Killer Cab Contest Entries for March 17-31!

[lonelygems]

     Don, perfect polish on rich patern GY plume, what a challenging material.


     Ben, big cab is one of my favorite and it's hard to do, you did very well. I need your help Ben.....I want to know about HXATEL, is it a product trade mark? What is it contain  of? I'm lookng for something better than cyanoacrylate adhesive that I usually used to fill pitting on cabs, I need information......thanks before.

[gjones]

Wow!!!  All of these cabs are beautiful!  I would be suprised if these weren't some of the best I've ever seen.  You all are real ARTISTS!!!!   

[Ajo]

 

@ Eric...are you the same Eric Ajo that was competing throughout the karma minerals challenge on fb this last fall?

Ben, my name is Eric and my forum name is Ajo.  I did not compete in the challenge. Hmm, what a coincidence. Eric

[cre84u]

Wait 2 days and WOW!!!!!
Eric, Jon, Don & Ben what fantastic cabs
LOVE THEM ALL
Beautiful work
 

[3rdRockFromTheFun]

Don - That is wonderful - good photography to boot! 

Ben - Oh man, I LOVE this piece - superb job! 

[Redwilder]

@ Daniel (lonelygems)
Sorry, i spelled that adhevsive wrong. Its actually spelled HXTAL. There are threads in this forum regarding how to use it for lapidary if ya want to do a search for that in the forums engine. Its used in museaums for preservation of fossils and what not. Here's some product info on...along with a sample pricing (which is why i havent bought any yet, Lol)

 
The first epoxy adhesive made specifically for conservation uses, not borrowed from another field. Hxtal NYL-1 is of exceptionally light color and yellows the least upon weathering of any epoxy known. The primary use of Hxtal is glass and china mending, but many other uses for such a low colored epoxy resin have been found. For example, Hxtal makes an excellent coating resin and can be air brushed on quite nicely from aromatic or ketone solvents. Used in this manner, Hxtal is a superb china glaze. This low viscosity, hard, colorless, glass-like epoxy resin also adheres strongly to metals, wood, ivory and marble.

This exciting epoxy cures in about 1 week at 75° F (24° C) or in 2 days at 95° F (35° C). Cure times can be cut sharply by preheating the mix to 100° F (38° C) for 15 to 20 minutes before use, and for even faster cure, immediately after mixing raise the temperature to 140-170° F (60-77° C) for 1 to 2 minutes. After cooling, such preheated resin has a viscosity similar to the viscosity of the epoxies commonly sold in tubes, and the cure time is just a few minutes. Heating the cemented object up to 140° F (60° C) can shorten the cure time.

Hxtal is a two-part epoxy resin system. The resin (Part A) and the hardener (Part B) are mixed 3:1 by weight. The unused mix can be kept for 4 to 5 days in the freezer. It is most important that the container be tightly closed. The cured resin does not embrittle with time and is very resistant to yellowing and surface degradation, even after prolonged exposure outdoors. Hxtal’s initial yellowness index is 6 to 8 which is unchanged after 1600 hours of Weather-ometer exposure, rising slowly to 13 to 14 at 3,000 hours. The best competitive epoxy adhesive has an initial Yellowness of 9, which rises to over 40 after 800 hours in the Weather-ometer. After 800 hours exposure, the coating began to erode away.

When colored with titania, the resin can be made to match the finest porcelain in color, translucency and surface appearance. With or without pigment, Hxtal NYL-1 can be used as a glaze that is highly resistant to water and most solvents. The cured resin can be removed from hard surfaces with Epoxy Resin Dissolver, but prolonged soaking may be required to soften joints.
 
B1504-002 2 pound kit (900 grams) $265.00 
B1504-010 10 pound kit (4.5 kilograms) $1200.00
B1504-060 60 gram kit $40.00
B1504-150 150 gram kit $75.00
B1505-002 Part B 2 pound kit (228 grams) $66.25
B1505-010 Part B 10 pound kit (1140 grams) $300.00
B1505-060 Part B 60 gram kit (15 grams) $10.00
B1505-150 Part B 150 gram kit (38 grams) $18.75

[Allen]

Superb entries all round, I feel mine is here to fill the numbers. A tradesman entry not an artist like the others.

I was inspired by an entry of Fullerton's In our last comp where he cabbed an end piece of Charoite and turned out a nice product from material that didn't look much.

I have staid true to Agate Creek with another piece from Bald Hill, a similar agate to my entry 2 comps back.
Its an end piece that generally gets thrown in the tumbler stockpile.
The finished product is higher dome than normal, the agate was far to hard to grind down and I didn't want to cut it.
Top view

Bottom view

Top view rough ground

Finished product with an insect on top and reflections in my back yard of the sky and palm trees.

Another outdoor shot

Finally indoors with some back light.


Thanks for looking
 


 

[asianfire]

Allen, you a tradesmen???? Never. You are the artist in residence.

It takes an artist, to create something from something that no-one else sees.

Masterfully crafted and wonderful finished.

[lonelygems]

Thank you Ben....yes I searched google HXATEL and found nothing, your information is helpfull, I never use that kind of epoxy. About the price....it is expensive.

[lonelygems]

Hi Allen, I really like the material you used for cab, sliced from intake form, stunning colours........ 

Just curious.....the fly...is it slip down after camera shot....? Nothing can stand up those perfect polish for quite long seconds   

[3rdRockFromTheFun]

Niiiiice Allen 

[ScarlettoSara]

Allen:)
The stones you show, Man oh Man oh Man oh Man.
This one is very appealing to me being Red and striped and bubbles and exotic:)
It is very satisfying to my senses:) LOL
Like a excellent slice of cool watermelon on a hot summer day. Very satisfying:)

[christopherl1234]

Okay I am in this time. Figured I would kill two birds with one stone. Been busy cutting and fabricating for others thought I would just take photos of a stone I cut this morning for a client.

I started with a 19.8ct piece of Contra Luz water clear Mexican Opal



The client wanted a heart shaped stone. Here is the pre-form



and a couple of the stone. I managed to pull off a 47% return on the rough producing a 9ct 15mm x 14.8mm x 7.75mm gemstone









Not a lot of sun out today like there was yesterday when I took photos of the rough for approval so the cab doesn't pop as much. Here is a photo of the heart in my fingers in a momentary break in the clouds....please forgive the tore up fingers...the wheels have been getting me!!

[ScarlettoSara]

OH my Christopher:)
My My My My My how you do carry on:)
Maybe I should say how you do cab on:)
I love everything about it:) Sweet as sugah:)

[asianfire]

Fantastic material. Superbly done and if seen in full sunlight certainly a major force to be reckoned with.

P'.s.: Will have a look at the FA this weekend and contact you after.