Applying to join this forum, you HAVE to activate your membership in YOUR email in the notice you recieve after completing application process. No activation on your part, no membership.

Lapidaryforum.net

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome new members & old from the Lapidary/Gemstone Community Forum. Please join up. You will be approved after spam check & you must manually activate your acct with the link in your email

Congratulations to Bobby1 and his Brazilian Agate Cab!

 www.lapidaryforum.net

Another cabochon contest coming soon!

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: hematie  (Read 1283 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

happyphantom7440

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2
hematie
« on: November 18, 2018, 08:53:22 PM »

I have a lot of large specular hematite. I'm new to this and was wanting to cut and shape them, but I don't exactly know where to start or what to do. Any suggestions?
Logged

irockhound

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1467
    • RockhoundingUSA
Re: hematie
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2018, 10:46:03 PM »

I have never cut Specular Hematite because it is just a conglomerate of small Hematite blades.  All the Specular I have had or found through the years leaves a little every time I have picked it up.  It would be interesting material if it did come in solid material.  What is the binder that is holding the Specular Hematite together?  I would think if it was all Specular Hematite that was solid enough to cut it would just be Hematite.  Do you have Specular Hematite that is solid enough to cut?  Put a picture in of the material
Logged

Stonemon

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 591
Re: hematie
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2018, 06:25:18 AM »

Here is specular hematite in Qtz,,, (microcrystaline)
It cuts well but will not go to mirror finish because of the qranular texture.
Logged


Bill

lithicbeads

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3214
Re: hematie
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2018, 08:00:22 AM »

 I have cut quite a few cabs out of the pure botryoidal specular hematite. The edges are what i cut as well as the back to preserve the bot surface.It is messy and some folks have a hard time getting a polish on it but diamond in the form of nova wheels have worked for me. specular hematite in quartz can present problems because it often rquires orientation  and the stone is often a bit low in silica so polishing can be a challenge.The surface of these stones are often a bit open so staying away from oxides can help.
Logged

Stonemon

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 591
Re: hematie
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2018, 08:04:16 AM »

I have cut quite a few cabs out of the pure botryoidal specular hematite. The edges are what i cut as well as the back to preserve the bot surface.It is messy and some folks have a hard time getting a polish on it but diamond in the form of nova wheels have worked for me. specular hematite in quartz can present problems because it often rquires orientation  and the stone is often a bit low in silica so polishing can be a challenge.The surface of these stones are often a bit open so staying away from oxides can help.

Yes, The bead above was polished with 50,000 diamond on canvas, no oxide. I like the subtle colors in this material...
Logged


Bill

VegasJames

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 470
Re: hematie
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2018, 03:46:17 AM »

Here is a cab I made from some specular hematite I collected in Southern California. It is interesting but because of the angle plates it does not have a smooth polished surface.

DSC_0740 by James Sloane, on Flickr
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.1 seconds with 38 queries.