one80mike
freely admits to licking rocks
@(-_-)@ Princess Leia!
Member since February 2007
Posts: 908
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Post by one80mike on Nov 13, 2007 6:41:52 GMT -5
More stuff I recently pulled out of the tumbler. There were more but unfortunately the combination of 3-year-old enthusiasm and energy, polished rocks in a bowl on a table and a tiled floor ended in trouble . I just had to remind myself, she's only 3, they were only rocks and she is my princess after all... How could I get mad. A little disappointed but nothing more. Here's some of what survived the great crash and shatter of 2007. More of "you know what' from "you know where". I think I am joining the ranks of those who have a bit of a thing for the ol' petrified wood. One of the few pieces of jasper to survive the dining room tiles. A really nice piece of agate that actually made it through the whole tumbling process with NO CRACKS! When I called my wife from work and she told me about the rock smashing incident, one of the first things she did was assure me that this agate piece was okay. She doesn't get the whole rock thing...but she still cares. Thanks for taking the time to have a squizz. Have a top day. mike
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Post by texaswoodie on Nov 13, 2007 6:51:01 GMT -5
Hey Mike Sorry to hear about the crash. Nice looking survivors though. :-)
Pet wood is amazing. Each rock has different patterns. A lot of the time, each cut you make has different patterns. Some of it is rather blah, but for the most part, I'm amazed every time I cut a piece. If it were not so common, I think it would be on everyone's priority list.
Curt
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Post by Lady B on Nov 13, 2007 7:45:16 GMT -5
Common or not, I simply LOVE pet wood and Mike's is gorgeous!!!!
The crash survivors look FANTASTIC! And 30 years from now you will still have the joy of reminding your little princess just how much you loved her...the day she killed the tumbles!! ;D
I am tumbling one little piece of the Aussie wood I bought from you, Mike (the rest is still sitting out on the table being admired). Just after one week in 60-90 it is already a stand-out!
Thanks for sharing all the pix. They were a great pick-me-up for this morning!!
Lady B
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Post by Titania on Nov 13, 2007 8:19:32 GMT -5
That agate is something special. The pet woods are gorgeous too!
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Post by beefjello on Nov 13, 2007 8:20:16 GMT -5
Sorry to hear 'bout the crash Mike. I'm all to familiar with the sound of polished stones hitting the tile floor The survivors look great! That Chinchilla wood is a real treat, and that last agate is a beaute!
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,787
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Post by adrian65 on Nov 13, 2007 9:04:16 GMT -5
The "survivors" are even more valuable now, being not so many. My favs are in the 3rd and in the 7th pic, but absolutely all of them are amazing! Adrian
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Post by krazydiamond on Nov 13, 2007 9:07:27 GMT -5
those are some awesome pieces, Mike!
KD
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Post by akansan on Nov 13, 2007 9:47:18 GMT -5
Do you have an actual grinder to cut the shapes or are you doing all that with a tile saw? The pieces are gorgeous and I love the shapes! Wonderful!
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stefan
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Nov 13, 2007 9:59:54 GMT -5
what survived turned out awesome!
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textiger
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2005
Posts: 946
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Post by textiger on Nov 13, 2007 13:55:27 GMT -5
Those are terrific looking, particularly Nos. 1 and 7. I never tire of pet wood.
matt
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fossilbrain
spending too much on rocks
Cookie Monster agate
Member since October 2007
Posts: 360
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Post by fossilbrain on Nov 13, 2007 14:29:07 GMT -5
Wonderful pieces and great photos. I just recently discovered the joys of pet wood, myself.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Nov 13, 2007 14:58:44 GMT -5
Big wood fan myself and those are really nice cabs. Gotta say though, that agate is a beauty!....Mel
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Zoran
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since September 2005
Posts: 880
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Post by Zoran on Nov 13, 2007 15:15:58 GMT -5
Cool cabs. I know it is not great comfort but... This was only one of the accidents One of many. I am always in dilemma - to be pleased that my two little girls like my cabs and let them touch them or be grumbly dad. OK, I am sometimes grumbly dad.
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one80mike
freely admits to licking rocks
@(-_-)@ Princess Leia!
Member since February 2007
Posts: 908
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Post by one80mike on Nov 13, 2007 18:42:57 GMT -5
For those who have asked, I cut the slabs on my 7 inch tile saw then I do a little bit of rough shaping of the slabs using the saw. After that it's over to my trusty Ryobi 6 inch bench grinder where I shape and bevel each shape. I use either 36 or 60 grit SiC grinding wheels. I find that if I use any finer wheels, even an 80, the wheels are much harder and when that is combined with the nearly 3000 rpm of my grinder, chips fly everywhere and I am not a happy man.
After grinding, the shapes go into the Lortone 33B and do 2 weeks in 220, 2 weeks in 600 and 2 weeks in polish.
For the safety conscious, I do dip the rocks in water as I grind and I wear a dust mask.
There you have it. It's all about doing the best you can with what you've got.
Thanks for the comments and interest. More pics in 2 1/2 weeks!
Mike
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