Interesting! Would love to learn more about that lamp in the last photo - how translucent are the slabs, and at what thickness were they slabbed?
They're "three turns of the saw screw" thick, approximately 1/8th of an inch, and they are pretty translucent. I like them best with real flame behind them, as I have not yet found an LED that isn't either too cold-white or too bright-yellow. LEDs also tend to overpower the agate and don't show the more subtle lines, or transmit the reds and purples. I have stain glass supplies in the mail to start making these from foil and solder instead of relying on store-bought decorative lanterns that aren't meant to be used with real candles!
For cutting this thin, I really have to watch blade chatter, babysit the coolant lines and hold the saw arm to reduce weight and slow the cut. Any chatter, uneven lubrication or flaws in the stone will fracture the slab while cutting. These are cut on a drop saw, from Dragonskin thunder eggs, but I've made them from a bunch of other agates too. Intergrown, fused crystal material and moss agates work well, if the stone is free of internal fractures, because they seem to be less brittle and more forgiving. (Also a great way to use material that won't take a traditional high polish!)
