Snakes and Stones

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Originally Posted by silvermander

I'm new to the site and new to this thread, but I'm head over heels.

As a rock junkie I was already planning on using some locally collected rocks as part of the backing of the 4X3X2 I plan to build Noodle when he gets bigger. We hit the local mines, climb the mountains, collect all the interesting things. Hubby was even president of our local rock club for a couple years. You are so right about New England being a great place to be a rock junkie. Maine-iac myself.

I haven't tumbled in a very long time and would love to know what you have for a rig. Now I want to play again.

Thank you for showing me I'm not the only rock/snake crazy around here.

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Hahaha, it is always good to find someone else interested in rocks and minerals! :)
My specific profile has always been towards stones I can tumble/polish successfully.
Maine is a great place to rockhound due to your depleted/detonated supervolcanoes.
I have rarely ventured very far into Maine as an adult. As a child my parents brought me to many rural mines and collection areas in the state...I was too young to effectively wield any tools though...

My tumbling setup is 7 Lortone QT12 tumblers, 1 Thumler's UV-18 Vibratory, and 1 Thumler's UV-45.
If I am feeling ambitious I can run them all and have ~150 lbs. of stone processing at any given time. The UV-45 requires frequent attention though...so I only use it periodically.
I go through about 300lbs. of #46 Silicon Carbide/year and much lesser volumes of finer Aluminum Oxide.
What do I do with the stones? The nice ones I make a pile under my bed and sleep above them like a dragon. ;) The poor ones I use to make little art designs/displays in the woods.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

Oh my God! There's two of them.

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Lol! There are a surprisingly large amount of people into geology.
People in my area love to show me their 'finds', but, rough stone (excluding crystals) are often unimpressive until they have been cut/treated/tumbled/polished and/or faceted...

Photo #334
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_kocfai.jpg
Brazilian Agate + Another Het Clown

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

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Photo #334
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_kocfai.jpg
Brazilian Agate + Another Het Clown

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Loving this snake's pose- it's like he's hanging on for dear life to a flying saucer. :D Nice agate too. :gj:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Loving this snake's pose- it's like he's hanging on for dear life to a flying saucer. :D Nice agate too. :gj:

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Thanks! I had to wait 15 minutes for that one to uncurl enough to peek out for the photo.

Photo #335
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_pflt0x.jpg
Chalcedony from the Mid-West USA, with a few pieces of amethyst from Brazil, a few pieces of red agate from Mozambique, and only one piece of Rose Quartz (showing) from the West Coast USA.
This type of chalcedony usually has considerable inclusions/erratic shape due to environmental formation conditions. A lot of people don't bother to tumble it, but, that has never stopped me. ;)
BP: Hypo Mojave + Het VPI Axanthic

Photo #336
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_ca4dvp.jpg
Blue Chalcedony (from Mid-West, USA)
BP: (nice yellow) Pastel + Het Hypo + Het Gravel or YB

I fed my hatchlings earlier today. I went back later to confirm, and I noticed that one of my ball pythons had not eaten. And more than that: when I lifted her hide-she was gone!
The last time I had cleaned her cage the lid must have been slightly ajar when it locked.
I get a ball python escapee every now and then: so it is nothing new. I checked all the 'usual' spots (closet, floor, radiator, adjacent shelves) and did not find her.
I methodically went through the entire room (top to bottom)...and sometimes I get lucky and find them in a few minutes.
In this case: I found her an hour later on the opposite side of the room on the bottom shelf of a rack resting against a partially exposed UTH for another enclosure.
She was not in the LAST place I was going to check, but, she was close to it...regardless of all my commotion-she never moved an inch.
(picture of her below)

Photo #337
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_w8wza9.jpg
She is a Mojave/Het Hypo/Het Axanthic ball python with a random Agate.

Note: Several years ago there was a lapidary hobbyist selling his personal rough rock collection on Ebay.
I purchased a little over half of his collection (=400lbs). All of the rocks were unlabeled.
While I can identify the easy ones (e.g. Tiger-Eye, Labradorite, Green Opal, Rhodonite, etc)...anything beyond the obviously distinct types of agate and jasper: I couldn't tell you. :)

I'm so glad you found her pretty quickly- it's been a long time since I've played "hide & seek" with a snake, & I hope to keep it this way.

Photo #338
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_vcypjq.jpg
Agate from the Mid-West USA with a Hypo/Het Axanthic BP.

Photo #339
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ked_z4um7z.jpg
Beryl from NH (Tripp Mine) with a Pastel Ball Python (+Het for Gravel or YB).
Very challenging material to tumble, the lattice formation on this type of beryl is much more aggressive which lends itself to more cracks and pits.
Creating a perfectly round specimen through tumbling is a game of luck.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ryl_f2d32x.jpg
Emeralds (green beryl) are considered challenging to tumble.
I rank this yellow beryl (with a bit of iron-staining) as one notch higher in difficulty. :)

Nice stones, but even prettier snake. :cool:

Photo #340
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...zed_ytfb1b.jpg
Clown BP (+Pos. Het Lav Albino), and a polished piece of Jasp-Agate from the West Coast of USA.