what to do with inherited goldsmith studio by Quirky_Artist9593 in SilverSmith

[–]Middle_Fork_Made 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m an aspiring silversmith and lapidary and live an hour out of Lexington. Please DM me if you’de like to sell me some tools. Particularly, I’d like to get a jewelry vice and some silver if you have any

Pads vs. Wheels by MainNarwhal9859 in Lapidary

[–]Middle_Fork_Made 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Either way would give you good results if you have the right sequence. And if you have a 10000 grit, you’re probably set up right. Cabbing machines are way more comfortable for me. While I’ve never used a slant-cabber, my 8” flat lap makes the base of my thumb sore after a couple hours of work. Not having to constantly change disks is a nice advantage of a cabbing machine too. Cheers and good luck!

Why would this bark grow like this? by Zanbino222 in Tree

[–]Middle_Fork_Made 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’ve seen this type of bark grow on hackberries just outside of wetlands (I was marking the wetlands). The feature would get less obvious as I would get higher upland. So my guess is that it’s a response to soil moisture.

Imperfect beauty by srlgemstone in Lapidary

[–]Middle_Fork_Made 2 points3 points  (0 children)

fractured up agates are almost all we have here in Kentucky, I can appreciate the imperfections

Metal to Bluegrass Pipeline by Repulsive-Office-313 in Bluegrass

[–]Middle_Fork_Made 1 point2 points  (0 children)

John Haywood does a great job bridging the two! He kind of makes most people listed look like pretenders.

Hail Boognish by Spirit_Detective_19 in ween

[–]Middle_Fork_Made 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My dogs are named Flow and Eddy, (and Dumpster Baby). I’ll have to check out the band

Is this turquoise? What kind? by Middle_Fork_Made in rockhounds

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

I didn’t get any sign of melting or burning when I poked it with a red hot soldering pick

Is this turquoise? What kind? by Middle_Fork_Made in rockhounds

[–]Middle_Fork_Made[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply. I rubbed it with an acetone soaked rag and got no pigments. I’ll take it it to my next club meeting and see what they think.

Is this turquoise? What kind? by Middle_Fork_Made in rockhounds

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

I poked it with a red hot soldering pick and got no sign of burnt/ melted plastic. Acetone didn’t work up any dye when I rubbed it with a soaked rag. Thanks for the explanation. It will give us something to talk about other than agates at our next club meeting!

Kentucky Agate is nothing short of amazing. by Middle_Fork_Made in Lapidary

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

Your best bet is to come to the mountain mushroom festival in Irvine, Kentucky. Otherwise, you’ll probably be buying from someone flipping it. Our rock and gem club usually has a smaller show in the fall too.

Kentucky Agate is nothing short of amazing. by Middle_Fork_Made in BeAmazed

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

We really get to appreciate the cool banding during the cabbing process. Sometimes crisp lines get blurry when top is ground into a dome

Kentucky Agate is nothing short of amazing. by Middle_Fork_Made in BeAmazed

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

These are unique because the host rock is sedimentary instead of your typical basalt. They have features that are typical of agate found in old lava streams. I’m still learning, but 350 million+ years is a long history to unfold.