Post by fiftiesrock on Jan 4, 2009 10:00:24 GMT -5
Hi From Central Texas
I have been reading this forum for almost a couple of months and I must say it is a great forum. Lots of information and tips!
I was raised in West Texas (West of San Angelo) but have lived 6 years in Virginia, 20 in South Texas and the last 10 here in Central Texas. I have always been interested in rock and minerals from growing up in West Texas (there is more there than just caliches) in a small ranching community where we wandered the lands looking for arrowheads and anything interesting that boys of 14 years would find ‘neat’. Over the years I thought about rock polishing since seeing some specimens my Uncle from California had done, but I never acted upon it. I still have a set of book ends that he cut and polished from some large flint nodules and my sister has all the jewelry he made and gave my mother.
Over a year ago I found a rock while working on my property that I thought was interesting so for my birthday I bought myself a rock tumbler and started reading about polishing. Naturally the internet led me to this site.
Now I like to think of myself as a pure specimen collecting with no thought or ability in the art of making jewelry. However after going over this forum I can honestly say that those purist thoughts will probably slough off and go away. Two months ago I would have told you I would not cut a rock just polish it. Well now I am contemplating buying a saw and other odds and ends to fill my shop with. I have been hounding this area and naturally I am starting to pick up material to big to tumble so I either have to break it, cut it, or buy a bigger tumbler. After seeing some of the wire wrapping the thought that even without any artistic ability I might be able to do something like that!
I am amazed at the variety of rocks that are here (once I started looking). Of course there is Petrified Wood all over the place and my flower beds are edged with it from the previous owner. I saw a piece the other day while hounding that had to be 3 feet long. Flint nodules and Quartzite from white to yellow to red! I have hounded rocks from jet black to pure white and I have even recently picked up two that are orange (University of Texas----go figure). But I like to collect different forms and designs. I will try to post some over the next few months.
I would like to say this is a great site and I appreciate the people that put it together and the members who have kept it interesting and clean. I would like to say I am a newbie so if I use the wrong terms or words in describing something let me know. I am here to learn.
By the way here is the rock that got me started on this journey.
Well the first thing I got to do is to figure out how to post pictures?
Charles
[/img]
I have been reading this forum for almost a couple of months and I must say it is a great forum. Lots of information and tips!
I was raised in West Texas (West of San Angelo) but have lived 6 years in Virginia, 20 in South Texas and the last 10 here in Central Texas. I have always been interested in rock and minerals from growing up in West Texas (there is more there than just caliches) in a small ranching community where we wandered the lands looking for arrowheads and anything interesting that boys of 14 years would find ‘neat’. Over the years I thought about rock polishing since seeing some specimens my Uncle from California had done, but I never acted upon it. I still have a set of book ends that he cut and polished from some large flint nodules and my sister has all the jewelry he made and gave my mother.
Over a year ago I found a rock while working on my property that I thought was interesting so for my birthday I bought myself a rock tumbler and started reading about polishing. Naturally the internet led me to this site.
Now I like to think of myself as a pure specimen collecting with no thought or ability in the art of making jewelry. However after going over this forum I can honestly say that those purist thoughts will probably slough off and go away. Two months ago I would have told you I would not cut a rock just polish it. Well now I am contemplating buying a saw and other odds and ends to fill my shop with. I have been hounding this area and naturally I am starting to pick up material to big to tumble so I either have to break it, cut it, or buy a bigger tumbler. After seeing some of the wire wrapping the thought that even without any artistic ability I might be able to do something like that!
I am amazed at the variety of rocks that are here (once I started looking). Of course there is Petrified Wood all over the place and my flower beds are edged with it from the previous owner. I saw a piece the other day while hounding that had to be 3 feet long. Flint nodules and Quartzite from white to yellow to red! I have hounded rocks from jet black to pure white and I have even recently picked up two that are orange (University of Texas----go figure). But I like to collect different forms and designs. I will try to post some over the next few months.
I would like to say this is a great site and I appreciate the people that put it together and the members who have kept it interesting and clean. I would like to say I am a newbie so if I use the wrong terms or words in describing something let me know. I am here to learn.
By the way here is the rock that got me started on this journey.
Well the first thing I got to do is to figure out how to post pictures?
Charles
[/img]