QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 19, 2018 19:01:21 GMT -5
When you receive those please let us know if the holes for the mounting bolts are spaced the same as the ones Lortone uses? Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 19, 2018 13:04:07 GMT -5
I've got two 20" Covingtons (one old and one really old) and they both use fiber washers and bronze sleeves in the clutch assembly. Both items can be found at most good hardware stores or industrial suppliers. Not sure how the clutch on the older 16" models are configured but it would help if you could post a photo of the assembly?
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 17, 2018 16:32:56 GMT -5
Back when I was a furniture repairman I used to have a commercial account with our local 3M industrial supplier and could get the 3M diamond cloth belts at a discounted price. Those used to be good belts until about twelve years or so ago the quality went to #&!! (I suspect 3M started outsourcing production overseas) so I switched over to DP's Nova wheels.
I've had a couple of Eastwind diamond belts in the past and they were very good at the time but were much more expensive than the commercial rate I could get on the 3M brand. I do not know if Eastwind has since outsourced production so would check before ordering those.
I have seen posts online by a few who use the Crystalite Diamond belts and who speak highly those. According to some, the Crystalite diamond plated belts (the ones with the plated dots) will outlast Nova wheels. But the plated belts only go up to 600 grit. Crytalite's polyester backed belts go up to 3500 grit.
I've ordered a couple of soft diamond flex wheels from both Hans and Kingsley in the past but not their belts. The Flex wheels were okay but not as good as DP's Nova wheels so I would assume that the same may be true for their belts.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 12, 2018 22:26:58 GMT -5
Reminds me of some of the agates from Trenggalek, Indonesia or Ankara, Turkey.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Aug 6, 2018 0:23:28 GMT -5
Do you have any idea what the attendance numbers have been for that show the last couple of years?
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 28, 2018 22:21:56 GMT -5
Does anyone recognize either of these two materials? They came out of the same collection as the material I posted a picture of here a couple of days ago.   Larry C. Sabre52, catmandewe ? |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 27, 2018 16:08:38 GMT -5
I know this came out of a box but do you think the owner could have collected (local), or purchased internationally? The previous owner was in his early 90s and had moved to Arizona to be closer to his daughter and grandkids. Many years ago he used to own a rock shop in Ohio and the remaining inventory of his shop and personal collection was auctioned off about five years ago. He had materials from all over the world but the majority of his cabbing rough was from Oregon and Arizona. Lots of Owyhee Dendritic/flower , Cripple Creek, Rocky Butte, Succor Creek, and Palomino Jaspers from Oregon. And Rainbow Wood, Gunnery Point Jasper, Dumortierite from Arizona. He also had some large pieces of red and yellow jaspers that were probably form Arizona but possibly California. So odds are that the material in the OP was likely from one of those three states as well. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 27, 2018 13:02:31 GMT -5
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 27, 2018 0:53:35 GMT -5
 I've been slabbing a rock I can't quite decide what it is. It's very fine grained and dense. The pattern and colors remind me of carrasite but man is this stuff tough. My 18" saw blade hates this stuff and strains to cut through it. It doesn't slab like a normal jasper but more like a really hard rhyolite. I only remember having slabbed one or two small pieces of carrasite in the past but I don't recall them being difficult. Does anyone recognize this material? (bought unidentified out of an old collection) Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 24, 2018 1:41:33 GMT -5
...And to slow (Sloe) it down a little...
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 24, 2018 1:18:57 GMT -5
Arguably the best electric guitar player of the 21st century. When this guy was 12 years old he was opening for B.B. King. He refused to sell his soul to the American music industry and decided to go it alone. So few people in the U.S. have ever heard of him.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 19, 2018 23:22:33 GMT -5
From our Greenhorn Mtns (Oregon) trip in 1990.  Larry C. With my balance, I would fall off of that one!! The camera angle may be a little slanted but it was sturdier than it looks. We brought the seat and the two short pieces of 1x6s on each side of the seat, but the 2x4s and the 2x6s had been left behind by previous visitors. Worked out pretty well. Had a nice thick sandy area to pitch the tent and there was a fresh water spring trickling out of the mountain side nearby so we didn't have to bring water with us. Was at an 8k' elevation so even in July was chilly during the day and @#$% cold at night. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 19, 2018 15:21:21 GMT -5
From our Greenhorn Mtns (Oregon) trip in 1990. Larry C. |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 18, 2018 16:40:22 GMT -5
I sold a few cabs on eBay about ten or twelve years ago under the seller name Uwharrie2013. Very few brought more than what I would considered "clearance" prices so I stopped bothering.
I think a combination of the general public having much less disposable income than they used to, the price of precious metals going up and driving the price of the finished product too high for the general public, fewer people interested in doing silver/gold smithing, and a lessened appreciation for hand crafted products, all have contributed to the suppression of cabochon sales and prices.
I remember when the "Handmade" resurgence took place in the 1970s and average folks had the extra income to purcahse. I was a teenager and was selling cabs to two local silversmiths on a regular basis and doing individual sells to others. I personally knew seven silversmiths in my home town (population at that time approx. 60k) and I'm sure there were others that I didn't know. We also even had a couple of leather craftsmen and a few wood carvers. Today that same town has a population over 100k and I only know of two silver/gold smiths and know of no leather craftsmen or professional wood carvers practicing there anymore.
But there currently seems to be an economic and cultural reset taking place. So hopefully we'll soon see a resurgence of folks having the additional disposable income to fuel and indulge a renewed appreciation for "hand made" once again.
In the mean time I wouldn't advise sacrificing your best cabs and materials at a loss until we see an upswing take place. Good cutting material worthy of making into custom jewelry is just getting too hard to come by for that!
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 17, 2018 1:26:43 GMT -5
Faceting is fun stuff, mostly. Some days I’m on top of a mountain and others I’m in a trench trying to figure a way to climb out. I really enjoy the look of simple designs with basic angles and have collected a few from the net. The majority are for quartz with an R.I. of 1.54. I’ve acquired some materials that have an R.I. range of 1.61 to 1.64. Without having faceting software, which seems to prefer Microsoft code, I’m deep in the pit today. Is there a way to adequately alter the critical angles of quartz patterns for different R.I. without a degree in advanced mathematics? |
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 14, 2018 14:49:15 GMT -5
That looks like the piece of agate the guy who has the Youtube site "Pulitzer Opal" did a video on.
You may be able to contact him in the comment section of his video.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 12, 2018 23:19:09 GMT -5
On non-painted surfaces NAPTHA works very well too. And can be used on most painted surfaces if used and removed quickly. But if left on painted surfaces too long it can damage paint. I've used NAPTHA in plastic sump pans too but if left in too long it will start softening the plastic.
And for completely dried oil/rock sludge - spray foam oven cleaner...nasty stuff to work with though and will strip off the paint!
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 12, 2018 2:22:19 GMT -5
If interested in Kentucky Agates John Leeds of Leeds Jewelry in Richmond, KY (about a half hour SE of Lexington) usually has some slabs or rough of Ky Agate stashed back that he might sell you if you ask nicely! Or perhaps drive even a little further south to the Irvine/Ravenna area and look up Lamon Flynn or Roland McIntosh.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 12, 2018 1:56:54 GMT -5
I usually use WD-40 for cleaning up sludge on old equipment. I buy the gallon size can and use a spritzer bottle to apply it. More economical that buying the aerosol cans of WD-40 since with a spritzer bottle not as much gets wasted from being too atomized and floating away from where you want it to land.
Larry C.
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Jul 3, 2018 13:59:50 GMT -5
If you're set on going the consignment route, IMO find a Hair Salon owner in your area (or two, or three, or more) that you trust and work out a deal with them to allow you to keep a small showcase of your jewelry in their shop and pay them the commission for selling for you. Bored customers waiting to get their hair done just might not be able to resist. In a consignment shop you'll be a tree in the forest. As the only non-hair products in a Hair Salon you'll be the shining star.
Larry C.
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