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Post by MyNewHobby on Mar 4, 2009 21:08:30 GMT -5
Are lakers (stones) that have been found on lake shores?
Hey!! .... be nice I don't know squat! ;D
As always .... my humble thanks!!
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Mar 4, 2009 21:27:15 GMT -5
Lakers = Lake Superior Agates But that's a mouthful, so we generally say Lakers for short. Yes, they can be found on the shores of Lake Superior, but they get their name from the Lake Superior Glacial Formation. Casual collectors look on the lake shores, but they're so frequently picked that people generally have better luck in gravel pits, rivers, streams, road cuts, etc. www.dnr.state.mn.us/snapshots/rocks_minerals/lakesuperioragate.htmlChuck
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Post by MyNewHobby on Mar 4, 2009 21:57:50 GMT -5
Great!!
Thanks for the site .... very cool!
NatureNut will be very happy to know I now know what the Lakers are .... You just never stop learning! ;D
I see that there are three types/classsifications:
Fortification Eye Moss
I also had on my very long list of questions of how/where moss agates came from.
Thank you .... you helped answer it and my many ?'s
As always .... my most humble thanks
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NorthShore-Rocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,004
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Post by NorthShore-Rocks on Mar 4, 2009 23:00:55 GMT -5
Julie...as I'm learning about the rocks up in this zone, we have a lot of different kinds of agate up here. I've found Fortification, Moss, Eye, Brecciated, Floaters, Paint, Ruin, Water level, Sagenite, Seam, Tube, and geode agates. They're often times a combination of several kinds. Then there's the agate/jasper or agate/jasper/hematite combos and some jasper that almost grades out to agate. It's a cool mixture, but stuff is not nick-named nearly as often as out west. I have a running thread on a large batch of Lakers that are currently in there 7th round of rough grind. Here's a link to the thread and some pics of the agates named above. forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=trtphoto&action=display&thread=27179&page=2I'll take some more pics as they head into the next stage I hope this helps! Steve
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Post by NatureNut on Mar 4, 2009 23:21:11 GMT -5
I sent Julie some of your medium sized lakers that I had started in a couple rounds of 220 grit in my vibe. I wanted to give her a head start on them. How are they coming Julie? Jo
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Post by MyNewHobby on Mar 4, 2009 23:34:01 GMT -5
NatureNut ....
I have not done anything with them as I did not know how to handle them.
Now that I know that they are relatively sturdy I can start to tumble them.
I am hesitant to tumble rocks and such if I do not know or understand their make up so to speak.
I do not want to ruin them.
Live and learn ..... everyday for me it seems ... ;D
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Post by NatureNut on Mar 4, 2009 23:49:07 GMT -5
Go to it! You're not the first to have wondered what they are, and you won't be the last. I didn't know until I asked... you won't ruin them. If they mess up, you just start them over again in rough grit. That's the beauty of it all.
Well, there's an exception, some rocks turn to mush, but not these.
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NorthShore-Rocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2008
Posts: 1,004
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Post by NorthShore-Rocks on Mar 5, 2009 7:23:52 GMT -5
They are very old and very hard. They have been through hell though. Several glaciation periods and many many freeze thaw cycles. Check them out carefully for naturally occuring fractures before you throw them in a tumbler. Then if you have a fracture show up later, you can determine if your tumbling techniques caused it or Mother Nature!
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Post by NatureNut on Mar 5, 2009 7:27:32 GMT -5
They're worth it though, they will shine up like glass!
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Mar 5, 2009 8:27:37 GMT -5
As Steve said, Lakers have been through a lot. They're estimated to be between 1 and 2 billion years old. It's rare to find one that doesn't have a healed fracture. They're very hard, though, so they polish easily and well. You'll want to make sure that you run full barrels because you can chip them if they bang against each other.
Moss agates can be found anywhere there is agate, not just in Lakers.
Chuck
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Post by MyNewHobby on Mar 6, 2009 19:25:35 GMT -5
Thank you all!!!!
I went and took a look at the thread with the amazing pics!!!!
Very Cool!!!
I cannot wait until I can start tossing them in at the 60/90. This afternoon I finally went through all my goody boxes and bags and pulled out already sized right rocks for rough.
As always guys ..... BIG thanks!!!!
Julie
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