Thread: I Found It Over There

Thats what I was thinking, something else to do that keeps me out of trouble that I can have fun with.

I cut the small black stone and am lapping it as we speak. It is very hard and produces a very fine gray slurry. This will be interesting.

I have a procedure for lapping that has me lapping under water. In time I will build something to make it go faster but for now it is all hand lapping. I put the pug in the sink and then a thick piece of umber mat and the the dmt and rub the rock against the dmt while it is under water. If it works out that your sink is at a good height the ergonomics are not bad. In an attempt to find rocks that are not crazy hard I often hit the rocks with a 5lb hammer to check them. I think at this point that mid range and a bevel setter would be my holy grail. I have some recent coarse rock that I have not had the chance to refine, but I am always hopeful.

I usually look for sedimentary rocks or rocks that fracture conchoidally then do some quick preliminary tests with a piece of old file to see if it cuts hard steel, also use the hammer test like Shaun. Here are some of my more recent stones:

I think the rocks that conchiodally fracture make them novaculites, which is a large group that includes the arkies. All the rocks I play with are from the metamorphic family. One of my bad habits is getting too many rocks ahead of myself and then I can't remember which rock came from where.

Originally Posted by RezDog

I think the rocks that conchiodally fracture make them novaculites, which is a large group that includes the arkies. All the rocks I play with are from the metamorphic family. One of my bad habits is getting too many rocks ahead of myself and then I can't remember which rock came from where.

Picture from a different thread but I use a Sharpie!

Originally Posted by 32t

Picture from a different thread but I use a Sharpie!

It is often wet when I am in the field and neither felt pens or paint pens tolerate getting wet very well. I was thinking I need to do a series of rough boxes that fit the bed of my truck. I have to wait nine weeks to cut the rock I got last outing.

My father passed on some stones he had collected to me and my wife. She made notes etc. to put in the box's. The shelf they were on collapsed under the weight and all the notes got mixed up......