mjflinty
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 358
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Post by mjflinty on Mar 2, 2012 14:04:20 GMT -5
I was doing some experimenting with Quahog and my tumbler. Quahog is one of the toughest shells and it was highly prized for wampum back in the day because it could be polished. So, I collected a few from the beach and shaped them a bit on the wheel and tossed them in my vibe with rocks (hardness 7). It went from 220 to polish with the agates and surprisingly enough it came out just as polished as the rocks! Here's the finished necklace   I'm going to make some more and try some interesting shapes. Michael |
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rockingthenorth
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2012
Posts: 1,637
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Post by rockingthenorth on Mar 2, 2012 14:52:00 GMT -5
tha t is neat
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Post by tandl on Mar 3, 2012 10:39:21 GMT -5
Im suprised it didnt get brokeup . i like the nature of it. i collect the mussel shells at the river here. been wanting to do something. what is the thickness of yours?
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NDK
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
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Post by NDK on Mar 3, 2012 16:15:23 GMT -5
Wow, a shell with a hardness of 7?!! That's cool!
Nate
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Mar 3, 2012 18:11:09 GMT -5
Turned out nice!
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mjflinty
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 358
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Post by mjflinty on Mar 4, 2012 15:09:32 GMT -5
I don't think the hardness is 7 but, it is close. I'm thinking that mussel shell from the river won't work, this is an ocean shell; this one started out over .25 inch thick and it lost about half that during the grind.
Michael
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Post by helens on Mar 4, 2012 15:11:34 GMT -5
What does quahog look like on the beach when you collect it? That looks like agate, very neat!
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Mar 4, 2012 15:23:58 GMT -5
That turned out very nice!
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Post by tandl on Mar 4, 2012 17:49:54 GMT -5
Commercial freshwater mussels have been harvested in Illinois for a longtime, alot of the mother of pearl in older jewelry came from here . Some of the shells are over a quarter inch. There are many variaties . Some are purple,pink,white,blue, and several are rainbow . They are not very hard , so tumbling with rocks probably wont work. have to do them only.
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Post by johnjsgems on Mar 5, 2012 9:33:49 GMT -5
Vibes with enough filler would probably be kinder to shells than rotaries.
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cabjunky
has rocks in the head
Regency Rose Plume
Member since November 2008
Posts: 683
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Post by cabjunky on Mar 5, 2012 10:53:28 GMT -5
Nice shell pendant. Good job.
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