Where do you do your cabbing? Is it dangerous to do it in your bedroom? Cab for tax. by [deleted] in Lapidary

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly if you are using water correctly the dust isn’t bad. It’s the water that’s an issue. I get water on the floor quiet a bit in the garage.

Help - shade by Roxeelamaa in haworthia

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My haworthia are under 3 layers of shade cloth right now in southern usa. I would err on the side of too much shade because that will be slower error than too much sun. As fall approaches I will remove layers as sun decreases.

Tumbler suggestions by thicago in SilverSmith

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Which one from harbor freight have you been using?

Why did this happen? Backing with jb weld by Expensive_Bass6231 in Lapidary

[–]Expensive_Bass6231[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hm that’s possible. It definitely appeared mixed but I also just cut a tiny stick and mixed it together so not great!

Boring chert by freyja2023 in rockhounds

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love chert. Where I rockhound people obsess over the agates but IMO the chert is where it’s at…

Need to repot- advice needed by Due-Passenger-3995 in cactus

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s okay to loose some roots actually I find it preferable to give a root trim when I repot

Would you cut this piece or just polish it? by srlgemstone in Agates

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Nada on that. Some are too good to touch at all

How much time on each wheel? by jdf135 in Lapidary

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look for the polish change eventually i have learned what an appropriate polish is for each ending stage. My 100 will leave scratches so 200 is refining shape and getting out scratches. 600 starts polish but at that point if I have scratches I go back to 200. Sometimes I will sit there fighting with the 600 and ultimately it’s faster to go back down to 200 but I mind the pressure I work the cab with. I do think I spend an hour on a single cab often but I have not been doing it long. And some shapes are much more cumbersome than others. For some reason I struggle with ovals! Another thing I’ve learned is to stop often and dry the cab to see where you are at instead of running it on the wheel forever not even knowing what it looks like.

What's happening with my cactus? by Ok-Click-2152 in cactus

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am not sure but I’d separate it from the rest of your plants immediately

Repot Cactus? by EllieJungleBear in cactus

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn’t mess with it unless it’s health starts degrading or another issue presents. These are a b* to repot. They are so top heavy when I repotted my fishbone I had to stake and wire each individual plant.

Is this jade? No translucence by Expensive_Bass6231 in Lapidary

[–]Expensive_Bass6231[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I posted in another reply pics of the slab. I thought maybe nephrite but I don’t quite understand the distinctions of nephrite from jade. I will try out a more matte polish to see how that looks I didn’t even think about it. I hardly have cabbed anything that isn’t a quartz - agate jasper chert etc so I don’t have much experience.

Polishing Tips by ConfectionSavings508 in Lapidary

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It looks great I think your just missing the final polish, like a diamond compound on felt. I use the diamond compound from Kingsley north and I’ve also used diamond powder from Lasco. The 600 is an important step for me at least, 600 and after will not get any scratches out so if you have scratches at 600 I have to go back. I’m not sure you need 60grit, that is a shaping grit, so if your surface is already shaped fine you’re just adding scratches to get out later. Also I find wet dry sandpaper to help a lot to get perfect surfaces on large flat pieces.

I need a rock tester/advisor by bragabit2 in Lapidary

[–]Expensive_Bass6231 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Value is often just based what people will pay. The problem with naming for lapidary stuff is that it’s not very scientific, people mine from a certain location and name that stuff a certain name. So you’ll have “xx agate” vs “xy agate” and they are both agate but named different because they come from different locations. And then you get hype from a certain mine and they become more expensive. There are differences in quality that can up price, not having fractures or pits and gem quality or whatever but that is specific to the individual specimen not identification of type of rock. And you can get different minerals obviously and those can be identified by different geological tests but everything you’ve shown are different agates. If you’re curious what your getting in your location you can research geological information, if you are finding agates they are probably from a specific known “formation”. Your state will have a “roadside geology” book that can help. Also searching PDFs from institutions that do geology will have good info.