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Post by 1dave on Dec 7, 2018 9:45:56 GMT -5
dreamrocks Your Fire Agate is from Germany? Yes, a Dremel is handy to follow the curves and convolutions of the fire surface. Each fire layer is less than a hair in thickness and polishing must happen before you reach it or ZIP it's gone. 
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dreamrocks
freely admits to licking rocks
I got lucky this morning and was able to post this no others since
Member since November 2018
Posts: 888
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Post by dreamrocks on Dec 7, 2018 11:25:34 GMT -5
Boy if that ain't the true. More like poof lost everything boy before the polishing it was loaded up with fire all over but I can see other goodies below what I lost. Oh well trail and error only on one piece I'll get it right. Eventually
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Don
Cave Dweller 
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Dec 7, 2018 13:15:49 GMT -5
Some recent fire agate work. Fire agate gummy bear  small green monster  Red and green  14k bezel fire agate ring  |
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dreamrocks
freely admits to licking rocks
I got lucky this morning and was able to post this no others since
Member since November 2018
Posts: 888
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Post by dreamrocks on Dec 7, 2018 13:37:58 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing! I love it gives me something to look forward, to work on. First I need to a bur set. Spent to much on topaz and beryl but will soon. I have a few projects going on right now
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Don
Cave Dweller
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
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Post by Don on Dec 7, 2018 13:52:50 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing! I love it gives me something to look forward, to work on. First I need to a bur set. Spent to much on topaz and beryl but will soon. I have a few projects going on right now These Chinese diamond burrs work reasonably well. I keep a few of them on hand in different grits and shapes and they don't cost a fortune. www.riogrande.com/product/diamond-bur-set/346063I've been playing with VH Technologies diaflex, diathin and diashine dental tools for sanding and pre-polishing. They're effective but rather expensive. www.diashinepolish.com/shop/?category=DiaFlex |
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dreamrocks
freely admits to licking rocks
I got lucky this morning and was able to post this no others since
Member since November 2018
Posts: 888
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Post by dreamrocks on Dec 7, 2018 15:38:33 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing! I love it gives me something to look forward, to work on. First I need to a bur set. Spent to much on topaz and beryl but will soon. I have a few projects going on right now I had a brain cramp. Dug out my dremel and felt pads and 600 diamond past so far looking much better on the fire. When I get a little braver I'll move to 1200 then up to I have 50,000 may hit near the flowers with 600 first. Looking much better let's see if I miss the mark this time |
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dreamrocks
freely admits to licking rocks
I got lucky this morning and was able to post this no others since
Member since November 2018
Posts: 888
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Post by dreamrocks on Dec 7, 2018 15:40:27 GMT -5
Boy if that ain't the true. More like poof lost everything boy before the polishing it was loaded up with fire all over but I can see other goodies below what I lost. Oh well trail and error only on one piece I'll get it right. Eventually I also have felt points I may try with the past on some of these just need a little tlc |
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,589 
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 7, 2018 17:24:47 GMT -5
The tiny, magical world inside fire agates is fascinating. This is an image made of one of my Mexican stones by gem photographer Tom Shearer. I don't know exactly how he captured the stone's interior so well, but that's his secret. Anyhow, there's lot going on at the micro scale in those amazing gems.  Here's a Slaughter Mountain stone that required lots of patience and cutting time. It's concave and will need a special setting embellished with bright faceted stones in some areas to make a memorable pendant.  |
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Post by 1dave on Dec 7, 2018 18:50:46 GMT -5
Note that sometimes grinding through the top (often red) layer will reveal other color layers below. (from gemfeller above) "Fire" is far more exciting in agate than it is in opal.  Fire Opal |
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,589
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 7, 2018 19:58:09 GMT -5
1dave , yes, that's true. But this image was made with no alteration of the original stone. It's purely a photographic technique, similar to the one I used in making my avatar. If I can motivate myself I'll try to shoot and post an image of the stone as it appears without any special image massaging. It's impressive but not as spectacular as the Shearer image would indicate. I'm fond of all stones that display optical phenomena: play of color, iridescence, stars, cat's-eyes, adularescence etc. My first and continuing love is precious opal in all of its many manifestations. But some years back I made contact with one of the original Deer Creek fire agate miners (now sadly departed) who briefly supplied me with wonderful rough before he passed away. I spent 2 years intensively teaching myself to cut the stuff -- there were no forums or guide books -- and I came to admire the material for its many fine attributes. Unlike opal it's hard enough for setting in men's rings and it has an unique appearance. On the downside, it's very labor-intensive to cut and most properly-cut stones require custom settings. Finished gems simply don't fit into the average brick-and-mortar jeweler's concept of calibrated ovals and other shapes. For those reasons fire agate has never really gained the exposure, popularity and price levels it deserves. There are a few custom jewelers who specialize in working with it and they exploit a niche market, but it's sad it isn't better known. For me, the most difficult part of cutting fire agate has always been finding high quality rough at a reasonable price. In any average run of rough there are far more "commercial quality" stones than real gems. And I have reason to think the gemmy stuff is often "high-graded" at the source or sold exclusively to a network of "preferred customers."
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Post by 1dave on Dec 7, 2018 20:16:23 GMT -5
On the downside, it's very labor-intensive to cut and most properly-cut stones require custom settings. On our honeymoon my wife and I collected on Thumb Butte AZ. I wasn't able to try cutting it until I retired in 1999. After a year I finally got ONE decent stone out of the first 30 pounds of rough. No remembrance of the number I ruined. Clear agate on top of the fire is a savior, but often it is milk agate. Ugh! What to do when the fire drops down into a V then comes back up on the other side? Grind down into the middle? Save the right side? Save the left? Grind straight down from the top and Ruin the whole thing? Very Labor-Intensive!
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,589
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Post by gemfeller on Dec 7, 2018 20:43:55 GMT -5
[quote author=" 1dave " What to do when the fire drops down into a V then comes back up on the other side?[/div] Grind down into the middle? Save the right side? Save the left? Grind straight down from the top and Ruin the whole thing? Very Labor-Intensive!
[/quote] 1dave , I did a lot of my early cutting using an expando with silicon carbide belts. When I ran into a V-shaped stone I pulled about a quarter inch of the belt past the edge of the wheel and used the wheel's edge to get into the crevices. As that section wore out I'd simply cut it off and pull a little more of the belt over to expose new grit. Depending on the size of the stone I often sawed V-shaped rough into two separate roughs. When you start doing glyptic work with a Foredom or micromotor it's easier (but sometimes frustrating as hell) to get into all the little crevices using small diamond points. Cutting V-shapes with a Foredom I used flexible sanding disks that could conform to the shape being sanded. I think there are always some pieces that are simply impossible to cut due to their shapes. You can sand and polish most tight spots with fiber brushes loaded with diamond paste. |
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Post by 1dave on Dec 9, 2018 12:17:02 GMT -5
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Post by MsAli on Dec 21, 2018 15:24:59 GMT -5
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Post by MsAli on Dec 21, 2018 15:26:52 GMT -5
Sorry horrible pictures. Taken inside with flash I just bought a.co/d/aLQlF3S for my dremel |
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Post by miket on Dec 21, 2018 15:29:23 GMT -5
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Post by MsAli on Dec 21, 2018 15:36:00 GMT -5
They make me drool But they intimidate me I know it is really easy to mess these up and I think I got some good ones for a good price But then again for all I know they may be junk  |
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Post by miket on Dec 21, 2018 17:09:02 GMT -5
They make me drool But they intimidate me I know it is really easy to mess these up and I think I got some good ones for a good price But then again for all I know they may be junk  They look very nice, I'm sure you'll do well with them. |
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dreamrocks
freely admits to licking rocks
I got lucky this morning and was able to post this no others since
Member since November 2018
Posts: 888
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Post by dreamrocks on Dec 21, 2018 21:21:57 GMT -5
They make me drool But they intimidate me I know it is really easy to mess these up and I think I got some good ones for a good price But then again for all I know they may be junk Those are really nice. Glad to here I am not the only one that buys rocks for there Christmas presants. Even if you just keep them that way, they are still very interesting as is. |
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Post by MsAli on Dec 21, 2018 21:28:17 GMT -5
They make me drool But they intimidate me I know it is really easy to mess these up and I think I got some good ones for a good price But then again for all I know they may be junk Those are really nice. Glad to here I am not the only one that buys rocks for there Christmas presants. Even if you just keep them that way, they are still very interesting as is. A good fire agate to me is just as beautiful as an opal and I've been wanting some for a really long time |
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X - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's rocks
- O Henry