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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 8, 2004 21:25:44 GMT -5
Hi all, I have about 3/4# corundoms in with my agate in coarse grind right now. When it comes time for the next stage, should I pull them out? How long can they stay in with the agates without causing harm to them Thanks, cookie
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WarrenA
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2003
Posts: 1,530
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Post by WarrenA on Jun 8, 2004 23:18:29 GMT -5
which is the harder stone? The harder stone will be more likely to be undamaged.
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Post by puppie96 on Jun 9, 2004 0:49:01 GMT -5
Hi, I've left the corundums in with the agates and other rocks till the very end, sometimes. Generally, this did not harm anything. However, since it feels like I'm pushing my luck with that, I've usually been taking them out after prepolish. I think they help each other along, the agate seems to move the corundum along as well as the reverse.
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Post by stoner on Jun 9, 2004 1:19:50 GMT -5
I usually remove them after 100-200. I've had a lot of cracks show up in the later stages when I left them in after the fine stage.
Ed
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Jun 9, 2004 19:03:25 GMT -5
Yeah, you're talking 5 and 9 on the old Moh's scale, - you gotta keep 'em separated!!!
Experiment, check 'em every now and then and if the agate is getting beat up then you've gone too far.
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jun 9, 2004 21:35:05 GMT -5
Thanks every body. I kinda figured I should pull the out at or before prepolish but I wanted to be sure. I thought agate was more like a 7. If it's a 5 I really should pull them out sooner.
cookie
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Mazanec
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2004
Posts: 355
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Post by Mazanec on Jun 10, 2004 11:12:24 GMT -5
Found this with Google:
Agate is a hard stone, usually within the range of 7-9 on the MOHS scale and is found in all colors of the rainbow, although green and blue are quite rare.
Agate is a variety of chalcedony formed from layers of quartz usually showing varicolored bands. It usually occurs as rounded nodules or veins. The composition of agate varies greatly, but silica is always predominant, usually with the presence of alumina and iron oxide
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RedwoodRocks
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 762
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Post by RedwoodRocks on Jun 10, 2004 14:02:44 GMT -5
whew, when I saw SirRoxalot's message about agate or corundum as a 5 (assuming the corundum was the 9), I assumed that agate was around a 7.
I do have a question, what is the differences between: - agate - Jasper - Chalcedony
I thought that Agate would have translucency. The jaspers would not be translucent. But, how does Chalcendony fit into the mix?
If the agate (for want of a better name), has bands or fortifications, does the name change?
Cal
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Mazanec
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2004
Posts: 355
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Post by Mazanec on Jun 11, 2004 0:32:56 GMT -5
The American Heritage Dictionary 2nd College Edition: Agate is a fine grained fibrous variety of chalcedony with color banding or irregular clouding, chalcedony is a translucent or transparent milky or grayish quartz with distinctive microscopic crystals arranged in slender fibers in parallel bands and jasper is either an opaque variety of quartz, reddish, brown or yellow in color or chalcedony (especially green chalcedony).
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