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Let's Rock => Identifications of Materials => Topic started by: safossils on December 21, 2019, 03:37:27 PM

Title: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on December 21, 2019, 03:37:27 PM: Anyone know what this is?
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: rocks2dust on December 21, 2019, 04:33:45 PM: My first reaction is a chunk of massive fluorite.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: irockhound on December 21, 2019, 04:51:14 PM: To me it is much to fibrous to be Fluorite. I am going with a Serpentine/Asbestos.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on December 21, 2019, 05:19:02 PM: Thanks, serpentine or asbestos makes sense as there are many outcrops in Gila County to the north...

Best,
Walt
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: irockhound on December 21, 2019, 05:22:45 PM: asbestos and soapstone are common together too. That pale green towards bottom of first pic could be soapstone too.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on December 21, 2019, 05:43:32 PM: Hopefully I'll get some saw time in this week. I'll post pics of some slabs when I do. Thanks!
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: Sirjess on December 22, 2019, 07:04:51 AM: If it is asbestos is it still safe to cut.? I have a piece of asbestos in my minral collection and I keep it in a bag to be safe.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on December 22, 2019, 07:10:32 AM: I always wear a mask and face shield to be safe. I do not see any fine fibrous material, but you never know...

Walt
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on December 26, 2019, 11:26:56 AM: Not too impressive. It's almost black, no transparency, and very soft\brittle...
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: Kaljaia on December 26, 2019, 06:56:07 PM: If it's serpentine it may carve better than it cabs.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: ileney on December 26, 2019, 10:14:26 PM: Huh. I'm confused by this. Sometimes you see a big blob of asbestos hanging off pietersite or tigereye because it hasn't fully hardened. I have been too afraid to cab it because of worry about asbestos? Is there a treatment to make the stone safe? Can you just cut off the obviously punky part?
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on December 27, 2019, 07:04:56 AM: No good for guitar picks...I'll probably just throw it in the landscape...
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: southerly on January 01, 2020, 12:05:46 AM: Serpentinite (the rock type) is probably the correct term, often associated with asbestos and talc as already mentioned. Rather than serpentine that refers to a specific mineral.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: VegasJames on January 02, 2020, 10:52:46 PM: Looks like serpentine to me.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on January 03, 2020, 06:54:57 AM: Thanks to all for the help. Serpentine or serpentinite it is. Unfortunately, not something I can use. At least I got it cheap...
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: VegasJames on January 03, 2020, 03:56:14 PM: Quote from: safossils on January 03, 2020, 06:54:57 AM
Thanks to all for the help. Serpentine or serpentinite it is. Unfortunately, not something I can use. At least I got it cheap...

If you cannot use it try putting it up foor trade on some of the Facebook lapidary swap boards. Maybe someone will trade for something you can use.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: Phishisgroovin on January 05, 2020, 07:32:22 AM: i picked some at a yard sale awhile back also thinking it was something different because it was wet & had a shiller in the sun after a rain.
now its a porch rock. Some day i might cut it or sell it to a carver.
Title: Re: Yard Sale Find.....
Post by: safossils on January 22, 2020, 03:49:30 PM: Decided to try a cab of this material.....Took a nice shine, but does not have much color. Looks black under normal light.