My friend bought me a bench grinder for xmas... he's a good guy, its kool, theres such a small comunity over here(uk)that tools and equipment are few and far between.
I'm getting by on discs and belts from starting in the summer July 2015 to get something resembling cabs...with kids its not so easy for anything else...i'm addicted to the whole thing...people re-act so positively to anything organic you give them, i don't know...its satisfying and justifies...what do you think, its all good?

Merry Xmas

Axl

The site never allowed me to post pics even though i followed the instructions...it may have been my sp, anti virus, location, etc but instead i opened a flickr account, then learned not to post links(its annoying)as flickr allows you to post images direct...for what its worth 

Pazzazz you can't buy it. 

Hi guys thanks for the replies.

Debbie your right theres no translucency seems pretty dark/solid and qtz2010 i had a look at chert and some metamorphosed chert images weren't so far away from the rock texture so thats shone a light on what it is.

Jakesrocks i'm going to steep it in bleach like you suggested but i did get some sulphuric acid brick cleaner from a bricky friend of mine although i don't know what that would do to it and i'm trying to get it cut in half.

I also figured out how to post images and not the links...every days a school day.

Cheers

1.
DCAM0091 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

DCAM0093 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

2.
DCAM0055 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

3.
DCAM0090 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

4.
DCAM0068 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

5.
DCAM0047 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

6.
DCAM0063 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

7.
DCAM0048 (2) by Axl Laird, on Flickr

DCAM0125 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

8.
DCAM0096 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

9.
DCAM0121 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

10.
DCAM0078 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

11.
DCAM0050 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

12.
DCAM0026 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

13.
DCAM0002 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

DCAM0020 (2) by Axl Laird, on Flickr

14.
DCAM0041 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

DCAM0075 by Axl Laird, on Flickr

We've collected some agates and jaspers and cut some we don't really know...all ID help would be appreciated.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21466198220/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21628063066/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21466286540/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21031457784/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21031554284/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21467364849/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21467365389/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21033199213/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21642836002/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21628127746/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21663330801/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21031522434/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21628116076/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21654175175/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21663322581/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21628109466/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21466347998/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21466348748/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21467328399/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21628094176/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21466228720/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21031490654/in/datetaken/
Dug this out of a fisure in the rocks in Fife...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21033133603/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21654134185/in/datetaken/
found this one on the same beach...
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21628158986/in/datetaken/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21654125985/in/datetaken/

Really enjoying learning the processes to produce a finished item only polishing left for some of these for which i have some cerium oxide and a lambswool disc cover hopefully its not too hard to master.

Cheers

Very nebulous like something the hubble telescope would see and therefore very cool.

Nice and bright with plenty going on...your cabs will have character, hope we get to see them when you finish.

Great story 55fossil its kool you finally got your rock and what a beauty i wouldn't mind finding one like that. Best of luck in cutting it.

Found this one on our favourite beach under the Forth Rail Bridge weighs betwen 16-17 lbs and i'm hoping its an agate as its by far the biggest we've encountered? Any info/ideas on the colours would be most welcome.

Needs more scrubbing to get the gunk off but i'm hopeful it'll come up ok and then i'll need to figure out what to do with it. 

Found on South Queensferry Beach East Coast Scotland.

Cheers Guys...this post took me about 3hrs haha i'm not a poster...pics are hopefully below from my new flickr thingy.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21234944788/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/20800083484/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21234943898/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/20801695953/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/20801694753/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/135432739@N05/21234942988/in/dateposted-public/

I hear you mate...i have half a dozen buckets full of rocks in the garden collected over the school summer holidays with my son. So if thats after a few weeks whats it going to be like in a few years? I actually hadn't thought of that before now...

my son who is 9 and i have recently started to collect stones whilst out looking for fossils and i must say the stone collecting is going alot better than its fossil counterpart.

We stay in West Lothian and have been beach combing and hillwalking around Central and East Coast Scotland looking for Agate and Jasper and we've added a few other items to our list after throwing them away to begin with.

We have bought a tile cutter and i had a belt sander for which we bought silicon carbide belts(only up to 400 grit) and we're up and running cutting and polishing sort of.

Its good fun although the rucksack does get pretty heavy lol...

There's so much to see on this forum and our eyes are being opened to the countless possibilities...

All the best...