QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Apr 6, 2017 19:46:47 GMT -5
Re amlap: as of today, I have not been charged by amlap. The email they sent could have been an automatic email. They do not have a phone number on their website, they are not accredited with BBB, and there is a 10 day lag between order date and expected shipping date --- with no communication during that time. I called the number the BBB has for them. That number is no longer in business. Anyhow, I won't deal with amlap, Graves, or RockPeddler in the future. Thanks for the heads up re the movie cans; they are perfect! It sounds like AMLAP is gone for good now. The only reasons I can figure that their web site and Pay Pal account weren't closed down was either that death or serious health issues have prevented them from doing so, or that the owners have been locked out by a court order over some type of legal issue. I hope the best for them but it's a shame. For several years I had many transactions with good service from AMLAP. Graves however has had a long history of purported bad customer service. I believe going all the way back until when the founder Henry B. Graves was no longer capable of running the business and passed away. And I believe I read something not too long ago where there were some health issues with the owner/owners of the Rock Peddler and they had to suspend business for a while. 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 Apr 6, 2017 5:14:17 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 Apr 6, 2017 4:55:36 GMT -5
I like the small wooden Clementine Tangerine crates. They are strong and stackable. But since those are seasonal I cut more volume of slabs per year than I can get my wife to eat tangerines. So I end up storing most of my slabs in corrugated die-cut mailer boxes.
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 Apr 1, 2017 17:22:12 GMT -5
I was going to suggest that your question might be better addressed to the U.S. Faceters Guild. I haven't been active in faceting for a while and notice they've changed from a free forum to charging a membership fee of $18/year. If you're serious about learning it might be worth the expense to find information about classes or individual instructors in your immediate area. Here's the link: usfacetersguild.org/become-a-member/As far as I know the USFG Yahoo group site is still free to join. I've been a member for about ten years. The guild itself has never been free though. The USFG Yahoo group site can be found here groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/usfgfaceterslist/info . You just have to email the moderator and request to join. Then participating in the discussion group there is free. But paying the $18 per year membership to the guild gets members access to the USFG quarterly newsletter, the archives of old articles and news letters, free downloadable faceting diagrams, and eligibility to participate in the annual stone faceting competition and certification. 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 Mar 30, 2017 21:57:11 GMT -5
There are many community colleges, science centers, and gem & mineral clubs across the country that offer faceting classes that won't show up on internet searches. I would recommend getting in touch with reps of a couple of gem & mineral clubs in your area. Members who facet would likely know if there may be any classes taught in your area. Here is a link to a list of mineral clubs and their contact info in Illinois. www.rockhounds.com/rockshop/clubs/illinois.shtml 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 Mar 24, 2017 3:36:51 GMT -5
Very pretty stone Michelle! Which windows program are you running Gem Cad on?
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 Mar 22, 2017 23:58:04 GMT -5
Update: 3/24/27 This item is now SOLD. Thank you everyone for looking!          I have an Ultra Tec V2 Faceting Machine Base for sale for $500 plus shipping from piedmont North Carolina (will only ship within the continental U.S. forty-eight states). This Ultra Tec V2 Faceting Machine Base is out of the estate of a deceased faceter. We're not sure what happened to the mast/handpiece but we could not find it. So this sale is for the base with splash shield only. Judging from the type of walnut finished veneer base this machine has, I believe it was manufactured in the mid to late 1980s. Previously manufactured Stanely Ultra Tec machines did not come with as nicely finished bases as these later ones did. The serial number of this machine is L6157. The previous owner upgraded the speed control to include the on/off function with the speed control dial (as Ultra Tec began doing in the early to mid 1990s) rather than having a separate on/off toggle switch as this machine originally did. All of the electronics function properly and the arbor bearings are good. The rubber drive cone has a slight flat spot on it from where it sat against the arbor platen for a long period of time without being used, as this type of rubber cone tends to do. The flat spot on the rubber drive cone makes it a little noisy to run but is still usable. If you find the noise bothersome you can always replace the drive cone. It's the same size as the modern Ultra-Tec cones are and the last time I ordered one (three or four years ago) if my memory serves me correctly they ran about $75. There is a veneer chip out of the rear left lower corner of the base as noted in the eight photo. Otherwise this machine appears to have been well cared for and is in good condition. So if you have a spare faceting mast that fits this type of slotted top machine, or plan on home making one, this will be a good base for you. If interested in purchasing please note your intention to do so on this thread. And either PM me or send me an email ( QuailRiver@aol.com ) with your shipping address and the email address you would like your invoice sent to and I will send you a Pay Pal Invoice with the total including shipping cost to your address. I will be listing this item in other venues beginning later Thursday afternoon so preference will be given to the first person who PMs or emails a commitment to buy. Thank you for looking! 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 Mar 22, 2017 15:43:24 GMT -5
This resembles the real Lander Blue turquoise. Most of what is sold as Lander Blue on the market today is not. Very little of it was ever mined and without a solid provenance it would be tough to ever validate. But your stone very much resembles the few pieces of true Lander Blue from reputable sources that I have seen. Beautiful stone though regardless of where it is from!
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 Mar 19, 2017 17:42:18 GMT -5
Below is a photo of a couple of slabs of the material that resembled your agate in the third photo. The lower face adjacent to the slabbed surface looked very much like yours.  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 Mar 19, 2017 1:00:35 GMT -5
Nice group of Agates! I had an unidentified piece that looked like your number three that I slabbed up summer before last. Wasn't sure what it was and couldn't decide which was going to be the best direct to slice it. Let it set on my deck rail for months, and picked it up and studied it so many time I lost track before I finally decided to take the plunge. Though there was no visible sign of what was to come, I got lucky in the direction I cut it! It showed spectacular "Bird of Paradise" type bird wing patterns. I'll try to remember to take some photos of it tomorrow to post.
Mel can probably help you I.D. some of these. Paging Sabre52 ...
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 Mar 17, 2017 18:42:11 GMT -5
That was fast! Listed the machine on four sites and less than five minutes afterwards someone PMed me about buying it. So it's in the Sale Pending stage.
Larry C.
Update: The machine is now Sold. Thank you every one!
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QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
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Post by QuailRiver on Mar 17, 2017 18:13:30 GMT -5
 The machine is now sold and heading to Texas. Thanks everyone! I have a Fac-ette Gem Master II with EMS meter for sale for $3,500 plus shipping (Shipping weight is approx. 70lbs. Will only ship within the continental U.S. forty-eight states). This unit is out of an estate and comes with a 96 Index Gear, a Fac-ette Deluxe Dop Transfer Jig, a copy of a later (2011) Gem Master II Owner's Manual, and 10 non-keyed brass Dops. If the previous owner was using the keyed Fac-ette dops we couldn't find them. We only found non-keyed dops but some cutters don't like keyed dops and won't use them. However, if you like to use keyed dops, and/or would like additional numbered index gears for this machine, then they are available from Wyatt Yeagar at precisionfaceting[dot]com . I do not know the year this machine was manufactured. The serial number is 0173-L. I have posted twenty-five photos of this machine and the accessories on my flickr page that may be viewed at this link www.flickr.com/photos/quailriver/ . Overall this machine is in nice clean condition as can be seen in the photos. In the flickr photo gallery just click on any photo to pull up, and then click on the magnifying glass curser icon to enlarge further. There are a few cosmetic flaws that do not effect the performance or accuracy of this machine. But for the sake of full disclosure those of any significance are noted here and can be seen in the detailed photos in my linked Flickr photo gallery: Four small (C/A glue?/dop wax?) melt spots on the Fac-ette control panel label (3rd photo), paint flakes on protractor lock handle and small grind mark on chuck (8th photo), area of discoloration near base of brass index release handle (9th photo), area of powder coating bubbled mid-way between arbor platen and control label/panel (this area only shows when the stainless steel Splash Pan is removed) and a very small area of powder coat bubbling just left of center on the motor mount casing/water pot stand (15th photo), area of powder coat bubbling/flaking with oxidation in rear right corner of base pan (16th photo), very small ding in powder coating on front edge of base lip (17th photo), and very small ding in paint on bottom front left corner of EMS meter box. I have tested this machine by cutting a couple of stones on it and it has very good accuracy. The speed control, forward & reverse, and light all function properly. The strain gauge and EMS readout have good accuracy. The only flaw I found in performance was that the sound alarm for the EMS does tend to sound off a little early, just before the needle gets to the point where it is set to sound off, (I may just not have had the meter sitting level). But that can be compensated for by setting the desired alarm sound point slightly further to the right of the desired alarm point. All else is in good condition. Please let me know if you have any questions. I will have this listing in other venues too but the first person to email or PM me to commit to purchase will get priority. Thank you for looking. 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 Mar 16, 2017 1:35:11 GMT -5
Whoever Etsy has hammering out the categories must be too stupid to understand the difference between hand cut stone cabochons for adult jewelry and the plastic and glass cabochons used for glue-on kids projects...and also too lazy to research!
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 Mar 16, 2017 1:26:12 GMT -5
I had heard the same as Mel reported as to the ban on collecting dinosaur bone on public lands.
And had always thought gem grade Dino Bone refereed to the highly silicated material that was hard enough to be durable for wearing in jewelry. Not all of the colorful material is hard and may need to be stabilized before using in jewelry. But even after being stabilized the later would still not be considered gem grade and should be acknowledged as having been stabilized when being sold.
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 Mar 16, 2017 1:14:42 GMT -5
QuailRiverI just got an email from amlap! Might be an automatic email. I hope they don't charge me; I will check on that in a minute. GOOD NEWS! I just received the 13 faceting lap containers from a seller on ebay. About $6.00 each. Thanks, everyone, for your helpful advice. Onward!  Glad to learn that Amlap responded. Please let us know what you learn as to whether or not they simply moved and are still in business or if they closed and are now gone for good? 13 lap containers should be enough to get you started!  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 Mar 14, 2017 15:53:08 GMT -5
Don,
I'm very sorry to learn of this news. My wife Debbie and I will be praying for you!
Debbie was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer which is a very aggressive fast spreading form. By the time she was diagnosed she was already stage 4 and it had spread to limp nodes in her lungs, bones in her: arm, hip and spine. The tumor in her breast was 15 centimeters long and the biopsy tested triple negative, which meant that none of the normal receptor-targeting type treatments would work for her's. The doctor did not recommend surgery but did begin an aggressive chemo regiment.
That was over nine years ago. During these last nine years Debbie's had a repetitive cycle of chemo treatments for two weeks in a row and then one week off with the exception of only three times which she has taken one month off without treatments to give her body a break. Her last three PET scans have shown no signs of cancer anywhere in her body. But because of the type of cancer she had, which tends to have a lot of free-floating cancer cells, they plan to keep her on chemo.
An yet despite being on chemo for so long, Debbie's blood lab work is better than most people's her age who've never even been seriously ill. Her success even helped inspire the wife of a friend with colon and intestinal cancer who had given up to go back on treatments herself and she's still with us too. So stay positive my friend! And just keep doing what you love and keep enjoying those who you love!
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 Mar 13, 2017 14:16:29 GMT -5
Okay, now we are on the right track! Concerned about the small (spot) area coverage and the little water bottle as the water supply. Will research this further, thanks unclesoska ! I like that! Now is there such a critter that gives that kinda pressure yet hooks up to a hose for longer term use (than a water bottle) and maybe a bit bigger spray area? Thinking that if I could get something closer to a silver dollar sized high pressure spray cone that would do what I need. A tiny target area like I imagine the above water gun is would take me forever and a day. Looking to clean dirt out of nooks & crannies & voids but on rather large rocks. A hose & nozzle just isn't cutting it and, like I said, a pressure washer is just too awkward to get in the tight spots I want to clean. Harbor Freight sells an electric pressure washer that hooks to the garden hose. Not as powerful as the gas engine powered ones but more so than faucet pressure. www.harborfreight.com/1650-psi-125-gpm-electric-pressure-washer-69488.htmlLarry 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 Mar 13, 2017 14:09:50 GMT -5
You want what is known as a "needle gun". It's commonly used in the textile industry for stain- removal, but mineral collectors have adopted it for cleaning less-than fragile mineral specimens. Search "textile cleaning spray gun" and you'll get all kinds of hits. I have one, an Arrow brand, and I love it. Cleans polish from nooks and crannies, Safety warning- must protect eyes and face from flying debris, DON"T "squirt" your skin, if you do, you'll understand the word DON"T much better. Also, do be meticulous about the distilled water use and completely drying out the insides to avoid almost certain clogging of needle valve. Here's a pic-  Agree. I used to use one of these back in my Furniture Repair days to clean upholstered furniture that got soiled in transit. They have incredible pressure for their size. With internet access the price has come down significantly from what they cost twenty-plus years ago. And now lots of folks are using them for cleaning minerals specimens these days. 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 Mar 11, 2017 13:12:24 GMT -5
Wow Scott congrats! Cant beat the price Brian. If I was paying new prices, I doubt I would go this route. Very thin sheet metal housing and legs, weird vice clamp that has awesome geometry but is difficult to work the way they set it up. Feed screw clamp VERY difficult to operate. There is an interesting polyethylene sheet hanging from the lid. It has a split so it sits both sides of the blade minimizing splash. I am undecided if I like this. Will followup with thoughts on this "feature" that may have even been added after the fact. Tim or John is this sheet normal? AzRockGeek johnjsgemsThe polyethylene sheet is factory. Not sure how much it really helps but so far I haven't had it present a problem so I guess it doesn't hurt. If you're planning on leaving the saw that close to your heat pump for your house (as pictured) you may want to drape a towel over the lid to help cut down on mist escaping so it doesn't get sucked into the heating and cooling system of your house. 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 Mar 10, 2017 12:57:35 GMT -5
That Laguna Moss is awesome! Does it come from the same deposit as the Red Laguna Lace does or another deposit from the Laguna area?
Larry C.
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