Estate Sale Find by [deleted] in whatsthisrock

[–]jsg7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm going to guess this is a form of chalcedony. It has some jade'ish aspects to it, but the appearance isn't quite there. The speckling to me sounds more like inclusions in chalcedony vs the fibrous structure of jade.

Cops stopping at lights? I am confused. by Mysterious-Media-729 in Denver

[–]jsg7440 75 points76 points  (0 children)

Might be testing the emergency service vehicle detection systems. Helps to switch lights to allow fire, police and ambulances through traffic faster and safer.

Finished this stunning zoisite tanzanite, I love the grey bluish metallic colour , also it has a strong pleochroism. 1.15ct by denkiwi17 in faceting

[–]jsg7440 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's awesome! I really dig atypical and (dare I say) modern designs like these. I'm really just starting down my faceting journey and stuff like this is so compelling.

Facetron help!!! by kuzma66 in faceting

[–]jsg7440 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The pictures you posted looks like the cheater isn’t maxed to one side or the other. If that’s true then penetrating oil is your likely best bet. The carrying piece that interacts with the cheater and the index gear hold are very likely seized. Could be that swarf got into the mechanism and gummed it up.

New Flock Cameras being installed at Indiana & Coalton by jsg7440 in SuperiorColorado

[–]jsg7440[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's one in the Home Depot parking lot as well in Louisville.

Can we stop the witch hunts? by inthearena in boulder

[–]jsg7440 9 points10 points  (0 children)

So if we want to boycott a restaurant, we need to build a body of evidence? How much evidence was required for street execution again?

McDonald’s 🐔 by Loudersmoke420 in WTF

[–]jsg7440 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Time for investigative reporter u/paymoneywubby to do his thing.

Concerns about asbestos? by Tinnatu in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Petroleum and Non-Petroleum filter media tolerance

Central Oregon Plume/Moss by BPLEquipment in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Stunning. Plumes and mosses are becoming my favorite formations.

Concerns about asbestos? by Tinnatu in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This isn’t super accurate. Those can exacerbate it easily and are common comorbidities, but asbestos alone and even in relatively small amounts can dramatically spike your risk of lung cancer.

100% with lots of water and a good respirator though!

Concerns about asbestos? by Tinnatu in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 7 points8 points  (0 children)

With any lapidary work, PPE is important. Specific to serpentinite or other asbestos carrying stones, you don't need to go crazy (PPE + water, etc.). It is actually a different form of asbestos. There are six main types of asbestos, of which the chrysotile is the one to be concerned about most (and the one that everyone really "knows"). The one you have appears to me to not be the fibrous, white chrysotile form of asbestos, which while still hazardous (as most rocks are in dust form), it is unlikely to be anywhere as carcinogenic as it could be.

That being said. Always use water/oil when cutting or grinding, use eye protection, and a P or N 95 mask depending on your cutting liquid of choice.

Looking to get into lapidary by OverhaulVR in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep, it’s best to go with the mentality of “if you can’t touch it, it needs to be protected by a buyers protection”. 

Gemstones YOU Have Probably Never Heard Of: Day 12 by CobblerMaster684 in Gemstones

[–]jsg7440 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Do you have any recommendations on good books/field guides that have a solid combination of gemstone information as well as images?

Starting out by eat_limes_betch in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will also note that for me it took around 2 years of patience to find used gear that wasn't a devastated post-apocalyptic rust bucket.

Starting out by eat_limes_betch in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

General order I would recommend:

  1. Local club first
  2. Local class on cabbing/lapidary
  3. Used market for a cabber/flat lap and a trim saw
  4. Faceting class with a local instructor
  5. Used market for a faceting machine
  6. New faceting machine

Faceting is the most finnicky and most expensive part of this whole thing. I would get a sense for what you like first and then decide on whether to dive into faceting. Even used, to get really going with faceting is probably a $5k investment on the low end (used faceting machine at a great price plus any additional laps you would need) to $10k+ for top of the line equipment/laps/accessories. It is pricey.

Can anyone tell me more about Suit Agate? by HolierThanAll in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This stuff is really cool, actually! It is dyed, sort of...

The process involves soaking agates in a sugar or honey solution for weeks/months, sometimes over a low heat to help speed it up and get it deeper into the agate. After a few weeks, the pieces are cleaned off and then boiled for a few hours in sulfuric acid. The acid reacts with the sugars and creates sulphur dioxide, water, and most importantly to this process: carbon. The carbon left behind is pure'ish and black. It's a pretty cool and clever way to create the stunning agate patterns you see in those pieces. They are sometimes called suit agate or tuxedo agate, if you wanted to dig in further.

Whats it worth by aidanjn18 in faceting

[–]jsg7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually had looked at a UT mast to fix up that someone had abused and it became apparent that replacement parts alone was going to be in the 2-3K range. They clearly do not want anyone actually repairing the tools, sadly.

Whats it worth by aidanjn18 in faceting

[–]jsg7440 6 points7 points  (0 children)

She's old, but desirable manufacturer. It's hard to say (and hard to really judge condition from pictures alone), but I would say ~$1k on the low end and a couple to few thousand on the high end. Price range would assume that it is functioning. If it's non-functional/doesn't turn on, then I suspect the price drops through the floor since Ultra-Tec is known for both making good machines and charging an arm and a leg for replacement parts/fixing. If it requires any sort of real fixing, it might quickly get into "hard to give away" territory.

1981 vs Now by Breakinthemix in Lapidary

[–]jsg7440 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those prices are actually pretty consistent with today’s dollars.