Post #378875 by Tamapoutini on Wed, May 7, 2008 7:18 PM

On 2008-05-07 16:34, Robin wrote:

I'm headed to the Washington coast...
On the way, I'm going to stop in Wyoming and check out some jade places. I hope to make some kind of run to BC also for the same reason.

I think I am getting to know the stone a bit better....the tension releasing from the stone is driving me crazy. I think I have cleanish stone, and then these fractures show up down the road. That didn't happen with the stones I used in NZ....but then the shapes were pretty simple and uniform. My grinding wheels arbor is a bit wonky...not enough to fix it yet, but I suspect that the slight chatter from not being quite true is causing some of the problem. I go from not aggressive enough with the burs, to too aggressive when I get my guts up. You should see Ben work...he is no nonsense when he carves...but then he really knows what he's doing.

Earmuffs and goggles...do you guys use those! Oh my! I really don't like wearing stuff when I work..it's always been a problem, and I've been busted for it a lot.

Really appreciate your thoughts and advice, it's almost like we did this over a beer. Let me know if you think of anything else.

Now Wyoming might be a great place to stock up - Ive seen some incredible nephrite from that place; an amazing variety of colours & some of the hardest/tightest jade Ive ever seen. Well worth asking around while your there. Id be looking for local rockhounds rather than lapidary supply shops but it all depends on how available it is..

Yep, stone quality is half the battle won - or lost. It certainly doesnt hurt your education to work with crappy stone. As students we did some amazing stuff with some very average materials (a very costly-to-run course, Im not dissing it..) and in retrospect I can now appreciate our efforts all the more. But yes, those wee pings/chips/fractures can be a nightmare. making those softer/simpler rounded shapes doesnt ask so much of stone with shakey structure like that, whereas a carving with sharp/crisp detail or levels is asking for trouble. My own work suffers from this all the time & Im forever discounting prices because of this; just part of the fun.. When the occasional REALLY nice piece of stone comes your way, you learn to appreciate it! Similarly, when that rare carving goes off without a hitch or a fracture and youve carved yourself proud - then thats a piece to either keep for yourself, give to a loved one, or sell at top dollar!! (Double what you would normally want, triple..!)
*And get that wheel running as true as you can - as well being gentler on the stone, it is also gentler on the fingers; those vibrations can cause noticable numbness (from experience) which is kind of freaky and can ultimately cause irreparable damage!!

Earmuffs/goggles: To be honest I hardly ever wear goggles, only occasionally when using the trimsaw. Grinding (jade - some other stones are more 'pingy') and using the handpiece hardly ever throws off a chip.
I always wear earmuffs (and just turn stereo up extra loud!)

I was having a beer - weren't you? :wink:

Keep us posted on the micro-bench!

Tama :)