp on Jun 28, 2024 14:13:24 GMT -5
Henry's Tumbling Factory Inc.
Darn Texans.
With all that pet wood.
And other cryptocrystalline jewels.
Got a basement apartment, big dog house, out house ?
I'll be your sharerocker...work for free.
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Post by HankRocks on Jun 28, 2024 14:49:02 GMT -5
Henry's Tumbling Factory Inc. Darn Texans. With all that pet wood. And other cryptocrystalline jewels. Got a basement apartment, big dog house, out house ? I'll be your sharerocker...work for free. Jim, I will be interviewing for the position in Oct and I will put your name at the top of the list!! The only problem might be that Diane would slip in some work projects of her own into the job requirements!! Just checked about 10 minutes ago and the temp in the garage is at 94 degrees!!. I shutdown all the saws by 9:30 - 10:00 am. Was up this morning at 4:45 to make 2 cuts on the 24 inch saw and a couple pieces on the 10 inch. There is a outside chance that I might be able to get into one of the ranches in Karnes county around Falls City. The wood on some of the fields in the area is amazing if the small sampling I have gotten is any indication. Not getting my hopes up yet as things change as far as status. We will see. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,642
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Post by jamesp on Jun 28, 2024 15:08:02 GMT -5
Diane might put me to work while you sneak off and go rock hunting  . Texas has the heat, I feel for you. Your east Texas also has the humidity. Speaking of humidity we have been in the mid 90's, windy with low humidity for a month and zero rain for 3 weeks before this heat wave hit. At least you guys get the rain, but probably more than you want from what I hear. Feast/famine. Live Oak county is just south of Karnes, it is loaded with wood and palm. I stopped at a gravel road in Live Oak on the way to the Rio and found beautiful palm gravel. I hope that works out for you. Texas is a gold mine. |
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ThomasT
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2022
Posts: 631
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Post by ThomasT on Jun 28, 2024 17:00:49 GMT -5
HankRocks It's also tough for me to make myself run the big saw when she's cutting slowly and carefully and it's this hot and humid... After 10:30AM forget about it, unless you have a big jug of iced tea... and a fan.
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Post by HankRocks on Jun 28, 2024 17:49:14 GMT -5
It's also tough for me to make myself run the big saw when she's cutting slowly and carefully and it's this hot and humid... After 10:30AM forget about it unless you have a big jug of iced tea... and a fan. It's not me so much as I seem to have an extra gene that gets me thru hot and humid. I do take precautions, stay hydrated wear a wide brimmed hat out in the sun. On top of that I do drop down in to 1st or 2nd gear most of the time. Mainly I just do not want the bigger motors heating up. I still walk everyday in the morning 2 to 3 miles and 3 days a week a walk to the YMCA (3/4 mile) to do a machine weight workout. I took off almost 4 years from the Y and noticed Father Time was trying to pull my overall strength down so I started back in Jan. I only run the fan when I have one of my rock friends come over although most have more sense than me about the heat! |
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