Thread: Belgian coticule, clarifications

xtls? xtls habit?

Please illuminate the non geologists among us.

xtals ---crystals I am pretty sure. Thanks for the information Kevint. The problems with the crystals being fractured, would it not cause a problem with honing if there were sharp edges? Are the edges rounded because of the heat under formation? Sharp edges are not good from what I have read. Sharp edges would gouge the metal, like for instance, diamonds leave a harsh edge on the blade because of their very harsh edges.


Richard

Originally Posted by Bruce

xtls? xtls habit?

Please illuminate the non geologists among us.

It just refers to the form the xtls take. All minerals in the world are found in their respective xtl systems defined by their symmetry meaning the ratio of the lengths of the sides and the angles where the sides meet. Symmetry runs from highest to lowest and each system has a textbook perfect form but in nature the xtls are oftentimes combinations and they are oftentimes deformed: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, hexagonal, monoclinic and triclinic. Garnets are in the cubic system and are usually found as dodecahedrons but can be found several other ways. You can find single garnet xtls hundreds of pounds and also microscopic. Those tiny ones are the ones we are concerned with however depending on whether its garnet made of calcium, iron,chrome,magnesium and a bunch or others will help determine the actual hardness of the garnet.

All this stuff is actually mineralogy which is different than geology. Call a mineralogist a geologist and he'll punch you in the nose. Its a lot of physics and chemistry. Mineralogists use x-ray defractors to analyze the inner workings of the xtls and their lattice structure and I think I'll stop here before I confuse you anymore because this stuff gets real complicated and really means nothing to us shavers.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

It just refers to the form the xtls take. All minerals in the world are found in their respective xtl systems defined by their symmetry meaning the ratio of the lengths of the sides and the angles where the sides meet. Symmetry runs from highest to lowest and each system has a textbook perfect form but in nature the xtls are oftentimes combinations and they are oftentimes deformed: cubic, tetragonal, orthorhombic, hexagonal, monoclinic and triclinic. Garnets are in the cubic system and are usually found as dodecahedrons but can be found several other ways. You can find single garnet xtls hundreds of pounds and also microscopic. Those tiny ones are the ones we are concerned with however depending on whether its garnet made of calcium, iron,chrome,magnesium and a bunch or others will help determine the actual hardness of the garnet.

All this stuff is actually mineralogy which is different than geology. Call a mineralogist a geologist and he'll punch you in the nose. Its a lot of physics and chemistry. Mineralogists use x-ray defractors to analyze the inner workings of the xtls and their lattice structure and I think I'll stop here before I confuse you anymore because this stuff gets real complicated and really means nothing to us shavers.

Still an eloquent and enlightening read, Nelson. Thanks a lot.

Bart.

OK. Mineral lattice structures, hmm, then are those coordinates not only xtls, but also ytls and ztls?

I've always admired a good dodecahedron...

Originally Posted by Bruce

OK. Mineral lattice structures, hmm, then are those coordinates not only xtls, but also ytls and ztls?

I've always admired a good dodecahedron...

No it doesn't work that way.

Personally I've always liked a nice scalenahedron or trisoctahedron.