|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 3, 2018 11:42:44 GMT -5
mohs , it is Lepidolite!
ETA -a couple of pics
Went on field trips a couple times to the Lithium Queen (aka Thursday Mine) with the rock club and brought some home.
This cab from a small piece of it. 
A bigger piece. Reflective tape for address numbers.
Reflects pretty good at night!
Those are the original numbers, they came unstuck and curled up after three years in the sun. Just redid them on Sunday. Put the tape on flat aluminum pieces, then glued those to the rock. That should last a while.
There is an even larger lepidolite chunk in the front yard, couple hundred pounds, at least.
|
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 11:51:05 GMT -5
Thanks Jeanie ! for the quick & correct answer saved me a lot of frustrating googling ha ha I got the lepidolite slab from the Phoenix Rising shop years back and made calming rocking hearts  |
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 3, 2018 12:03:21 GMT -5
Thanks Jeanie ! for the quick & correct answer saved me a lot of frustrating googling ha ha I got the lepidolite slab from the Phoenix Rising shop years back and made calming rocking hearts
You are welcome, Ed.
I made a lepidolite heart once. Was going to post it, but first had to locate the pic in my computer and upload it.
Voilà! A soothing heart to calm the psyche. 
I Googled The Black, they are still in business - The Black
Although by the looks of their website, their main commodities are shirts, hats, giftware and stickers. Maybe some other stuff they don't advertise on their website? lol
ETA - just one more addition -
I imagine they used to sell the Brass Proto Pipes, the model is K2. 
We went to the swapmeet the Sunday before last, and I spied one of them for sale among the stuff of one of the vendors that buys storage lockers. I showed it to Bob (he immediately knew what it was). There was another guy standing there listening to us talk about it, he seemed kind of interested. Bob had opened it up, and there was one stale hit still in it. Bob handed the pipe (it was in a clear plastic tube) to the guy, and told him to go for it. The guy says, you don't want it? He tells him, no, would lose my job. So the guy goes and asks the vendor how much, and pays him for it. As he is walking away, I asked what he paid for it? He said, $2! It was worth that strictly for (not quite) antique, collectors value.
|
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 12:35:51 GMT -5
quite the brass smoke contraption Can’t say I ever lit one up like that It looks like it comes with own poke stem clean & carburation device  Glad to finally see the lepo heart ! chunk o'calm&calming cool! |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 12:38:16 GMT -5
that is serious chunk of lepo
a mine of lepidolite ?
what a trip!
|
|
|
|
Post by rockjunquie on Apr 3, 2018 12:48:13 GMT -5
We had the Lemon Frog head shops. Cool stuff. roy, that opal is Gilson Opal. Very nice stuff. I hear they don't make it anymore. It has the same coe as boro glass so it can be encased. I still have a little of it. |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 12:58:23 GMT -5
sure thy played the piper in the frog  |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 13:01:37 GMT -5
deep
|
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 3, 2018 13:32:16 GMT -5
quite the brass smoke contraption Can’t say I ever lit one up like that It looks like it comes with own poke stem clean & carburation device Glad to finally see the lepo heart ! chunk o'calm&calming cool! Yes, carburation device. Or so am told. I understand it was pretty sophisticated for its time. $2 a steal for a piece of paraphernalia history! that is serious chunk of lepo a mine of lepidolite ? what a trip!
Well, they called it a mine. More of a pit on the top of a hill.
Lifting the big chunk into the truck
At the very least a two man operation 
I had to help unload when we got it home.
Enough lithium to treat an entire mental ward!
|
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 14:09:29 GMT -5
wow Jean serious quarry serious chunk killer calm post !! ha ha  |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 3, 2018 14:19:58 GMT -5
obviously Jean there is lots to comment in your rock yard
there on your left
is that a pet wood tree chunk on the half moon ?
|
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 3, 2018 14:53:05 GMT -5
obviously Jean there is lots to comment in your rock yard there on your left is that a pet wood tree chunk on the half moon ?
No, the one balanced on top is not p wood, just a pinkish (probably quartz) rock, probably from Winnie's. But... 
To the left is a piece of p wood, sorta shaped like a duck (or platypus!) bill. Dug that up in a dry wash in late December on prospecting trip to Cargo Claim.
Here's a pic of the street numbers that were just redone on Sunday.
The aliens that stand watch.
|
|
pizzano
Cave Dweller 
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,390
|
Post by pizzano on Apr 3, 2018 17:11:31 GMT -5
mohs , it is Lepidolite!
ETA -a couple of pics
Went on field trips a couple times to the Lithium Queen (aka Thursday Mine) with the rock club and brought some home.
This cab from a small piece of it.
A bigger piece. Reflective tape for address numbers.
Reflects pretty good at night!
Those are the original numbers, they came unstuck and curled up after three years in the sun. Just redid them on Sunday. Put the tape on flat aluminum pieces, then glued those to the rock. That should last a while.
There is an even larger lepidolite chunk in the front yard, couple hundred pounds, at least.
Jean...How did you get such a nice shine on that Lepidolite...?...was it all hand cab......I had a few pieces that I tried to tumble with other 3Mohs soft stuff, was careful with grind cycles........but never got a shine, more of a sheen waxy type finish.......still have them and would like to shine sometime. |
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 3, 2018 18:11:12 GMT -5
Jean...How did you get such a nice shine on that Lepidolite...?...was it all hand cab......I had a few pieces that I tried to tumble with other 3Mohs soft stuff, was careful with grind cycles........but never got a shine, more of a sheen waxy type finish.......still have them and would like to shine sometime.
I polished both the lepidolite cabs on my 8" Ameritool flat lap using diamond "toothpaste" (what I call it) that comes in a syringe. I use the white cloth (?) disk, that comes with it, stuck to a master lap (PSA), and apply the wet diamond concoction to it. The finest I have is 50K, I smear some of that in the center of the lap, and 14K from the middle to the outer edge. That way, I don't have to use two polish laps.
I don't have or use any special polishes, no zam or zap, no lizard snot or whatever. They are not super shiny, not like an agate. I didn't realize they could be a problem. Watch, next time I cab lepidolite, it'll be a problem for me. Just kidding.
mrrockpicker polished the larger chunk (with the address numbers) using one of those wet grinders that utilizes various grits of color coordinated diamond pads.
Jean
|
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Apr 5, 2018 14:12:10 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on Apr 5, 2018 17:08:21 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by broseph82 on Apr 6, 2018 7:56:36 GMT -5
At the head shop today I saw 2 interesting rock related items Stone Ear Plugs www.bmamodified.com/collections/stone-plugsAnd opal like substance encased in glass Its sure looked like opal But is it natural? I took down the website name down Upgrade Glass @ Tucson www.sonoranglass.org/jack-morris/found this website I think this is the source Not associated with any of the artists Just thought I pass it on as of interest to RTH Yours truly mostly Hey Mohs. Didn’t see the pair of plugs in question on the site, it I’ll have to say the Opal is lab created and not mined naturally. Lab Opal is made all the time and put into glass works. It’s not cheap, but it is beautiful and will always have its color and flash. |
|
|
|
Post by mohs on Apr 6, 2018 10:02:22 GMT -5
Thank bros !
had no idea that opal characteristics are so readily created by us ingenious humans.
Suspected that they weren't natural, tho.
The stone plug page posted was just an visual example of the product.
The shop had at least five different diameter sizes.
Thick circular cut.
Thought the grind & shine were unique.
Tumbled-- then final vibed polished?
The profile groove was wide, smooth, w/ sloping channel.
I wondered how that was done?
|
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Apr 6, 2018 15:39:05 GMT -5
It was done very carefully.
|
|
|
|
Post by broseph82 on Apr 6, 2018 16:35:10 GMT -5
Thank bros ! had no idea that opal characteristics are so readily created by us ingenious humans. Suspected that they weren't natural, tho. The stone plug page posted was just an visual example of the product. The shop had at least five different diameter sizes. Thick circular cut. Thought the grind & shine were unique. Tumbled-- then final vibed polished? The profile groove was wide, smooth, w/ sloping channel. I wondered how that was done? Lol. I know how Plugs are made because I make them for a living! If you have an IG look up the profile of GrandpaGlass www.instagram.com/grandpaglass |
|
