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Author Topic: Finally got my copper ore boulder.  (Read 4266 times)

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VegasJames

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Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« on: July 13, 2020, 01:44:57 AM »

Been after this piece for years and finally go it with a little help to get it up out of the mine. We rolled it down the tailings pile, which got it most the way down.  I went back the following week with a ramp and rolled it down rest of the way down then up the ramp in to the back of the truck.  Put it on the postal scale at home. 380 pounds.  The rock suddenly rolled though severely crushing, and cutting 2 fingers between it and another rock. my hand is working again and the fingers are healing pretty well.

20200520_151303 by James Sloane, on Flickr

20200610_153415 by James Sloane, on Flickr


Here are some pics of pieces I knocked off the stone:

100100409_3113944121997222_6270175673998901248_o by James Sloane, on Flickr
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safossils

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2020, 07:29:39 AM »

Looks like nice stuff. Hope your hand is okay....I often tell my wife that sometimes I wish I had taken up balsa wood carving. Rocks are heavy, and I've done similar things.
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Walter G Farmer
Guitar pick maker and musician from Tucson AZ

lithicbeads

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2020, 10:16:39 AM »

 It looks a lot like some of the ore out of the mine in Butte Montana.
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Felicia

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2020, 10:59:11 AM »

Nice color, but dammit watch out for yourself!
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Ryaly2dogs

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2020, 12:48:50 PM »

The things we do for our rocks!  It occurs to me often while handling 100#+ boulders that the ideal hobby would have been collecting stamps!
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Slabbercabber

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2020, 01:07:13 PM »

Looks like you found some real treasure there.  Is that gem chrysocholla?
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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #6 on: July 13, 2020, 06:05:34 PM »

Holy smokes, what an awesome boulder!

Glad your fingers are healing.  You really need more than just yourself to deal with boulders that heavy.   :nono:
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Robin

VegasJames

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #7 on: July 13, 2020, 10:10:13 PM »

Looks like nice stuff. Hope your hand is okay....I often tell my wife that sometimes I wish I had taken up balsa wood carving. Rocks are heavy, and I've done similar things.

Yes, doing much better. I have full use of the hand again and all the cuts and all the skin that got peeled up on the one finger almost to the fingertip grew back in and I was able to cut off the peeled up skin little by little. Wasn't sure if I would have a finger print again since it peeled clear to the muscle but I did ozone therapy daily on the hand for a couple of weeks and that made a world of difference and the skin that grew back did have a finger print. All that is left is the two finger nails that were severely damaged. Those will take a while to grow back with normal nail.
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VegasJames

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #8 on: July 13, 2020, 10:13:27 PM »

Looks like you found some real treasure there.  Is that gem chrysocholla?

There is a mix of copper minerals in the mine including dioptase, azurite, malachite, cuprite, etc.  I know where there is a nice little deposit of silicated chrysocolla several miles from this mine and I have found some nice pieces at another mine slightly further away but I have never seen any at this mine.
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VegasJames

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #9 on: July 13, 2020, 10:16:22 PM »

Holy smokes, what an awesome boulder!

Glad your fingers are healing.  You really need more than just yourself to deal with boulders that heavy.   :nono:

I ordered a hydraulic lift for the truck that is being delivered tomorrow.  It lifts up to 1,000 pounds. Will need it for this later anyway as I want to make a very large sphere out of it and I will need to be able to move it again.
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VegasJames

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #10 on: July 13, 2020, 10:17:18 PM »

By the way the first two pics I posted are actually videos if you click on them.
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Felicia

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #11 on: July 14, 2020, 10:48:26 AM »

Wow what a sphere that will be!
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amrap1

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2020, 07:55:46 PM »

Have you done anything with those pieces you broke off?

Inquiring mind needs to know!
Ed
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VegasJames

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Re: Finally got my copper ore boulder.
« Reply #13 on: October 23, 2020, 11:16:43 PM »

Have you done anything with those pieces you broke off?

Inquiring mind needs to know!
Ed

No, not yet. Took a while before I was able to use my two fingers that this thing crushed and tore up when it rolled suddenly. My fingers were between it and another rock. The only cabbing I have done since were some pieces of common opal I had collected recently.
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