Author Topic: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - One More 07/10 (pic HEVEEEE)  (Read 9785 times)

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3rdRockFromTheFun

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Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Purity vs Aesthetics
« Reply #15 on: July 03, 2012, 06:37:15 AM »
PURITY vs AESTHETICS

Initially I cabbed a piece following some very strict guidelines. Primarily that the entire cab be essentially one face and that it be cabbed with each grind being one single swath across that face. Secondly I'd wanted there to be something special about it apart from the study - that the face be framed in some manner than might, in some universe by some person at very least, be seen as relevant to Helene's opalite cab where she ran a grind around it to create a sort of peeled away framing effect (or so that's how I saw it - and was terrifically impressed by it).

Pretty rigid.

Taking the results of that piece and free-forming a cab without any rules other than the abstract 'it should look kind of the similar' I cut another piece as a more expressive image of 'that shape'. I ground it in mirror image of the first to satisfy the rock, a piece of orbed Bruneau Jasper I received from Sir Tony (catmandewe). Here are the results:

FRONT



BACK - I thought I had a min-reflection shot of this - can't find it...



TOP



BOTTOM



RIGHT SIDE



LEFT SIDE



NOTE - This is the most translucent piece of Bruneau I have ever seen - wow!



I'm not sure how well I did, in concept, but if you consider what it is that makes you like some cabs and dislike others I think you know what I'm talking about when I say "there's just something about that shape...". I don't think I'll be going 'Close Encounters' anytime soon and shaping my mashed potatoes like this, or any other cab, but we seem to connect strongly to simple geometries and to both sharp/straight lines and smooth graceful curves. Since those lines and curves are what I am trying to find resolution with in all of this, and with shapes like this - I can at least I did my best for now.
-frank-

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ScarlettoSara

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #16 on: July 03, 2012, 07:41:02 AM »
Frank it is very soothing and very beautiful. I can tell any stone you are cabbing now has great and deep meaning to you and I like to think about what you are thinking about when you create them.
Like the mobius and now this one too. Everyone has layers that must be peeled back before the real person is revealed. And this stone is perfect representation of that process.
Too bad I am just an onion instead of a beautiful rock:)

lonelygems

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #17 on: July 03, 2012, 08:58:17 AM »
 yes16 yes16 yes16  you framed it at its best......i almost always made a non standard geometrical cabs, followed what is slabs "need to be" and let its nature of beauties came up.
Daniel

3rdRockFromTheFun

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #18 on: July 03, 2012, 02:06:49 PM »
Frank it is very soothing and very beautiful. I can tell any stone you are cabbing now has great and deep meaning to you and I like to think about what you are thinking about when you create them.
Like the mobius and now this one too. Everyone has layers that must be peeled back before the real person is revealed. And this stone is perfect representation of that process.
Too bad I am just an onion instead of a beautiful rock:)


But you're the most lovely onion I have ever had the pleasure of knowing   --,-`@  <-- supposed to be a rose dunno28
-frank-

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ScarlettoSara

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #19 on: July 03, 2012, 02:59:46 PM »
I love it:) Did you have it in your pocket all day my Sweet One:)
I am Vidalia Onion from Georgia, I taste like an apple:) LOL

39don

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #20 on: July 03, 2012, 05:39:01 PM »

Frank that is one "gosh awful" cab and material, both are outta sight.  Superb polish and design in every aspect....... acamerashot              acamerashot

Don

3rdRockFromTheFun

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #21 on: July 03, 2012, 07:15:51 PM »
I love it:) Did you have it in your pocket all day my Sweet One:)
I am Vidalia Onion from Georgia, I taste like an apple:) LOL

Hah hah! Oh my *blush*!
-frank-

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ScarlettoSara

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #22 on: July 03, 2012, 08:35:43 PM »
NO NO NO ....lolololololololololol
NO........
LOLOLOL
Gawd you made me blush too. LOLOLOLOLOL
Holds sides cause they are hurting from laffing...LOLOLOL
LOLOLOLOL/./././././././.

3rdRockFromTheFun

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Study of Curvature and Uniformity - The Twist
« Reply #23 on: July 04, 2012, 06:23:27 AM »
THE TWIST

In my first post I said I would get back to the agate twist. Let's talk about that.

Several months ago, right after I got my first flat lap and had done a few basic shapes, I got kind of discouraged because I was unable to do concave surfaces. You'd be surprised at just how much of a limitation that is.

Still, there are things that can be done on a flat lap that almost defy one's sense of physics while actually in the act. Sure - a twist - no big deal. But when you're sliding a curly thing around on your flat lap and it's 'fitting' - well, kinda cool.

Here's one I did using the waterline portion of a waterline agate:


SIDE - SKINNY



END A



END B



END ON





SIDE - FAT



BACKLIT



Probably the most important thing I learned is that 45 degrees yields the most visually 'twisted' cab in appearance:




Any lesser degree and the twist is difficult to see. Any more than that and it loses the look of a twist and looks like you just cabbed a rod with two different directions of heads/tail on it.

And so I call it a 1/8th twist (1/8th == 360d / 45d). It's obviously not a new concept so there's probably already a name for it but I had to call it something.

--

For those with flat laps who might be interested - here's the pattern (are you sitting?):



That's a SiC honing stick - it's larger than the agate slice I started with and the lines are much easier to see on it. Otherwise it's the exact shape of the agate I started with for the twist shown. The pattern on the other side looks identical. The lines running down the sides mate to the lines crossing diagonally over the ends.

You have to visualize an imaginary plane running through the rectangle from the lines on one side to the lines on the other - like a sheet of paper slicing through it. Then you remove all stock save for a few millimeters on either side of that plane, round it off and presto - twist. You'll end up with a 1/4 twist - cabbing a 1/8th twist is not so terrible once you do a few of these but it's not that intuitive straight away so I recommend the 1/4 twist pattern to begin with. Slice it in half and you get two 1/8th twists.

As you cut be sure and keep the entire thing parallel to your lapping surface. When you're finished the entire thing sits flat (though the offset weight will pull it to one side). Another way of think of it is to pretend that you're making it inside of a tube and that it fits the tube at both ends and middle at all times (which it would).

--

This came to mind when I was going over curvature and uniformity of lines and, as you can see, it's quite curvacious. See how uniformly the light follows that curvature at all points? This is important to me - big time. I think nothing distracts and disappoints me more than planar disparity in reflections (ripples and bumps and skews...) coming from a cab I've made. Especially when I bang my head against the wall trying to get those reflections to look right - because they are literally a reflection coming off a surface that distorts them according to the uniformity of that surface.

What's that you say...? Ridges? ...
-frank-

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ScarlettoSara

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #24 on: July 04, 2012, 06:47:21 AM »
I just got my agate burnisher out of my desk drawer, for some reason my dirty rotten cat loves to swat it around and I am afraid he will break it. It is pretty dang interesting too Frank. First of all it is smooth as silk. Then it has  unusual shape as it increases smaller to larger. Then one end is smoothed around and other end is cut at angle. Then within stone it has  some of the Iris effect and some stripes and swirls and it fades from one color to another and on one end I just noticed there is a fire prism:) I think I will try to make it into a pin/brooch like you wear on kilts or capes:) I dont have any capes or kilts but I am saying it needs a place of honor:) I love it Frank and it is very special to me. Thank you.

3rdRockFromTheFun

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #25 on: July 04, 2012, 07:07:36 AM »
Well aren't you sweet - you're very welcome!

I have to say, one thing I'm blessed with is local access to some really awesome agate at a very modest price (just have to dig through heaps of stuff to find it - and I do!) And my favorite is pieces like that - discarded by people making bigger headier things I suppose.
-frank-

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Enchantra

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #26 on: July 04, 2012, 07:20:03 AM »
Frank I agree that Tony has a lot of really great rough!

This cab is quite beautiful!  The curves inspire awe.   ura12

lonelygems

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #27 on: July 04, 2012, 08:01:17 AM »
I studying this project carefully.....i found that you got a very interesting method and standard (high one) to make an extraordinary cab or it can be also call a special long bead with a flat lap, it is hard to fitting all twisted side with a flat lap......i'm thinking about a different pressure to each end is needed to "twist" this agate by flat lap, i never found any like this, it is original Frank......newcomer can't do this at first or second try.  hatsoff14
Daniel

3rdRockFromTheFun

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - Single Swath Cab (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #28 on: July 04, 2012, 08:17:10 AM »
I studying this project carefully.....i found that you got a very interesting method and standard (high one) to make an extraordinary cab or it can be also call a special long bead with a flat lap, it is hard to fitting all twisted side with a flat lap......i'm thinking about a different pressure to each end is needed to "twist" this agate by flat lap, i never found any like this, it is original Frank......newcomer can't do this at first or second try.  hatsoff14
Thanks Daniel!

This is really just my story of how difficult it is for me, a newbie at all of this, to find uniform curves and lines in more standard patterns (ovals, for example). It's very frustrating and so I study this (and everyone elses cabs) to try and get better at it, but in the meantime I try to find ways of making cabs that are sort of find their own curves almost formulaically. This way I can feel at least not so sub-par to others here who make such incredible cabs and carvings, and at the same time I hope maybe I can come up with my own unique style.

Nothing shown here is difficult other than explaining some of it and trying to decipher my explanations - but truly these things are cake compared to something like a Krystee oval that looks like a drop of water (my mouth falls open everytime I see one!) or your own amazing cabs!

Thank you for your kind words!
-frank-

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lonelygems

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Re: Study of Curvature and Uniformity - The Twist (pic HEVEEEE)
« Reply #29 on: July 04, 2012, 10:31:43 AM »
Noooo.....You underestimated your self Frank.....as i told you non experience cabbers can't do this easily in first or second try, this is your passion and your style i really saw that, not just another good words to encourage some one, this is real one!

I teached many cabbers in Indonesia, and i know wich one is good, First is passion to create a new or a best one, second to last is to improve everything his/her got, you can not improved anything if don't have any passion.

I simulated what you did in my mind and just realized how difficult it is, you need your hand dinamicaly smooth and strong moved side by side to got all side fit on a flat perfectly (i'm still not mention about polishing).....and I believed you already now how to use or improve this one as your own specific cabs style.

This twisted cab can be use for nice pendat, its flow twisted area has good performance to show the maximum beauty of material wich is can't show by other style, and if you can go to smaller size it would be perfect for bead, and bead can be use in large variaties of jewelries. yes16
Daniel