|
Post by stoner on Sept 7, 2006 0:21:30 GMT -5
Hi all. I've been experimenting with a method I came up with to make it appear as if agate cabs are back lit. I've heard of people using small LED's, but decided there was too much involved in trying to make that work. So here are the cabs I've done so far. This first one is a Laker. Notice how the edge of the stone farthest from the light source is lit up? These next ones are plume and moss agates. And this one is a tube agate. Let me know what you think of how they look. This method is permanent, and when the stone is worn as a necklace, it will pick up the smallest amount of light and light up the inclusions in the agate. Has anyone ever seen this done before?
|
|
rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
|
Post by rollingstone on Sept 7, 2006 1:36:04 GMT -5
Ed, those look great, but your cabs always do. Any chance you can show us a comparison of "experimental" vs. "regular" cabs, so we can really do a side-by-side comparison? Oh, and painting cabs with Uranium-235 is generally frowned upon
|
|
|
Post by rocklicker on Sept 7, 2006 2:07:50 GMT -5
Those look awesome in my opinion, especially the tube agate. I am in favor of whatever mysterous technique you are using. It makes things look brighter and more three dimensional. That's my 2 cents.
Oh wait! I see how you do it! If you look real close at photo#2, just in the upper left, you can see the jumper cables clamped onto the cab and the car battery running it in the background. Ah, I knew we'd figure it out eventually. Steve
|
|
Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,484
|
Post by Sabre52 on Sept 7, 2006 2:25:38 GMT -5
Ed only permanent techniques I've seen are painted backings and glued mirrored glass as a backing. I've already told you this but for the other folks, as a poormans technique, I sure like to occasionally slip a piece of foil beneath a ring, bolo or belt buckle stone ( comes in colors too) Blue foil works well for intensifying grayish thunderegg slices and red is cool for light carnelian or sard. Silver foil is great behind Indian Green Moss.....mel
|
|
|
Post by Bikerrandy on Sept 7, 2006 5:38:11 GMT -5
That tube agate is sweet!!
|
|
|
Post by Cher on Sept 7, 2006 7:26:34 GMT -5
Those are beautiful Ed, of course I really like the laker. I'm amazed at how they seem to light up even though there's no light source behind them. Whatever you're doing, keep it up.
|
|
stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Sept 7, 2006 9:27:06 GMT -5
I like what I see- but I'm wonder the method behind the mad scientists ways
|
|
|
Post by gemkoi on Sept 7, 2006 12:31:24 GMT -5
Hey Ed, I have seen the foil and backing idea for some time. I have also seen the LED on a watch battery with closed backing too. OUt of all the LED shined the best, but was the most impractical.
Your cabs are defintely nice, and i dont dout the craftmenship one bit. But i do dout the photos. Only becasue this idea would be best seen in person. Under normal lighting in order to properly see if its working enough for my eye. Reshoot a couple on skin or without a background, so we can compare the lighting. Still fun idea and nice looking stones no dout.
|
|
|
Post by stoner on Sept 7, 2006 13:23:54 GMT -5
Thanks everyone. Don, I tried using glow in the dark paint, but it didn't work, although I didn't try uranium. Shain, you're right, they do look much more impressive in person, but I have to question your comment that you doubt the photos. I'll try to take some photos outside today where I can capture the light without the glare, and I'll also take photos of similar stones so a comparison can be made.
|
|
|
Post by LCARS on Sept 7, 2006 13:59:24 GMT -5
Those look great Ed!
I don't suppose you are going to share your technique with us...?
Prismatic coating? Transluminescence? Fiber optics filaments?
|
|
|
Post by gemkoi on Sept 7, 2006 14:04:41 GMT -5
I only dout the photos Ed becuase i know photography. But dout is not the right word, becasue that can be taken in as you trying to pass something over on folks, and thats not what i mean.
Lighting is tricky, and you added in more to the soup. So i wont give my opinion as if the lightin works and looks nice unless i see more varible photos(or see it in person), using diffenent sorces and backgrounds. So to express the light in other situations and not the standard close up, black background accord.
Basically make them look ugly with the lighting, not as best as you can. Becasue i would say in person a different responds. But when i wonder about the lighting, how it and the background can and most likly effect this backlighting. I question it becasue i feel im not seeing whats really going on. It nice to control the lighting with most stones. But this idea i think would be best expressed if you play around with the photos to show off the tricks of the backlite. Maybe one without any lighting except the backlight for example? Because if the idea needs an external lightsrouce in order to work, again. Messing with other photo tricks to better express the varaiance of this would be more appealing in my opinion.
|
|
|
Post by joe on Sept 7, 2006 15:19:42 GMT -5
Whatever you're doing it looks lovely. I didn't think there was a better way to show off your work, but you have found it! Sweet stones Ed!!
|
|
|
Post by krazydiamond on Sept 7, 2006 16:25:57 GMT -5
i am dying to know the secret!
KD
|
|
|
Post by LCARS on Sept 8, 2006 21:30:15 GMT -5
I'm going with white prismatic paint on the backs and i'm geussing the backs were not polished, only smoothed. Whatever you did Ed, the cabs look fantastic!
|
|