Had no idea that Frank went under the knife. Finally got to meet and chat with him over on the peninsula this summer. He has advised me a number of times that my rockhounding style is going to end up hobbling me up like it has to him. But, I like my style of hauling boulders over my shoulder and out up mountains to my rig. Ill just have to hobble while doing so when the time comes.....says that's why I remind him of himself lol. Get well fast ol Geology Jedi of Rocks

Something I started to do religiously with my genie this summer to cool the stone as well as avoid micro scratches was to make sure to change the water whenever going up to the next grit. With each water change, I also put a little dawn dishsoap as well as jet blue dishwasher agent. Helps to keep the stone slick and the wheels get a washing each time, ridding them of old muck. Don't ever seem to get fracturing or pitting anymore plus the shine has really increased

If you have large amounts that you need to unload fast, I am sure that someone in my club...The Spokane Rock Rollers....could drive your way to pick them up. We are always looking for material for our silent auction at our gem show in march and at our monthly meetings. I would come over myself right now since I am a certified Rock-O-holic, but I am working an absolutely insane amount of overtime to fund a five week vacation coming up in a couple of weeks to go to Australia and Hawaii....plus funds for my summer rockhouding trips all across the pacific northwest

I went along with my club to McDermitt this summer. One of our favorite sites was to collect Purple Cow. Some folks simply searched for float, but others who like to get dirty (like myself) dug for it. Didnt look as if anyone had really been digging for it in quite awhile, but there was plenty available. What was really cool was the limb casts that I found out of that stuff! Looking forward to going again this upcoming June!

Gary Green jasper

Not sure if this fits in this section or not (not even rock related). I bought a gallon bag of old desert ironwood pieces at our club's gems how this spring. Liked the odd shaped pieces and how I've seen it turn out in other people's work. As I understand, it can be a pain to work. Does anyone have any experience in cutting, grinding, shaping, staining or polishing of this wood? Any pics of finished projects or jewerly where it's been used?

What's the best method for making a groove for the most even line and depth?

Wow! Fantastic looking material! Too bad one can't go out and collect that anymore

   I just received 3 lbs of Hxtal to use in sealing slabs for cabbing. After seeing how much comes in 3 lbs (as well as the cost) I've decided to save the vacuum sealing for slabs of the more beautiful, pricey or limited availability stones. Coating slabs or performs to seal visible fractures would be ok I think as I wouldn't be using nearly as much Hxtal as vacuum sealing all micro pockets as well as fractures.
   Still would like to vacuum seal other non-pricey, highly available materials (such as Happy Hill Aventurine). I've seen the tutorial on using wood hardener, but would that discolor the stone. The liquid starts off brownish in color so I would think that it would throw off the natural colors of the stone after sealing as well. Tried the acetone and two part epoxy thing before but it seemed to dry yellow and very brittle. Also have tried water glass...but that really didn't seem to work for me (must of done something wrong-was still water soluble even after sitting for a year lol). Is there another type of sealant I could use that would stabilize sufficiently while not detracting from the stones natural color?
   Back to the Hxtal. After making up a small batch to use, I'm sure that there will be leftover mixed epoxy. Since this stuff is not cheap, is there a way to store the remaining mixture for future use without it hardening up prior to that time?

Almost forgot the back lit shots

Not sure why the top two pics show sideways, but if you click on them, they rotate correctly

I'm pretty sure that this was brought up before, but I can't remember if it was resolved or not. If my stone isn't acceptable in this contest, then please disregard. My entry is a double sided cab with a hole drilled through it. Ok...so it's a bead. Anyhoo...back at the end of June, I went with my club to McDermitt for a rocking good time. A side trip we took was to the Amethyst Mine where I may of went over board collecting rocks. Couldn't help it...it is after all, my favorite stone! Welp, here it is. All shades of purple, streamers, and plumes. One BIG ol stone to weigh my neck down

Nyssa pink plume agate from Oregon. Ive collected a few hundred pounds of this myself and it looks just like yours

Hello all!
Just got back from a big trip to McDermitt where I got myself lots of gary green. Has anyone tried cutting this jasper like you would with the different sheen obsidians? If so, what sorta effect did it have in the slab?

Howdy everyone! So, I'm trying to rearrange my house in a manner that best displays lots n lots of rock that I've hoarded so far. Had a number of acrylic risers that I've been utilizing and realized that I could use a ton more. I've been looking on eBay for anything acrylic such as risers, 3 and 4 prong geode holders, display cases, easels, etc. Not exactly cheap when you want to buy a lot of them. Does anyone know of a place that I could basically do some sort of bulk orders of these for reasonable prices? Thanks