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Let's Rock => Rockhounding Tips, Maps, Trips Etc. => Topic started by: Jhon P on May 07, 2018, 09:13:49 AM

Title: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on May 07, 2018, 09:13:49 AM

Went out yesterday with the Reno club to a new to me area. I got couple buckets of cabbing rock and one big piece that I think I can get a couple of spheres out
More pictures to follow

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on May 07, 2018, 09:24:47 AM

I put a piece in the saw last night  and cut a couple of slabs . It wasn’t one of the best pieces but I did a cab anyway

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: lithicbeads on May 07, 2018, 11:49:03 AM

 A sphere will really show this rough. Should be interesting

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on May 07, 2018, 07:22:56 PM

A few more pictures of chipped and wet agates

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: vitzitziltecpatl on May 08, 2018, 06:57:53 AM

Really nice agate. Congrats on finding that. It's great when there's enough clear agate to cut those "3-D" cabs.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: hummingbirdstones on May 08, 2018, 07:00:05 AM

Looks like you found some interesting material to cab/sphere.  Looking forward to the finished results.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Orrum on May 09, 2018, 05:43:43 AM

Nice rock!  That last one really needs to meet a saw!

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on May 09, 2018, 12:27:28 PM

I have the big piece in the 24” saw. I think I can get two 5” cubes out of it

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: hummingbirdstones on May 09, 2018, 01:07:03 PM

 :WHOAL:

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Mud on May 09, 2018, 07:11:04 PM

Jhon, please keep this thread going!  I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes of these.   :drool:

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on May 09, 2018, 09:10:50 PM

Ok. Cutting sphere preforms now. I have a couple of cab preforms to do. I think I will go back the weekend after this one. There is some big good looking solid pieces I can cut spheres out of. I needed some bigger tools. There is quit a variety of colors. What is bugging me is I cut a piece  that looked very red and ended up looking brown.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: AveIArts on February 16, 2019, 09:49:42 AM

Quote from: Jhon P on May 07, 2018, 09:13:49 AM

Went out yesterday with the Reno club to a new to me area. I got couple buckets of cabbing rock and one big piece that I think I can get a couple of spheres out
More pictures to follow

Where did you go to find these specimens?

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: VegasJames on February 16, 2019, 02:10:08 PM

I did not even know Reno had a club. Or that they were not buried under snow right now. I am up there a couple times a year.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: BlueWood on February 17, 2019, 01:31:25 PM

Jhon,
Did you ever post a sphere of this material.  I don't find a picture in the sphere area.  I would like like to know how it turned out and of course like to see it.  PLEASE.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on February 17, 2019, 06:09:41 PM

I have it ground round. It is pretty pitted. It’s setting by the two head machine  waiting for me to stabilize it and fill all the pits.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on February 17, 2019, 06:12:07 PM

The club is buried in snow right now.  There is about 400 members. They do one or two field trips every month starting about April through October

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on February 17, 2019, 07:53:48 PM

Here is the sphere. I guess you will get me inspired to work on it

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Ryaly2dogs on February 18, 2019, 10:57:29 AM

That is a sizable ball, Jhon!  So do you use Epoxy or Superglue on your void fills?  I have mostly gone with Epoxy 330 with crumbles from cuttings off sphere to fill voids because it is simple, fast, and cheap, but openly wondering if there are long term consequences.

Title: Re: Nevada moss agate
Post by: Jhon P on February 19, 2019, 04:42:22 AM

Bond optic in a vacuum chamber seams to work best. But I always have a few pits show up when grinding that I will fill with CA glue if I want to try for a perfect sphere. I have talked to people that are thinning epoxy with acetone and having pretty good luck but haven’t tried it. If I have real vugs and not pitts I leave them.
 I will have to look at this sphere again and see how much effort I want to put into it, I don’t think that I was happy with the colors