Lapidaryforum.net
General Category => Contests => Topic started by: hummingbirdstones on May 09, 2016, 07:12:09 PM
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Okay, ya'll - here we go! We'll do this one for May/June this first time, since half of May is almost gone. The rules are a little bit different for the contest:
Rules:
1) Cab must be made by you.
2) Cab must be made within the time period of this contest. NO pulling old cabs from your storage baskets!
3) As long as the basic shape is considered a cab it's golden. You can enter intarsias and carved top cabs such as cameos etc. After all, this is the OUTRAGEOUS cab contest! We love free form cabs! Pull out the stops and give us the best you have!
4) One entry per person please!
5) Please show photos of your slabs and preforms if you can so we can see your thought process and how you did things.
6) No finished jewelry pieces. Just the cab.
7) Cab sets are OK.
8) This is only for bragging rights and your cabochon photo posted up top in the forums unless someone posts a lapidary related prize and wants to ship it to the winner of the contest.
Let the games begin!!! :toothy10:
Edit: If you posted an entry for April on the old forum, go ahead and repost them here!
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Here's a free form cab of gem bone from Utah. I really like the miniature agates in the cells that contain moss, orbs, fortification and multiple colors. Real fun with a microscope!
The original shape lost a corner during trimming, so I had to re-work the shape into its final form.
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Hi All
The contest is different. It opens more windows.I am usually a winter cabber. With the nice spring and all of my machines running I might have some time to cab :LOLOL:
I have a small piece that is telling me that it wants sharp corners. I will work on it.
Good luck All
Shawn
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Super nice cab & really cool closeup view!
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love that material and a nice polish
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Nevada moss agate
when I got home from work last night I wandered thru the rock piles and saw this flake and it must of been talking to me, so I took it into the shop and this is what I ended up with, by the time I ground off the thin edges and preformed it I decided to drill a hole in it. we need more than one entry. Where are the rest of the cabbers at?
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i went out to create one the other day but i was getting shocked every time i put my hands in the water to cab a rock up.
so im out lol.
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That isn't funny. You need to fix that, don't need you getting electricuted. If you don't have a gfi on your lapidary equipment you should get one installed. If you do have one it's not working correctly. If you weren't two states away I would volunteer to check it for you (electrician for 40 years)
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First timer :icon_cheers:
I'll call this a Colorado agate since I picked it up at a roadside rock shop in Colorado. Finished cab is 52 x 26, two sided and pretty thin so it would show well in both normal and transmitted light. I plan on making a pendant.
First time I made a two sided cab. Quite pleased, but a lot of work!
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Excellent entry for your first time! And I agree, double sided cabs are a lot of work. :headbang:
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Cool it looks like a Montana or Indian agate. Double sided cabs are only twice the work, they look real good wire wrapped if they turn around backwards no knows! I polished the back of my entry I should post a picture of the back
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Hi All
Hi Mike and welcome.I am a new transfer from the old forum. Cool cab :thumbsup:
My turn
OK I am trying to do angles on a genie but I have a setback. I have a fracture.
Sorry my bad but that is the pic of as close as to the beginning as I took.
(http://)
Guess this is a trial and I reserve the right to make improvements before the end of the contest. I don't know what I will do with the fracture.
Bless
Shawn
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Love the look of all of them. Good to see there are some people still working material at this quiet time.
Just realized that carved top is allowed, so will enter in the next few days pretty much the only thing I worked on besides FA this month.
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Cancel this entry, as something better came up!
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/ppStep%20one_zpsgr9dxrb3.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/ppStep%20one_zpsgr9dxrb3.jpg.html)
Thanks for the nice feedback received but decided to enter something different so removed most pics, Kurt
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Outrageous cab there Kurt. :icon_salut:
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Way to go Kurt!!!!
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As usual, I forgot to take a picture of the rough, which was a tumbled piece of hematite. But I did remember before I got too far along, so I hope it's okay. It's 1 1/4 inches long by 1 1/8 inches wide and 3/4 of an inch deep. It's flat on the back, so I guess it qualifies as a cab.
Here it is at the beginning:
and the front and both sides.
Debbie K
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I don't understsnd. Is it painted after you carved it?
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That is too cool Debbie! :hello2:
Bill
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No, it's not painted. I polished the top of the head and left the face matte. The head is undercut so it casts shadows.
Thanks, Bill. I know it's not like my usual stuff; not very pretty. But I kept seeing a stylized Mayan face and feathers, so that's what I carved.
Debbie K
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Wow it just gets better n better!!! Now that's carving!
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I don't understsnd. Is it painted after you carved it?
Nahhh Orrum, the change in colour is because it had literally mirror polish after tumbling and the different colour you see is the reflection from its surrounding in the first picture. :) Nice one Debbie, keep them coming.
I do hope cabbers dont stay away from the challenge. Do understand that well made cabs are just as interesting as "fortified" ones.
On FB we have run a mixed challenge since over a year, and quite a few times, "regular" cabs won out over carvings in the voting stages.
So keep them coming and lets see your best effort............
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Asianfire, I understand your point but don't entirely agree with it. The carvings are great and I'd like to see more of them but for my two carats'-worth I think they need separate contest categories here. That's because the number of "standard cabbers" seems much larger on this forum than carvers and I think the two competing directly with one another will discourage a lot of entries. I want to see both categories thrive and inspire new talent and I think dual contests would accomplish that.
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We haven't had any carving competitions for a long time, at least on the other forum. Carvers have to wait for the "Outrageous" category in order to participate. There probably are just not enough of us around to justify our own competition.
It's discouraging both ways: Carvers can't often compete with the incredible patterns; Cabbers are competing with a totally different criteria. But I don't see any real solution as I don't know that two competitions are feasible. I wouldn't have entered myself except that there was nothing at stake but bragging rights.
If you guys want me to take my entry down, no problem.
Debbie K
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Leave it up is my vote....
I will cut a cabochon before this thing is over. Who says you can't compare apples and oranges? Let the coolest thing win!!
Just sayin'
Bill
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leave the entry Debbie, thats just friggin cool as heck.
I understand the problem with carvings and cabs, There can be two winners here as shown above the forum on the image.
Two separate polls can be ran at the end and i can combine the two images.
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No, it's not painted. I polished the top of the head and left the face matte. The head is undercut so it casts shadows.
Thanks, Bill. I know it's not like my usual stuff; not very pretty. But I kept seeing a stylized Mayan face and feathers, so that's what I carved.
Debbie K
How big is that carving?
Also...Is it for sale?
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No worries, if not permissible, will change entry to a more boring opalite cab, just to participate.
Just let me know and will change, no harm done.
Too many people hold on to the notion that those two categories can not compete side by side, unfortunately.
I for one will remain steadfast in my opinion that they can.
Have always advocated it, and will always do so in the future.
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Leave it up!!! It's a open horse race pardner!!! Let em run n the best horse win regardless of breed or size etc!!! It's not about winning it's about putting your art, ART OUT THERE!!!
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They are staying up. These are beautiful pieces, carvings and regular cabs alike, and they are all outrageous. If someone is into instarsias or some other type of constructed cabs, those are eligible, too. Perhaps in the future, if we get some more folks who like to carve on the board we could break out a separate carving contest, but right now we only have a few people who carve and it is simply not fair to exclude them from an outrageous cab contest. The purpose of the contest is to challenge yourself, challenge others, have fun and compete for bragging rights. :icon_sunny:
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Hey Kurt I have had a idea, I think this is the bomb!!! You need to carve a Dragon hatching out of a Thunder Egg!!!! Do u have any thunder eggs? If not pm me!
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Hey Kurt I have had a idea, I think this is the bomb!!! You need to carve a Dragon hatching out of a Thunder Egg!!!! Do u have any thunder eggs? If not pm me!
That would be two pieces? Egg and a dragon? I'm as bad with dragons as with faces. Would be a disaster in the making.
But have thought about the overall concept before.
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Hi All
Just an opinion but they all should stay. It has already made me think out of the box. My entry is proof of that. I am into doing calibrated stones. And my post was about me seeing a red flying "thing" with crazy eye and a big mouth that I saw in the stone and tried to make it pop.I did not see the fracture until I posted the pic. Now I am not sure if I cut the fracture out if I can keep all of the thing in.
Heck I still have a month I will say this is the preform :grin:
I may have to make an oval out of it :dontknow:
Bless
Shawn
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I think its pretty much unanimous...leave the carvings in. I like to see all the different styles of stones put together in one place. I think it pushes each of us who competes to try a little harder to 'one-up' the other guy and makes all entries a little better. Hopefully we will see many more great entries by the end of next month. Maybe even some intarsias to sweeten the contest. I'm gong to try to come up with something myself before its over.
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Hi All
Just an opinion but they all should stay. It has already made me think out of the box. My entry is proof of that. I am into doing calibrated stones.
Bless Shawn
That sounds great. Personally, I think calibrated is way more difficult than carving. In carving or free-form, one can use what one is given, but anytime you are calibrating things, the material has to conform to specifics. Something that, I for one, find extremely hard to do.
By the end, everything comes down to personal appeal. Carvings or inlays might take a while versus cabs being done in a few hours or couple of days, but all need to achieve a balance in order to get that special something that attracts people in the know, as well as average consumers.
While I stay away from prized contests, I found that I am willing to try harder to achieve more when partaking in friendly challenges, and that's why I rarely if ever, missed the contests on the forum for the first 4 years.
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At this point in time, the contest will stay as it is - all inclusive. Leave up your carvings, they are gorgeous. :icon_sunny:
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All those entries are great, both cabs and carvings! For some people who can't get nice stone, like those presented by cabers, carving would be a way to enter the competition! But then it is the skill that is prized, a well made cab can be as good as a nice carving!
Actually I wouldn't know yet, whom to vote for!
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All those entries are great, both cabs and carvings! For some people who can't get nice stone, like those presented by cabers, carving would be a way to enter the competition! But then it is the skill that is prized, a well made cab can be as good as a nice carving!
Actually I wouldn't know yet, whom to vote for!
:) :) :) I do, Its a tie-up between the Agate and the dino! :) :) :) Love the colour-strength. Based on that, the dino would likely get my vote.
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Thanks for letting us carvers participate. I don't have the knack for cabochons; I'm convinced I started carving because no one can tell me I'm doing it wrong, I just say "I meant to do that".
Amanda, I posted the dimensions on the original post. I planned to make a pendant or a butt of a knife with it out of silver. I was going to follow the lines on the left and right hand side of the face and down the middle part way down the nose and set either an aquamarine or white topaz in the center. Still haven't worked out how I'd set the hematite; still thinking.
Debbie K
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Instead of just "cabs" why not just say outrageous lapidary creations... that will bring everything in. Then one can categorize if needed.
When i get my wheels back from graves with the correct grits, I will make something.
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Debbie. That hematite must of been a mess to carve. Did wear gloves? Or do you now have red hands
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Hi Kurt
Thanks for the kind words.
Personally, I think calibrated is way more difficult than carving. In carving or free-form, one can use what one is given, but anytime you are calibrating things, the material has to conform to specifics. Something that, I for one, find extremely hard to do.
To be honest the thought of carving scares me because I don't have any guide lines :dontknow: I have been in maintenance for over 30 years and I like things "just so" :rolleyes: that is what the book says. It is a thrill to me to see how close I can get to a perfect calibrated stone and keep what I think should be the center of the stone.
With that said I am going oval on my stone. In my opinion I think it has a better chance of saving what I want centered in the stone.
Thanks again and to me what you carvers do is mind blowing to me..
Bless
Shawn
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Thanks for letting us carvers participate. I don't have the knack for cabochons; I'm convinced I started carving because no one can tell me I'm doing it wrong, I just say "I meant to do that".
Amanda, I posted the dimensions on the original post. I planned to make a pendant or a butt of a knife with it out of silver. I was going to follow the lines on the left and right hand side of the face and down the middle part way down the nose and set either an aquamarine or white topaz in the center. Still haven't worked out how I'd set the hematite; still thinking.
Debbie K
Thanks Debbie. I went back to the original post and found the info. Missed it the first time. Sometimes as an admin I am skimming posts really fast just to verify briefly what is being posted and I miss details like that.
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Jhon:
It was a red brown color, and most of it washed off with soap and water after a few days. The worst thing I've ever carved was pyrite; it actually stains and you have to wait for it to wear off; especially nasty around your fingernails. It takes weeks.
I did wear a rubber glove on my left hand for the bulk removal, when it got to the finer details I took it off. I'm always scared of getting things caught in the machine and it pulling the bur into my hand. I am getting smarter, though, and I dopped it and held on to the stick for most of the carving, so the glove was away from the bur.
Debbie K
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I vote more the merrier! Maybe with the long weekend I'll get to my entry. Lots of cool ones so far..
Sandsave
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Eagle rock jasp/agate,central Oregon.
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Nice material you found there. Worked great and good polish.
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Ok thats very good, I like wide cabs!
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It occurred to me that my original pictures were all made on a scanner and therefore did not give any perspective. Here are a couple photos which give a more "real world" view.
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Here we go! Banded Amethyst this is a slab from the sphere I posted. My daughter really likes purple so this ones hers.
Sandsave
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Here is my entry of Covellite. Messy to cut but worth it, you need a plastic hospital gown and gloves. Preformed on 400 grit carbide 8" expandable drum. Any thing lower chips and flakes. When I find a design I like I make an Aluminum template, I now have about two dozen.
olgguy
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Nice pieces are turning up here. Like the covellite it has a noble colour to my taste.
Nice workmanship on covellite and amethyst too.
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the vote in getting harder everyday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Just thinking of dropping my intended entry, and changing it to something different.
I think I might have something better suited for this challenge in the works right now.
Somehow, shape and natural colours come together like they have never before in any one of my pieces.
Will polish it up over the weekend, and then remove my intended entry before posting the new one.
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It will be interesting to see how this contest turns out. There's a big variety of great entries so far and with nearly a month to go the competition will be very tough! This is the first cab I've cut after a long layoff due to illness. Most here will know this material but I'll provide a little backstory for those who don't.
It’s Hell's Canyon (Idaho/Oregon) petrified sequoia wood. One large petrified log was found in the 1950’s – just before a big dam was built on Snake River that flooded the entire area. The log was left in the finder’s barn for years until it was rediscovered years later and sold at an estate sale. The material is prized because of its remarkably preserved annular banding and appearance of genuine wood; and its unusual and beautiful “nooks and crannies” probably caused by rot or shrinkage in the original wood. The voids have been filled with either clear or white quartz or sometimes common opal and are often filled with very tiny quartz crystals. It’s petrified wood with a great personality.
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Great piece of petrified wood. I love wood. :occasion14:
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Expensive rare material. ........ :)
Very well worked.
I usually try not to use banded material, simply can't make up my mind about layout. :) :)
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OK, here is my final entry for this challenge,
Indonesian coral:
Rough
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/pprough_zpsdgqrc6ud.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/pprough_zpsdgqrc6ud.jpg.html)
Looks ideal material for a snake... :) :)
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/ppsanding_zpst9i8c6x3.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/ppsanding_zpst9i8c6x3.jpg.html)
And done
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/ppDark_zpsl5f1nmb4.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/ppDark_zpsl5f1nmb4.jpg.html)
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/ppsn1_zpsk3pezohe.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/ppsn1_zpsk3pezohe.jpg.html)
Very though material, works up beautifully. Will have to start a second one right away as this one is already promised as a B'day present for a friend. :)
Thanks for looking, Kurt
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Are you looking for more friends with birthdays? That piece is completely amazing. Beautiful work.
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Now that is cool!!! I have done the pet coral in cabs but never thought about a snake, I bet it would make a great dragon. Now you have done it, I am going to have to buy some more coral
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Are you looking for more friends with birthdays? That piece is completely amazing. Beautiful work.
Thank you.
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/ppSN4_zpsum6kltal.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/ppSN4_zpsum6kltal.jpg.html)
I don't know what it is with snakes. Looks like there is quite a number of people out there who like snakes.
(http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/bb340/kainzerkurt/ppSN2_zpsmaipxf46.jpg) (http://s1200.photobucket.com/user/kainzerkurt/media/ppSN2_zpsmaipxf46.jpg.html)
Pics taken with a (to me) new camera Canon EOS Raptor 100mm lens with UV filter on
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Kurts entry is beyond me :headbang:, I am just a caber.
I will just show a cab made from thunder egg from the Spring Creek diggings at Agate Creek (North Queensland, Australia)
The stone is not perfect but what it displays is a geological event of the past where the earth moved. This was a major event as I have found an agate showing the same effect that was some 4000 meters away.
The slab
(http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m591/Allen-Ringland/1-DSCN4360_zpsvsj7hhe6.jpg) (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/Allen-Ringland/media/1-DSCN4360_zpsvsj7hhe6.jpg.html)
Preform (I am a wire wrapper so the stone is grooved prior to cabbing)
(http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m591/Allen-Ringland/1-DSCN4367_zpslfsrg0d2.jpg) (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/Allen-Ringland/media/1-DSCN4367_zpslfsrg0d2.jpg.html)
Finished product. (The sardonix shows the earth movement.)
(http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m591/Allen-Ringland/1-DSCN4409_zpsifxr58lx.jpg) (http://s1133.photobucket.com/user/Allen-Ringland/media/1-DSCN4409_zpsifxr58lx.jpg.html)
Thanks for looking folks.
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Wonderful intense colours, and very intriguing material.
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Now that is cool!!! I have done the pet coral in cabs but never thought about a snake, I bet it would make a great dragon. Now you have done it, I am going to have to buy some more coral
Done a few since this one. And its a learning curve, for sure. Will try a snow-leopard before the month is out with the remains from this slab, and maybe a lizard with similar material in the near future. Also just saw a fantastic picture of a snake hanging from a branch, that silhouette would suit a pendant perfectly......
Thanks everyone for the kind feedback, Kurt
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I assume that the cab contest goes till the end of the month So I though I would place my first ever entry. Well I was working on some knife scales today and the cab contest crossed my mind so I roughed out a couple Victoria Stones to cut. I decided on the Blue because lets face it Blue Victoria stone is awesome. I took one picture of the roughed cab slabs and then cut the blue stone. The cab is a bit big for Victoria stone @ 35mm x 58mm.
Victoria is tough to photograph because the crystal fibers play games with the camera sensors.
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Maybe hard to photograph, but man did you knock that out of the park. Congrats, faboulus entry.
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Great entry's, This little arrow head is Yowah boulder opal from QLD Australia, my first carving in boulder opal, very challenging, huge variation in hardness, please help me give this little arrow head a name.
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Michael:
Beautiful and flawless as ever! It's great to see the carvers competing again, you and Kurt make me up my game!
Debbie K
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Micha
Michael:
Beautiful and flawless as ever! It's great to see the carvers competing again, you and Kurt make me up my game!
Debbie K
Michel and your work is flawless, and I'm just a nuisance who seemingly hurries through projects.
I really need to invest some serious time in finesse, to be worthy even being on the same page with you guys.
Sometimes I compare the different qualities between us, the way one compares caricature with Oil-painting.
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Yowser but that arrowhead is named Starfire!
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Asianfire, you sell yourself very short indeed! I am constantly impressed with the amazing talent that is on these forums. I love the snake and the symmetry, it made me want to try carving. Debbie's Hematite carving is lovely and simple but so elegant in form, it looks very much like African artwork from the 3/4 view. And this last entry is just wonderful. I love the positive surfaces going to negative and completing a continuous loop. I congratulate you all on your skills as I envy your ability. I think that awe should be reserved for those of us who have never tried carving. Grats
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Kurt, we all have our own style and strengths with our carvings, I think your snake is first class, thanks for the great comments, This little arrow head is now drilled and has a braided cord and opal toggle, will post some pics shortly, great name orrum, I may use it.
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Yeah, different styles for sure (cabs, carving and all). That's not what I'm self-procrastinate about.
Its about execution, clean lines and the patience needed to finish something perfectly.
I still have a long way to go for that.
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Hi All
On the other forum my daughter was allowed to enter the contest. She is cutting a stone for her Aunt's birthday and would like to enter. If allowed she is 10 years old now and still in training.You cant cut her any slack for her age. She is a good student but her trainer might not be the best :BangHead: :glasses9: :headbang:
But how many parents get to spend this kind of time with their kids :headbang:
Bless
Shawn
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Shawn,
I don't have a problem with your daughter entering the contest. I think it's great that she's interested and working on her lapidary skills at such a young age. :icon_sunny:
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We love having kids enter the contest! :icon_sunny: :thumbsup:
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Hi All
Thanks. She is trying to cut a 25x18 calibrated stone that will fit in a setting that I have. It will have to end up a bit smaller because of the silver shrinkage from casting. I know I am a bad teacher but once she learns this skill then I will set her loose on free form. If she likes that then it is time to start the silver classes. :Bash: :Bash: :glasses9: :headbang:
Thanks again for letting her enter.
Bless
Shawn
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X2 X3 x4 and on and on on junior members!!!! I vote for her cab right now!!! LOL
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I will get the voting up for the contest as soon as I can. I'm out of town and am flying home tomorrow, so I probably won't get it done until Monday or Tuesday, depending on jet-lagged I am. :icon_sunny: