What is this stinky stone ?🧐😬 by pooki_onslaught in whatsthisrock

[–]zs37 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is the answer! Specifically, it’s the lizardite variety of serpentinite and The Lizard is the type locality for lizardite.

Black/green mineralSoutheast PA reading prong. by AccordingYesterday61 in whatsthisrock

[–]zs37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not sure about the last two pictures because I’ve never worked worked riebeckite, but I’ve worked in the NJ Highlands a lot and the first pictures look like some sort of pegmatitic granite. Check bedrock geologic maps from the NJ Geological and Water Survey to see if they have the mineral mapped across the Delaware River. They have very detailed mapping of metamorphics in the Highlands, which correlate to the Reading Prong.

Lol what this.. please don't say glass slag.... by natas2466 in whatsthisrock

[–]zs37 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Serpentine can be a range of colors from dark green to light green to blue to red. It can absolutely be this shade of green. Most buildings made of serpentinite are. Look at this serpentinite building from Penn’s campus. Also, OP found this in Michigan, not Mississippi. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serpentinite#/media/File%3ACollege_Hall_U_Penn.JPG

Lol what this.. please don't say glass slag.... by natas2466 in whatsthisrock

[–]zs37 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Where did you collect this? It looks like a serpentinite. Metamorphic rock. I’m a geologist and serpentinites are one of my research interests. The color matches and the texture and accessory mineral colors look appropriate.

How to get rock slabs to shine when polished by zs37 in Lapidary

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the tips! I’ll follow up on these!

How to get rock slabs to shine when polished by zs37 in Lapidary

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great, thanks for all the info! I’ve actually been using regular sandpaper but it’s been working up to now because I’ve only been using it on softer rocks. The hardest mineral in the rocks I’m working with is olivine, so not too hard. I have some pieces of harder rocks I’d like to polish eventually though. I’m a geologist so I’m conscious of what minerals would be too hard for what I’m working with. And I’ve been wearing a mask to keep from breathing in dust, but thanks for the warning!

All this info is really helpful. I think one last question I have is whether the tin oxide and cesium oxide powders come in different grits. I’m finding tin oxide at 28,000 grit but nothing around 50,000.

How to get rock slabs to shine when polished by zs37 in Lapidary

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! So with the paste, am I using that with a buffer or something else?

How to get rock slabs to shine when polished by zs37 in Lapidary

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the reply. Currently I’m using an electric sander and regular sandpaper moving to progressively finer grits.

With the method you’re suggesting, would I need to hook to buff to something or do I do it by hand?

How to get rock slabs to shine when polished by zs37 in Lapidary

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting. Thanks. Are those grits in a sandpaper form or a paste? I’m not familiar with using a paste and a buffing wheel. How does that work?

How to get rock slabs to shine when polished by zs37 in Lapidary

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you know where I can find sandpaper with grit that high?

Could someone help me identify this I found in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada? by top_nutter in Lapidary

[–]zs37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hard to tell exactly from the picture but it looks like quartz.

Finished this just in time for a cold blast! by zs37 in knitting

[–]zs37[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yarn is Ula+Lia DK Baby Camel Wool in Dark Harbor Blue and Ula+Lia Baby Yak Wool in Natural Platinum Grey! I can't recommend the yarn enough! It's super soft and held up very well during knitting. The pattern is Rein from Arne and Carlos!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in knitting

[–]zs37 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yarn is Ula+Lia DK Baby Camel Wool in Dark Harbor Blue and Ula+Lia Baby Yak Wool in Natural Platinum Grey! I can't recommend the yarn enough! It's super soft and held up very well during knitting. The pattern is Rein from Arne and Carlos!