# Ball Pythons > BP Pictures >  Snakes and Stones

## Lord Sorril

Hi All,

I noticed the forum has been a bit slow lately.  
I enjoy seeing photos.
In addition to casually breeding ball pythons as a hobby: I also tumble and polish rocks.  
I am not a 'professional' ball python business, rock tumbler, or photographer...I just like to have some fun. 
I have gathered a large number of photos--each photo showing a unique individual snake and a different rock (or set of) unless noted otherwise.
I will add a new photo every few days...If the 2021 breeding season goes as planned:  I should have a near inexhaustible supply.
I'm not a rock expert, but, some of them I can identify.
I know 99% of the genotypes of the snakes pictured through proof breeding.  If you should disagree:  That is fine by me.   :Smile: 
Everyone is also welcome to post photos of their own snakes in this thread or discuss topics: I will continue to post photos at a regular interval.
I have used many methods for keeping ball pythons over the years, many of them are non-traditional and continue to be...
All posters: Please be respective of alternate methods of keeping.

Here we go!
*
Photo #1*

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## richardhind1972

Awsome photo
The blue stones look awsome against the python

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Hugsplox

Beautiful photo Sorril! I know it's a little off topic, but would love to hear how you got into rock polishing, and a bit about you process if you have time.

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## Trinityblood

I like the color contrast.

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## Lord Sorril

Thank you Richard and TrinityBlood. Some of the photos I take are better than others--sometimes I don't like a photo...but, it grows on me over time.





> Beautiful photo Sorril! I know it's a little off topic, but would love to hear how you got into rock polishing, and a bit about you process if you have time.


Thank you, for the compliment!


I don't mind rambling about rocks:  A lot of people I know that tumble rocks do it as a precursor to making jewelry...once the rock has been smoothed and polished they will use tools to carve grooves into the stones or drill holes and put a metal setting in it.   There are a lot of specialized tools to accomplish this--all the way up to automatic faceting machines.  Luckily I am not interested in making jewelry.  I am also not a 'purist' that wants every stone absolutely round and without flaw.  :Smile:  


As for my tumbling origin story: When I was young, very young (just barely walking): my sister got a cheapo rock tumbler kit (similar to the National Geographic ones that are currently sold as kits).  My sister was very dedicated to maintaining the device and cleaning it every week.  Over the course of months she finished polishing a few small batches of stones.  The final product was like treasure to us, gleaming polished rocks with awesome patterns.  My sister would insist that our family go on day trips to quarries and mines looking for rocks she could tumble--my parents found it amusing and humored her.  I visited a lot of interesting places deep in the woods of New England.  Unfortunately the cheap tumbler motor burnt out on her device within a few months and the replacement burnt out soon after...my parents did not know anything about them and figured that all motors would wear out relatively quickly due to constant use and it was not worth replacing them.  Decades later (a few years ago)  for my birthday (out of the blue) my sister gave me all of her original tumbled stones...I looked at them and they were TERRIBLE.   My perception must have been mixed with my imagination as a kid.  The rocks were full of pits and the polish was dull.  I was shocked and disappointed.  I was determined to reshape them into how I had seen them in my mind (or destroy them in the process).  With great trial and effort I succeeded:  in doing so I found it addictive to take something ugly and turn it into something beautiful---each stone like an individual unique work of art.


The process of rock tumbling itself is relatively straightforward: Take rough rocks, toss them in a tumbler with coarse Silicon Carbide (normally 60/90 grit) and some water, tumble them until they are rounded and desired imperfections are removed, then use increasingly finer grits to remove any scratches.  At some point you switch from Silicon Carbide (cuts) over to Aluminum Oxide grit (smooths) and continue to work your way down through progressively finer grits until you reach the polish stage.  There are many types of final polish--some are better at getting a shine on some stones more than others.  Of course there are an inordinate amount of variables in this process, and it is not uncommon for beginners to be terribly discouraged by cheap kits that include inferior quality grit and mixed hardness stones which give you little/no chance to tumble them together without issue...

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## Bogertophis

I like it all- your beautiful snake, rocks & photo that ties them together.   :Good Job:   Thank you for sharing & please don't stop.   :Wink:

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_richardhind1972_ (02-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> I like it all- your beautiful snake, rocks & photo that ties them together.    Thank you for sharing & please don't stop.


Thank you!   :Smile: 

*Photo#2*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-06-2021),BorpaIsASussyBaka (09-14-2022),_EL-Ziggy_ (02-08-2021),_FollowTheSun_ (02-23-2021),Holly_Medusa (12-10-2021),_Hugsplox_ (02-08-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),MojaveGhostGirl (08-29-2022),_nikkubus_ (02-06-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-06-2021),_rlditmars_ (03-15-2021),_Toad37_ (02-10-2021),_WrongPython_ (02-06-2021)

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## Husbandry.Pro

Unique idea! They look great!

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #3

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-08-2021),BorpaIsASussyBaka (09-14-2022),_EL-Ziggy_ (02-08-2021),_FollowTheSun_ (02-23-2021),Holly_Medusa (12-10-2021),_Hugsplox_ (02-08-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),MojaveGhostGirl (08-29-2022),_nikkubus_ (02-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-08-2021),_Toad37_ (02-10-2021)

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## Hugsplox

> *Photo #3
> 
> *


Is that tiger's eye Sorril? I'm loving this thread!

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## Lord Sorril

> Is that tiger's eye Sorril? I'm loving this thread!


Thank you!

Yes it is tiger-eye, this is blue/gold variegated tiger eye with very little blue.  I buy a lot of nice rough blue/gold pieces from a guy who has mining rights to an area in South Africa.   :Smile:

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_Hugsplox_ (02-10-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-09-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Thank you!
> 
> Yes it is tiger-eye, this is blue/gold variegated tiger eye with very little blue.  I buy a lot of nice rough blue/gold pieces from a guy who has mining rights to an area in South Africa.


Lucky you!   :Very Happy:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #4

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-10-2021),BorpaIsASussyBaka (09-14-2022),_nikkubus_ (02-10-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-10-2021),_Toad37_ (02-10-2021)

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## nikkubus

> *Photo #4
> 
> *


This BP looks like a model posing the way the tail is curled up under the face. My favorite one yet.  :Smile:

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BeansTheDerp (03-02-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-10-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-10-2021)

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## Hugsplox

> Thank you!
> 
> Yes it is tiger-eye, this is blue/gold variegated tiger eye with very little blue.  I buy a lot of nice rough blue/gold pieces from a guy who has mining rights to an area in South Africa.


Lucky you!

I spent a few years in Afghanistan and was lucky enough to pick up a few really nice pieces of Lapis, Jade, and Tiger-eye. Costs next to nothing over there but beautiful pieces.

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## Lord Sorril

> I spent a few years in Afghanistan and was lucky enough to pick up a few really nice pieces of Lapis, Jade, and Tiger-eye. Costs next to nothing over there but beautiful pieces.


Cool! Any plans on working them (cutting, cabbing, wrapping, tumbling, polishing)?

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## Hugsplox

> Cool! Any plans on working them (cutting, cabbing, wrapping, tumbling, polishing)?


They already were when I got them. Nothing super fancy, a few spheres that I thought were fake at first until the guy showed me one he was working on. My wife put them up on our mantle and they've made a great conversation piece.

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## Lord Sorril

> They already were when I got them. Nothing super fancy, a few spheres that I thought were fake at first until the guy showed me one he was working on. My wife put them up on our mantle and they've made a great conversation piece.


Neat!  I always thought the sphere making process was fun to watch...Too labor intensive for me though!   :Smile: 

*Photo #5*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-12-2021),BorpaIsASussyBaka (09-14-2022),_nikkubus_ (02-12-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-12-2021),_Toad37_ (02-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #6

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-14-2021),BorpaIsASussyBaka (09-14-2022),_nikkubus_ (02-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-14-2021),_rlditmars_ (03-15-2021),_Toad37_ (02-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #7

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-14-2021),BorpaIsASussyBaka (09-14-2022),_nikkubus_ (02-15-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-15-2021),_rlditmars_ (03-15-2021),_Toad37_ (02-15-2021)

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## Bogertophis

You're making it really hard to pick a favorite here, but this one's pretty high on my list.  Both the snake & the stones.

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## Lord Sorril

> You're making it really hard to pick a favorite here, but this one's pretty high on my list.  Both the snake & the stones.


Thank you, I like that photo too! The feldspar in conjunction with the Black Pastel Spider reminds me of a thunderstorm.  It is also interesting that I gathered these rough stones myself while tilling my gardens.  Massachusetts does not have the best selection of natural material for rock tumbling...so I take what I can get... :Smile: 

And don't pick a favorite just yet! There is a lot more to be seen: I'm currently tied for my personal favorite between Photos #13, 58, and 103.   Some of the photos are definitely better than others...uncooperative snakes and uninteresting rocks make a poor combination.  I would redo some of my less interesting photos, but, I am totally overloaded at work and the next laying season is fast approaching.

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #8
*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-16-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-16-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-17-2021),_Toad37_ (02-16-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ... I would redo some of my less interesting photos, but, I am totally overloaded at work and the next laying season is fast approaching.


Not to worry, we'll "take what we can get"!   :Very Happy:   They're all worth seeing, & all are unique.

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #8
> *



Nice "study in textures"...he looks like he's wondering "did I come from one of these?"   :Snake:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #9
*
Most of my 2020 photos were taken at the beginning of last year. 
 Still have a few pythons left to photograph.
I look back at these photos and it is amazing how fast some of these snakes have grown.  _Tempus fugit._  :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-18-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-18-2021),_Toad37_ (02-18-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #10

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),BeansTheDerp (02-20-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-18-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-18-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-19-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #11
*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-20-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-20-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-20-2021)

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## BlueOrleans1290

So gorgeous! Loving the pictures, such a talent  :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #12

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-22-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-22-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #13

*
Color photo:  Black Tourmaline in White Quartz -- paid too much for the rough stones, but, knew it would make a nice picture.   :Wink:

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-22-2021),_jmcrook_ (02-22-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-23-2021),_rlditmars_ (03-15-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #13
> 
> *
> Color photo:  Black Tourmaline in White Quartz -- paid too much for the rough stones, but, knew it would make a nice picture.



Where's the snake?   :Wink:   :Sweeet:

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## nikkubus

Absolutely breathtaking, loving this one.

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## gerguera

This picture is definitely special! Beautiful snake and stone combination  :Smile:  Thanks for giving us something new and interesting to look forward to.  :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

Thank you all for the compliments!   :Smile: 

*Photo #14*

Blue Variegated Tiger Eye-tumbled off the top layer on this chunk.

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-23-2021),_FollowTheSun_ (02-23-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-23-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-23-2021)

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## FollowTheSun

What a wonderful story and photos! I remember as a kid going to those displays in gift shops that had the big bin of tumbled rocks, and you could fill a bag for a small amount of $. I had quite a collection and it was so fun to sort them and just hold handfuls of them. :-) Thanks for bringing back that good memory, and sharing yours.

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*Bogertophis* (02-23-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> What a wonderful story and photos! I remember as a kid going to those displays in gift shops that had the big bin of tumbled rocks, and you could fill a bag for a small amount of $. I had quite a collection and it was so fun to sort them and just hold handfuls of them. :-) Thanks for bringing back that good memory, and sharing yours.


You bet!

I was pretty excited as a kid to see a stone display in a gift shop too.  Usually they look like something like this:

However,  this is to lure you in...depending upon what 'grade' of stones the gift store has purchased for resale, most times the stones I see for sale look like this:

Which IMO is just a little better than fish tank gravel.   :Razz:

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-23-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-24-2021)

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## BeansTheDerp

Good boi do good pose with good boi posture (and a good girl doing a somewhat good job taking da photos)

Sent from my SM-T290 using Tapatalk

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_Lord Sorril_ (02-23-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-24-2021)

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## Bogertophis

The "kid in me" still loves rocks & I usually go to a gem & mineral show every year, & of course, come home with some too.   :Very Happy:

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## BeansTheDerp

oh yes, last year on my birthday we went to a fun children play place (I will not say the name for privacy reasons! who knows who gonna research.) and in the gift shop they had one of the stands with the rocks with the bag and I begged my mom to let me get one. long story short we got one and I already lost da bag. I think I still have a rock around my room somewhere. I
m to lazy to find it I'll just wait 10 years for it to show up somewhere.

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_Kam_ (03-22-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Good boi do good pose with good boi posture (and a good girl doing a somewhat good job taking da photos)


Hahaha, Good job on the photos!

I had to work a 12 hour shift today with no lunch....my eyes think that stone looks like a big piece of bread.   :Smile:

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BeansTheDerp (03-02-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021)

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## BeansTheDerp

lol! it's a geode that we got last year. he took a liking to it after finding it in one of my drawers while exploring and crawled up on it so I decided to put it in his terrarium and he has dubbed it his favorite rock. so I thought "hey why not take a picture of him and his rock for the forum!" hope u get lots of sleep! and food!
by the way I had to use black paper for the background because I have no dark black area in my room. I think it worked better than expected though.

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*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> The "kid in me" still loves rocks & I usually go to a gem & mineral show every year, & of course, come home with some too.


I always see celebrities buying fancy cars with their wealth.  If I was super rich I would be going to these gem shows and hauling back some 'large' pieces.  Not exactly Nicholas Cage level of spending (e.g. 15 Million dollars on a Dinosaur skull), but, I would still bring back a few nice display pieces.  :Smile:

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BeansTheDerp (02-23-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021),_GoingPostal_ (03-04-2021)

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## BeansTheDerp

> I always see celebrities buying fancy cars with their wealth.  If I was super rich I would be going to these gem shows and hauling back some 'large' pieces.  Not exactly Nicholas Cage level of spending (e.g. 150 Million dollars on a Dinosaur skull), but, I would still bring back a few nice display pieces.



then u could take all da photos  :Cool:

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## Lord Sorril

> then u could take all da photos


If I bought all the stones already finished there would be no challenge and no sense of accomplishment.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-23-2021)

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## BeansTheDerp

true true, but u could always try to recreate ur photos

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## nikkubus

I miss going to gem shows. It's been forever. I wouldn't know the first place to look where to even find a schedule or anything. So much stuff at those that I would have never thought existed before seeing it. I fondly remember being absolutely blown away with watermelon tourmaline. I had no idea at the time that they could grow like that with different colors vs multi-colored stones that you see more commonly where it's several little layers or speckles of color. Since then, I have become quite fond of fluorite with the huge variety of purples and greens, every one looking unique. I've got a small collection of tumbled stones and pieces of crystals but probably nothing like you have! And I have never tried to polish or cut anything myself. I have enough hobbies as it is  :Razz:

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*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021),_Lord Sorril_ (02-24-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> I miss going to gem shows. It's been forever. I wouldn't know the first place to look where to even find a schedule or anything. So much stuff at those that I would have never thought existed before seeing it. I fondly remember being absolutely blown away with watermelon tourmaline. I had no idea at the time that they could grow like that with different colors vs multi-colored stones that you see more commonly where it's several little layers or speckles of color. Since then, I have become quite fond of fluorite with the huge variety of purples and greens, every one looking unique. I've got a small collection of tumbled stones and pieces of crystals but probably nothing like you have! And I have never tried to polish or cut anything myself. I have enough hobbies as it is


There's one that comes to my town every year for 2 days (over a weekend), except with this pandemic, it's probably off again.   :Tears:   But I'm a devotee, as is a friend of mine who makes & sells jewelry.

When I previously lived in the So Cal desert, we had one every year there too, & the house I owned there was built & occupied before me by "rock tumblers" & they left piles of geodes in the yard.  :Cool: 

I probably shouldn't have moved...it was a very special place, & I never got around to breaking open any of the rocks they left.  There was snowflake obsidian  & "Apache tears" laying around, & all sorts of things. And don't get me started on the cactus plants.  In addition, they built huge red-rock terraces in the hill that the house sat atop.  They freaked out though with the big earthquake we had (Landers quake of '92), moved out of state & put this house up for sale that they built & had planned to stay in forever.  No one else was buying houses for a while after that...it sat there waiting for me to come along & fall in love with it.  Yeah, I probably should have stayed, part of me is still there with the coyotes & the rattlesnakes, but life gets complicated, doesn't it?

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_Lord Sorril_ (02-24-2021)

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## nikkubus

> There's one that comes to my town every year for 2 days (over a weekend), except with this pandemic, it's probably off again.    But I'm a devotee, as is a friend of mine who makes & sells jewelry.
> 
> When I previously lived in the So Cal desert, we had one every year there too, & the house I owned there was built & occupied before me by "rock tumblers" & they left piles of geodes in the yard. 
> 
> I probably shouldn't have moved...it was a very special place, & I never got around to breaking open any of the rocks they left.  There was snowflake obsidian  & "Apache tears" laying around, & all sorts of things. And don't bet me started on the cactus plants.  In addition, they built huge red-rock terraces in the hill that the house sat atop.  They freaked out though with the big earthquake we had (Landers quake of '92), moved out of state & put this house up for sale that they built & had planned to stay in forever.  No one else was buying houses for a while after that...it sat there waiting for me to come along & fall in love with it.  Yeah, I probably should have stayed, part of me is still there with the coyotes & the rattlesnakes, but life gets complicated, doesn't it?


That place sounds so cool. It sure does get complicated and things change so much so fast. Who knows what is going to happen, or when we will be able to have big conventions again in some of these states where it's banned right now.

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*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Since then, I have become quite fond of fluorite with the huge variety of purples and greens, every one looking unique.


I like fluorite as well.  It is a challenging material to work with though because it is relatively soft...to cut/polish effectively specialized tools would be required (which I don't have).  There are many different 'varieties' of fluorite from different locales.  Photo #6 is Mexican fluorite in a Quartz matrix.  Quartz is substantially harder than the fluorite so it wears down slower and the fluorite grinds away in the tumbler and creates uneven pieces.   I know a lot of people who tumble rocks will avoid fluorite completely, the hobby itself tests ones patience, and soft material compounds the level of difficulty/aggravation.  I do find rock tumbling is significantly less taxing on my patience based than double-triple recessive ball python morph projects.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #15
*
Some local granite-esque rocks from area.  There is a quarter in the photo for scale.

At the time this photo was taken:  This male is at ~1.5 years old.  He has grown significantly larger since the photo and outmatches some of my older females in size.

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-24-2021),_GoingPostal_ (03-04-2021),_Hugsplox_ (02-24-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-24-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #16

*
ROYGBIV
Red - Red Jasper
Orange - Tiger Jasper
Yellow - Yellow Chert
Green - African Green Opal
Blue - Sodalite
Indigo - Iolite
Violet - Amethyst

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## Bogertophis

Love it!  The world's first "rainbow python"!   :Very Happy:

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_nikkubus_ (02-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #17

*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-26-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #18

*
Some more local granite.  Not the fanciest rocks in the world, but, definitely the right price for me:  FREE!   :Wink:

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (02-28-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (02-28-2021),_richardhind1972_ (02-28-2021),_rlditmars_ (03-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #19
*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),BeansTheDerp (03-02-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-01-2021),D-.No (10-09-2022),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (03-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-02-2021),_Trinityblood_ (03-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Very pretty combination!   :Good Job:   Is that his allowance for not messing up your rock circle?   :Very Happy:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Very pretty combination!    Is that his allowance for not messing up your rock circle?


Thanks!   I would give him the quarter, but, he prefers the rodent equivalent.  :Wink: 

I did experiment with really complex designs/patterns:  One of them involved over 100 well-tumbled garnets (about the size of a dime), a few pieces of sea jasper and imperial topaz.  It took me about 2 hours to setup the design, and when I put the snake in the center she flailed wildly and knocked all the stones onto the floor erasing all my effort in less than three seconds.  Disheartened I just formed all the stones together in a circle again (my default) to make a photo (which is #22).

I do have a relative who glues small stones of different colors to a background to create landscape scenes.  She would love to acquire my rock collection.  I would love to photograph my snakes in her artwork.  Maybe someday we will have an artistic team-up....

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*Bogertophis* (03-01-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ... It took me about 2 hours to setup the design, and when I put the snake in the center she flailed wildly and knocked all the stones onto the floor erasing all my effort in less than three seconds.  Disheartened I just formed all the stones together in a circle again (my default) to make a photo (which is #22).
> 
> I do have a relative who glues small stones of different colors to a background to create landscape scenes.  She would love to acquire my rock collection.  I would love to photograph my snakes in her artwork.  Maybe someday we will have an artistic team-up....


In that case, you can keep the quarter.   :Wink: 

As for your artistic team-up, it sounds like a win... :Sweeet:

----------


## Trinityblood

#13 is my favorite so far.

----------


## Lord Sorril

> #13 is my favorite so far.


Thanks!  Working my way up from Het Axanthics to the combos over time.  Should reach a few of my project goals in 2-3 years.   :Smile: 

*Photo #20*

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-02-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (03-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-03-2021),_Trinityblood_ (03-08-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Iolite is Pleochroic which means it can absorb different wavelengths of light and appear different colors at different angles. 
Camera flash gives a vivid blue reflection on this piece. *

Photo #21
*


Alternate view under a LED flashlight below.

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_Alicia_ (03-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-04-2021),D-.No (10-09-2022),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (03-04-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-05-2021),_Trinityblood_ (03-08-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Eerily beautiful, almost like it's alive & thinking?  Keep 'em coming!   :W00t:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #22

*

A lot of the translucent stones aren't the easiest to photograph as a group--you can usually see the inclusions in them which makes some weird images.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),Ball_Pythons4life (03-06-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-05-2021),D-.No (10-09-2022),_EL-Ziggy_ (03-06-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-06-2021),_Trinityblood_ (03-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #23

*
She was asleep when I took her out and she woke up while I was taking photos and was like 'Whoa!'   :Razz:

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_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-06-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (03-06-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-07-2021),_Trinityblood_ (03-08-2021)

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## Bogertophis

You shouldn't scare your poor widdle snakes like that, hee hee... :Very Happy:   Maybe she'll pay you back someday?

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## Lord Sorril

> Maybe she'll pay you back someday?


I sure hope not.  A few photos is a small price to pay for free room and board and an all-you-can-eat rodent buffet.   :Wink: 

*Photo #24
*
Short video below to show reflective polish on rock.   :Smile:

----------

_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-07-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-08-2021),_Trinityblood_ (03-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #25
*
Some local quartz and a crazy snake face.

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_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-09-2021)

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## Hugsplox

Sorril I know you're doing this just for fun, but have you considered looking into doing a coffee table book or something with some of these photos? I think these are perfect for it and would be a great medium to showcase these animals as well as your hard work with the stones.

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Ball_Pythons4life (03-09-2021),chiropterra (03-18-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Sorril I know you're doing this just for fun, but have you considered looking into doing a coffee table book or something with some of these photos? I think these are perfect for it and would be a great medium to showcase these animals as well as your hard work with the stones.


Thank you for the compliment, but, nah, I think my photos will reach more people online in a digital format as opposed to a printed one.   Besides....there are many beautiful coffee table books that are in the local bookstore clearance bin.   :Smile: 

Most of the snakes shown with the 2020 image copyright are holdbacks that are currently in my collection.  I will begin taking photos of all my ball python hatchlings with stones starting this year (2021) prior to rehoming.  I expect my photo collection to grow significantly in a relatively short time and the plan is that each year (ideally) the morph combos will become more interesting over time...

Maybe if I decide to become a business or surface as an official breeder in a decade or two I can use the Snakes/Stones as my gimmick.   :Wink:

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_Hugsplox_ (03-09-2021)

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## Hugsplox

> Maybe if I decide to become a business or surface as an official breeder in a decade or two I can use the Snakes/Stones as my gimmick.


Not a bad idea I'll be keeping my eye out for snakes&stones.com!

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #26

*4
Pastel Het Axanthic - Often confused with a Super Pastel.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-10-2021),D-.No (10-09-2022),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-11-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Thank you for the compliment, but, nah, I think my photos will reach more people online in a digital format as opposed to a printed one.   Besides....there are many beautiful coffee table books that are in the local bookstore clearance bin.  
> 
> Most of the snakes shown with the 2020 image copyright are holdbacks that are currently in my collection.  I will begin taking photos of all my ball python hatchlings with stones starting this year (2021) prior to rehoming.  I expect my photo collection to grow significantly in a relatively short time and the plan is that each year (ideally) the morph combos will become more interesting over time...
> 
> Maybe if I decide to become a business or surface as an official breeder in a decade or two I can use the Snakes/Stones as my gimmick.


If not a coffee table book, how about a calendar?   :Cool:

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_Hugsplox_ (03-10-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> If not a coffee table book, how about a calendar?


Hahaha, maybe someday in the far future I will include a free calendar with each snake purchase...  
Currently my rock tumbling skills continue to grow, and (for better or worse) I'm becoming increasingly ambitious with my 'stone shaping' projects in 2021.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-12-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-11-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ... I'm becoming increasingly ambitious with my 'stone shaping' projects in 2021.


Is this really a rock?  Or where did you find my brain, & can I has it back?   :Rolleyes2:

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_richardhind1972_ (03-12-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Is this really a rock?  Or where did you find my brain, & can I has it back?


Hahaha, Labradorite is always neat.  It is not unusual for one to lose their mind.  It is unusual for one not to find it again though.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (03-14-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #27

*
These stones were found in Massachusetts as well.  They were part of a 5lb. rock nodule that looked interesting so I broke it up and tumbled.   I was disappointed that I had only found one of these nodules in my travels up to that point.

Last year I was thrilled to find another nodule...it weighed about 40lbs.--Unfortunately it was about 3 miles from my car on a deer-fly/mosquito infested hiking trail (and I had no tools with me).  I really wanted it though...and paid the price in blood to carry it out...

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_Alicia_ (03-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-12-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-12-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...
> Last year I was thrilled to find another nodule...it weighed about 40lbs.--Unfortunately it was about 3 miles from my car on a deer-fly/mosquito infested hiking trail (and I had no tools with me).  I really wanted it though...and paid the price in blood to carry it out...


Snake-lovers & rock-hounds have a lot in common- we all insist on collecting & carrying things that fight back.  :ROFL:  You did good though.

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #28

*
Rhodonite:  My state gemstone.
I divided the material I finished into the lighter and darker stones.  These are the lighter colored ones.

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_Alicia_ (03-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-14-2021),D-.No (10-09-2022),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-14-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #29

*
These are the darker stones.
Note: I have no 'normal' ball pythons in my collection--everything is 'something' even if just Het for recessives.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (03-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-15-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-16-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #30

*
Petrified wood always takes a nice polish.
I'm sure many breeders can probably recognize the 'new snake sheen' on some of the hatchlings in this photo series.

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_Alicia_ (03-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-19-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-17-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #31

*
This is the first pastel axanthic I produced.  The odds were 1/8 that season and I had 24 eggs, this was the only one.
Over time he has held his coloration nicely.

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_Alicia_ (03-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (03-19-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-19-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #32

*
Stones are an interesting material.  Agate with Marcasite inclusions collected in Nipomo California (in the 60's).
     I have both blue and red versions of these stones. 
 A skilled lapidary artist can turn these stones into spectacular jewelry.

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*Bogertophis* (03-20-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-22-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #33

*
The red stones.

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*Bogertophis* (03-22-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-22-2021)

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## Kam

Love all these pictures. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> Love all these pictures.


Thanks!  

People think that rock tumbling is a hobby that requires patience.  Breeding ball python morphs: That is a hobby that requires real patience... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (03-24-2021),_Kam_ (03-22-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #34
*
Super Black Pastel Spider

The stone is interesting as well...my gf gets mad when I do this:

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*Bogertophis* (03-24-2021),_Hugsplox_ (03-24-2021),_Kam_ (03-24-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-24-2021)

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## Hugsplox

> *Photo #34
> *
> Super Black Pastel Spider
> 
> The stone is interesting as well...my gf gets mad when I do this:


I LOVE singing bowls.

There's a book shop up in the Atlanta area that carries a lot of them, as well as an assortment of other spiritual/religious items and books. I've always wanted to pick one up but the world became the world and I never did. Thanks for reminding me about them! Time to do some online shopping.

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*Bogertophis* (03-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> There's a book shop up in the Atlanta area that carries a lot of them, as well as an assortment of other spiritual/religious items and books. I've always wanted to pick one up but the world became the world and I never did.


Yes, it is neat!  There was a small shop in my college town that sold imported goods.  The singing bowl pictured was the first one I was ever introduced to:  I thought it was neat on a science-y level and had to have it...I remember buying a lot of eclectic items as an excuse to visit that store before I asked the shopkeepers daughter on a date, but, that is a completely different story.   :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (03-24-2021),_Hugsplox_ (03-24-2021),_Kam_ (03-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #35

*

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_Kam_ (03-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-26-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #36
*

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*Bogertophis* (03-27-2021),_Kam_ (03-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #37*


I don't see very many people tumble and polish emeralds...tricky material to work with.

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*Bogertophis* (03-28-2021),_Kam_ (03-28-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-30-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #37*
> 
> 
> I don't see very many people tumble and polish emeralds...tricky material to work with.


Aren't emeralds supposed to be green?  Those look more like turquoise (color-wise)... :Confused:   Nice though, whatever, lol.

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_richardhind1972_ (03-30-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Aren't emeralds supposed to be green?  Those look more like turquoise (color-wise)...  Nice though, whatever, lol.


  Facet grade emeralds are usually green.  These are from Brazil (cheap) and they do have a little bit more blue tinge in them.  These are not solid emeralds: the grey stuff is a smokey quartz matrix holding the emeralds.  I don't think these stones are clear enough to see dichroism (which emeralds have), I think it is just the lighting in the photo.   


Image above is of the same material: the first image has an LED light pressed up against it, and the second is at ambient room light.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (03-28-2021),_Kam_ (03-28-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-30-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Gotcha!   :Good Job:   Thanks-

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## Lord Sorril

I had bought a piece of slag glass off of Ebay to tumble it.  
I thought it looked pretty clean to start with.



Slag Glass is considered one of the more 'advanced' materials to tumble because it is softer than many types of rock (and even many forms of obsidian).



Shining a LED flashlight through the finished piece gives a crazy photo (below).
*Photo #38A
*

As with all translucent tumbled stones/gemstones you are able to see just deep enough into them to spot the imperfections. Camera flash doesn't help: makes a bit of an odd photo. 

*Photo #38B
*

A video is better to show under normal light.

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*Bogertophis* (03-30-2021),_Kam_ (03-30-2021),_richardhind1972_ (03-30-2021),weblizard (04-24-2021)

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## richardhind1972

That blue glass is an amazing colour 
Snakes awsome too
Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> That blue glass is an amazing colour 
> Snakes awsome too


Thanks!  The chunk of glass was a tricky one:  I could not polish it in the tumbler because the glass was too heavy and soft and the plastic pellets I normally use as cushioning could still scratch the surface at the final polish stage.  Eventually I prepared a 2 micron Aluminum oxide paste on a cloth and finished it by hand over the course of a few hours...tedious work, but, not bad to pass the time if you are just watching D grade horror movies on Netflix.   :Smile:

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_richardhind1972_ (04-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #39

*

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*Bogertophis* (04-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #39
> 
> *



Rock python?   :ROFL:

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_Lord Sorril_ (04-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Rock python?


Hahaha! Thank you!  I'm surprised it took 39 snakes before someone made that joke.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-02-2021),_Hugsplox_ (04-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Hahaha! Thank you!  I'm surprised it took 39 snakes before someone made that joke.


Well this is the first one that really appeared to have the stone as part of his body.   :Wink:   Sorry I kept you waiting... :Very Happy:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #40
*
Quartz-tumbled-backlit with LED flashlight.
Collected (by me) from Ruggles Mine, NH

Photo of my gf taken just before the mine closed to the public.

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*Bogertophis* (04-03-2021),_Kam_ (04-03-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-03-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Looks like a pretty cool place to explore.   :Cool:

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## Lord Sorril

> Looks like a pretty cool place to explore.


Definitely!  My dad used to take me there as a kid in pursuit of rocks for my sisters tumbling habit--there were very few restrictions at that time and I had a good working knowledge of the mine shaft network.

Unfortunately over time more and more people had found ways to hurt themselves so they were forced to block off some of the passages.

Still enough areas left to explore in the later days though.

The last time I was there I also found it quite amusing that the cliffs held a large collection of raven nests.  They are quite talkative.

Bones of their victims could be found everywhere littering the ground--giving it a bit of a creepy vibe (especially if you are there in a small group).   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-03-2021),_Kam_ (04-03-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Looks like the kind of places I'd be attracted to as well, lol.  Sad when some ppl ruin it for others though.  Ever find any snakes in there?  -Maybe the ravens ate them all though?... :Sad:

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## Lord Sorril

> Looks like the kind of places I'd be attracted to as well, lol.  Sad when some ppl ruin it for others though.  Ever find any snakes in there?  -Maybe the ravens ate them all though?...


I never found any snakes. As an adult I would visit in the colder fall months.   When I was kid my family would visit in the summer there were would be a lot of people mining...I imagine the impact vibrations would make any snakes hide.

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*Bogertophis* (04-04-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-04-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #41
*
After a while I can start to identify stones that are unlikely to tumble/polish well...I still take a shot at them, I get lucky every now and then.  
These are not the lucky ones.  
I photograph all the stones I tumble (good and bad).  The better ones will be shown in Photo #83.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-05-2021),_Kam_ (04-05-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-05-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #41...
> *
> After a while I can start to identify stones that are unlikely to tumble/polish well...I still take a shot at them, I get lucky every now and then.  
> These are not the lucky ones.  
> I photograph all the stones I tumble (good and bad).  The better ones will be shown in Photo #83.


They're all still interesting though- whether it's stones, snakes or even humans, we're all "diamonds in the rough" with unequal gifts- how boring it would be if all were the same.   :Cool: 
And we don't all see them the same way anyhow.

----------

_richardhind1972_ (04-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #42

*
Lepidolite: the stones may look rough in the photo, but, are in fact completely smooth.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-06-2021),_Kam_ (04-06-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-07-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #43

*
Stone pictured wet: Due to the excessive amounts of pits and the unstable nature of the material I did not polish this one.
Will make an interesting display piece if I add another fish tank.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-08-2021),_Kam_ (04-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-09-2021)

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## Bogertophis

I like that rock!  It's like someone did a lousy job of mixing the ingredients, but the texture is really cool.    :Very Happy:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #44

*
African Green Opal (does not show opalescence), not to be confused with Australian Opal.
This type of stone is soft, difficult to work with (shatters), and can vary in quality significantly in quality. 
(low quality pictured, higher quality in Photo #45)
I know a lot of Rock Tumbling enthusiasts steer clear of this material due to the difficulty and often poor results.
I do enjoy the challenge.   :Smile: 

Preferred angle of the larger piece in natural light pictured below.

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*Bogertophis* (04-11-2021),_Kam_ (04-10-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-10-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #45

*
The snake pictured is clutchmate/brother to the girl in Photo #4.   
All piebald produced from this particular clutch were high-whites.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-11-2021),_Kam_ (04-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-12-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Your pied looks wonderful in green, it so happens.   :Good Job:

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## Lord Sorril

> Your pied looks wonderful in green, it so happens.


Thanks!  African Green Opal with an African snake.   :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (04-13-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #46

*
Someone had asked me why I didn't put more stones in my photos. 
The reason being:  More stones = Less detail in each picture.  
Can't even clearly identify the GHI Fire in this one.

----------

*Bogertophis* (04-13-2021),_Kam_ (04-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-14-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #47

*

----------

*Bogertophis* (04-15-2021),_Kam_ (04-18-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-16-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #48

*
Some local granite I collected and tumbled from my area. 
2020 hatchling in first shed.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-17-2021),_Kam_ (04-18-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-17-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Just so beautiful... :Good Job:

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## weblizard

So these are rock pythons? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> Rock python?





> So these are rock pythons?


Aha! Same joke twice in the same month!    :Very Happy: 
It is going to be a 'classic' on this thread.  
I'm certain we will see this one again.  :Smile:

----------

_richardhind1972_ (04-18-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Aha! Same joke twice in the same month!   
> It is going to be a 'classic' on this thread.  
> I'm certain we will see this one again.



 :Rock on:  :Rock on:  :Rock on:  :Rock on:  :Rock on:

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #49

*

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*Bogertophis* (04-19-2021),_Kam_ (04-20-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-20-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #50

*
Varied Quartz with pieces of Chyrsoprase shown. 
 Additional photos of the large piece of smokey quartz (from a different angle) added below.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-21-2021),_Hugsplox_ (04-21-2021),_Kam_ (04-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-21-2021)

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## weblizard

> Aha! Same joke twice in the same month!   
> It is going to be a 'classic' on this thread.  
> I'm certain we will see this one again.


Sorry, it was the first time I saw your photos.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> Sorry, it was the first time I saw your photos.


No apologies.  I find all the comments entertaining!   :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #51

*

A stone collected from the CT River (landscape pictured below).

----------

*Bogertophis* (04-23-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (04-27-2021),_Kam_ (04-23-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-23-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #52
*
I produced 8 Leopard Ball Pythons in 2019, 7/8 were males, this was the only female.
 The purple stones in this photo are Dalmation stones that have been dyed prior to tumbling. 
 This type of stone holds dye extremely well and can be purchased in almost any color.  
Dalmation stone is notoriously difficult to shape/polish with a tumbler, but, I did not have any issue with it.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-24-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (04-27-2021),_Kam_ (04-24-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-24-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Lovely color combination...seems leopards & Dalmations run well together, eh?   :Wink:

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## Lord Sorril

> Lovely color combination...seems leopards & Dalmations run well together, eh?


Thanks!  It does seem that way.   :Smile:

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #53

*
Some more Granite-esque rocks from my area.  
The light orange colored ones are fairly rare so it took me a while to gather and tumble enough for this photo.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-26-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (04-27-2021),_Kam_ (04-26-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-26-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...The light orange colored ones are fairly rare so it took me a while to gather and tumble enough for this photo.


Wow, so now we're getting the latest & custom-made arrangements?   :Sweeet:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Wow, so now we're getting the latest & custom-made arrangements?


Hahaha, I wouldn't call them the 'latest' arrangements. 
 Most of the snakes in the 2020 tagged photos have grown much larger by now.  
Once you start seeing the 2021 Copyright tag (example below) you will be into photos that are more recent.  :Smile: 



Note: These two pieds are from Photos #4 and #45 (early 2020) and the photo above was taken today 4/26/21.

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #54

*
Milky quartz, this stuff is everywhere in my area.

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*Bogertophis* (04-28-2021),_Kam_ (04-28-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #55
*
More Nipomo Marcasite in Agate (red) from California.
While I was taking these photos I noticed something hiding in one of the agate 'eyes' of the stone front/center.
I used the Microscope Macro mode on my camera to zoom in:



Pretty weird huh?   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-29-2021),_Kam_ (04-30-2021),_richardhind1972_ (04-30-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #56

*
More tiger eye, the camera flash illuminates some of the tips of the crystalline fiber structure--no avoiding it on some pieces...

Bonus photo below: clutch from a 12 year old female ball python.

I should have included something for scale with the photo as the eggs were a little over 5 inches long...sizeable hatchlings.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-30-2021),_Kam_ (05-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-01-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...
> 
> Bonus photo below: clutch from a 12 year old female ball python.
> 
> I should have included something for scale with the photo as the eggs were a little over 5 inches long...sizeable hatchlings.


Wow, 5"+ eggs?   :Surprised:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Wow, 5"+ eggs?


Yes, I encountered significant difficulty incubating them.  The size of the eggs resulted in the center creasing inward prematurely and squeezing the developing embryos to one side of the egg.  I thought about leaving them alone and letting things 'play out', but, based on experience I decided against it.  Long story short:  Five eggs, six healthy hatchlings (yes, my snake math is accurate).   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (04-30-2021),_Kam_ (05-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-01-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Yes, I encountered significant difficulty incubating them.  The size of the eggs resulted in the center creasing inward prematurely and squeezing the developing embryos to one side of the egg.  I thought about leaving them alone and letting things 'play out', but, based on experience I decided against it.  Long story short:  Five eggs, six healthy hatchlings (yes, my snake math is accurate).


Can't argue with 6 out of 5!   :Very Happy:

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_Kam_ (05-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-01-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #57
*
Not all stones will accept a polish.
The five small pieces in the center ring of this photo are actually pieces of Labradorite:  While they are indeed polished: they lack the characteristic sheen, they are a by-product of a request I received to take a photo with a snake in shed displaying iridescence surrounded by high sheen Labradorite.

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*Bogertophis* (05-03-2021),_Hugsplox_ (05-04-2021),_Kam_ (05-04-2021),TofuTofuTofu (05-07-2021)

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## Hugsplox

> Not all stones will accept a polish.
> The five small pieces in the center ring of this photo are actually pieces of Labradorite:  While they are indeed polished: they lack the characteristic sheen, they are a by-product of a request I received to take a photo with a snake in shed displaying iridescence surrounded by high sheen Labradorite.


Maybe a silly question Sorril but just to clarify, when you say not all stones will accept a polish, are you just talking about the sheen look of a polish? What I mean is, do the stones still have the smooth feel of a polished stone just without the shine, or do they still feel a little rough? I guess maybe a better way of asking is do different stones end up with different textures even using the same technique to polish them?

Hopefully that makes sense, it should be obvious that I have no idea what I'm talking about, just curious  :ROFL:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Maybe a silly question Sorril but just to clarify, when you say not all stones will accept a polish, are you just talking about the sheen look of a polish? What I mean is, do the stones still have the smooth feel of a polished stone just without the shine, or do they still feel a little rough? I guess maybe a better way of asking is do different stones end up with different textures even using the same technique to polish them?


Those are good questions.  :Smile: 
The difference between polish and sheen, and how texture effects polish using different methods.

Polish - verb - To make something smooth or shiny by rubbing it.
Sheen - noun - A soft luster on a surface.

It is a fast rule (not 100% accurate) in rock tumbling that harder stones will accept a better polish, the tighter the grains/crystal formation the easier it is to get a shine on it and make it feel 'smooth'.  Likewise: the larger the grains and pores--the more 'texture' a stone has and the harder it is to smooth out and thus acquire a polish (using tumblers that is).  Some people who make jewelry have access to diamond grinding wheels and saws and can effectively grind down and polish many types of stones that would be impossible otherwise.

With regards to the term 'sheen': I used this because certain stones like Labradorite and Obsidian can have an embedded luster on their surface that does not rely on a polish.  It is clearly more visible when wet.  
Once a stone with a sheen is polished: it will usually keep its color.

For Example Gold Sheen Obsidian:

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*Bogertophis* (05-04-2021),_Hugsplox_ (05-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #58

*
Labradorite can be a tricky stone to tumble.
It can be even trickier to photograph in a group.  
I had to figure out a different technique to take this photo.
The material pictured is from Madagascar. 
Took me a while to wait for a snake to reach the right point of shed to capture the iridescence with the labradorescence.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-05-2021),Daniel_Effler (05-05-2021),_Hugsplox_ (05-05-2021),_Kam_ (05-05-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-05-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Wowza!  That's a really cool photo!   :Good Job:

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## richardhind1972

That labrodite is an amazing colour, really brings the colour out on the python 
Amazing photo too

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Kam

Awesome photos. 


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## Daniel_Effler

10/10 beautiful picture!


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## Lord Sorril

Thank you all for the compliments, they are appreciated!

Fun fact: I used 11 separate light sources for this photo.

Due to the fact that Labradorite is triclinic (three planes in which it can cleave-it has only two angles in which the sheen is brightly displayed): it took over 2500 photo attempts to capture all of these stones in the proper position/lighting while trying to hit the iridescence of the snake simultaneously.  

As #58 is the most difficult I have taken to date...I do have more Labradorite, but, I am not eager to repeat the process.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-05-2021),_Kam_ (05-05-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-06-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

There is an abandoned town near me that has been turned into a state park.



They built several roads into the park for utility vehicles.



I found these odd brown textured rocks by the side of the road.



I totally wasn't expecting them to look like this when polished:

*Photo #59*


Kinda looks like asbestos to me lol  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-07-2021),_Hugsplox_ (05-07-2021),_Kam_ (05-07-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-07-2021),TofuTofuTofu (05-07-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #60

*
Nephrite/Jade
This particular stone off-gases in my rock tumbler--if I don't 'burp' the barrel every few days....it will explode in my garage.  Ask me how I know...
As for the snake: Don't let the light color head fool you, she is another Pastel Het for VPI Axanthic... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-08-2021),_Kam_ (05-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-08-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...
> Nephrite/Jade
> This particular stone off-gases in my rock tumbler--if I don't 'burp' the barrel every few days....it will explode in my garage.  Ask me how I know...
> As for the snake: Don't let the light color head fool you, she is another Pastel Het for VPI Axanthic...


I'll bite...how do you know?   :Wink:   (I've never heard of rocks that need burping!  That's very interesting.)

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## Ascended

I love both snakes and rocks. Lord Sorill said I could post one of mine  :Smile:

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BeansTheDerp (05-10-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-08-2021),_Lord Sorril_ (05-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> I love both snakes and rocks. Lord Sorill said I could post one of mine


That is an awesome photo!

I think you could do that one with your BEL too!

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Ascended (05-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> I'll bite...how do you know?    (I've never heard of rocks that need burping!  That's very interesting.)


You asked!  

It is the middle of the night the day after Christmas (Pre-Corona)...I am exhausted from hopping from house to house visiting different relatives for dinner.  I finally get to sleep after belly-aching from a variety of food intolerances (of which I ignore during the holidays).  Everything is silent.  Then:*BOOM* it sounds like a car crashes into the side of my house.  I jump out of bed and trip on my blankets and hit the floor with my shoulder.  My clock says 2:22AM (neat huh?).  I immediately look out the window and see nothing.  I make my way downstairs (now fully awake and pumped up with adrenaline).  I still see no fires or wreckage out my windows.  I get ready to go outside and I hit my garage door opener from the main house (my house is large-separate wings) and I don't hear the opener activate and nothing happens so I am a bit confused.  I try to turn on my garage lights and nothing happens.  I grab a flashlight, go into my garage in my bare feet and I immediately notice the floor is kinda wet.  I shine the light on my feet and there is grey residue on the bottom of my feet.  I go over to the GFI outlet reset and there is grey residue all over the outlet reset as well.  I pop the reset, and the lights come on and I see filtered dim light as to my horror most of my garage and everything in it (including one side of my car) has been spray painted grey on the inside with an angular pattern emanating from one of my larger tumblers (which is now on the floor).  There was less than one gallon of fluid in the barrel, but, it was enough to cover the floors, walls, and ceiling of every exposed surface for 1/2 my garage in the direction of the barrel lid.  The remaining barrels were reactivated when I turned the circuit back on and they were actually bulging and shaking from the pressure build up. I immediately took them outside and opened them and the lids flew skyward and a grit slurry fountain shot upwards (think Mentos in grey Pepsi) as soon as I freed the bolt on top.

Anyhow, that is the story.  Certain rocks/minerals have pressurized gas trapped inside (frequently volcanic origin); when they are tumbled and/or the temperature changes the gas is released and expands.  Obsidian is notorious for redecorating many Rock Tumblers abodes.  Nephrite/Jade are not tumbled frequently and I had read nothing about them having issues so I was totally not expecting this outcome... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-10-2021),_jmcrook_ (05-08-2021),_Kam_ (05-09-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #61

*

You might be thinking this is another Pastel Het VPI Axanthic...however, the colors are washed out from the camera flash, she is actually a Pastel Orange Dream.

I thought it was interesting that Pastel hides the OD marker near the base of the tail.
Image below:  Side by side comparison of OD vs. Pastel OD.

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*Bogertophis* (05-10-2021),_Kam_ (05-10-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-10-2021)

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## hihit

I love this thread so much! I think maybe I'll have to start my own photo thread once I have a snake, though of course I'd need to come up with a different gimmick.

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BeansTheDerp (05-10-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-10-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> You asked!  
> 
> It is the middle of the night the day after Christmas (Pre-Corona)...I am exhausted from hopping from house to house visiting different relatives for dinner.  I finally get to sleep after belly-aching from a variety of food intolerances (of which I ignore during the holidays).  Everything is silent.  Then:*BOOM* it sounds like a car crashes into the side of my house.  I jump out of bed and trip on my blankets and hit the floor with my shoulder.  My clock says 2:22AM (neat huh?).  I immediately look out the window and see nothing.  I make my way downstairs (now fully awake and pumped up with adrenaline).  I still see no fires or wreckage out my windows.  I get ready to go outside and I hit my garage door opener from the main house (my house is large-separate wings) and I don't hear the opener activate and nothing happens so I am a bit confused.  I try to turn on my garage lights and nothing happens.  I grab a flashlight, go into my garage in my bare feet and I immediately notice the floor is kinda wet.  I shine the light on my feet and there is grey residue on the bottom of my feet.  I go over to the GFI outlet reset and there is grey residue all over the outlet reset as well.  I pop the reset, and the lights come on and I see filtered dim light as to my horror most of my garage and everything in it (including one side of my car) has been spray painted grey on the inside with an angular pattern emanating from one of my larger tumblers (which is now on the floor).  There was less than one gallon of fluid in the barrel, but, it was enough to cover the floors, walls, and ceiling of every exposed surface for 1/2 my garage in the direction of the barrel lid.  The remaining barrels were reactivated when I turned the circuit back on and they were actually bulging and shaking from the pressure build up. I immediately took them outside and opened them and the lids flew skyward and a grit slurry fountain shot upwards (think Mentos in grey Pepsi) as soon as I freed the bolt on top.
> 
> Anyhow, that is the story.  Certain rocks/minerals have pressurized gas trapped inside (frequently volcanic origin); when they are tumbled and/or the temperature changes the gas is released and expands.  Obsidian is notorious for redecorating many Rock Tumblers abodes.  Nephrite/Jade are not tumbled frequently and I had read nothing about them having issues so I was totally not expecting this outcome...


I had NO idea this could happen!  What a mess!  :Surprised:   But I guess it could have been worse too- at least you weren't standing next to it.  I knew there was a good story just waiting... :Very Happy:   TKS!

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BeansTheDerp (05-10-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> I love this thread so much! I think maybe I'll have to start my own photo thread once I have a snake, though of course I'd need to come up with a different gimmick.


Thanks!  I'm glad you like them!

If you are looking for a gimmick then maybe if you collect something colorful you can use those for photos?  I was experimenting for a while with different things including Mardi Gras Coins, Tarot Cards, and Fantasy Swords/Knives/Axes (which I collected when I was younger).  I considered making my own Ball Python themed tarot deck for a while, but, meh...maybe in the future... :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

> I had NO idea this could happen!  What a mess!   But I guess it could have been worse too- at least you weren't standing next to it.  I knew there was a good story just waiting...  TKS!


Yes, I was disappointed I hadn't noticed the issue earlier.  In the back of my mind I know that grinding assorted unidentified minerals into dust while mixing them with water is a potentially disastrous combination... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-11-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #62

*

Indian Tree agate comes in a wide variety of qualities from solid to porous.  This piece pictured above is on the porous side.
Some people who tumble rocks are OCD about producing perfectly rounded and smooth specimens...they would have to tumble this piece down to the size of a jellybean.

Ball python in early shed for photo.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-13-2021),_Kam_ (05-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-14-2021)

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## Ascended

Your thread is massive. I have tried to read it all but may have missed something.
Have you ever tried to tumble fluorite or calcite. 
I found them too delicate to get a good polish. They tended to keep cracking even by lowering the grit size.
Any advice?

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Your thread is massive. I have tried to read it all but may have missed something.
> Have you ever tried to tumble fluorite or calcite. 
> I found them too delicate to get a good polish. They tended to keep cracking even by lowering the grit size.
> Any advice?


Thanks, this thread just got started.

I have tumbled fluorite, but, not calcite yet.  Photo #6 is actually Mexican Fluorite in Quartz matrix--difficult to tumble due to the varying hardness (Mohs 4 Fluorite, Mohs 7 Quartz).  All steps post shaping were done in my Vibratory tumbler (UV-18), vibe tumblers are relatively gentle on the stones.

I have larger pieces of Chinese fluorite, but, they have quartz banding in them.  I don't trust that they would tumble well.  I did borrow a friends $6000 diamond wheel cabbing machine to shape a few of them (shown below).  Don't think I will ever convince my gf to let me get one of those machines...unless I win the lottery...even then, maybe not.... :Smile:

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Ascended (05-15-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-13-2021),Daniel_Effler (05-12-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-14-2021)

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## Daniel_Effler

If I have ever seen a Chinese dragon egg that would be one. Beautiful. 


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_Lord Sorril_ (05-14-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #63

*

I always thought it was misleading when people show only show their best specimens.
Some rocks are not destined for 'perfect' tumbles.  
I endeavor to photograph all my efforts, good, bad, and ugly.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-16-2021),Daniel_Effler (05-16-2021),_Hugsplox_ (05-14-2021),_Kam_ (05-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-14-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #64

*

I know I've had 'possible Het' Albino genes kicking around in the background of my population.
This was a pleasant surprise as I can finally pin the title of 100% Het on one pair.   :Smile: 

Green/Yellow stones are Nephrite/Jade
Blue stones are Sodalite
Orangey stones are Tiger Jasper

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*Bogertophis* (05-16-2021),_Kam_ (05-16-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-16-2021)

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## richardhind1972

Very nice indeed, the stones complement the albino python

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #63
> 
> *
> 
> I always thought it was misleading when people show only show their best specimens.
> Some rocks are not destined for 'perfect' tumbles.  
> I endeavor to photograph all my efforts, good, bad, and ugly.


Not "perfect tumbles" but quite far from being ugly, IMO.   :Good Job:   I'd call them interesting with lots of personality.

And #64 is a delightful "color-salad" of stones & snake.

----------


## Ascended

> *Photo #64
> 
> *
> 
> I know I've had 'possible Het' Albino genes kicking around in the background of my population.
> This was a pleasant surprise as I can finally pin the title of 100% Het on one pair.  
> 
> Green/Yellow stones are Nephrite/Jade
> Blue stones are Sodalite
> Orangey stones are Tiger Jasper


Awesome picture, keep them coming.

what snake is *Photo #63 nice contrast*

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## Lord Sorril

> Very nice indeed, the stones complement the albino python


Thank you Rich!



> Not "perfect tumbles" but quite far from being ugly, IMO.  I'd call them interesting with lots of personality.
> And #64 is a delightful "color-salad" of stones & snake.


Yes, I wouldn't call these ugly.  I do have some stones I do consider 'ugly' and they do kill a few of my photos (Like #111).
'Color-salad' I do like that term...I'm going to steal it in the future! Thanks!  :Wink: 



> Awesome picture, keep them coming.
> what snake is *Photo #63 nice contrast*


Thanks, #63 is a Fire/100% Het Clown. 
I'm not dedicated to Clown based morph projects, but, I like to keep the genes present because they will lighten colors and create interesting patterns.   :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #65

*

Lavender Albino, I like the purplish hues.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (05-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-18-2021),_Hugsplox_ (05-18-2021),_Kam_ (05-19-2021),_nikkubus_ (05-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-18-2021)

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## Ascended

> *Photo #65
> *
> Lavender Albino, I like the purplish hues.


Awesome snake, nice choice of colour for the stones too. Both subtle colours.

----------


## Daniel_Effler

> *Photo #65
> 
> *
> 
> Lavender Albino, I like the purplish hues.


Love a lavender albino. Very nice pic!


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_richardhind1972_ (05-19-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Thank you for the compliments!  
I do love the Lavender Albinos myself.  I have a few projects ongoing with them.


Next up:  *Photo #66*



The Banded Amethyst (Rwanda) in this photo is probably the most expensive material per/lb. I have ever tumbled.
Fun fact:  Amethyst will lose color over time when exposed to UV Light.

I realize I didn't include a coin for scale in this photo. The Lesser female is an adult.  
Here is a mini-photo of some of these stones with a quarter for proportion.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (05-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-21-2021),Daniel_Effler (05-20-2021),_Kam_ (05-21-2021),_nikkubus_ (05-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-20-2021)

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## Ascended

LOve amethyst,one of my favorites.

You have inspired me to to do something similar.  I wont copy though with my tumbled stones,  but maybe take some pictures with use my large crystals.

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## Lord Sorril

> LOve amethyst,one of my favorites.
> 
> You have inspired me to to do something similar.  I wont copy though with my tumbled stones,  but maybe take some pictures with use my large crystals.


Sounds interesting!  I look forward to seeing the photos.  

Side story:  Last weekend I was incredibly tempted to buy a huge rainbow titanium coated quartz crystal (single piece), but, it was $150...too much...I could get 350lbs. of rodent (dog) food for that price.   :Wink:

----------


## Ascended

> Side story:  Last weekend I was incredibly tempted to buy a huge rainbow titanium coated quartz crystal (single piece), but, it was $150...too much...I could get 350lbs. of rodent (dog) food for that price.


My big crystals are from ages ago, like you I would rather buy something for the snakes (or a snake)  :Very Happy:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #67

*

Blue Lace Agate (Malawi)
Normally blue lace is a bit pricey, but, I got a good deal on this material.  
Once I removed the rind on these agates: the surface of the stones were heavily pitted (doh!).
It was a tough call, but, I chose to leave some of the character of the stones intact rather than grind them into 'perfect' specimens.

Pattern and coloration on this snake is typical for Pastel Het Clown +/- a het recessive or two.  :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (05-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-21-2021),_Kam_ (05-21-2021),_nikkubus_ (05-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #68

*

Nipomo Agate with Marcasite (California).  Due to the varied hardness: It is tough to produce a nice tumbled piece. 

Snake in the photo hatched 5 minutes prior (2020) and I snapped a few quick photos before placing this one back in the incubator.   :Smile:

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_Alicia_ (05-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-23-2021),_Kam_ (05-23-2021),_nikkubus_ (05-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-23-2021)

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## Ascended

> *Photo #68
> 
> *
> 
> Nipomo Agate with Marcasite (California).  Due to the varied hardness: It is tough to produce a nice tumbled piece. 
> 
> Snake in the photo hatched 5 minutes prior (2020) and I snapped a few quick photos before placing this one back in the incubator.


I like this one, sort of crispy mineral   :Cool:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> I like this one, sort of crispy mineral


It does look crispy, part of its charm.  :Smile: 

This is another piece:  *Photo #69*

Orange Dream throws a lot of Iridescence in my photos, in shed, or out.   :Smile: 

Closeup of the Marcasite formation in the center below:

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_Alicia_ (05-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #70
*

Interesting color/pattern for a Lesser.  
I have been attempting to get her to produce eggs for several seasons with no success.   I am no amateur-I have lots of tricks.
She has rejected all my project orientated males (squabbling, teeth marks, and blood).
I have confirmed her gender multiple times.
After testing nearly all my males this season: she will only tolerate and lock with one of my Super Black Pastel Spiders (Photo #34). 
I strongly suspect no eggs again this season.  
Will try again next year exclusively with her preferred male... :Smile:

----------

_Alicia_ (05-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (05-27-2021),_Kam_ (05-28-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #71A

*
GHI/Fire and Red Corundum (Ruby) in Quartz matrix.
Corundum is supposedly outside the realm of tumbling due to the hardness (Mohs 9) being too close to the hardness of the grit, but, not in the case.
I do admit I have had many failed several attempts to tumble Red Corundum (Ruby) and Blue Corundum (Sapphire) in different crystallization formations. These remain pending.
Someone suggested that I put the stones under Black Light to actually confirm if they are rubies as they would fluoresce pink.  Yep.

*Photo #71B*


Here is what the original material looked like:


 :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (05-29-2021),_Gocntry_ (05-29-2021),_Kam_ (05-29-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-29-2021)

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## richardhind1972

Wow that's so cool

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Bogertophis

Beautiful- & very interesting.   :Good Job:

----------


## Ascended

> *Photo #71A
> 
> *
> GHI/Fire and Red Corundum (Ruby) in Quartz matrix.
> Corundum is supposedly outside the realm of tumbling due to the hardness (Mohs 9) being too close to the hardness of the grit, but, not in the case.
> I do admit I have had many failed several attempts to tumble Red Corundum (Ruby) and Blue Corundum (Sapphire) in different crystallization formations. These remain pending.
> Someone suggested that I put the stones under Black Light to actually confirm if they are rubies as they would fluoresce pink.  Yep.
> 
> *Photo #71B*
> ...


You had to do the UV thing  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):  You know how I love it.  :Love:

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## Lord Sorril

> Wow that's so cool





> Beautiful- & very interesting.





> You had to do the UV thing You know how I love it.


Thank you all!   :Smile: 

*Photo #72

*

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_Kam_ (06-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (05-31-2021)

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## Ascended

Nice work. Keep them coming  :Cool:

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## Lord Sorril

> Nice work. Keep them coming


You bet!  :Smile: 

*Photo #73
*
There is a story with this photo:
The dark stones I received in a box of mixed material from the SouthWest U.S.A., it was just one large 6lb. nodule.
It appeared to be a solid stone so I tumbled it 'as is' in its full size (using a rotary tumbler).
When I finished the polish process I took it out and examined it and it appeared to have a textured surface.  I had failed to polish it.
I backed up the tumbling process to an early state and repeated it through polish with the same effect.
Discouraged: I smashed the stone into smaller pieces and then shaped them and polished them with my vibe tumbler (which is very effective at polishing).  
The result was the same:  textured surface, so I tossed the stones into a redo bucket and I noticed that they were mirroring the stones around them....They were polished!
The textured surface I was observing was embedded in the rock and dispersing the light, and the polish could only be seen at the correct angle.
Now I will always wonder if the large nodule I had polished in the beginning was perfect...and I had smashed it after months of work... :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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*Bogertophis* (06-02-2021),Erie_herps (06-02-2021),_Kam_ (06-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

:Very Happy:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #74

*

Jasper, USA origin (on right) and Madagascar (on left).   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-03-2021),_Kam_ (06-21-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-07-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Wooo, that's colorful!   :Good Job:   Jasper is so cool.

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## Ascended

> *Photo #74
> *
> Jasper, USA origin (on right) and Madagascar (on left).


That's really pretty. Also whats the morph? looks a bit enchi +

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## Spicey

Snake?  What snake?    :Wink:

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## Lord Sorril

> Wooo, that's colorful!    Jasper is so cool.


Thanks!  There are (thousands) of types of Jasper.  I have my work cut out for me...




> That's really pretty. Also whats the morph? looks a bit enchi +


You definitely called it right!



> Snake?  What snake?


Enchi, 100% Het Albino. (3rd generation offspring)
Held back a lot of Enchi+'s last year.  I like the patterning on the head in the 'Super' form, might try and work it into some of my more convoluted projects.   :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #75

*

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*Bogertophis* (06-05-2021),_Gocntry_ (06-05-2021),_Kam_ (06-21-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-07-2021)

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## Ascended

Awesome, whats the rock? Calcite?

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## Lord Sorril

> Awesome, whats the rock? Calcite?


Blue/White Stones = Agate (Utah)
White/Translucent = Agate (Idaho)
Green = Jade/Nephrite (California)
Orange/Yellow = Chert (Massachusetts)
 :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #76

*

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*Bogertophis* (06-07-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-07-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-07-2021)

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## Ascended

> *Photo #76
> 
> *


Awesome as usual.
But Ok, No Idea what they are. Guess at the snake - anatharistic mojave maybe butter/pastel too? Mineral, you will have to educate me.

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## Lord Sorril

> Awesome as usual.
> But Ok, No Idea what they are. Guess at the snake - anatharistic mojave maybe butter/pastel too? Mineral, you will have to educate me.


Thanks,

The snake ID is a difficult one.  I purchased him at a reptile Expo a decade or so ago from a basement breeder and he was marked as 'Firefly?'.  The breeder was selling him because 'he only produces bad eggs'...luckily I have had no issue.  With me he is a proven Fire/Pastel, but, none of his offspring match his color.  It has not aligned with my project goals to try and prove if he has any additional recessive genes of interest.

The rock is Stone Canyon Jasper (California).  The snake pictured has a large head, so the stone is a decent size...due to the 'healing lines' in the rock: it is tough to tumble a larger piece without fractures.   :Smile:

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## nikkubus

> *Photo #75
> 
> *


You really have an amazing artistic eye for picking the right snake/stone combos. This is another of my very faves of yours.

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## Bogertophis

> You really have an amazing artistic eye for picking the right snake/stone combos. This is another of my very faves of yours.


Mine too, I just didn't mention it before.   :Wink:

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## Lord Sorril

> You really have an amazing artistic eye for picking the right snake/stone combos. This is another of my very faves of yours.





> Mine too, I just didn't mention it before.


Thank you, Thank you.  This photo turned out better than expected--sometimes I get lucky.

My high school art teacher always told me that I get an 'A' for effort and an 'F' for execution.  Thankfully I was scored in art based on effort.... :Embarassed:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #77

*

In the area around my house there is a proliferation of Feldspar (same material as Photo #7), when tumbled I can sort the pieces into: The Greys, Blue-Greys, and Everything Else.  
Here are some Grey pieces.
Nothing was included for scale, but, the ball python is a 4 year old female.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-09-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-09-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-09-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #78

*

Here are some Blue-Grey pieces.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-09-2021),_Gocntry_ (06-12-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-10-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #79

*

'Everything Else' feldspars.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-11-2021),_Hugsplox_ (06-11-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-13-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #80

*
Green = Chrysocolla (Arizona)
Orangey = Petrified Wood (Arizona)
Brown = Smokey Quartz (India)
Snake = Black Pastel Het Pied

Note: I didn't round out the petrified wood too much because I thought it looked neat-as is.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-13-2021),Erie_herps (06-13-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-13-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #81

*
Topaz from Brazil.  Definitely not facet grade material (especially for what I paid for it).  The darker pieces of topaz (Photo #104) are often labeled as 'Imperial Topaz'.  Due to the clarity of the material it is easy to see imperfections inside the stone...this same clarity and increased scratch resistance makes Topaz perfect for jewelry.

I have so many quartz varieties that sometimes I mix up topaz with other stones.  Quartz (Mohs 7 hardness) is unable to scratch Topaz (Mohs 8), but, it is not the best ID method for polished stones because I will scratch the stone if I am wrong.  Sometimes the internal fracture pattern is the easiest method to ID without a semi-destructive test.   :Smile: 


Side note:  I had originally bought Topaz in bulk from Brazil with the intent to use it as filler in my rotary tumbling barrels (since it is harder than most materials and wears down slower), unfortunately increased hardness comes with increased brittleness and Topaz is prone to shatter while rock tumbling...so I cannot use it for this purpose...

Oh, and as for the snake:  Don't let the head stamp fool you, this is a Wild Type ('Normal') from a proof cross, no currently acknowledged morph genes present.

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Erie_herps (06-15-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-15-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-17-2021)

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## nikkubus

> Oh, and as for the snake:  Don't let the head stamp fool you, this is a Wild Type ('Normal') from a proof cross, no currently acknowledged morph genes present.


Whatever is going on with him/her is pretty cool. It sounds like you have at least proved it to be heritable if this is the offspring. Reminds me a bit or orange dream or JKR's peach project.

Also, really cool info about quartz and topaz. I didn't know any of that.

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #82

*

All the photos for this set came out a little blurry...too much reflection from the sodalite (blue/white stone).
Ball Python is a Pastel Het Axanthic.

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*Bogertophis* (06-17-2021),Erie_herps (06-17-2021),_Gocntry_ (06-17-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-17-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #82*...All the photos for this set came out a little blurry...too much reflection from the sodalite (blue/white stone)...


I don't think you'll hear us complaining... :Wink:   It's quite nice.

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## Lord Sorril

> I don't think you'll hear us complaining...  It's quite nice.


Thanks! I just remembered why I had such trouble with this photo: This particular batch of sodalite I bought off a guy in Brazil is actually chatoyant (Chatoyant - adj. - showing a band of bright reflected light caused by aligned inclusions in the stone). Neat stuff if you are making a pendant or a necklace--I purchased this material labeled as 'fish tank gravel' so I was not expecting quality material...and I'm sure the seller would have adjusted the price if they had known...

I took a photo (shown below) last year as an example...the silver coloration is not visible unless hit with bright light, or a camera flash.

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*Bogertophis* (06-17-2021),Erie_herps (06-17-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-17-2021)

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## nikkubus

> I purchased this material labeled as 'fish tank gravel' so I was not expecting quality material.


You got quite a nice haul for fish gravel  :ROFL:

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## Bogertophis

> You got quite a nice haul for fish gravel


I'll say you did!   :Good Job:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #83

*

The snake is a single gene GHI.
These stones are some odds and ends that tumbled better than expected.
 You may notice some of the rocks are types of stone that were also used in Photos #41, 43, and 63.
I did not realize it until I took it off my camera, this photo is among my favorites.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-20-2021),Erie_herps (06-19-2021),_Gocntry_ (06-19-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-19-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-19-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #84

*

Some larger pieces of local quartz and a non-obvious double het recessive ball python.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-20-2021),Erie_herps (06-20-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-21-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #83
> 
> *
> 
> The snake is a single gene GHI.
> These stones are some odds and ends that tumbled better than expected.
>  You may notice some of the rocks are types of stone that were also used in Photos #41, 43, and 63.
> I did not realize it until I took it off my camera, this photo is among my favorites.


Yup, this one's definitely a "contender"!   :Tip of the Hat:

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_Kam_ (06-22-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #85

*

Some local granite and another Enchi Het Albino ball python.

Granite is not popular for rock tumbler enthusiasts, it is composed of quartz and feldspars of varying compositions.  Since Quartz has a mohs hardness of 7 and Feldspar can have a range of hardness from 6.0-6.5...when tumbling granite the softest feldspar will wear down faster than the other materials and it will produce a textured service which will take a mottled polish (shown below).  Again this is a situation where a diamond grinding wheel would be advantageous to completely smooth the stone, not in my budget though.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-22-2021),Erie_herps (06-22-2021),_Kam_ (06-22-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-23-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #85
> 
> *
> 
> Some local granite and another Enchi Het Albino ball python.
> 
> Granite is not popular for rock tumbler enthusiasts, it is composed of quartz and feldspars of varying compositions.  Since Quartz has a mohs hardness of 7 and Feldspar can have a range of hardness from 6.0-6.5...when tumbling granite the softest feldspar will wear down faster than the other materials and it will produce a textured service which will take a mottled polish (shown below).  Again this is a situation where a diamond grinding wheel would be advantageous to completely smooth the stone, not in my budget though.  
> 
> ...


You should have a speckled kingsnake (or better yet, a speckled rattlesnake) for this photo... :Wink:

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Erie_herps (06-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-23-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #86

*

Some of you may remember this photo:  I posted it near Christmas last year.  

The snake is a single gene Fire.  I can tell by the scale sheen in the photo that this snake had just hatched.

I remember collecting this milky quartz with red iron banding at a section of the CT river, and a rather disagreeable encounter with a bald eagle.  I think I dropped half the rocks I collected while fleeing.  I regret not getting a photo of the bird, but, I was very dedicated to protecting my face/eyes.  I returned to the location earlier this year (2021) and had no issue with eagle intervention.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-24-2021),_Kam_ (06-24-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-24-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-24-2021)

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## Bogertophis

That's gorgeous!  BPs look really nice in orange-reds.   :Good Job:

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## nikkubus

> *Photo #86*
> 
> Some of you may remember this photo:  I posted it near Christmas last year.  
> 
> The snake is a single gene Fire.  I can tell by the scale sheen in the photo that this snake had just hatched.
> 
> I remember collecting this milky quartz with red iron banding at a section of the CT river, and a rather disagreeable encounter with a bald eagle.  I think I dropped half the rocks I collected while fleeing.  I regret not getting a photo of the bird, but, I was very dedicated to protecting my face/eyes.  I returned to the location earlier this year (2021) and had no issue with eagle intervention.


Even though it's a bit scary, it sounds like a fun adventure to remember. I wonder if it was a mamma with a nest nearby.

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## Bogertophis

> Even though it's a bit scary, it sounds like a fun adventure to remember. I wonder if it was a mamma with a nest nearby.


I would assume it was a mama defending her nest or offspring.  I recently tried to help* a blue jay chick that was blown out of the nest by strong winds, & boy was I dive-bombed by the parents!  For trying to help, lol, so I can't imagine dealing with an eagle- Yikes!  (*my dog actually found it first, & believe me, my intervention was necessary, but the parent jays sure didn't see it that way.)

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_Kam_ (06-25-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #87

*

Some common local grey granite-esque stones.   
I thought an Axanthic in blue paired nicely.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-26-2021),_Kam_ (06-26-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-26-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Just got back from the Manchester, NH Reptile Expo today 6/27/21.  I have attended every reptile expo there for years until C-19 hit, this is the first one I've been to in a while.  

We were only there about 15 minutes total. 10 minutes was spent trying to explain to a non-english speaking vendor that I wanted to buy an insect cup full of 'Horn Worms' (as I waved my cash and pointed at them).  However, he would not sell them to me until I called them 'Goliath Worms', fine, fine, whatever, same thing lol.   :Smile: 

Took a few rushed photos of random critters shown below (amidst the human swarm).  Many large ball python breeders in my area did not attend--I did not see anything too unusual to my eyes.



















I only saw two snakes at the expo with the specific gene I wanted..one was $125 and the other was part of a $3K Banana combo from the same breeder...the last photo below is of my pickup ($125).  

Pastel Blade Het Clown

Sorta looks like a Pastel OD, but, no surprise there...Blade, Enchi, and OD have a habit of getting mixed up on ID.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (06-27-2021),_Kam_ (06-27-2021)

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## Bogertophis

I guess we can forgive you for not including any stones, just this once.   :Very Happy:    I really like those pale aqua frogs with the aqua feet!  -what are on earth they?

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## Lord Sorril

> I guess we can forgive you for not including any stones, just this once.     I really like those pale aqua frogs with the aqua feet!  -what are on earth they?


Hahaha.  There was a girl there selling small pieces of decorative petrified wood for $8/lb, but, I didn't take any photos....

Those are Amazon Milk Frogs.  Super cute! Their shape and size seemed very similar to Whites Tree Frogs.  They looked like they were captive bred and in perfect condition.

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*Bogertophis* (06-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #88

*

GHI Fire ball python.
White/Brown = Banded Agate (Brazil)
Red = Petrified Wood (Arizona)
Blue = Blue Aventurine (Brazil)
Green = Chrysocolla (Arizona)
Purple = Amethyst (Brazil)

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*Bogertophis* (06-27-2021),_Kam_ (06-27-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-28-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Well now you're just showing off... :Razz:

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## Lord Sorril

> Well now you're just showing off...


 :Smile: 
*
Photo #89*


Pictured: A small single gene Fire ball python and a nice chunk of petrified dinosaur bone.
Petrified dinosaur bone is always in high demand and is often made into various jewelry due to its attractive organic patterning.  
Gem quality specimens with good color and patterning (like the one shown above) can carry a laughably high price tag to lapidary artists.
I happen to find this piece in a random box of petrified wood I bought off of Ebay--before tumbling and polish it was indistinguishable from pet. wood.

Side Story: 
 My gf and I were at an overpriced antiques consignment store recently and there was a box of random rocks in one consigners booth marked $2/each. 
 I pored over the box for a few minutes and picked out two mottled brown-red pieces and brought them to the front counter. 
 The woman at the register said "Hmmm...these are interesting rocks" (aka ugly) as she bagged them up for me.   "Do you know what they are?"
'You bet!' I said grinning.  'These are dinosaur bones with some red hematite, probably from Utah'.  
I thought she would laugh in disbelief (or make a 'bone' related joke), but instead her eyes immediately widened and then rapidly narrowed. 
 As I tried to take the bag away from her she held fast, a short tug of war ensued as I could see the wheels in her mind trying to void the sale. 
 She let go after 15 seconds (an eternity), and as we left her shoulders slumped and she stared blankly into the distance. 
 We did not even get the customary 'have a nice day' as we went out the door.
 I thought it was amusing, especially since the two bones I bought are poor quality and only probably worth about $10...given the inflated prices in the store...I bet they would have tried to sell them for $200 each... :Very Happy:

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*Bogertophis* (06-29-2021),_Gocntry_ (07-01-2021),_Kam_ (06-29-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-29-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-29-2021)

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## nikkubus

Hahaha, I bet she would have. Glad you managed to get out of there with them without too much trouble.

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## richardhind1972

That looks amazing, great find too bet she was week peed off

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Bogertophis

Moral of the story:  never tell the vender what it is until it's firmly in your hands- not just paid for!   :Very Happy:   Sweet finds!

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_nikkubus_ (06-29-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-29-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I was watching a video on YouTube of a ball python breeder in Colorado: He mentioned that he has all the eggs for his 2021 breeding season laid already.  Wow! I'm envious...
I live in Massachusetts.  I will be collecting clutches May through September and picking out hatchlings from my incubators up to December.
Due to abnormally high temps in my area this year I'm already seeing my first 2021 pip before July...

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*Bogertophis* (06-29-2021),_Kam_ (06-29-2021),_nikkubus_ (06-29-2021),_richardhind1972_ (06-30-2021)

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## nikkubus

> I was watching a video on YouTube of a ball python breeder in Colorado: He mentioned that he has all the eggs for his 2021 breeding season laid already.  Wow! I'm envious...
> I live in Massachusetts.  I will be collecting clutches May through September and picking out hatchlings from my incubators up to December.
> Due to abnormally high temps in my area this year I'm already seeing my first 2021 pip before July...


What a cutie pie. No pips here yet but should be in a couple weeks. I've been expecting eggs from two females for a few days, they are taking their time. I will laugh if the female that has post-ov shed a week after them lays first.

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*Bogertophis* (07-01-2021),_Lord Sorril_ (06-29-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #90
*

I picked up these 'decorative' striped stones at Petco ages ago.  I know they are common in some areas and even used in bulk for landscaping.  They take a high polish, but, chip and fracture easily.  
Many of these stones I tumbled contain deep perforated inclusions which needed to be worked out thus making them poor for lapidary use. 

As for the snake: Sometimes I can make an educated guess which ball pythons are Het for a particular gene based on visible clues...not the Pastels from this particular clutch...lucky for me I know they are 100% Lavender Albino.  :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (07-01-2021),_Kam_ (07-01-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-01-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Those are beautiful stones, even if not "highly-valued" for lapidary use.  The snake's pretty nice too... :Cool:

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## Lord Sorril

> Those are beautiful stones, even if not "highly-valued" for lapidary use. The snake's pretty nice too...


Thanks!*

Photo #91

*

Spider Black Pastel, Het Hypo.

The stone is interesting--I really liked the shape and the window so I made the decision to polish it without further adjustment.
I know a lot of people who tumble rocks that are obsessed with making all specimens round and flawlessly perfect...I am not cursed with such strict standards.   :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (07-02-2021),_Kam_ (07-04-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-02-2021)

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## nikkubus

I think the odd shape gives it a lot of character and the way it slopes up to that white diamond is pretty cool.

----------

*Bogertophis* (07-02-2021)

----------


## Bogertophis

> ...The stone is interesting--I really liked the shape and the window so I made the decision to polish it without further adjustment.
> I know a lot of people who tumble rocks that are obsessed with making all specimens round and flawlessly perfect...I am not cursed with such strict standards.


It's knowing when to quit...when "enough is enough".   :Good Job:   I like it too, btw.

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_Lord Sorril_ (07-04-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #92

*

This Albino ball python is the clutch-mate to the Albino Enchi in Photo #64.

Fun fact:  The four large pieces of Yellow Quartz were originally one stone I split (pictured in the center of the photo below-where I found it). 

The other little black arrows in the photo are for my records of other stones I took from the area. 
 A lot of rocks look pretty boring until they are polished.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-04-2021),_Kam_ (07-04-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-04-2021)

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## Kam

I gotta say I love this thread.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## Bogertophis

Photo #92- perfect timing for the 4th of July!   :Very Happy: 

And your ability to find interesting stones to polish out of all those that appear mundane is most impressive!   :Good Job:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> I gotta say I love this thread.


Glad you enjoy them!



> Photo #92- perfect timing for the 4th of July!


Thanks, the 2020 photos are in a specific order so it was just a matter of timing for #92.  2021 photos will be a different story.



> And your ability to find interesting stones to polish out of all those that appear mundane is most impressive!


I test all the different types of stone I find.  Sometimes a rock will look really promising, but, from experience I know it will not tumble and/or polish well (like the one shown below).

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_Kam_ (07-06-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-06-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #93

*

A Fire Het Clown with some Root Beer agates (from CA, USA).   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-06-2021),_Kam_ (07-06-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #94

*

Single gene Black Pastel with Chalcedony (SW USA).

Chalcedony is a broad term and includes many different stones which are composed of micro interlaced Quartz and Moganite crystals usually formed from Silicon Dioxide.

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*Bogertophis* (07-08-2021),_Kam_ (07-08-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #95

*

The snake is a Double Het Recessive.
The white stones are milky quartz (MA), the black stones are petrified wood (UT), 
the blue stones are a bit odd they are from the Southwest USA: I am not familiar with them, 
they are tricky to polish due to the white patterning (different hardness), but, take a high shine.

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*Bogertophis* (07-11-2021),_Kam_ (07-09-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-09-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #96

*

Black Pastel +/- a few Hets, and a decent sized Montana Agate.  
Montana agates are incredibly hard/tough, and take a super high polish.
They are one of my favorite rocks to work with and are commonly found in some areas of the USA. 
 Well-patterned/shaped agate specimens can command a respectable price-tag. 
 It is not always easy to buy rough Montana Agate that has not had its value already appraised...I do manage to acquire some now and then though.   :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (07-11-2021),_Kam_ (07-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-11-2021)

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## nikkubus

> *Photo #96*
> 
> Black Pastel +/- a few Hets, and a decent sized Montana Agate.  
> Montana agates are incredibly hard/tough, and take a super high polish.
> They are one of my favorite rocks to work with and are commonly found in some areas of the USA. 
>  Well-patterned/shaped agate specimens can command a respectable price-tag. 
>  It is not always easy to buy rough Montana Agate that has not had its value already appraised...I do manage to acquire some now and then though.


I really like that particular stone. It has a lot of character.

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## Lord Sorril

> I really like that particular stone. It has a lot of character.


Thanks!   :Smile: 

*Photo #97*


Shown: A Hypomelanistic Ball Python with Quartz (grouped up the blue-ish pieces together) and plain colored Quartzite.  Quartzite is a composite of Sandstone incorporated into Quartz.  
I did not know what Quartzite was and while collecting I was unable to tell the difference between Yellow Quartz with a weathered rind (Photo #92) vs. Quartzite...I ended up tumbling a bunch of plain colored stones lol.

As for the quartz pieces: they had some gold colored streaks on the surface pre-tumble (shown below).  I was hoping the metallic color was pyrite....it was not...disappeared in tumble. 

 I showed this photo to my 'rock buddies' and they said the gold color was not metal, but, a type of organic matter...disappointment...

----------

*Bogertophis* (07-13-2021),_Kam_ (07-13-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-13-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Who knew rocks were so "complicated"?  Thanks for sharing your knowledge-

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## Lord Sorril

> Who knew rocks were so "complicated"?  Thanks for sharing your knowledge-


You are welcome!

I always found geology boring because I had no practical application for it.  I wouldn't exactly call tumbling/polishing rocks a 'practical application', however, identifying new sources of material is enough to spur my interest. 

In other news:  I just hatched three 'proof clutches' to confirm if some of my 66% Het females were 100% Het.  All three clutches (HO x 66% Pos. Het) had more than enough hatchlings to statistically prove their mothers *Non-*Hets...DOH!  Normally I would be pretty disappointed, but, I have the day off from work today-so I'm cool with it...good to know...

*Photo #98

*

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_Kam_ (07-14-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

When I first started tumbling rocks: My girlfriend was angry that was taking up a 'kids hobby'.   She demanded to know what I was going to do with the finished product: "Are we just going to have piles of rocks laying around the house???"
At the time I was trying to figure out some sort of props to use with my snakes for photos...so I told her that I would use them for that purpose.  She didn't believe me and asked for a 'proof of concept'.  I produced this photo below...the very first Snakes and Stones photo.   
*
Photo #99

*
Pastel Het Clown with some Carnelian Agate, and a few random stones thrown in.

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*Bogertophis* (07-18-2021),_Kam_ (07-16-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-18-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #100

*

A Black Pastel with Firework Obsidian from Mexico. 
Firework obsidian is considered one of the more difficult materials to tumble/polish.  I read it was for someone with 'advanced' tumbling skills...had to try it.  :Wink: 
Of the rough material I started with:  I separated out the 'lighter' and 'darker pieces'.  Shown above are the darker pieces.

There was an odd piece of rough material in the bag to start with (shown below).  I later learned it is some Asteroid Jasper that snuck in.


Note: As we are only at photo #100 (100 individual snakes shown so far) and my 2021 clutches are hatching reliably: I may increase the frequency of my Snakes and Stones photos to catch up to this year.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-18-2021),_Kam_ (07-18-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-18-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...
> 
> Note: As we are only at photo #100 (100 individual snakes shown so far) and my 2021 clutches are hatching reliably: I may increase the frequency of my Snakes and Stones photos to catch up to this year.


I feel sure that we can all adapt okay -thanks for the "warning".   :Very Happy:

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_nikkubus_ (07-18-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #101

*

Super Pastel Lesser Het Axanthic--She had a slow start because she is a poor eater/high anxiety, her clutch-mates are easily 3X her size.

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*Bogertophis* (07-23-2021),_Hugsplox_ (07-20-2021),_Kam_ (07-20-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-20-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #102

*

Orange Ghost adult with a piece of dendritic agate/chalcedony.
Even though the female is about 5 years old you can see just a little bit of the orange in the head.
My 'normal' expression OG's have no yellows/orange as adults and look like regular Hypos.

Breeders Note 7/21/21: Half the eggs in my time lapse Clutch# 4 started to die in the last few days prior to hatch (Day 57).  The remaining four are hatching normally (three are out).  50% mortality in one of my clutches is the worst I've seen in years.  So, my question is: What happened?  I know my time lapse incubator has slightly shaky temps due the heat generated from lighting/cameras/overall lower insulation value.  Upon necropsy of the failed eggs I see that the snakes are not well formed.   It appears they are what I would expect for three weeks of growth.  My records shows a matching time frame where there was both a heat wave and a power outage for aprox. 24hrs., with no electricity and no ambient air conditioning the eggs went slightly above 92F.  Even though the eggs did not die immediately...it seems their development was interrupted. 
 Had I not dissected the failed eggs I would have wondered if cutting the eggs at the first sign of trouble would have helped, and the answer is 'no' it would not.  This is one of those situations where a brief lapse in incubation conditions shows up at the very end. 
 Just thought I'd share.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-23-2021),_Kam_ (07-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-21-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #103

*

Super Lesser, and brighter colored firework obsidian.

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*Bogertophis* (07-23-2021),_Kam_ (07-23-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-24-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #103
> 
> *
> 
> Super Lesser, and brighter colored firework obsidian.


Very well-named obsidian...and  :Bowdown:  for all of the above.

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weblizard (07-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

2021 - Clutch #4 Time Lapse Video   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-24-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-27-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Wow, that last one was a nail-biter, more ways than one!   :Wink:   Sorry for your losses, but so so very happy for the ones you got!  I'd have cut that last egg too-  :Good Job:   And I'm not much for cutting any eggs, but that, sure.  Thanks for sharing, very interesting.

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## Lord Sorril

> Wow, that last one was a nail-biter, more ways than one!


Thanks! I can't believe I got nailed by a ball python still in the egg-that was a first...even managed to draw a tiny bit of blood.  :Razz: 

The good news is that I only put my non-project related eggs in my time lapse incubator (just in case).  My regular incubators don't have to deal with the camera and lighting-they are hatching close to 100%
(e.g. Clutch#5 hatched today 7/25/21 shown below).



*Photo #104*

Imperial Topaz/Topaz from Brazil.
The interesting thing about stones that are traditionally used for faceting is that they usually have high optical clarity.
This same optical clarity makes my polished stones look cloudy because you can see all of the internal inclusions without obstruction.   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 

As for the ball python in Photo #104, my first guess would have been a 'low expression' Orange Dream, however, a quick check of my records show this as a 50% Possible Het Albino...surprise-surprise...I'm glad I keep good records... :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (07-25-2021),_Kam_ (07-25-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-25-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Thanks! I can't believe I got nailed by a ball python still in the egg-that was a first...even managed to draw a tiny bit of blood.  ...


Surprises are what keeps it interesting, living with snakes.   :Snake:   It will be interesting to see if that one remains such an independent little soul, eh?

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## Lord Sorril

> Surprises are what keeps it interesting, living with snakes.    It will be interesting to see if that one remains such an independent little soul, eh?


One could look at it that way.   :Smile: 

*Photo #105

*

Carnelian Agate (from multiple sources), with a Pastel Het Lavender Albino.  

Fun fact:  I have never tumbled Carnelian.  Carnelian lacks the banding that Carnelian Agate has... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-26-2021),_Kam_ (07-28-2021),_nikkubus_ (07-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #106
*
Fire Het Clown with Chalcopyrite in a quartz matrix.
Chalcopyrite is Copper Iron Sulfide with copper being the largest component.   When it tarnishes it takes on a rainbow-like color and is often referred to as Peacock Ore.

Fun Fact:  There are four types of stones that I learned to dread tumbling/polishing:
#1 Dinosaur Gizzard Stones (they smell super bad-almost identical to a snake regurge...)
#2 Coprolite (fossilized dinosaur poop, stink bomb strong-sulfur odor)
#3 Chalcopyrite (forms thick greenish-grey goop, slight sulfur scent, and it permanently stains everything it touches-including the outer layer of skin on your hands)
#4 Red Hematite-Iron Oxide (thick red slurry-visually unappealing-tumbling barrels look like the elevator scene from 'The Shining')

 :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-28-2021),_Kam_ (07-28-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #107
*
Spider Black Pastel and a piece of Blue Tiger Eye.  
My gf refers to this stone as the 'piece of blueberry pie'.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-28-2021),_Kam_ (07-28-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Great photos as always, but I shall forever treasure your descriptive "fun facts".  I had NO idea.

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## Lord Sorril

> Great photos as always, but I shall forever treasure your descriptive "fun facts".  I had NO idea.


Thanks!

*Photo #108*

Emeralds in a Smokey Quartz matrix with Milky/White Quartz.

I work with six recessive genes in my collection...this snake has one guaranteed Het, but, three additional are possible.  :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #109
*
Some rocks have layers (like ogres), and one can't be certain what the rock is until you remove the outer weathered layer.  I find myself tumbling too many of these Quartzite-type stones (I collect in my area).  If I had more time/energy I would buy a wet tile saw with a sintered diamond blade and grind off the edge of one to see what it was inside prior to tumbling...some day...

I like the patterning on this GHI, I planned on keeping this one, but, one of my friends saw this photo and had to have her...

I've been told the snake looks 'blue' in the photo.  I don't see it.  I do see harsh reflection on the black scales from the camera flash.   :Smile:

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_Kam_ (07-30-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #110
*
Shown above is a 50% Het Albino. 
 The reduced patterning prompted me to add Enchi over the years and the result is some very clean examples.

The stone above is form the aptly named 'Snake River' in the Western USA, it is reminiscent of Confetti Jasper (but, it is not).  The snake river and tributaries can be found in six states (Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Nevada), all of these states are known for having interesting rocks due to volcanic activity.  I purchased a big box of random material from a guy in Idaho that he hand-picked.  I have only tumbled a few of the 'smaller' pieces from the box, most of the stones are rather large and I have to expend the considerable effort to break them up (hammer/chisel) prior to tumbling.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-31-2021),_Kam_ (07-31-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (07-31-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Last Fall I was examining a geological map of the area around my house and I found a note that there was an abandoned soapstone quarry a few miles from my house. 
  I looked at a recent map and there was a little-used trail to the site. 
 Apparently someone felt it needed a bit of flare (shown below). 

Moving on to the quarry I was displeased to find the entire area filled with water and some areas with rusty barbed wire fence.

Someone had begun to dig a mining pit, but, had stopped.  I checked the pit out and all I found was shale (which is extremely common in my area).
Unwilling to leave empty-handed, I collected some lighter colored pieces.

Shale is a composite of minerals including Clay and Quartz and having an overall Mohs hardness rating between 2-4 (you can snap it with your fingers).  Shale can be shaped in a tumbler if you are really careful, but, polishing a soft sedimentary rock it is like trying to get a polish on sandpaper, grains break off and you can never quite achieve your goal.  I have read of someone successfully polishing shale using an industrial laser, but, I don't have one of those handy... Of the pieces shown above only two made it to the polish stage and neither one took a real shine.  I showed my feline friend one of the pieces, he was clearly impressed that I made it that far in the process...

The real problem with the Shale is that I try to photograph all of my stones and these two pieces of shale killed the aesthetics of almost any group or configuration I used them in.  An analogy would be like trying to make soup when your main ingredient is lemons...so I figured I would just throw in some odds and ends I've been having trouble matching and make a big ole' mish-mash of random pieces that have been kicking around.  The result is not surprising.

*Photo #111*

Even the Black Pastel is not sure what to make of it.
In retrospect I should have taken the shale pieces and used them in a separate photo by themselves rather than trying to do a group shot.
 At least I can say I tumbled Shale now, cross that stone off the list and mark it as 'never again'... :Very Happy:

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*Bogertophis* (08-01-2021),_Kam_ (08-01-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-01-2021)

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## nikkubus

I still think your shale variety photo turned out really nice even if going just shale would have maybe been easier or better. I suppose if it was me (I'm not the most artistic person, but from time to time I try out things and they turn out well), I probably would have used my adult Enchi Puma because the way her color goes from bright at the dorsal to really light offwhite at the lower sides, it has a "dry" appearance at the bottom that might tie in nicely with the not-so-perfectly-polished look of the shale.

I absolutely don't blame you for not wanting to go through that kind of polishing phase again  :Bowdown: I admire you for having the patience to do it at all.

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_Lord Sorril_ (08-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #112
*
Spider Black Pastel with some assorted agates (various locations), a little bit of shed starting on her head.
I had to underexpose the photo to prevent the stones from reflecting the camera flash.  Agate can take a mirror-like polish and is a classic material among those who tumble/polish stones.

Fun fact: Agate can be found all over the world and comes in every color imaginable.  Certain types of agate will readily accept dye and can be turned from a plain colorless piece into a patterned beauty.  Dyed agate slices and book ends are commonly sold in many different stores as display pieces.  UV light will often degrade the dye over time and reveal the original stone.  Not every piece of agate comes out well during the dying/cutting process.  The left overs (an example shown below) are often sold to hobbyists for various lapidary projects.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (08-03-2021),_Kam_ (08-02-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #113

*
Chalcedony (brown), Feldspar (blue), Picasso Jasper (green), Orange Dream Het Ghost (brown/black/orange). 

Side Story:  For a while I was purchasing several boxes a week of assorted stones from a guy who owns a rock shop in California...he was charging me just a little over the cost of shipping.  There was a real mix of material he sent in each box (I still haven't opened about many of the boxes), some of them were scraps from projects, and others were broken pieces or material that he couldn't sell, but, one of the boxes had just a big grey stone sitting in it with some faded marks.   Sure, I was only paying shipping, but, I was a bit peeved to receive a boring old grey rock.  I broke some pieces off and tumbled them and they are actually the nice green picasso jasper you see above...never seen it before in the rough form...never would have guessed it... :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (08-03-2021),*Bogertophis* (08-03-2021),_Kam_ (08-03-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-05-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...Side Story:  For a while I was purchasing several boxes a week of assorted stones from a guy who owns a rock shop in California...he was charging me just a little over the cost of shipping.  There was a real mix of material he sent in each box (I still haven't opened about many of the boxes), some of them were scraps from projects, and others were broken pieces or material that he couldn't sell, but, one of the boxes had just a big grey stone sitting in it with some faded marks.   Sure, I was only paying shipping, but, I was a bit peeved to receive a boring old grey rock.  I broke some pieces off and tumbled them and they are actually the nice green picasso jasper you see above...never seen it before in the rough form...never would have guessed it...


What a nice surprise!  I wonder if he knew what it was "inside"?  Either way, you scored!   :Good Job:

----------


## nikkubus

Ooohhh, this is another of my favorites. I love the color combo and the patterns in the stones are incredible. You always know the perfect snake to put with the stones, I'm telling you.

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## Lord Sorril

> What a nice surprise!  I wonder if he knew what it was "inside"?  Either way, you scored!


I'm pretty sure he knew what the material was: all I can think is that if he sent me a big chunk of it in the mail then he probably filled an entire pickup truck bed full of this material...



> Ooohhh, this is another of my favorites. I love the color combo and the patterns in the stones are incredible. You always know the perfect snake to put with the stones, I'm telling you.


Thanks!  Having a nice looking snake is always helpful as well... :Smile: 

In other news: 2021 photos are looking great so far!  As always some of them are looking better than others as I experiment with various patterns.  I'm tempted to wait and see what I hatch out first to pair better with matching rocks for my photos, but, I was recently recruited by a large company (aggressively...$++) and I start my new role at the end of the month so I am working on taking as many pictures as possible in my current 'free time'. 

We should start to see the 2021 photos in this thread in a few weeks. 

*Photo #114
*
Pastel (shy) with an unusually high blush, 50% possible Het for Axanthic.
Brazilian agate and Polychrome (aka Desert) Jasper from Madagascar.  
Certain stones are great for rock tumbling beginners: most agates and jaspers take a polish with minimal skill/effort.
There are some venerable lapidary artists that *only* work with agates and jaspers and proclaim themselves 'the best' at rock tumbling.  I think it is cute... :Razz:

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*Bogertophis* (08-05-2021),_Kam_ (08-04-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-04-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #115

*
Super Black Pastel Spider with some Dalmation stone dyed purple. 
 This is my first Super Black Pastel morph I produced with zero defects.

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*Bogertophis* (08-05-2021),_Kam_ (08-05-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #116
*
BP in blue: Double Het, Lavender Albino/Clown (aka Grail)

The stone in Photo #116 was part of a bet between my gf and I.  The conditions of the bet were: that she could pick any stone in my pending inventory and if I could not tumble it smooth and polish it then I could not collect/buy any more rocks until it was completed or until all rough rocks in my collection were tumbled and polished.   In the event that I won the challenge: then I could get another tumbler (without argument/attitude--which is nice).  
She had a lot of choices...picture below represents a small part of my collection.

My gf originally examined a large piece of green-blue Fluorite with several layers of thick white quartz banding, and then a large piece of Angelite (Calcium Sulfate) that was flaking apart on the outer layer due to passive deterioration (it does not like humidity/water).  I don't think I could have successfully polished either of those stones.  Luckily she decided against those two because 'They should be easy to tumble because they are solid all the way through'.  She eventually decided upon the piece of quartz above because it was irregular, fractured, and pitted--her reasoning was that it would break apart in the tumbling process or pit endlessly in polish.  Of course when she picked a piece of Quartz my thought was 'Which tumbler should I buy?"  Since then she has passively absorbed a lot of knowledge and I know she would never make the same mistake twice.   :Smile:

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_Kam_ (08-06-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-06-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #117
*
A low expression Orange Dream-66% Het Orange Ghost and some rocks I collected from the Connecticut river.  The orange feldspar-granite pictured was tricky to polish.

Side story:  I went on a rock hunting expedition by myself  this week in an obscure area of New Hampshire.

  I found some interesting orange/pink granite. 

It may not look like much, but, I can tell it will be neat when it is tumbled/polished.  It will not look the same as the granite in Photo #117.

Of course, trudging through the dense forest on a dry creek bed...I was planning on wrestling black bears and/or climbing trees to escape rampaging moose infected with brainworms, but, thankfully this guy (shown below) is the most fearsome creature I encountered-this time.  :Razz: 

I also found a lot of neat fungi in my journey...as someone with a Biology background...I couldn't resist including at least a few photos.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (08-07-2021),_Kam_ (08-09-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-13-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ....
> 
> ....
> 
> Of course, trudging through the dense forest on a dry creek bed...I was planning on wrestling black bears and/or climbing trees to escape rampaging moose infected with brainworms, but, thankfully this guy (shown below) is the most fearsome creature I encountered-this time. 
> 
> I also found a lot of neat fungi in my journey...as someone with a Biology background...I couldn't resist including at least a few photos.


Neat looking area-  That you were "planning on wrestling black bears and/or climbing trees to escape rampaging moose infected with brainworms"-?   :ROFL:  :ROFL:  :ROFL:  Glad you got off "easy".

I can sure appreciate the "neat fungi"- reminds me, many years ago on a hike I found what looked like a large pancake (even the color!) that appeared to have flown into the side of a large tree as if thrown hard like a frisbee.  No end of interesting things in nature.

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_Lord Sorril_ (08-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I know some breeders consider it a rarity:  I've found that split clutches from different male ball pythons are not uncommon.

Time Lapse video below:

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-14-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-13-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #118
*
Spider Black Pastel with Marcasite carrying Agate.  Agates take a high polish and photographing a bunch of odd shaped pieces with inclusions is a bit tricky.
I had to underexpose the photo so you could actually see the stones and not the glare from the camera flash.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-09-2021),_Hugsplox_ (08-11-2021),_Kam_ (08-09-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-09-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #119

*
A Lesser with some gnarly Brazilian Agate.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-14-2021),_Hugsplox_ (08-11-2021),_Kam_ (08-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #120

*
Another Het Clown/Pos. Het Lavender Albino and some river rocks from my home area.  I suspect the stones with a little red are actually from the mid-west USA.

Fun fact: If I was to intercross my Het Clowns/Pos. Het Lavender Albino offspring my statistical odds of producing a Lavender Albino Clown (Grail) would be:
(1/4 chance of producing Clown)*(1/2 chance of male being Het for Lavender Albino)*(1/4 chance of producing Lavender Albino)*(1/2 chance of female being Het for Lavender Albino)=1/64

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-14-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-13-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #121
*
My gf walked by as I was uploading this photo and says 'I know those stones, those are from the gardens in the back. They are ugly.  Don't you have nicer stones to tumble?'.  
Yes, yes, everyone is a critic... :Razz:

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-14-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-17-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #122
*
Really bright yellow on this Pastel ball python.
If you saw her fused dorsal band segments and guessed Het for Clown: you would be right.

Shown with some Sagenitic Agate.

What is Sagenitic Agate?
Definition of Sagenitic: containing Sagenite (thanks)
Definition of Sagenite:  containing similar acicular crystals (...)
Definition of Acicular:   chiefly of crystals, needle shaped (ok)
So: Agate that contains similarly shaped needle-like crystals.   :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-16-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-20-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-17-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #123
*
Enchi, Rose Quartz, Jade, Yellow Quartz.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-17-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-20-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-18-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #124
*
Spider Black Pastel with some clean Chalcedony.
The stones pictured sort of look like glass, and while they are both mainly composed of Silica, unlike glass: chalcedony is composed of microscopic interlocking crystals (which gives it epic durability).
Chalcedony is a broad term that is used for materials that contain microcrystalline quartz.  It is one of those terms that says 'Yeah, I sorta know what this is, but, I'm not going to pretend to be specific'.   :Very Happy: 
Chalcedony often has material embedded in the matrix.  Upcoming photos #126, and #129 are chalcedony with inclusions.

Fun fact:  There is a decorative type of glass known as Chalcedony-glass, it was invented in Venice, Italy in the 15th century and used metal additives to the glass to imitate chalcedony colors.  It was popular for a few centuries and then the technique was lost/forgotten.  Of note: the techniques used to create Chalcedony glass at the time exposed the user to highly toxic chemicals including mercury vapor and arsenic and it would not be unreasonable to assume this is why it was discontinued.  The technique of creating Chalcedony glass using a special metallic paste would be re-invented in the late 1800's with 'somewhat' greater care taken in its formulation.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-19-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-20-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #125
*
Pastel/100% Het Lav Albino, and some root beer agates (likely from Jalama Beach, CA).

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-20-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-20-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #126
*

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-21-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-24-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #127
*
I used the white/red color scheme before.  It is nice for contrast.
Shown above: product of a proof cross: a Wild Type or 'Normal' as people refer to them in this forum.   :Smile: 

Note: There are 137 photos of unique ball pythons/stones in my 2020 set.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-23-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-24-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #128
*
Occasionally certain minerals will form clusters like a clump of grapes, this is called a Botryoidal formation.  Some botryoidal formations are very impressive, but, even the lower quality ones are often valued.  To the horror of geologists: I share no fondness for low quality botryoidal formations, and they get sent through my tumblers.   :Wink:

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-24-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (08-24-2021),_richardhind1972_ (08-25-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #129
*
Older Enchi with more chalcedony.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-27-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #130
*
Superfly: he is about 2 years old in this photo...not very large for his age. 
 He was a nervous hatchling and not the most reliable eater. He calmed down towards the end of last year and has since doubled his size.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-27-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #131
*
GHI with some Leland Blue Slag Glass (MI) and Banded Obsidian from Davis Creek (CA).

History of Leland Blue: https://www.lelandmi.com/about/leland-blue-stones.html
I managed to acquire a chunk of it (super cheap-bonus).

When I split the piece for tumbling rough-pressurized gases trapped inside released explosively firing splinters in all directions.  The extent of damage to my leather gloved hands was significant.  Luckily I was wearing eye protection and the splinters that were protruding from my gloves and face were easy to remove: skin glue ftw.

Here is an example of a rough piece.

Not the easiest tumbling material.  :Smile:   I think I did pretty good with it. 
 Photo #132 will be all Leland Blue.

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AutumnVanilla (08-28-2021),*Bogertophis* (08-30-2021),_Gocntry_ (08-29-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #132
*

This is one of the first ball pythons I hatched.  She is over a decade old (closer to two).

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-30-2021),_Gocntry_ (08-29-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #133
*
A chunk of smokey quartz backlit with a candle with another one of my oldest females.

Photo of the stone in natural light below.

----------

*Bogertophis* (08-30-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Bogertophis

> *...*
> 
> Photo of the stone in natural light below.



Gee, that Leland Blue is pretty dangerous to work with- even though it turns out really nice, it's a shame that it really did a number on your right hand.   :Wink:   :Very Happy:

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #134
*

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*Bogertophis* (08-30-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Gee, that Leland Blue is pretty dangerous to work with- even though it turns out really nice, it's a shame that it really did a number on your right hand.


Did a job on both hands, but, it is was just raw physical damage-so I could just pull the splinters out, patch it up, and laugh it off...very different from the bites of the twin-spotted assassin bugs I used to breed.

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #135
*
Petrified wood is always interesting, it comes in nearly all the colors of the rainbow (depending upon where it is found).

ID on the ball python:
If you guessed Mojave you would be right.
If you guessed Hypo Mojave, you would be more right.   :Smile: 
Fun Fact: She is the mother of Clutch #4 (2021) that I linked the time lapse hatching video to on Page 27 of this thread.  She is not Orange Ghost:  so I have to be careful who I breed her with so I do not mix up my Hypos...

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*Bogertophis* (08-31-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #136
*
Super Pastel Lesser, some assorted agate (red), and imperial jasper (purple).
This stubborn girl is 6 years old and has not produced a single clutch of eggs.   :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (09-02-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #137
*
Spider Black Pastel and some tumbled/polished broken geode pieces.

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*Bogertophis* (09-02-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Photo #137 was the last of my 2020 photo set...ahhhh...now I can kick back and relax...Oh wait...hmmm...
OK, OK, let's do it all over again!  2021!  WHOOO!!!

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_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

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## Bogertophis

No rest for the wicked, or so they say.   :ROFL:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> No rest for the wicked, or so they say.


I get very little rest-thus I must be very wicked.  

Some people may consider it work...but, I consider the time spent on my rodents/snakes/stones my 'down time'.

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #138
*
First photo of 2021:  Pastel Het Axanthic with some tumbled/polished bead glass.

Side Story: I held back three 66% Het VPI Axanthic females and raised them up and crossed them this year with a VPI Pastel Axanthic male (I also produced) and all three females failed to prove...! There are going to be a lot of plain/pastel Het VPI Axanthics in my 2021 photos... :Razz: 

As for bead glass: some say it is tough to tumble, and some people say easy...rounding out and removing imperfections in a rotary, and then finishing a vibratory tumbler makes the process easy (imo).

(*Very Loud)* Video below of me finishing the batch of bead glass that I used for Photos #'s 138-141, and #'s 150-153.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (09-03-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #139
*
Blue-Eyed Leucistics work well in any photo.   The problem I have is that all of them look the same...I guess I'm more of a pied guy myself... :Smile: 
Been producing Super Lessers (Het x Het) for a few years with no eye issues or other defects, I don't want to push my luck with HO x HO.

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*Bogertophis* (09-04-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #140
*
HGW/Lesser (Soul-Sucker), some Bead glass (man-made), and some Banded Obsidian (natural glass).

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AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-07-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Also, a little off-topic, but, a 'large' beetle fell down my chimney last night.  I had to rescue it from the cats.  Beetles larger than a quarter are uncommon in my area of the USA.   :Smile: 
Here is a photo of the critter:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-07-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-09-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-05-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #141
*

I made a hodgepodge glass photo to see how it would look. Meh, I prefer separating the colors and making a pattern, but, it is a lot more work.  :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-09-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-06-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

My camera had a hard time with this piece of labradorite and subsequent flashback. 
 The refractive nature of the stone gave the light reflection from the top-down LEDs I used to illuminate it a blue tinge.*

Photo #142A
*
*
Photo: 142B
*

My dark room snake photo technique aside, under normal lighting:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-07-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-09-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Many moons ago I posted that I was breeding a Lavender Albino to a Het Albino-Het Pied female to see what would happen.  
Answer:  A whole lot of nothing (not really surprised).  
The clutch is still hatching, all are 100% Het Lav Albino with 50% chance each Het Albino & Pied. I grabbed a bunch for a photo (shown below). 
Statistically: half of them should be Het for both Lav Albino and Albino.


A few of them have pied markers, a few of them have reduced patterns, and one of them has more reddish brown tones...I expect this will just fade out over time.   :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-11-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-09-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #143
*
Center:  King Cobra Jasper (amusing name)
Corners: Quartzite
In between:  Prairie Jasper

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-09-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-09-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-10-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #144
*
Prairie Jasper/Agate again.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-11-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #145

*
A Lesser with a Kaleidoscope Prism Stone.

Kaleidoscope Prism Stone is known by many names.  It is often mislabeled in an attempt to get less-skilled lapidary artists to purchase it for projects.  This Utah stone consists of varying amounts of Agate, Amethyst, Azurite, Cuprite, Fluorite, Malachite, and Chrysocolla.   Due to the varying hardness and value of the different materials...very few people attempt to polish it using tumbling methods...I just happened to get a few pieces super cheap in a bulk stone collectors collection I purchased.  :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-11-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #146

*

Obsidian is semi-translucent so it is a tough subject as you can see imperfections a short distance into the glass.   Piece on the left is silver sheen obsidian, piece on the top is banded,  red is carnelian agate, and blue is sodalite.

  I should have retaken this photo to get a more 'liquid' shine...but, I've been working on something very special at work and at the time I was not concerned with a few bad reflections in a few stones.   :Razz:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-12-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-12-2021)

----------


## Bogertophis

You're "forgiven".   :Very Happy:   I suspect we are FAR less critical than you are, anyway.

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-12-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Interesting clutch hatching today: Nice greys on a few so far with no Axanthic genes involved.   :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-12-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-13-2021),_Snagrio_ (09-12-2021)

----------


## Snagrio

> Interesting clutch hatching today: Nice greys on a few so far with no Axanthic genes involved.


GHI Mojaves?  :Aww:

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-13-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> GHI Mojaves?


Great guess!  GHI Lessers.   :Wink:

----------

_Snagrio_ (09-13-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #147
*
Peach moonstone from India.  It is a type of feldspar (like labradorite) and some pieces have iridescence if you can get the correct angle (which is very narrow).  Unfortunately my camera 'auto-corrects' the iridescence on moonstone so it just looks like camera flash...

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-13-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-13-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-13-2021),_Snagrio_ (09-13-2021)

----------


## Snagrio

> Great guess!  GHI Lessers.


So close.  :Doh!: 

GHI Mojave is a combo I've been looking at for some time, and it's one I could realistically get at some point if I wanted another BP (as in it'd be affordable  :Razz: ).

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-14-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #148
*
Sagenitic Fluorite, aka Flower Fluorite
I couldn't round it out completely in the tumbler, I noticed that the stone was weakening at several points and was approaching its breaking point-I wanted to keep it one piece so I dry polished it in my vibe and called it quits.  Given the challenges that working with fluorite offer: I will call this one a win.  :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-14-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-14-2021),_Caitlin_ (09-14-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #149

*

A Lesser with some Chrysocolla with Chalcocite (Copper Ore).

Chrysocolla has a mohs hardness that varied between 2.5 and 7.0 (so basically everything from you can scratch it casually with a fingernail up to-you can scrape it all day with a steel nail and not make a mark).  The varying hardness is due to different compositions of minerals including: Azurite, Cuprite, Limonite, and Malachite.

This particular batch of Chrysocolla from the mine in Morenci, AZ was very soft, shaped poorly, and due to the softness of the stone resisted a shiny polish.

Here is a photo of a piece of rough material:

You can see the powder flaking off in my hand just from holding it.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-15-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-16-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (09-17-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-15-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #150

*

Firefly with tumbled/polished blue bead glass.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-16-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-16-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (09-17-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-16-2021),_Snagrio_ (09-16-2021)

----------


## Snagrio

> *Photo #150
> 
> *
> 
> Firefly with tumbled/polished blue bead glass.


Snake galaxy.  :Surprised:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-16-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-17-2021),_Lord Sorril_ (09-17-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Snake galaxy.


Clever!  I didn't think of that.  I was just building a spiral pattern at the time.   :Smile:

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #151*



Tumbled and polished 'red and white' bead glass and a Het OG/66% Pos. Het Axanthic.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-17-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-17-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (09-17-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-17-2021),_Snagrio_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## richardhind1972

That's so cool,ove the galaxy one too

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## nikkubus

> Snake galaxy.


Very similar to what I was thinking/seeing. It reminded me of the season cycle of the big dipper around the North star.

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> That's so cool,ove the galaxy one too


Thanks Rich!  These glass bead photos are a real effort to set up and photograph.   After I build the pattern I place the snake in a hide in the center and when I have the camera poised and ready: I will lift the hide and take as many photos as possible before the snake ruins the pattern.  The red and white one above I think I got 6 photos total before the tail flicked outward and scattered half the pattern.




> Very similar to what I was thinking/seeing. It reminded me of the season cycle of the big dipper around the North star.


As most artists do: I will totally take credit for the concept even though I had absolutely no intention of doing so....yeah yeah...the big dipper...stars and stuff...totally what I had in mind when I made the pattern... :Wink:

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-17-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-17-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## AutumnVanilla

All the work you put into these is greatly appreciated! love your pictures!

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## EL-Ziggy

Your snakes, stones, and photos are all beautiful pieces of art individually and collectively. Im a novice photographer and my question is how do you get your snakes to sit still for your pictures especially with those stone props in place? I have the hardest time photographing things, especially my snakes, when theyre in constant motion.

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> All the work you put into these is greatly appreciated! love your pictures!


Thank you! 
I do enjoy messing around with the snakes and documenting the stones I tumble: so it is fun all around for me. 




> Your snakes, stones, and photos are all beautiful pieces of art individually and collectively. I’m a novice photographer and my question is how do you get your snakes to sit still for your pictures especially with those stone props in place? I have the hardest time photographing things, especially my snakes, when they’re in constant motion.


I'm a novice photographer tooooo! The only photography related thing I know is the Rule of Thirds: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_thirds (which I tend to ignore)  :Smile: 

I know a lot of people use phone cameras and I've seen some super sharp pictures out of the new iPhones, but, I'm old-school where I stick with a separate camera for photos.  My last camera was a Nikon DSLR and one of my ball pythons knocked it out of my hands and it conveniently fell four feet into a bucket of water and met its costly demise.   For the last few years I've had my trusty Olympus TG-5 and it has seen quite a few tough adventures and is still working great.  I remember there is a Youtube video of a guy testing how much abuse the TG-5 can take and still function--https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qTcrk7G-0M   In the last few years I've done a lot worse to it and it is still taking working well today--the big drawback to the model itself is that it has no long distance zoom.  I can show you a lot of long distance blurry wildlife photos--which could be a moose, could be a bear, or could even be a squatch...

Yes, in my experience ball pythons are usually not thrilled about being photographed and are either on the move or curled in a ball.  There is a short period of time when they decide to 'make a run for it' and uncurl from a ball and assess the layout of the environment (lots of tongue flicks): that is the time to get the best photos--I snap as many as I can before the snake starts getting defensive about being redirected away from its escape route.  Older ball pythons are usually not as nervous as the younger ones and are going to behave according to their personality (for better or worse), I find my poor-tempered adults to be the most challenging to photograph.

Of course some of the younger bps are perpetually stuck in 'feed mode'  until they grow larger...they are going to be bite anything that moves with a heat signature (like my hands):


If they behave like this I just have to wait a month or two:
I don't sell biters until they calm down so there is no rush for me to take photos of them until they are older.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-17-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-17-2021),_EL-Ziggy_ (09-17-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-17-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #152
*
Pastel Leopard

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-18-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-18-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (09-18-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-18-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #153
*
Mojave Het Ghost.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-21-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-21-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-21-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #154
*
Some local granite...due to the mixed hardness of the material it is often tumbled to a mottled polish--unless there is a fine-grained formation or a particularly large composition of one type of mineral.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-23-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-23-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-23-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #155
*
Bornite is a copper iron sulfide ore, it looks gold when freshly exposed, and tarnishes into iridescent colors giving it the common name 'Peacock Ore'.
The amount of copper and iron can vary significantly in each piece, this particular piece was heavy on copper sulfide which made it problematic to polish.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-26-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-25-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_Spicey_ (09-26-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #156
*
Rose Quartz, Blue Aventurine, a few pieces of Californite, and a piece of jade.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-26-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-27-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #157
*
Tumbled/polished dinosaur bone.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-28-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-27-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #158*

Some gnarly agate with pits.  Pictured below is the original stone.

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-28-2021),*Bogertophis* (09-28-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-28-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #159
*
Granite from Massachusetts

----------

AutumnVanilla (09-29-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-01-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-29-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #160

*
No tumbling the pits out of this stone.
Overexposed this photo a little with the camera flash to try and show the translucency of the stone.  
Caught a little bit of the quarter and a tiny bit of the snake.

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AutumnVanilla (09-30-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-01-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (09-30-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #161
*
This stone is a little odd.  I've tumbled a lot of rocks, but, this is the only one like it so far.

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AutumnVanilla (10-01-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-01-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-01-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-01-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #161
> *
> This stone is a little odd.  I've tumbled a lot of rocks, but, this is the only one like it so far.


Wow, I wonder what that is?  Sorta looks like a ball of yarn?   :Cool:   What a strange rock.  If you find out what it is, do let us know?

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_Kam_ (10-11-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Wow, I wonder what that is?  Sorta looks like a ball of yarn?    What a strange rock.  If you find out what it is, do let us know?


Sure, you bet!  I will figure it out sooner or later.  :Smile: 

*Photo #162*

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*Bogertophis* (10-02-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-03-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

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## Snagrio

> *Photo #158*
> 
> Some gnarly agate with pits.  Pictured below is the original stone.


If I may input a request, I'd love more "pre-tumbled/polished" pics like this. It's neat to see the difference with the minerals between their natural and cleaned up states.

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_richardhind1972_ (10-03-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> If I may input a request, I'd love more "pre-tumbled/polished" pics like this. It's neat to see the difference with the minerals between their natural and cleaned up states.


Yes, that is a great suggestion!  Ideally that is what I would do.  I would even take it so far as to show week by week progress.  Unfortunately I tumble so many stones that it would be an epic task to document them all.  If I have an interesting one I will still try and take some 'before and after' or in-progress photos, like this piece of banded obsidian (shown below) I took a photo/week for the first 8 weeks, then I got really busy and the stone is done now after about 7 months (rotary tumble only).








The final weight of the stone was 1.45lbs on completion and I haven't taken a snake photo yet, but, will probably be #167 in the series.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (10-02-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-03-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Is your tumbler EVER turned off?   :Very Happy:   I mean, "7 months"!??

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## Lord Sorril

> Is your tumbler EVER turned off?    I mean, "7 months"!??


My rotary tumblers never turn off and have been running nonstop for ~3.5 years with minimal maintenance.  My vibe tumbler has been running for 2.5 years straight, needs constant repairs and maintenance, hope it hangs in there, can't replace it these days due to supply chain issues abroad.  

I have more than 100lbs of stone tumbling 365/7, but, the killer to my electric bill is not the rock tumblers: it is the heating elements in my reptile rooms, when it is -20F outside and I'm heating my rooms to 80F...ouch-now THAT is expensive... :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (10-02-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-03-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> My rotary tumblers never turn off and have been running nonstop for ~3.5 years with minimal maintenance.  My vibe tumbler has been running for 2.5 years straight, needs constant repairs and maintenance, hope it hangs in there, can't replace it these days due to supply chain issues abroad.  
> 
> I have more than 100lbs of stone tumbling 365/7, but, the killer to my electric bill is not the rock tumblers: it is the heating elements in my reptile rooms, when it is -20F outside and I'm heating my rooms to 80F...ouch-now THAT is expensive...


Must be noisy too?  Too bad you don't have tumblers that can produce heat for the reptile rooms.   :Very Happy:   Any way to add more insulation to just the reptile rooms?  Seems like that would pay for itself.

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #161
> *
> This stone is a little odd.  I've tumbled a lot of rocks, but, this is the only one like it so far.


It looks a lot like a ball of the new antiviral* drug to fight covid-19?    Maybe you discovered it first?   :Wink: 

*https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/02/healt...ner/index.html

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-02-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-03-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Must be noisy too?  Too bad you don't have tumblers that can produce heat for the reptile rooms.    Any way to add more insulation to just the reptile rooms?  Seems like that would pay for itself.


Yeah, the rock tumblers are noisy, but, the rotary tumblers are using rubber barrels so it produces a bit of a muffled low frequency noise.  The vibe tumbler on the other hand produces a higher frequency buzz that is really annoying.  Thankfully my garage is on a separate wing of my house and I don't hear anything.  I have a big vibe tumbler that can process 50lbs. of rocks, but, it is very time consuming to load/unload, and requires strict dedication to use properly (which I don't have)...if I run it: I can hear it at night even in my main house.

As for insulation:  I am at the limit of what would be considered 'normal' for a house.  The previous owner of my house was very 'big' on heat and energy conservation, but, only 'on the cheap' and she had some really-really bad windows.  I replaced all the windows when I moved in with some well-rated triple panes.  I still cover half of each window to my reptile rooms with foam insulation board.  If I was to add insulation on the interior it would decrease the amount of space I have for caging, and I am at floor-ceiling on all four walls in each room.




> It looks a lot like a ball of the new antiviral* drug to fight covid-19? Maybe you discovered it first?  
> 
> *https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/02/healt...ner/index.html


All questions regarding my role in C19 product testing/development will have to be deferred to my companies legal team (which is in fact: True).   :Cool:

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*Bogertophis* (10-02-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #163
*

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AutumnVanilla (10-04-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-03-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I wanted to go to the Manchester, NH-Reptile Expo today, my gf wanted to go to the Topsfield Fair...who do you think won?

Sculptures made out of Beeswax:

I see a snake one in there...

Saw this scene below and thought it was disturbing:

Of course I couldn't ID this one (shown below), with Brainy smurf creeping in the background:


It was a good time though, a lot of everything to look at...





 :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-04-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-04-2021),_Snagrio_ (10-03-2021)

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## Bogertophis

I might have come home with the 4-snake platform stand of beeswax... :Very Happy:   Looks like a good call, either way. (this vs the reptile expo)

What IS that giant 1612 lb. produce?  Some sort of pale pumpkin?   Sure glad they don't grow in my garden, I think I might have trouble picking them.   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Snagrio

> I might have come home with the 4-snake platform stand of beeswax...  Looks like a good call, either way. (this vs the reptile expo)
> 
> What IS that giant 1612 lb. produce?  Some sort of pale pumpkin?   Sure glad they don't grow in my garden, I think I might have trouble picking them.


Yeah, pumpkins. At the county fair I used to go to growing up there was always a section showcasing similar monstrous ones. They also can come in many colors too which is why the ones pictured look pale.

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*Bogertophis* (10-03-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> Yeah, pumpkins. At the county fair I used to go to growing up there was always a section showcasing similar monstrous ones. They also can come in many colors too which is why the ones pictured look pale.



Some of those are the color of mold!   :ROFL:  I've seen huge pumpkins (I know many places have "contests") but I've never seen those before- how interesting.
I think I prefer the orange ones, I guess that makes me a traditionalist?  But the grayish-greenish ones do look spookier, if you're doing a "haunted house".

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #164
*

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AutumnVanilla (10-04-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #165
*
Petoskey Stone - A challenge to tumble/polish due to the low hardness, but, an interesting subject.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petoskey_stone

My cats were not impressed.

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AutumnVanilla (10-06-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-05-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-07-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #166
*
More granite-y stones from my backyard.

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AutumnVanilla (10-08-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-08-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-08-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #167
*
GHI Lesser -- I produced three of these so far this year, the one pictured above is 'high expression', and of the other two: one is 'mid expression' and the other 'low expression'.

As for the banded obsidian: Alternate view under regular lighting (shown below).

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AutumnVanilla (10-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-09-2021),Erie_herps (10-09-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-10-2021)

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## Erie_herps

That obsidian is super cool, this is one of my favorite pictures. The snake is a good choice because it has "flowy" patterns as if they're stretched, which goes with the rock well.

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## Lord Sorril

> That obsidian is super cool, this is one of my favorite pictures. The snake is a good choice because it has "flowy" patterns as if they're stretched, which goes with the rock well.


Thanks!  I know a bunch of people have mentioned that they like this snake photo with the obsidian.  I thought it was kinda blurry myself.   :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #168
*

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AutumnVanilla (10-12-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-11-2021),_Kam_ (10-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-12-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Gorgeous!   :Good Job:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #169
*
Another stone from the banks of the CT River.
Snake shown is a Pos. Het Axanthic.

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AutumnVanilla (10-13-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-13-2021),Erie_herps (10-13-2021),_Kam_ (10-13-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-13-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Halloween is just a few weeks away.*
Photo #170
*
'Low expression' GHI Lesser.

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AutumnVanilla (10-14-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-14-2021),Erie_herps (10-14-2021),_Kam_ (10-15-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-14-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-14-2021)

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## AutumnVanilla

Love it!

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## nikkubus

I love how it looks like a face with teeth <3 Perfect! Can't wait for Halloween  :Smile: 




> Halloween is just a few weeks away.*
> Photo #170
> *
> 'Low expression' GHI Lesser.

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_richardhind1972_ (10-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Love it!





> I love how it looks like a face with teeth <3 Perfect! Can't wait for Halloween


Thank you, thank you.  My gf says it reminds her of the 'Nome King' from the movie Return to Oz.  *shrugs*

Finished my time lapse video of my Clutch #16 hatching.  Bumblebee x Pastel, 6 eggs and not a single Spider offspring...go figure... :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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AutumnVanilla (10-15-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-15-2021),Erie_herps (10-15-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-15-2021)

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## Kam

> Halloween is just a few weeks away.*
> Photo #170
> *
> 'Low expression' GHI Lesser.


This one was awesome. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Breeders Note:
I have three Spider gene related clutches this year: two hatched, one still cooking.
Clutch #16 was Pastel/Spider (pos. Het Pied) x Pastel (pos. Het Pied) - 6 eggs - 5 hatched, 1 failure, *none* carrying Spider
Clutch #18 was Pastel Axanthic (pos. Het OG) x Pastel/Spider (pos. Het Pied, pos. Het OG) - 6 eggs - 5 hatched, 1 failure, *all* carrying Spider (shown below)

Interesting ratios.

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_Kam_ (10-16-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-15-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-16-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #171*

The yellow stone in the center of the photo, in the rough (pictured below).

 :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-16-2021),Erie_herps (10-15-2021),_Kam_ (10-16-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-16-2021)

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## richardhind1972

That's crazy how well that polished up, awsome photo as usual 

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Bogertophis

> That's crazy how well that polished up, awsome photo as usual 
> 
> Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk


For sure.  I'll never look at a "plain ol' rock" the same way again, I'll always wonder what it's hiding.

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_richardhind1972_ (10-18-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Saw this at my local zoo the other day.  Thought it was kinda neat...part of their night-time light display.   :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-19-2021),Erie_herps (10-18-2021),_Kam_ (10-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-19-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #172
*
A few local river rocks with some interesting patterns.  

I have pictures of them in their original state somewhere (can just barely see the markings ), I have too many photos and not enough time to find them though.   :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-18-2021),_Kam_ (10-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-19-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #173
*
Some light shades of moonstone.

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AutumnVanilla (10-20-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-20-2021),_Caitlin_ (10-20-2021),_Kam_ (10-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-20-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #174
*
Utah Wonderstone (same mineral as Photo #10).
It is a volcanic rock that is produced by particles of glass being fused together and then compressed by overlying rock and stained with iron oxide ground water over time.
The particular material I purchased (cheap of course) has very large particles which creates pores (lots of them).
Tumbling this material is easy...polishing it is hard.  I have tried different techniques to polish, and I never seem to get past a certain level.  However, a quick review of listings on Etsy for people working the same type of stone I have...would indicate that I did a damn fine job.   :Wink:

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AutumnVanilla (10-22-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-21-2021),Erie_herps (10-22-2021),_Kam_ (10-21-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-22-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #174 ....*a quick review of listings on Etsy for people working the same type of stone I have...would indicate that I did a damn fine job.


I'll say you did!  They're beautiful!

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## richardhind1972

Wow they so cool

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> I'll say you did!  They're beautiful!





> Wow they so cool


Thank you! 
 Thank you!

The next photo came out a little off-balance.
*Photo #175
*
I was hoping to get the snake to form a 'U' facing the camera between the rutilated quartz and the chevron amethyst.  
Unfortunately all the photos of my target pose were out of focus and/or the snake turned to look in the opposite direction.
I sold this snake prior to reviewing the photos...so I'm out of luck for a reshoot... :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-23-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-22-2021),_Kam_ (10-22-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-23-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I was at a Michaels craft store the other night, Halloween is always great because I have a much wider range of snake-themed decorations to examine.



Unfortunately all of my reptile room space is enclosures with no human decor...but, it is still nice to look... :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-24-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-24-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #176
*
Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan, this was my pilot piece for polish...it was much more difficult than I anticipated...seems like varied hardness between the striations in the stone.
The stress fracture in the center was my fault due to insufficient moisture in the vibe from a piece of sandstone rapidly deteriorating.
I had to switch from small gravel based to large ceramic-based media in the vibe for this one. 
Sharp eyes might see some flecks of pyrite in there.

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AutumnVanilla (10-25-2021),Erie_herps (10-26-2021),_Kam_ (10-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

So I was at my local Home Depot a while back and noticed they had bags of cheap landscaping rocks with some barely noticeable 'banding' in them (image shown below). 
They look like sandstone.  Wasn't sure if they would tumble/polish...for a couple bucks: I didn't mind the experiment.
Note: Pay no mind to my painfully swollen hand in the photo above (compliments of my 3rd C-19 vaccine shot).
*
Photo #177
*
Tumbled and vibed they have a 'wet look', but, no sheen or reflective polish.  No surprise for a sedimentary rock.
I'm still pleased with the final outcome.  :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (10-27-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-26-2021),Erie_herps (10-27-2021),_Kam_ (10-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-27-2021)

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## Bogertophis

I like how those came out too.  Not your hand so much, though-  :Very Happy:   I just got my third too, & no issues other than some soreness in my arm like any flu shot would be.  I'd accept the side effects anyway though, over "the alternative".  Besides, I find other "creative" ways to beat up my hands & all- been doing lots of yard work lately (trimming very abrasive shrubs that fight back, etc)- I don't always notice even when I'm bleeding, lol.  I do hope your hand feels better soon- honestly I would have just thought it was the camera angle if you hadn't mentioned it.

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_richardhind1972_ (10-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> I like how those came out too.  Not your hand so much, though-   I just got my third too, & no issues other than some soreness in my arm like any flu shot would be.


Thanks!  

I'm one of these people that gets all the common side-effects from the C19 vaccine on every round.  I'll definitely take the vaccine side-effects over getting the 'real thing' any day.   :Smile: 

Of course the side effects aren't all bad...I do get some interesting fever dreams:  


There was one where I dreamt that I hatched out an entire clutch of iridescent rainbow-colored ball pythons that slowly grew wings.  As the snakes got larger they started to fly.  My body was overheating and my mind was racing (stuck in an unrealistic scenario) trying to figure out the logistics of how I would need adapt my equipment and enclosures to keep flying snakes. A splinter in my mind kept digging in-telling me that things were 'not right', but, I couldn't break out of it.


Then another dream that seemed to be based on a prank call I heard somewhere.  I woke up and my arms and legs were made out of angry reticulated pythons that were grafted onto my body.  My gf was in the nightmare and demanded I get out of bed and go to work and I was like 'I can't!  My arms and legs are snakes!' and she was not having it...I call it a 'dream' and not a 'nightmare' because I had no intention of going to work with snake limbs.   :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (10-26-2021),_Kam_ (10-27-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-27-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Those are some wild dreams!   :ROFL:  I'm glad to know you wouldn't consider going to work with snake limbs...I think people would talk.  And you'll definitely need bigger enclosures (maybe a few extra houses?) for keeping iridescent flying snakes.

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-27-2021)

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## richardhind1972

Wow they have come up awsome 

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

With my ball python clutches I've seen a bunch of unlikely outcomes this year...
The latest: Clutch #19:  Firefly (Photo #76) x Lesser (#66)  (8/8 hatched)
1 Firefly, 2 Fires, *5 Normals *  Hmmm...Interesting...

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AutumnVanilla (10-28-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-27-2021),_Kam_ (10-27-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-29-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #178
*

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AutumnVanilla (10-29-2021),*Bogertophis* (10-29-2021),Erie_herps (10-29-2021),_Kam_ (10-28-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-29-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-29-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #179
*
Interesting pattern on this girl:  Het clown, possible Het Lavender Albino.

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*Bogertophis* (10-29-2021),_Kam_ (10-30-2021),_nikkubus_ (10-29-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-30-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I noticed the patterning on the head of this one today, thought it was pretty cool...even if it is common for this morph.
Hypo Spider (HoneyBee)

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*Bogertophis* (10-30-2021),_Kam_ (10-30-2021),_richardhind1972_ (10-31-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #180
*
Fire/Pastel (Firefly) and some local granite-y stones.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (10-31-2021),_Kam_ (10-31-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-01-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Sorting out BP genetics is a bit like sorting out stones.  A love for puzzles & solving mysteries, as well as finding beautiful things, eh?   :Wink:

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-31-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Sorting out BP genetics is a bit like sorting out stones.  A love for puzzles & solving mysteries, as well as finding beautiful things, eh?


I do not think anyone has stated it so eloquently, but, yes that is an accurate assessment.   :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #181
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-02-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-03-2021),Erie_herps (11-03-2021),_Kam_ (11-01-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #182
*
Leopard is one of my favorite morphs.  :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (11-04-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-03-2021),Erie_herps (11-03-2021),_Kam_ (11-04-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-04-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #181
> *



Wait, not so fast.... :Bowdown:

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AutumnVanilla (11-04-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-04-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Video below:
My Time Lapse Clutch #20 - 2021
Moldy eggs and casualties, oh my...

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AutumnVanilla (11-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-05-2021),Erie_herps (11-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #183
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-05-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-05-2021),_Kam_ (11-05-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-05-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I was looking at one of my new clutches (post-shed) and I noticed something odd: a non-symmetrical head-stamp on one of them.

A trivial thing, but, something I haven't seen before.   :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (11-10-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-06-2021),_Kam_ (11-06-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Carnelian*
Photo# 184A
*
*Photo# 184B*: Backlit via LED flashlight

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AutumnVanilla (11-10-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-07-2021),_Kam_ (11-07-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-07-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #185
*
Some local river stones (Quartz/Chert  based).   :Smile:

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AutumnVanilla (11-10-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-09-2021),_Kam_ (11-09-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-11-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #186
*
Single gene Het VPI Axanthic with a heavily pitted piece of agate.  
From a distance the stone looks cool, but, up close you can see a lot of...'character'.   :Smile: 
After rotary grind I vibed the agate for a while to remove some of the minor surface imperfections.  I thought about breaking off the top half of the stone while it was still rough, but, there are more pits on the other side and even if I tumbled smaller pieces from this stone they would still carry flaws.

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AutumnVanilla (11-11-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-11-2021),Erie_herps (11-11-2021),_Kam_ (11-11-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-11-2021)

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## Bogertophis

"Flaws"?  I only see a very pretty stone with a nice little ball o' beep.

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AutumnVanilla (11-11-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> "Flaws"?  I only see a very pretty stone with a nice little ball o' beep.


Ahhh, but, when you have a lot of something you can be picky.  :Smile: 
Just like this Orange Dream wasn't high enough expression to make my holdbacks this year:
*Photo #187
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-13-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-12-2021),Erie_herps (11-15-2021),_Kam_ (11-12-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-12-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-13-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Oh, and someone msged me the other day and asked me what I like to tumble the most: Actually a little bit of everything.

And yes, there is an insect (lady asian beetle) hiding in those rocks... :Smile:

----------

AutumnVanilla (11-13-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-12-2021),Erie_herps (11-15-2021),_Kam_ (11-13-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-13-2021),_Spicey_ (11-15-2021)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Someone asked me how I know that Photo #187 is an Orange Dream and not an Enchi...
Here is quick side-by-side comparison between a 'single gene' Enchi and an Orange Dream.

----------

AutumnVanilla (11-15-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-14-2021),Erie_herps (11-15-2021),_Kam_ (11-16-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-15-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

More stones from my backyard.
*Photo #188
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-17-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-16-2021),_Kam_ (11-17-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-17-2021)

----------


## Bogertophis

Never underestimate "neutrals" ^ ^ ^ to look every bit as gorgeous as all these bright colors that so many lust after.   :Sweeet:

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AutumnVanilla (11-17-2021),_Lord Sorril_ (11-18-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-17-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #189
*
These stones are at their 'limit'.  Tumbling them further would not improve them...

----------

AutumnVanilla (11-19-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-18-2021),Erie_herps (11-19-2021),_Kam_ (11-19-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-20-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #190
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-25-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-20-2021),_Kam_ (11-20-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-20-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #191
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-25-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-21-2021),Erie_herps (11-22-2021),_Kam_ (11-21-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),ROSIEonFIRE (11-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

I was out hiking in my area a while ago.

A mile or two into the woods I spotted a green object on the ground. 
I thought it was plastic at first and ignored it.  
On the way back I saw it again and stopped to poke at it.

I quickly figured out that it was some type of rock. 
 At the time: I only found the one piece, but, I made a mental note where I located it.
A few months later I returned with some 'light' tools and dug around the area...

My 'rock friends' called it Serpentine, but, due to the hardness and porosity: I call it meta-basalt.
It doesn't tumble/polish well, and has a tendency to cleave erratically when shaping, but, it was the right price...free!   :Smile: 

*Photo #192
*

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AutumnVanilla (11-25-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-23-2021),_Kam_ (11-23-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-24-2021),ROSIEonFIRE (11-25-2021)

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## richardhind1972

Well I think the shiny green  looks awsome 

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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## Bogertophis

> Well I think the shiny green  looks awsome 
> 
> Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk


Me too, but for some reason, I prefer the name "serpentine"?   :Very Happy:

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_richardhind1972_ (11-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> Well I think the shiny green  looks awsome


I'm glad you like it!  Even though I get a shine on a lot of stones--it does not match the polish I can get on agate (which is kinda the 'gold standard' in the hobby)... :Smile: 



> Me too, but for some reason, I prefer the name "serpentine"?


I like the name 'Serpentine' too!  What I also find amusing is that Serpentine is also called Serpentinite and is formed through the process of 'S*erpentization*'...which sounds like someone/something getting transformed into a snake...but unfortunately is actually far less interesting...  

For reference:
Serpentization - a processes whereby rock is changed with the addition of water into the crystal structure of the minerals found within the rock.

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*Bogertophis* (11-24-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> ...
> I like the name 'Serpentine' too!  What I also find amusing is that Serpentine is also called Serpentinite and is formed through the process of 'S*erpentization*'...which sounds like someone/something getting transformed into a snake...but unfortunately is actually far less interesting...


"Serpentization" sounds like what happened to most of us?   :ROFL:  And especially speaking for myself.   :Snake:  :Snake:  :Snake:

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_Lord Sorril_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #193
*
These look like ironstone concretions.  
As a sedimentary stone they are soft and unstable and should be near impossible to polish: I figured I would still take a shot.
  They look a lot 'cleaner' than when I started.
I can seem some reflection from the quarter so I know I did a good job.   :Wink:

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AutumnVanilla (11-25-2021),*Bogertophis* (11-25-2021),_Kam_ (11-25-2021),_nikkubus_ (11-25-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-25-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #194
*
Latest batch of Prairie Agate.  Fun stuff to tumble...super easy to get a nice polish.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (11-28-2021),_Kam_ (11-28-2021),_nikkubus_ (12-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (11-29-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #195
*
Blue Agate from Utah, a piece of Quartz from India.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (12-03-2021),_Kam_ (12-01-2021),_nikkubus_ (12-03-2021),_richardhind1972_ (12-01-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #196
*
Interesting stone: looks like a granite variant with Potassium Feldspar.
Tough to tumble/polish due to varying hardness.
Found it in a nice area:

Lots of garter snakes around...very skittish on a warm day...not easy to get a clear photo with my camera... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (12-03-2021),_Kam_ (12-04-2021),_nikkubus_ (12-03-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

While a bit off-topic:  I went home to visit my parents for Thanksgiving.
My mom was breeding Fire-Bellied Toads for a while and had hundreds of them at one point.
She was initially feeding them crickets, but, really despised the odor.
I introduced her to Dubia roaches several years ago and she had been feeding them those since...
Recently she sold several hundred toads to local pet stores and the remaining ones (pets) she taught to eat floating Tetra ReptoMin pellets in a black plastic container which she floated in the water.


As for the remaining Dubias, after they were frozen: she had enough to fill a 2.5 gallon bag.

While the frozen roaches will be used as a supplemental food for the quail/chickens...
in the event of a crisis, she said she plans on using them as a backup protein source.   :Chew: 

Anyhow, I thought it was amusing.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (12-05-2021),_nikkubus_ (12-06-2021),_richardhind1972_ (12-05-2021)

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## Bogertophis

Love it, LS!  That reminds me, I haven't had breakfast yet... :Smile:

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_Lord Sorril_ (12-06-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #197
*
A river stone from my area...looks like a quartz/quartzite composite. 

Gnarly head-stamp on this Het VPI Axanthic.

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*Bogertophis* (12-06-2021),_Kam_ (12-07-2021),_nikkubus_ (12-06-2021)

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## nikkubus

Dubias make pretty great alternative to worms for composting too! I love them. I never thought to freeze them, but I bet that works pretty well to preserve them for food for less picky reptiles and chickens. I think my cresties would eat them frozen thawed.

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_Lord Sorril_ (12-07-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

A while back I was visiting a little house in my area:

Had a little private beach:

Found this rock, looked kinda odd, orange color was pretty neat:

A little bit disappointed how it tumbled...you never know until you try though... :Smile: 
*Photo #198
*
If you guessed another Het VPI Axanthic--you would be right.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (12-07-2021),_Kam_ (12-07-2021),_richardhind1972_ (12-07-2021)

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## Bogertophis

"...a little house"???   :ROFL:

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_Kam_ (12-07-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

> "...a little house"???


Size is relative.  Just a 'little' bit larger than my own.  :Wink: 
 I do like the architectural highlights of this one better though.

The gryphons are cool, Greek versions...

Not sure what that thing on their head is supposed to represent...Googlers: feel free to let us know.

I am jealous of the backyard...then I think of all the maintenance...and I'll pass on keeping it as a summer home.


(bet you thought this entire post was going to be off-topic)
Behold! Athena and her sacred animal:  *The Snake* 



Great place to watch a thunderstorm.

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*Bogertophis* (12-07-2021),_Kam_ (12-08-2021)

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## Bogertophis

I'm with you on the yard work.  (I'd sooner have a lap pool anyway.)  Way too much house-work too, no thanks!  Full-time job just sweeping those chimneys & keeping those fireplaces going.   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Holly_Medusa

Thank you so much for this thread!!

I love crystals and have been wondering how my Ball girl would react to them if I put a few in her enclosure! I find them to be so soothing and by your pictures, it seems the snakes feel the same way!

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## Bogertophis

> Thank you so much for this thread!!
> 
> I love crystals and have been wondering how my Ball girl would react to them if I put a few in her enclosure! I find them to be so soothing and by your pictures, it seems the snakes feel the same way!


Your snake won't mind them at all- just something to investigate or rest on.   :Very Happy:   :Snake:

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Holly_Medusa (06-10-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Thank you so much for this thread!!
> 
> I love crystals and have been wondering how my Ball girl would react to them if I put a few in her enclosure! I find them to be so soothing and by your pictures, it seems the snakes feel the same way!


Thank you for the feedback!  I'm glad you like the photos.  :Smile: 




> Your snake won't mind them at all- just something to investigate or rest on.


My sentiments exactly!  
I'm sure ball pythons will appreciate rocks and crystals to examine-more than my cats do...


*Photo #199*

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*Bogertophis* (12-10-2021),Erie_herps (12-11-2021),Holly_Medusa (06-10-2022),_Kam_ (12-10-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

Montana Agate:*

Photo #200A (Dark)
*
*Photo #200B (Bright)
*
*Side-by-Side
*
I tried very hard to integrate a several gene combo morph into the photo, but, after several lackluster attempts...I chose a 'regular' Axanthic for the subject.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (12-16-2021),Erie_herps (12-16-2021),_Kam_ (12-16-2021),_richardhind1972_ (12-16-2021)

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## richardhind1972

That's so cool 

Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

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_Lord Sorril_ (12-27-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #201
*

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*Bogertophis* (12-27-2021),Erie_herps (12-27-2021),_Kam_ (12-28-2021),_richardhind1972_ (12-28-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #202
*
This one refused to pose for the photo...which is also a pose... :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (12-29-2021),Erie_herps (12-29-2021),_Kam_ (12-29-2021)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #202
> *
> This one refused to pose for the photo...which is also a pose...


I like it anyway...darn snakes!   :ROFL:   Also like the previous one- very festive, would make a nice Christmas card!   :Very Happy:

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_richardhind1972_ (12-30-2021)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #203
*
Not the most aesthetic agate, but, an interesting color.

Het VPI Axanthic ball python.   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (01-02-2022),Erie_herps (12-31-2021),_Kam_ (12-30-2021),_richardhind1972_ (01-01-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> I like it anyway...darn snakes!    Also like the previous one- very festive, would make a nice Christmas card!


Thanks!  I was planning on making Christmas cards and having the outside be dark Krampus themed folk artwork by my gf, and the inside a photo collage of ball pythons done by me, but, unfortunately we  have not had the time (compliments of The First Horse: Pestilence).  Ahh well...maybe next year...

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #204
*
I think I have tumbled more local Granite/Quartz than anything else, but Carnelian Agate is a close second...

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*Bogertophis* (01-01-2022),Erie_herps (01-01-2022),_Kam_ (01-01-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-01-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #205
*
Used some Leland Blue for this photo. 
 I am tempted to buy other colors of slag furnace glass and try them out, but, this stuff was a real pain to work with and glass seems to eat away rapidly at my vibe tumblers polypropylene bowl...

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*Bogertophis* (01-02-2022),Erie_herps (01-02-2022),_Kam_ (01-02-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-02-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #206
*
Iolite (blue/purple) is always interesting to photograph.

----------

*Bogertophis* (01-03-2022),Erie_herps (01-04-2022),_Kam_ (01-03-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-06-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #207
*

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*Bogertophis* (01-05-2022),Erie_herps (01-06-2022),_Kam_ (01-05-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-06-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #208
*
GHI with some Nipomo Agate (+Marcasite).

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*Bogertophis* (01-06-2022),Erie_herps (01-07-2022),_Kam_ (01-07-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-07-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #209
*
I rather like the patterning on this stone.  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (01-07-2022),_Kam_ (01-07-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-08-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #209
> *
> I rather like the patterning on this stone.


Very nice- I think it's going into shed though?   :Very Happy:

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_richardhind1972_ (01-08-2022),_Spicey_ (01-09-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Very nice- I think it's going into shed though?


Thanks!  Yep!  You are right.  The little ones always seem to be in one stage of shed or another... :Smile:

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## Bogertophis

> Thanks!  Yep!  You are right.  The little ones always seem to be in one stage of shed or another...


I meant the stone... :Wink:  :Very Happy:

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## Lord Sorril

> I meant the stone...


Hahaha!  Could be!

Some stones get more 'in-blue' than others!

*Photo #210
*

----------

*Bogertophis* (01-08-2022),_Kam_ (01-09-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-10-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #211
*

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*Bogertophis* (01-09-2022),_Kam_ (01-11-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-10-2022),_Trinityblood_ (01-11-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #212
*
I am *almost* tempted to name this ball python because she is carrying multiple Het Recessives and I will probably be keeping her for a long long time.  :Smile: 

The stone in the center I shaped for a little over a year before polishing it.  It is a shame that the pits in the red part of the stone are throughout the entire piece....I had to call it quits though: I have ground away over 50% of its original mass...I did learn enough not to try and tumble large pieces of a nearly identical stone also taken from Lake Superior (shown below).

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*Bogertophis* (01-15-2022),Erie_herps (01-16-2022),_Kam_ (01-16-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-16-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #212
> *
> I am *almost* tempted to name this ball python because she is carrying multiple Het Recessives and I will probably be keeping her for a long long time. 
> 
> The stone in the center I shaped for a little over a year before polishing it.  It is a shame that the pits in the red part of the stone are throughout the entire piece....I had to call it quits though: I have ground away over 50% of its original mass...I did learn enough not to try and tumble large pieces of a nearly identical stone also taken from Lake Superior (shown below).


What a beautiful "snake & stone salad"!  Oh, go on...give the little beauty a name, for Pete's sake!  And I don't see anything to pity in that large center stone either- I think it's quite attractive.  :Good Job:

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## Snagrio

> *Photo #211
> *


I thought that was varnished wood for a second. Tiger's eye?  :Confused:

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_richardhind1972_ (01-18-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> I thought that was varnished wood for a second. Tiger's eye?


I was thinking along the same line, petrified wood?  but Tiger's Eye is a real good guess too.

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_Lord Sorril_ (01-17-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> I thought that was varnished wood for a second. Tiger's eye?





> I was thinking along the same line, petrified wood?  but Tiger's Eye is a real good guess too.


Bogertophis called it!  Petrified wood.   :Smile:   There are some jaspers that look similar, but, petrified wood is much more common and is hugely varied in color and pattern--depending upon the original source and environment in which it was formed.

Fun fact:  It can take millions of years to form a natural piece of petrified wood.  Scientists can replicate the process in a laboratory and can accelerate it to days...it isn't quite the same quality, but, it can be done.

As for the possibility of tiger eye:  red in tiger eye is extremely rare in nature.  The red tiger eye that is most often sold on the market is yellow tiger eye that has been heat treated.  Due to the process you will almost never see any yellow/red variegation in a piece.  I haven't worked with red tiger eye yet, but, I am told that is much more prone to internal stress fractures which decreases the odds of a near perfect piece.

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*Bogertophis* (01-17-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #213
*
Bumblebee Het Hypo.

Fun fact:  Granite forms in underground magma chambers, as it slowly cools crystals form (commonly quartz).
As granite is rich in quartz and feldspar and these two have different hardness (quartz: 7 vs. feldspar ~6):  it is difficult material to tumble/polish and often results in a mottled sheen.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-01-2022),*Bogertophis* (01-22-2022),Erie_herps (01-24-2022),_Kam_ (01-23-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-23-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Allow me to go on the record & just say that you're forgiven for any & all "mottled sheen".   :Very Happy:   (I suspect you're the only one to notice it.)

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_Lord Sorril_ (01-22-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Allow me to go on the record & just say that you're forgiven for any & all "mottled sheen".    (I suspect you're the only one to notice it.)


Thanks! But, I am sure it is noticeable.

The quick photo below has a brazilian agate on the left, and a type of granite on the right.  You can see my ceiling lamp and smoke detector reflected on the mirror polish on the agate, and nothing on the granite.

Many lapidary artists will steer clear of any type of stone that does not guarantee them a high polish.  
It is taboo in Rock Tumbling: I am not concerned with getting a high polish on every stone.  
I really manage to get people in lapidary forums 'irate' with my philosophy.  :Wink:

----------


## Bogertophis

> Thanks! But, I am sure it is noticeable.
> 
> The quick photo below has a brazilian agate on the left, and a type of granite on the right.  You can see my ceiling lamp and smoke detector reflected on the mirror polish on the agate, and nothing on the granite.
> 
> Many lapidary artists will steer clear of any type of stone that does not guarantee them a high polish.  
> It is taboo in Rock Tumbling: I am not concerned with getting a high polish on every stone.  
> I really manage to get people in lapidary forums 'irate' with my philosophy.


That's where I was going with my comment too- I'm not into stone-polishing, & to me, beauty doesn't require a high shine.  In fact, I collect antique trade beads, & I prefer that they look like they were worn & well-loved, with a softer patina- not thrashed but not "new" looking either.  It's all rather subjective as far as I'm concerned.  Besides, I want to see the stones, not your ceiling fan!   :Very Happy:

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_Lord Sorril_ (01-23-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #214
*
Superfly: held back a bunch of them last year so I can pick the 'best' for integration into my Axanthic combos when they reach maturity.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-01-2022),*Bogertophis* (01-23-2022),Erie_herps (01-24-2022),_Kam_ (01-23-2022),_richardhind1972_ (01-24-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #215
*
Orange Ghost/Spider (aka HoneyBee)
and a Brazilian Agate that reminds me of a Cowrie seashell.
The patterning was a little different on this one (as opposed to the other blues) so I put this one aside for a separate photo.

Pictured below is a group of Brazilian Agates (including the one above: before/in progress).

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-01-2022),*Bogertophis* (01-31-2022),Erie_herps (01-31-2022),_Kam_ (02-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-02-2022),_Trinityblood_ (01-31-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #216
*

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-01-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-01-2022),Erie_herps (02-01-2022),_Kam_ (02-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-02-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #217
*
I had the opportunity to buy some odd-shaped assorted lapidary scraps for a little over cost of shipping...a bunch of the pieces were too thin or heavily pitted and broke apart during tumble, but, the majority of them survived. Shown above are a few that made it out of polish recently.

Python morph is a single gene GHI.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-06-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-05-2022),Erie_herps (02-05-2022),_Kam_ (02-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-06-2022)

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## Albert Clark

Really spectacular arrangements LS. Is photo # 216 a lavender albino?

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Really spectacular arrangements LS. Is photo # 216 a lavender albino?


Thanks!  Nah, the blue stones are reflecting a bit of color onto the white of the albino.

Here is a quick snap (shown below) and you can easily spot the Lav.
The albino on the lower left is from Photo #216.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-06-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-06-2022),_Kam_ (02-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-06-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #218
*
Another stone from the CT River, had some neat orange inclusions in it.
Ball python:  100% Het Clown, 50% Het Lav. Albino

Up close-they look like miniature garnets to me.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-07-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-07-2022),Erie_herps (02-07-2022),_Kam_ (02-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-07-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #219
*
I like the pattern and color on this stone, but, it has a lot of internal fractures.
I managed to keep it intact.   
Not a super clean tumble, but, it still looks neat.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-12-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-12-2022),Daniel_Effler (02-18-2022),Erie_herps (02-12-2022),_Kam_ (02-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-19-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #220
*
Petoskey stone with a:  100% Het Lavender Albino, 50% Het Albino, 50% Het Pied BP.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-18-2022),Daniel_Effler (02-18-2022),Erie_herps (02-18-2022),_Kam_ (02-18-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-19-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #221
*
Semi-Translucent stones are always tricky to photograph...you actually see a short distance into the stone and so they look a bit textured even though the exterior is perfectly smooth.

Ball python:  Enchi, 66% Het Albino

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-19-2022),Erie_herps (02-19-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-20-2022),_Trinityblood_ (02-19-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

In other news:  I think I found the source of my dreams of breeding flying snakes with iridescent wings.
I've looked at a particular Egyptian Sarcophagus a few times, but, only today I consciously noticed this emblem near the feet.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-19-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-20-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #222
*
Petoskey +1, and some other 'rocks' that were originally one really gnarly piece of something (arrived with the rough petoskeys) before it broke apart in tumble...

Ball python:  100% Het Clown, 50% Het Lav Albino (yes, I hatched an entire clutch of these last year).

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-21-2022),Erie_herps (02-20-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-20-2022),_Trinityblood_ (02-20-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #223
*
More Brazilian Agate, and another Super Pastel/Spider (Killer Bee) with Multiple Hets.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-21-2022),Erie_herps (02-22-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Sometimes they lock for a few minutes and sometimes...

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-21-2022),Erie_herps (02-22-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

What's the rush?  It's not like they have to get up & go to work!   :ROFL:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),Erie_herps (02-22-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (02-23-2022)

----------


## Albert Clark

:Surprised:   Wow! They are all amazing and thanks for sharing. That triple het in photo #220 is a triple threat !!  Congrats!

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (02-23-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> What's the rush?  It's not like they have to get up & go to work!


They are at work now!  :Wink:   That pied male has more females to cross with and needs to take a break.




> Wow! They are all amazing and thanks for sharing. That triple het in photo #220 is a triple threat !!  Congrats!


Thanks! But, #220 is only a Possible triple threat.   :Smile: 
Another clutch mate (100HetLav/50HetAlbino/50HetPied) pictured below:
*Photo #224*

Petsokey Stones (aka Fossilized Coral) are always a challenge to tumble. 
 I couldn't completely round out the larger pieces without breaking them, so...good enough!

----------

_Albert Clark_ (02-23-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-02-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-13-2022),Daniel_Effler (02-24-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-24-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo 225
*
Pastel Orange Dream, and more Brazilian agates.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-02-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-02-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-24-2022),Daniel_Effler (02-24-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022),_richardhind1972_ (02-25-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #226
*
Pastel OD clutch-mate to specimen shown in Photo #225, this one definitely has 'cleaner' patterning.   :Smile: 

As for the reddish quartz stones: Hard fractures and significant imperfections are nothing new to what I find in my area.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-02-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-02-2022),*Bogertophis* (02-25-2022),_Kam_ (02-28-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #227
*
Granite is not the easiest material to tumble and/or polish...It is quite common in my area and has huge variety.
Ball Python: 100% Het Clown, 50% Het Lav Albino.


Saw this little guy below chilling in the frigid water:  snapped a photo.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-02-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-02-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-02-2022),_Kam_ (03-04-2022),_richardhind1972_ (03-14-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #228
*

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-15-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-16-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-13-2022),Daniel_Effler (03-14-2022),Erie_herps (03-13-2022),_Kam_ (03-13-2022),_richardhind1972_ (03-14-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #229
*
This entire photo set was blurry and/or had overwhelming flash glare.  This photo is sort of mid-way between two much glare and too blurry...good enough!  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-15-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-16-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-15-2022),Daniel_Effler (03-14-2022),Erie_herps (03-15-2022),_Kam_ (03-21-2022),_richardhind1972_ (03-15-2022)

----------


## Daniel_Effler

Your photography is always just so perfect. 

Sent from my SM-S426DL using Tapatalk

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-15-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (03-15-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Your photography is always just so perfect.


Thanks! 
 My art teacher told me once that some of the greatest artists were never happy with their work because they thought they could do 'better'. 
 I'm sure I could do better--just so little spare time these days...and I'm not even in the hatching season yet.  :Smile:  

*Photo #230*

Note: The red brazilian agate in the center is my latest 'favorite'.

----------

AutumnVanilla (03-16-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-15-2022),Daniel_Effler (03-15-2022),_Kam_ (03-21-2022),_richardhind1972_ (03-16-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Got this ball python in a trade today...having trouble ID'ing the morph.  
Any guesses? I'm thinking Super Black Pastel Axanthic perhaps?
He is a little nippy.

(Joking of course)  :Wink:

----------

AutumnVanilla (03-21-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-20-2022),Daniel_Effler (03-21-2022),_Kam_ (03-21-2022),_richardhind1972_ (03-21-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

> Got this ball python in a trade today...having trouble ID'ing the morph.  
> Any guesses? I'm thinking Super Black Pastel Axanthic perhaps?
> He is a little nippy.
> 
> (Joking of course)



 :ROFL:   :ROFL:   :ROFL:   I'd avoid his teeth if I were you.  Nice chubby little Uracoan rattlebrat.  (Crotalus vegrandis- found in Venezuela)

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-21-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-21-2022),_Kam_ (03-21-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (03-20-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #231
*
Before:

Because this material is soft I had to dry polish it in my vibratory tumbler (shown below).

----------

_Albert Clark_ (03-30-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-21-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-21-2022),Daniel_Effler (03-21-2022),Erie_herps (03-21-2022),_Kam_ (03-21-2022),_richardhind1972_ (03-22-2022)

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## Bogertophis

I'll bet that when you were a kid, your mother had to hide her Mixmaster from you!   :ROFL:  Or keep it under lock & key?

They sure came out nice, by the way.

----------


## Lord Sorril

> I'll bet that when you were a kid, your mother had to hide her Mixmaster from you!   Or keep it under lock & key?
> They sure came out nice, by the way.


Thanks!  There was only one kitchen appliance I was forbidden to use: and that was the popcorn maker...ahhh good times...put 3lbs. of kernels in a device with a 1/2 cup capacity and you have instant entertainment for a 4 year old me... :Very Happy: 

Random: King cobras always look so angry....

----------

AutumnVanilla (03-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-22-2022),Erie_herps (03-23-2022),_Kam_ (03-25-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> Thanks!  There was only one kitchen appliance I was forbidden to use: and that was the popcorn maker...ahhh good times...put 3lbs. of kernels in a device with a 1/2 cup capacity and you have instant entertainment for a 4 year old me...
> 
> Random: King cobras always look so angry....



Your mom should have gotten a medal of valor... :Very Happy: 

I don't know, cobras look much like many other colubrids to me-?  I think rattlesnakes, with the scales that shade their eyes, have more of a scowling look- but they "grew on me" anyway.   :Cool:

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_Kam_ (03-28-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #232
*
100% Het Clown/50% Het Lav Albino,
with a decent sized polished Brazilian Agate
(there is a quarter hidden in the photo for scale).

----------

_Albert Clark_ (04-03-2022),AutumnVanilla (03-29-2022),*Bogertophis* (03-28-2022),Erie_herps (03-29-2022),_Kam_ (03-28-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Went to the New England Reptile Expo today 03APR2022.  
I took a bunch of pictures, but, I had my camera configured to an odd focus setting-so they all ended up pretty blurry.

I said that I would buy a Highway ball python when the price dropped to a couple hundred bucks...today is the day!  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (04-03-2022),AutumnVanilla (04-03-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-03-2022),_Kam_ (04-04-2022),_richardhind1972_ (04-03-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

Wowza!  I can see why you just caved.  That's a stunner!

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## Lord Sorril

> Wowza!  I can see why you just caved.  That's a stunner!


Thanks!
I was also looking at this one (shown below x6 gene), but, it has Spider...and after 'cleaning up' my Spider line-I don't trust like that... :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (04-03-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-03-2022),_Kam_ (04-04-2022),_richardhind1972_ (04-03-2022)

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## Albert Clark

I hear you Lord S.  The spider gene just helps to bring about so many amazing morph productions though.

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #233
*

----------

_Albert Clark_ (04-07-2022),AutumnVanilla (04-07-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-07-2022),Daniel_Effler (04-07-2022),Erie_herps (04-08-2022),_Kam_ (04-08-2022),_richardhind1972_ (04-07-2022)

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## Daniel_Effler

> Thanks!
> I was also looking at this one (shown below x6 gene), but, it has Spider...and after 'cleaning up' my Spider line-I don't trust like that...


That looks just about exactly like the one I got recently minus the spider. I don't know what you decided on this one but it was a beautiful snake. 

Sent from my SM-S426DL using Tapatalk

----------

_Albert Clark_ (04-07-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (04-08-2022)

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## Daniel_Effler

> *Photo #233
> *


It's hard to say which are prettier your snakes or the stones that you surround them with! 

Sent from my SM-S426DL using Tapatalk

----------

_Albert Clark_ (04-07-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-07-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> I don't know what you decided on this one but it was a beautiful snake.


Thanks!
I decided against getting the OD Enchi Pastel Sugar Spinner.  I really only needed the Sugar gene...

I was also interested in a Spotnose Fire YB Sugar Enchi until my eyes focused and I realized there were three zeros on the price instead of two.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------

AutumnVanilla (04-08-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-08-2022),Daniel_Effler (04-08-2022),_Kam_ (04-08-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> ...I was also interested in a Spotnose Fire YB Sugar Enchi until my eyes focused and I realized there were three zeros on the price instead of two.


 :ROFL:  I hate it when that happens!

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_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #234
*
Black Pastel 50% Het Pied and a tumbled/polished large stone from the CT river (rotary tumble only-took a nice shine).

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (04-12-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-11-2022),Erie_herps (04-12-2022),_Kam_ (04-12-2022),_richardhind1972_ (04-11-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Beautiful rock, beautiful snake...they look great together.   :Smile:

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## Lord Sorril

> Beautiful rock, beautiful snake...they look great together.


Thanks!

Tomorrow is Easter 2022.  I hope you and all the members of the forum have a great day!

*Photo #235*

Little video below of the original stones pre-tumble/polish.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (04-19-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-16-2022),Daniel_Effler (04-17-2022),Erie_herps (04-18-2022),_Kam_ (04-16-2022),_richardhind1972_ (04-16-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Thanks, you too- & Happy Easter everyone!  They sure came out pretty, btw.  They DO look a bit like candy though-hope no one tries to  :Chew:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #236
*
Some tumbled pieces off a large stone I broke up from Lake Superior.
Ball python:  Leopard Pastel 100% Het VPI Axanathic

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (04-25-2022),*Bogertophis* (04-24-2022),Daniel_Effler (04-24-2022),Erie_herps (04-24-2022),_Homebody_ (04-24-2022),_Kam_ (04-28-2022),_richardhind1972_ (04-25-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

:Bowdown:   Another gorgeous photo (snake AND stones!).

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Another gorgeous photo (snake AND stones!).


Thanks!  :Smile: 

*Photo #237
*

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (05-08-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-07-2022),Erie_herps (05-09-2022),_Kam_ (05-07-2022),_richardhind1972_ (05-08-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #238
*
Some agates have enough translucency to show imperfections below the surface when clobbered with a camera flash.   :Smile: 
I was hoping this photo would have come out a bit cleaner...ahh well...
Ball python: 100% Het Clown/50% Het Lav Albino

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (05-10-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-09-2022),Erie_herps (05-10-2022),_Kam_ (05-09-2022),_richardhind1972_ (05-10-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Pretty hot in my area today.

My dwarf irises are blooming (they bloom early): took a couple quick pics this morning with the snakes.


This Banana Pastel Hypo is from Snakes and Stones Photo #1.


The dwarf Iris is 'Fireplace embers', I purchased one of these 7 years ago-I have several hundred now and they rebloom in the Fall.
My Axanthic ball pythons can really vary in coloration based on lighting.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (05-17-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-14-2022),Erie_herps (05-14-2022),_Homebody_ (05-14-2022),_Kam_ (05-19-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

A few more photos while I had the chance this morning:

----------

AutumnVanilla (05-17-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-15-2022),Erie_herps (05-16-2022),_Homebody_ (05-15-2022),_Kam_ (05-19-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

My gf was commenting that I should do certain stone/color patterns or arrangements...so I said "Hey, how about I show you one of my snakes and then you make the stone arrangement-and I will photograph it?": she agreed.

I gave her full choice to my collection of several hundred lbs. of polished stones that I have not shown yet.  First she was looking at my black agate, then at the brazilian agates, and some of my amethyst (all very nice pieces).  The black agate with the amethyst and the Super Pastel Fire (Superfly) would have easily been a stunning combo, but, I kept my mouth shut.  I walked away so I did not influence her selection and after a few hours she finally approached me and said she was done and her arrangement was complete (photo below).
*
Photo #239
*
After a few hours and a full selection of stones/colors I was expecting something a bit more 'elaborate' from my biggest critic!   :Wink:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (05-17-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-16-2022),Erie_herps (05-17-2022),_Homebody_ (05-17-2022),_Kam_ (05-17-2022),_richardhind1972_ (05-18-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #240
*
Fluorite with an Enchi/Pos. Het Albino (in shed).
The fluorite was heavily fractured to start with...so no surprise it is a bit messy  :Smile:  (video of original material below).

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (05-24-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-24-2022),_Kam_ (05-24-2022),_richardhind1972_ (05-25-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Here are a few more Snakes and Iris photos.  :Wink:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (05-31-2022),*Bogertophis* (05-28-2022),Erie_herps (05-28-2022),_Kam_ (06-05-2022),_richardhind1972_ (05-29-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Coiling like the beautiful iris petals...gorgeous, all!   :Love:

----------


## richardhind1972

Amazing iris colours against the snakes 

Sent from my SM-S908B using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> Coiling like the beautiful iris petals...gorgeous, all!





> Amazing iris colours against the snakes


Thank you!  Thank you!

Have lots of family stuff to do these days so it is not easy to find time for more elaborate Snakes and Stones photos.
Grabbed a few more quick pics of some of my ball pythons with irises today.



Still working on those stones though...too bad I can't find these in my area...

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (06-10-2022),*Bogertophis* (06-05-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),Holly_Medusa (06-10-2022),_Homebody_ (06-05-2022),_Kam_ (06-05-2022),*mlededee* (06-11-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022),_richardhind1972_ (06-11-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Gorgeous snakes, unique rocks & amazing flowers-   :Love:   Many thanks!

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022)

----------


## Holly_Medusa

Hi again!

Do you recommend tumbled stones for enclosures? And are there any particular stones you find better suited? 

Thank you!

----------


## mlededee

Lord Sorril, I want to comment on this thread to congratulate you. 

This thread has received over ONE MILLION views! That is incredible!  :W00t: 

To put it in perspective, the next highest viewed thread in the BP Pictures forum has just under 195,000 views. 

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful photos with us. And thank you for continuing to post updates in this very popular thread!  :Good Job:   :Sunny:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (06-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (06-11-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Homebody_ (06-11-2022),_richardhind1972_ (06-11-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Wow!   :Sweeet:   That's awesome, Lord Sorril!   :Tip of the Hat:   :Rock on:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),*mlededee* (06-11-2022),_richardhind1972_ (06-11-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Hi again!
> Do you recommend tumbled stones for enclosures? And are there any particular stones you find better suited?


Heya!  I don't really use my tumbled stones in my enclosures.  Snake urates can be brutal to try and clean off. If I wanted to use tumbled/polished stones:
I would pick ones with a high density and hardness: microcrystalline quartz variants (like agate/jasper) would be my go-to as the mirror polish would probably survive daily scrubs with a steel brush for months before it faded.




> Lord Sorril, I want to comment on this thread to congratulate you.
> This thread has received over ONE MILLION views! That is incredible!


Only 1 million?  I'm still a 'young' guy with big snake plans: lets try for 10 million.   :Wink: 



> Wow!    That's awesome, Lord Sorril!


Thank you Boger, and Thank you all!  

Snakes and Stones Season '22 is in progress!  First clutch for me was laid on June 1st.  I am up to 4 right now.  Aiming for a light year of ~25 clutches this go round (next year 2X).
I am disappointed that I will not get to use my time lapse incubator this season (I was going to upgrade to HD video).  I am working too many hours so I won't be able to balance the thermal swings from the cameras and lighting.  The plus side to working these hours is that 300lbs. of Rodent Food/month becomes a trivial expense.  :Razz: 

About 5 more photos left in my 2021 set.

*Photo #241
*
Yellow Calcite, Fluorite, and a Leopard Pastel Het VPI Axanthic.

People often say that fluorite is one of the most challenging stones to tumble/polish-that is because they haven't tried calcite yet... :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),AutumnVanilla (06-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (06-12-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Homebody_ (06-12-2022),_Kam_ (06-14-2022),*mlededee* (06-12-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #242
*
More local granite from my area (MA, USA), not the easiest stones to tumble, but, have their own character.   :Smile: 

You can tell there is something going on with this ball python...it is: 100% Het Lavender Albino with a 50% possible chance for Albino and Pied (though doubtful pied-due to the 'even' patterning).

----------

AutumnVanilla (06-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (06-20-2022),_Kam_ (06-28-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

Been very busy lately, on clutch #9 so far for 2022.

My gf and I went to the New England Reptile Expo in Manchester NH this morning (26JUN2022):  Snapped a few quick photos--got crowded really fast, we only stayed about 20 minutes, so rush-rush-rush.

Crimson Albino Iguana


Fat Tail Gecko (cha-ching!):

Dumerils yawning:

Rhino Iguana:

Tiger Rat Snake (feisty!)




Always lots of Axolotls...



Super fancy bettas at a reptile expo...who would have guessed:



I thought these bags listed by weight (shown below) had rabbits, but, they were actually guinea pigs... :Smile: 

My gfs inner goth wanted this bat skeleton (shown below):





Living in New England, anything other than a grey or greenish-grey stone is a novelty...


What we bought:  A small enclosure (for a jumping spider), a bag of live oak leaves, a bag of mangolia leaves, hornworms, and a ball python (in the bag).

The ball python is a 100% Het.

My first guess while scanning tables was Het Genetic Stripe, but, I was wrong.
Anyone care to guess what type of Het she is? 
 Clue:  It is not a gene I have yet.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (06-26-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Kam_ (06-28-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Anyone care to guess what type of Het she is?


No takers eh...*Tri-Stripe*.  :Wink:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (06-27-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022)

----------


## Spicey

> No takers eh...*Tri-Stripe*.


I think Zincubus would probably be the only one of us who could accurately guess.    :Very Happy:

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #243
*
Brazilian Agate (center ring), and some white Banded Agate from Western USA.

Ball Python is another 100% Het Lav Albino, 50/50 Het Albino & Pied.

----------

*Bogertophis* (06-27-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Homebody_ (06-27-2022),kabuna (06-27-2022),_Kam_ (06-28-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #244
*
Here is another 100% Het Lav, 50/50 Het Albino/Pied (she is growing large-fast), and a big chunk of tiger eye.

Photo #244 is going to be my last photo of my 2021 set.  
I have a few more photos, but, I think I could have done better with them, and I have since sold the snakes included--so no reshoots possible.

I currently have 12 clutches incubating and easily another 10 on the way...so there will be no shortage of future ball python subjects to photograph.  :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (07-04-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Homebody_ (07-04-2022),_Kam_ (07-09-2022),_nikkubus_ (07-05-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

That looks more like a beautiful satin pillow with embroidery on top than a chunk of tiger eye.  Very healthy looking snake, all too happy to "model" for you.   :Smile: 

You certainly deserve a rest- thank you for posting all these- and we'll be eagerly awaiting the next ones.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022)

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## Spicey

Sorry, nikkubus.  Caught the error right afterI made it but lost the post.   :Rolleyes2:

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_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I had a few vacation days this week and I noticed that the Brimfield Antique Show (Brimfield, MA, USA) was starting today.  I took my gf and we spent a few hours there looking through the various vendors displays.

The Brimfield Antique Show/Flea Market is notorious for being huge (500+ vendors) and  having high end items that are usually overpriced.  It is nice to take a look every now and then.  The last time I was there was about a decade ago.

We are not so interested in antiques as much as natural things: plants/animals/rocks...sometimes we find things that are a bit of both. 

 I snapped over 600 photos during my trip today, just a few shown below.  :Smile: 

The 'Show' itself extends along Route 20 in Brimfield and has vendors on both side of the street for about a mile.

A lot of the vendors have random stuff.

A few of the vendors had stones and/or stone carvings.

Fossilized whale ear bones?  That is new to me.

Fossilized vertebrae (probably whale as well):

One vendor was from Indonesia and he had stone skulls and polished pieces of Bumblebee Jasper, it is relatively rare in the USA.



There were a lot of overpriced skulls, various animals, but, mostly cattle.

I was looking for snake-themed items and I was hard-pressed to find any.
The only one I found was in relation to the Chinese Zodiac (carved out of onyx)

Unfortunately there were some poorly preserved snakes/reptiles as well:

More than one vendor was carrying them. 

I think they are neat to look at, but, I would never buy any and they kinda make me sad.

Same goes for skeletons as well...

I would much prefer to look at replicas.

There was quite an array of unusual items...like this sculpture from Bali.

And this Monkey Kampala skull (cursed of course).

Some stuff was just straight up weird and/or creepy.



It was 92F and my gf were hungry and thirsty.
I bought us Lemonades and watched the girl make them:  
1 half lemon juiced, 1 *teaspoon* of sugar, 2 cups of ice, 2 cups of water.  You can imagine how they tasted...weak...
As for food:  With so many vendors and people there was quite an assortment to choose from, any where from Brussel Sprouts to Lobsters.


All the foods were overpriced, so we let our stomachs rumble.

In the end:  What did we buy?
My gf recognized the novelty of the Bumblebee Jasper stones we had seen and she wanted a miniature skull carving.
I also bought her a Heart made from the same stone.

I was going to title the photo:  'Love, Death, and Snakes', however, I only had one snake cooperate...so it is now called 'Love, Death, and Snake' lol...

----------

_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (07-12-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Homebody_ (07-13-2022),_Kam_ (07-14-2022),_richardhind1972_ (07-13-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

Wow, that event looks like a lot of fun to poke around- I enjoy antiques & weird* stuff.  (*some does appear to be over the top & icky)  And one good thing about shopping for snake-themed items is that you hopefully won't have to over-spend, eh?   :Wink:   Since there typically isn't much...except those awful specimens in jar- they make me very sad too.  

Pity the food & refreshments were overpriced & all-  hey, I like brussels sprouts, but I've never seen nor imagined a stand that serves them.  That's most unusual.  

Alas, way before I got to the last of your post, I was thinking that snake-themed or not, I'd also have come home with some Bumblebee Jasper.   :Very Happy: 

Your posts are always interesting, never dull!   :Good Job:

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_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),_richardhind1972_ (07-13-2022)

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## Snagrio

Isn't overpriced food typically the norm for such places? It's by design to gouge the desperate and unprepared. Same story with any location for big gatherings and events, temporary and permanent (festivals, fairs, amusement parks, museums, zoos, ect.).

----------


## richardhind1972

That looked a great day out

Sent from my SM-S908B using Tapatalk

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## Lord Sorril

> Wow, that event looks like a lot of fun to poke around- I enjoy antiques & weird* stuff.  (*some does appear to be over the top & icky)  And one good thing about shopping for snake-themed items is that you hopefully won't have to over-spend, eh?    Since there typically isn't much...except those awful specimens in jar- they make me very sad too.  
> 
> Pity the food & refreshments were overpriced & all-  hey, I like brussels sprouts, but I've never seen nor imagined a stand that serves them.  That's most unusual.  
> 
> Alas, way before I got to the last of your post, I was thinking that snake-themed or not, I'd also have come home with some Bumblebee Jasper.  
> 
> Your posts are always interesting, never dull!


Thanks!
The closest thing to 'Snake-themed items' in antiques I can usually find is serpents or dragons. I have seen some nice dragon themed antiques over the years with significant price-tags... Having two cats which are intent on destroying anything that exists within my house---I often pass on anything that is 'breakable'.

I have no issue with brussel sprouts-except their smell, taste, and existence.   :Razz: 

I have been bidding on rough Bumblebee Jasper on Ebay for a while (for tumbling), but, I am not willing to pay more than $20/lb--so I have been out of luck.  Considering I can buy a finished small carved skull for $25 and a really nicely patterned heart for $12--I am in no rush.




> Isn't overpriced food typically the norm for such places? It's by design to gouge the desperate and unprepared. Same story with any location for big gatherings and events, temporary and permanent (festivals, fairs, amusement parks, museums, zoos, ect.).


I don't mind getting gouged a little when I am out at an amusement park or fair--if I am spending several hours there-I consider it 'part of the experience' and a cost I normally factor in.  I think the Disney parks in Florida are the worst offenders in terms of gouging I've seen.  Otherwise I visit a lot of places and I am used to the extreme markup.  I typically buy a burger and I expect to pay $8-12, but, at Brimfield I saw prices ranging from $17-23 which was a bit much for a quarter pounder...




> That looked a great day out


Thanks, it was HOT!  By the time we left it was noon and most people were sitting in the shade unable to move.  Since you can be a mile away from your car lugging something you bought-it can be a bit exhausting for many visitors.

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_Albert Clark_ (07-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (07-13-2022)

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## Albert Clark

Thank you for the journey and escape into a realm that is often overlooked.     :Surprised:  Lol.

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## Bogertophis

> ...
> Thanks, it was HOT!  By the time we left it was noon and most people were sitting in the shade unable to move.  Since you can be a mile away from your car lugging something you bought-it can be a bit exhausting for many visitors.


That's for sure- sounds like a recipe for heat exhaustion & heat strokes.   :Sad:   As a former desert dweller, I tend to take a canteen & snacks to things like that.  Still can be a challenge though for the many unprepared in the heat.

----------


## Lord Sorril

> That's for sure- sounds like a recipe for heat exhaustion & heat strokes.    As a former desert dweller, I tend to take a canteen & snacks to things like that.  Still can be a challenge though for the many unprepared in the heat.


Yep, sure is.  I went to a flea market this morning and the 'regulars' had fully stocked coolers ready to brave the 97F temps (with humidity feels like 105F).  

At 8AM in the morning in the shade it was already 85F.

Most of the time I don't see anything I want at flea markets, but, one vendor had some odds and ends rough stones.
The largest of which was a black and white piece he called petrified wood.  
My eyes see Schorl (Black Tourmaline in Quartz), I asked some members of the 'Rock Tumbling Forums' what it actually is.
Either way he sold me the piece very reasonably and tossed in a small piece of actual pet. wood for free.


Black Tourmaline in Quartz always pairs nicely with a Pastel Axanthic, although in this case the snakes color is much 'cleaner'.   :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (07-24-2022),Erie_herps (08-16-2022),_Homebody_ (07-24-2022),_Kam_ (07-26-2022)

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## Bogertophis

I can see why that stone attracted your attention.  Flea markets & thrift stores are fun for me too- it's a treasure hunt.  I'm glad the vendors there were prepared for the heat- it's dangerous if not.

I just did some yard trimming in the heat & high dew point without collapsing- it seems like my routine of swimming laps in this ongoing heat wave has done a good job of acclimating me-  :Smile:

----------


## Argentum

Just finished browsing your thread; You have some very nice rocks there. And snakes. Now I want to go take a picture of a snake with rocks.

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## Bogertophis

> Just finished browsing your thread; You have some very nice rocks there. And snakes. Now I want to go take a picture of a snake with rocks.


The more, the merrier-  :Cool:

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Argentum (07-24-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> I just did some yard trimming in the heat & high dew point without collapsing- it seems like my routine of swimming laps in this ongoing heat wave has done a good job of acclimating me-


There are days I really wish I had a pool, and then there are days I remember when I used to clean pools for extra cash during the summer when I was young...and I think of all the work...and that time I opened a pool that had been sitting closed for two decades and my arms were covered with close to a hundred leeches...and nah...I will just sit next to my AC  :Wink: 



> Just finished browsing your thread; You have some very nice rocks there. And snakes. Now I want to go take a picture of a snake with rocks.


Thanks!  You should post some pictures of snakes with rocks here!  I am waiting for people to show off their amethyst cathedrals, geodes, crystal towers, scrying balls, fossils etc with their snakes.



> The more, the merrier-


Definitely!  :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (07-31-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Breeding rodents for snake food is a constant ongoing project for my collection.

I have been using Doggy Bag Dog Food reliably for years now.  Recently (as of this month) all the 'Tractor Supply Co.' stores in my area have stopped carrying it.  They were unable to tell me if this was a supply chain issue or a choice.  Management has been quite 'vocal' to me about the quality of the food for dogs (which is low).   As I am using 50lbs. of food/week I figured I should source a new type of dog food before I deplete my inventory.  In the event that TSC restores its supply of Doggy Bag food:  At least I will have identified another option.

Before Doggy Bag Dog Food I was using Mazuri Rodent Lab Blocks, and prior to that:  ProLab Rodent Blocks.  All of these options worked perfectly fine.  Last time I checked: Mazuri Lab Blocks in my area were close to 2X the price of Doggy Bag Food-and while I prefer them...I also prefer to save my money for other things.  :Smile:   I did contact Mazuri directly at one point to try and negotiate an arrangement, but, the cost of hiring a delivery truck on a bulk order for a small-scale operation like mine-was prohibitive.
So I am using: 

I purchased two possible alternatives for evaluation from Tractor Supply Co:


While I am certain that both of these foods will work fine (aside from an 'adjustment' period):
My primary concern with both of these: is the diameter of the chunks themselves.  Will they be large enough to fit in the food hoppers, or will they fall through?
I ran a quick test trying to sift out the smaller pieces:



It seems like overall 'Retriever' Brand Choice Chops is going to be my best alternate choice, but, I still hold out hope that my Tractor Supply stores will restore their inventory of Doggy Bag food.

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## Bogertophis

> There are days I really wish I had a pool, and then there are days I remember when I used to clean pools for extra cash during the summer when I was young...and I think of all the work...and that time I opened a pool that had been sitting closed for two decades and my arms were covered with close to a hundred leeches...and nah...I will just sit next to my AC 
> ...


EW!  It's not my own pool, but the town's (huge) pool that I swim laps in.  I agree, I wouldn't care to maintain a pool for myself- yuk!  Expensive & way too much work.  Besides, swimming with others is a lot more fun, & even some of the lifeguards are pretty entertaining at times too.  

I never imagined leeches in a pool, but I once looked at a house for sale that had an un-maintained backyard pool, & it was full of the cutest little froggies!   :Very Happy:   Zillions of tadpoles all the way up to adult frogs looking back at me, just daring me to jump in.  I passed on the opportunity.   :ROFL:  Besides, it would have taken me forever to relocate them all...

---------------

As for feeding rodents- I've used a couple other brands of rodent lab blocks in the past (subject to what was available where I lived), but never dog chow.  I currently use Mazuri.  I prefer to stick with food that's balanced specifically for rodents.  But hey, I just discovered my mice enjoy bits of fresh tomato when I was cutting up some of my garden haul.  They're usually such fussy eaters, I normally only give them bits of greens (kale), carrot or apple.  Didn't expect they'd like tomatoes?

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_Lord Sorril_ (07-31-2022)

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## Argentum

I did take a few photos, but just put them in my Gallery. Since you requested them here...

My female Ultrafly, just after she shed, with a chunk of petrified wood and... I have no idea what the other rock is. Some kind of conglomerate, I assume, which I found interesting at a garage sale. It's quite round.

The petrified wood was dug out of the driveway of the feed store I used to buy hay at. I still have to cringe... the owner had a pothole, so he brought in a load of rock from his property to fill it. It was all petrified wood... and black obsidian. He had no idea what it was, let alone what obsidian would do to tires. It was hard to resist digging up his driveway for the petrified wood, but I did leave with one piece.



Male Banana Fire Bee, much more cooperative about being photographed generally. Just some spheres and eggs; Cherry Blossom Agate, Polychrome Jasper and an Amethyst.



Another of the Banana Fire Bee male. Just because I found it amusing to have him wrap up some eggs. Again, Cherry Blossom agate and Polychrome Jasper.

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*Bogertophis* (07-31-2022),_Homebody_ (07-31-2022),_Kam_ (08-01-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (07-31-2022)

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## Bogertophis

All are very beautiful, thank you Argentum.    :Good Job:    Now Lord Sorril won't have to work quite so hard.   :Wink:

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Argentum (07-31-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> I never imagined leeches in a pool, but I once looked at a house for sale that had an un-maintained backyard pool, & it was full of the cutest little froggies!    Zillions of tadpoles all the way up to adult frogs looking back at me, just daring me to jump in.  I passed on the opportunity.   Besides, it would have taken me forever to relocate them all...
> 
> ---------------
> 
> As for feeding rodents- I've used a couple other brands of rodent lab blocks in the past (subject to what was available where I lived), but never dog chow.  I currently use Mazuri.  I prefer to stick with food that's balanced specifically for rodents.  But hey, I just discovered my mice enjoy bits of fresh tomato when I was cutting up some of my garden haul.  They're usually such fussy eaters, I normally only give them bits of greens (kale), carrot or apple.  Didn't expect they'd like tomatoes?


Knowing me, if I had zillions of tadpoles I would have to raise them all and release them.  I hatched a mantis egg case once and kept hundreds of them until I felt they were large enough to have a fighting chance.  Flightless fruit flies colonies can regain flight if you get a single flighted one in there...learned that the hard way... :Smile: 

Tomatoes for mice!  I did not know that.  I have quite the haul of tomatoes at the end of the season and my chickens are so stuffed full of them they won't go near them!




> I did take a few photos, but just put them in my Gallery. Since you requested them here...
> My female Ultrafly, just after she shed, with a chunk of petrified wood and... I have no idea what the other rock is. Some kind of conglomerate, I assume, which I found interesting at a garage sale. It's quite round.
> 
> The petrified wood was dug out of the driveway of the feed store I used to buy hay at. I still have to cringe... the owner had a pothole, so he brought in a load of rock from his property to fill it. It was all petrified wood... and black obsidian. He had no idea what it was, let alone what obsidian would do to tires. It was hard to resist digging up his driveway for the petrified wood, but I did leave with one piece.
> 
> Male Banana Fire Bee, much more cooperative about being photographed generally. Just some spheres and eggs; Cherry Blossom Agate, Polychrome Jasper and an Amethyst.
> 
> Another of the Banana Fire Bee male. Just because I found it amusing to have him wrap up some eggs. Again, Cherry Blossom agate and Polychrome Jasper.


Love the snakes and love the stones!  My neighbor the down street was mentioning the other day how all the white quartz seemed to have disappeared from his driveway.  I think if he had an unidentified pile of petrified wood and obsidian--it would be mysteriously replaced with pieces of granite... :Wink:  




> All are very beautiful, thank you Argentum.      Now Lord Sorril won't have to work quite so hard.


Not so hard? Nah!  I'm planning on reaching my personal record for BPs this season, I plan on 100% capacity in my snake rooms.  All my thermostats are online, enclosures set up, and all I need is my snake guests.  My first for the season is hatching today.  I had a 50% chance of being Axanthic on this one-would have been awesome to get an Axanthic as a first hatch---Burned! lol...

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Argentum (07-31-2022),*Bogertophis* (07-31-2022),_Kam_ (08-01-2022)

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## Bogertophis

@ Lord Sorril:  regarding tomatoes for mice- they only eat small bits, so I don't think they'll get rid of very many for you.  :Very Happy:   And if they eat too much of any fresh produce, yes, they get good vitamins, but too much & they'll have the "squirts", lol.  I was just surprised though that they seemed to like the taste.  Maybe if served with salt-free corn ships, they'd eat more?   :Wink:

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_Lord Sorril_ (08-06-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Maybe if served with salt-free corn ships, they'd eat more?


I know I would.  But, I will take the salted ones with a hint of lime... :Smile: 

Here is my first Photo for 2022: *Photo #245*

This Pastel/Het Lavender Albino still has its new hatchling skin.  :Smile: 
The pairing was Lavender Albino x Pastel Het Lav Albino--did I produce any Pastel Lav Albinos?  Guess you will have to wait and see.   :Wink: 

The stones are tumbled/polished stromatolite from the mid-west USA. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stromatolite
Due to the nature of stromatolite-it is a challenging stone to achieve a nice form.  
Shown are the first pieces that have made it out of polish.

Here is a little video of what it looked like rough:

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Argentum (08-06-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-06-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Side story:

Last week I visited the Yankee Candle - Flagship Store in South Deerfield, Massachusetts.
 I drop by about twice a year to take a look.  They have all sorts of neat stuff there.
Yes, yes, they have an area with candles, but, ironically I have no interest in those.
 I do wonder what their electricity bill is though...look at all those spotlights!

Anyhow, I scoured the shopping center and came up a bit empty...apparently snakes aren't a popular Holiday theme/animal lol.
I was hoping maybe finding a serpent or snake as part of a Halloween themed item.

But, apparently snake keepers are relegated to this:

Of course, he is a Lord, and I am Lord, but, I resent that stereotype!

I looked around a bit more, no luck.


There is an area with Resin toys, I was almost certain I could find some interesting detailed resin snakes to photograph, but alas, none found!
I thought it was both funny and kind of sad that you can buy resin cat figures and then buy a resin cat scratching tree for them.


So, how does any of this relate to Snakes and Stones?   I saw a resin 'Fire Eagle' figure that looked cool that I wanted to buy.  
My gf asked what I was going to do with it.  I said I was going to use it as a prop in a snake photo.  I thought it was pretty obvious I was joking!
 This morning she asked me where the photo was...and I was like...uhhhh...yeah...I'm going to take that photo today...

Here it is  :Wink:

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Argentum (08-07-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-07-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #246
*
This Brazilian Agate was difficult to photograph.  The dark colors and mirror polish really confused my camera.
Ball Python is a 100% Het Lavender Albino.
With 100F heat + humidity outside, I didn't want to bother trying an outdoor shoot.
My cats wanted to help me with the photos, but, still got a bunch of blurry images...anyhow, you get the idea.   
My fingerprints show in the second photo below, but, the cats face was too hilarious for me to pass over... :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (08-08-2022),_Homebody_ (08-08-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Bogertophis

You cannot fool ME!  Those last 3 are not "snakes & stones"- :ROFL:  Stones, yes- snakes, nooooo...  :Wag of the finger:    GREAT shots though- especially that gray ("blue") face in the middle, hahaha!

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #247
*
Het Lavender Albino and a chunk of Variegated Tiger's Eye.
I could have shot the photo to show the polish on the stone, but, doing so would have blurred out the snake.  :Smile:

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Argentum (08-12-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-12-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> *Photo #247...*I could have shot the photo to show the polish on the stone, but, doing so would have blurred out the snake.


You chose well.   :Wink:

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## Lord Sorril

Messing around with a 'Lava Scorpion' action figure.  :Smile: 

I am waiting for 'first sheds' before I can take some more Snakes and Stones photos.

And no, the hatchlings are not frightened of the scorpion--I just took advantage of their postures and posed the figure that way... :Razz:

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Argentum (08-14-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-15-2022),_Homebody_ (08-15-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #248
*
Lavender Albino with some agate from Mozambique.
It looks like I missed Pastel Lav Albino this year.  No worries, I have a shot at Lav Albino/Clown in a year or two.
Doesn't look like a Lav Albino as a hatchling when clobbered with the camera flash...
 In a bit different light you can see more of the hues.

I like to think the woman on the note is pointing at the ball python.  :Wink:

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Argentum (08-16-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-15-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> ...I like to think the woman on the note is pointing at the ball python.


It does look that way- :ROFL:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #249
*
WT ('Normal') with Brazilian Agate. 

Breeders Note: 
 My clutch #1 finished hatching. 
 Parents:  Pastel/VPI Axanthic/Het Hypo x Het VPI Axanthic/Het Hypo
8 eggs/8 hatchlings 

The Outcome:
4 Pastels (Hets)
2 WTs (Hets)
1 Hypo (Het)
1 Pastel Axanthic

With a 50% chance of Axanthic, and only 1/8 produced...the probability of this happening (with a simple recessive) is about 1/32.  
I bring it up because I have seen historically poor outcomes on my VPI Axanthic *intercrosses* (not backcrosses).
Just saying... :Smile:

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Argentum (08-18-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-18-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Haven't had much time to work on photos recently. 

I checked my Clutch #7 today and I was so tired it took me a few minutes to figure out why I had a 'white' head showing.  :Smile: 
(Pairing:  Fire/Het Clown X Pastel/Het Clown)

Of course my good luck did not hold out. 
 My Clutch#11 was/is almost completely consumed by mold.  :Tears: 

 I collected Clutch#12 at the same time after Clutch #11 and it is in the same incubator in mint condition...Which makes me suspect the eggs from #11 were bad from the start....
This marks the first entire ball python clutch I have lost in many years.

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Argentum (08-28-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-28-2022),_Homebody_ (08-28-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Well you got some real cuties, in spite of your bad luck with the other clutch.  It happens... Congratulations for the ones you DID get.

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_Lord Sorril_ (08-29-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I was starting to overthink last night that maybe that 'white head' could be some hidden gene I had missed.
Thankfully it was not the case today.   :Smile:

----------

Argentum (08-29-2022),*Bogertophis* (08-29-2022),_Homebody_ (08-29-2022),_Kam_ (08-30-2022),MojaveGhostGirl (08-29-2022)

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## Bogertophis

:Love:  :Love:  :Love:   Cuties!

----------


## Argentum

When I looked at the pictures of the eggs, I was searching for which one was a stone.

Very cute hatchlings!

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*Bogertophis* (08-29-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Cuties!





> Very cute hatchlings!


Thank you, Thank you!  The odd gods denied many of my axanthic crosses this year, but, gave me many more clowns than expected. 

*Photo #250*

Brazilian Agate with a Mojave Het Ghost.  
The stone has many little irregularities in the patterning which I initially tried to grind out, but, those little squiggle lines are in the stone itself.

Alternate Angle:

----------

Argentum (09-04-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-04-2022),_Kam_ (09-05-2022)

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## Bogertophis

"Send in the clowns..."   :Very Happy:   :Wink:

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #251
*
Some more local rocks and a 'WT'.  
I put 'WT' in quotes because any genes with less than a 50% probability I don't keep track of... :Smile:

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Argentum (09-07-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #252
*
This Mojave Het Ghost was very uncooperative for the photo shoot.   :Smile:

----------

Argentum (09-09-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-09-2022),_Homebody_ (09-09-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #253
*
These rocks had some...character.  I am going to post this photo in the rock tumbling forum and 'trigger' a bunch of people who are perfectionists.   :Wink: 
The purple stone in the center is neat, the only one like it I've come across so far, too bad it is has lots of 'character'.

The Ball Python is a triple visual gene (no Het influence). 
Brave souls: Can you guess what the morph is?  
Hint: It does not have:  Enchi, Blade, YB, OD, HGW, or Woma.

----------

Argentum (09-11-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-11-2022),Erie_herps (09-11-2022),_Homebody_ (09-11-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> The Ball Python is a triple visual gene (no Het influence). 
> Brave souls: Can you guess what the morph is?  
> Hint: It does not have:  Enchi, Blade, YB, OD, HGW, or Woma.


No takers eh?  I don't blame you.  My blind guess would have been Spider Enchi with another gene hiding.  Of course Enchi was not involved: so I would be wrong.

The parental cross was a 1:1 Super Black Pastel Spider X Lesser

I have produced plenty of Spider Black Pastels in the past (Photos #14, 47, 51, 53, 91, 107, 134 etc), but, I had trouble last year finding info on what happens when you add Lesser (minus pastel): So I figured I would make one.

Note: The Black Pastel and Lesser in combination with Spider seem to be a bit lackluster for a three gene combo.  I suspect it is produced regularly, but, frequently misidentified.  :Smile:

----------

*Bogertophis* (09-11-2022),Erie_herps (09-12-2022)

----------


## Argentum

> No takers eh?  I don't blame you.  My blind guess would have been Spider Enchi with another gene hiding.  Of course Enchi was not involved: so I would be wrong.
> 
> The parental cross was a 1:1 Super Black Pastel Spider X Lesser
> 
> I have produced plenty of Spider Black Pastels in the past (Photos #14, 47, 51, 53, 91, 107, 134 etc), but, I had trouble last year finding info on what happens when you add Lesser (minus pastel): So I figured I would make one.
> 
> Note: The Black Pastel and Lesser in combination with Spider seem to be a bit lackluster for a three gene combo.  I suspect it is produced regularly, but, frequently misidentified.



I'm actually quite shocked. My guess would have been Spider, Black Pastel, but I didn't say anything and planned to just lurk and see what the experts said, since I know very little about identifying genes. I wouldn't have thought of Lesser. Lovely snake, and lovely rocks. The spots of potch remind me somewhat of the Cherry Blossom Agates. That purplish one is particularly interesting.

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-12-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> I'm actually quite shocked. My guess would have been Spider, Black Pastel, but I didn't say anything and planned to just lurk and see what the experts said, since I know very little about identifying genes. I wouldn't have thought of Lesser. Lovely snake, and lovely rocks. The spots of potch remind me somewhat of the Cherry Blossom Agates. That purplish one is particularly interesting.


Yeah, I don't bother to ID ball pythons any longer without at least knowing the lineage...lots of people these days crossing x6 genes and guessing at the outcomes.

Speaking of IDs there are also thousands of types of Agate in the world.  I don't try and name those either, as someone from Massachusetts I have no native agates and no frame of reference unless I buy them pre-identified by someone with more XP.  :Smile: 

On another topic I am fascinated by the variety of head stamps I run across in my collection.   Since different lines have different characteristics and variation abounds...a head stamp hieroglyph record may not be much use for ID for another person.  I don't have much time on my hands these days, but, I imagine if I built one it would look something like this:

If anyone has made something similar for their own collection for reference: I would love to see it.  :Smile:

----------

Argentum (09-13-2022)

----------


## Argentum

> Yeah, I don't bother to ID ball pythons any longer without at least knowing the lineage...lots of people these days crossing x6 genes and guessing at the outcomes.
> 
> Speaking of IDs there are also thousands of types of Agate in the world.  I don't try and name those either, as someone from Massachusetts I have no native agates and no frame of reference unless I buy them pre-identified by someone with more XP. 
> 
> On another topic I am fascinated by the variety of head stamps I run across in my collection.   Since different lines have different characteristics and variation abounds...a head stamp hieroglyph record may not be much use for ID for another person.  I don't have much time on my hands these days, but, I imagine if I built one it would look something like this:
> 
> If anyone has made something similar for their own collection for reference: I would love to see it.


Actually, the more I look at that headstamp, the more it reminds me of my hatchling. She's one of those 'too many genes', though - but she has Spider, and probably Lesser (Parents had both Mojave and Lesser, breeder thought Mojave, people here say Lesser, and I don't know enough to have a concrete opinion). Hers just has a bit less there, but she does have Enchi as well, and Pastel instead of Black Pastel. Regardless, I'm particularly partial to her 'evil smiley face'.

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (09-13-2022),_richardhind1972_ (09-14-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Pastel. Regardless, I'm particularly partial to her 'evil smiley face'.


Hahaha yeah, it sure does!  :Smile:

----------

Argentum (09-13-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022),_richardhind1972_ (09-14-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #254
*
Mojave Het Ghost and a Brazilian Agate that came out of tumble/polish near perfect.

----------

Argentum (09-13-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-13-2022),Erie_herps (09-14-2022),_Homebody_ (09-13-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022),_richardhind1972_ (09-14-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

People say Rock Tumbling is a hobby that relies on patience.  I say Ball Python breeding is so much more extreme:
Hatch a female with 50% probability of a gene, take a guess whether or not she has it, raise her for 3 years, then proof breed her with the distinct possibility that you may not find out for at least another year.
  THAT is patience!

It is such a relief when they prove out...

----------

Argentum (09-14-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-14-2022),Erie_herps (09-14-2022),_Homebody_ (09-14-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022),_richardhind1972_ (09-14-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #255
*
Some more New England Stones: these often don't round out evenly, and tend to refuse a polish.  I think the color/patterning is interesting...my gf disagrees.   :Smile: 
Ball python is a 'WT'.

----------

Argentum (09-14-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-14-2022),Erie_herps (09-14-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

I like them too.

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #256
*
Some larger pieces of prairie agate with a Pastel Het Clown.  
The Het Clown influence will  make the snake brighter with a lighter head, but, the banding won't get as light as a true super pastel.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-16-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-17-2022),Erie_herps (09-16-2022),_Homebody_ (09-16-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #257
*
'Normal' Ball Python with some 'Green Epidote' in Matrix from the Great Lakes Region.
Epidote should have had the same hardness as the surrounding matrix, not sure why it undercut unless it is something else.

I did get a polish on both the green and yellow sections (video below), but, still looks rough because it is uneven.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-17-2022),Erie_herps (09-19-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Someone asked what my super pastels look like for reference as they were having trouble figuring out the images on WOBP https://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/super-pastel/
After reviewing the site photos for Super Pastel:  I totally understand!

Shown below are the only two super pastels I have without additional genes: visible/or non-visible Hets.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-17-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-17-2022),Erie_herps (09-19-2022),_Kam_ (09-17-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #258
*
Brazilian Agate with a Black Pastel.  :Smile:

----------

Argentum (09-18-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-18-2022),Erie_herps (09-19-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

I thought I had missed my Pastel Lavender Albino goal this year:  
Totally forgot I had one more project related clutch- which started hatching today-exciting!  :Smile: 

Even if this one turns out non-Pastel I have fair odds of getting another chance in this clutch-
(Lavender Albino x Pastel/Het Lav Albino) *fingers crossed*

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-18-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-18-2022),D-.No (10-09-2022),Erie_herps (09-19-2022),_Homebody_ (09-18-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Update 19SEP2022
First Lav Albino from my Clutch #15 has finished hatching.
Looks like I got lucky!  Whoooo!!!!   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-19-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-19-2022),D-.No (10-09-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #259
*
'Normal' BP with more New England granite... :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-20-2022),Erie_herps (09-20-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #260
*
Brazilian Agate again and a Pastel Het Clown.  
I waited 1 hour for the ball python to 'unfurl', but, never happened...had to take the photo from an odd angle lol...

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-21-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-21-2022),_Homebody_ (09-21-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

A beautiful if too reluctant model... :Smile:

----------


## Lord Sorril

> A beautiful if too reluctant model...


Thanks!

Took this photo below just for fun!

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-24-2022),Argentum (09-21-2022),blisterbeetle (09-24-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-21-2022),Erie_herps (09-21-2022),_Homebody_ (09-21-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #261
*
Some Desert Jasper (from Madagascar) and a Fire Het Clown.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-24-2022),Animallover3541 (09-22-2022),Argentum (09-22-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-22-2022),Erie_herps (09-23-2022),_Homebody_ (09-22-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #262
*
Another Fire Het Clown with some Agate from Utah.  
Due to the high polish on the stones: the  camera could either focus on the agate or the snake, but, not both.  I picked the snake.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-24-2022),Argentum (09-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-23-2022),Erie_herps (09-23-2022),_Homebody_ (09-23-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #263
*
Pastel ball python with some Chalcedony.
Chalcedony is very hard, but, very brittle, and can shatter during the mining process.
Sometimes the pieces I get for tumbling are so sharp and irregular that they do a lot of damage to the tumbling barrel.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-24-2022),Argentum (09-25-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-24-2022),Erie_herps (09-26-2022),_Homebody_ (09-24-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

----------


## Albert Clark

Thanks LS! Youre taking it all to the next level. Always a pleasure.

----------


## Lord Sorril

> Thanks LS! Youre taking it all to the next level. Always a pleasure.


Thanks!  The creative process can be a lot of work, but, I have fun!   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-27-2022),Argentum (09-25-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-25-2022),Erie_herps (09-26-2022),_Homebody_ (09-24-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #264
*
In order to see the detail on this dinosaur bone I had to hit it full-force with the camera flash (which washes out the colors a bit).
Alternate views of the piece on the bottom below:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-27-2022),Argentum (09-25-2022),blisterbeetle (09-25-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-25-2022),Erie_herps (09-26-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #265
*
Here is some tumbled/polished local Serpentinite I collected (with a Het Pied serpent), the green color can vary greatly from piece to piece.
I also tossed in a few pieces of clear quartz in the photo...which I can also find in my area, but, is a rarity.

Little video of me collecting some of this rough material (lazy mans rock-hounding).



Serpentinite is a difficult material to tumble because it is prone to fracturing along softer yellow/orange veins (none shown in photo above: usually lost in tumble).
If the orange mineralization is not too collected in one spot, sometimes I can keep it (as shown below).

I have tumbled Serpentinite from different parts of the USA, I think the material in my area is the most difficult.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (09-27-2022),Argentum (09-27-2022),blisterbeetle (09-27-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-30-2022),Erie_herps (09-27-2022),_Homebody_ (09-27-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I went to Mystic CT the other day, I visit the Aquarium and the surrounding shopping village about once a year to check it out. 


Halloween is a great time to go for me to go to Mystic because I find more interesting things to look at.
I am always curious what sort of 'snake-themed' things I can find in the various stores.





This year:  there were Two 'Haunted bookstores' set up in the town.   
I know they had been working on these for a while.
The smaller book store had a section of old (early 1900's) 'paranormal/metaphysical' books. ($$$$$)

The larger one was more of a tourist trap with a built-in coffee shop.

Both of these stores were pretty interesting, although the outside of the buildings were deliberately fashioned to look 'abandoned'-
which could be problematic because even with an 'open' sign, people walked by these without a second glance...

Some of the decor in these bookstores was on the spooky side as well.  I bet some smaller kids would be traumatized lol...



Of course snakes had to make an appearance.  I am glad they are fake ones in these jars...


 :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-30-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-30-2022),_Homebody_ (09-30-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

My gf has an odd sense of humor: 
I thought she would find it funny when I told her there was apple pieds in a bowl in the kitchen for her.

She was not amused.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (09-30-2022),*Bogertophis* (09-30-2022),_Homebody_ (09-30-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Bogertophis

:ROFL:  She wasn't quite that hungry, eh?  (I think that was great!)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> She wasn't quite that hungry, eh?  (I think that was great!)


Lol, Thanks!  :Smile: 

*Photo #266
*
Pastel Het Clown with a chunk of Variegated Tiger Eye (from South Africa).

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_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (10-01-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-01-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I went to a flea market this morning and I saw a neat carved pyrite dragon skull in a jewelry vendors booth.
I was skeptical at first that it was real (for the price), but, upon closer inspection it seemed legit. 
The white sections are remnants of the quartz matrix.

GHI Mojave and GHI Lesser shown above.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (10-01-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-01-2022),_Homebody_ (10-01-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

I went to the New England Reptile Expo in Manchester, NH this morning.

Saw lots of stuff (as usual).  

Quick Observations:
I noticed a significant drop in vendor attendance.
Most vendors were only selling visible ball python morphs (no 2x, 3x, 4x, Normal looking Hets).
95% of the Axanthic ball pythons were TSK based.
About as many Retics. available as there were Ratsnakes.
A bunch of vendors had Natal Dragons...so there must have been a recent batch imported.
One vendor was selling stone dragon heads (like I just purchased yesterday), but, did not have one in pyrite (like mine).

Anyhow, a picture is worth a thousand words:





















What did I buy though?  Nothing.   :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),Argentum (10-02-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-02-2022),_Homebody_ (10-02-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022),_Snagrio_ (10-02-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Oooh, a Huntsman!  I used to have one.   :Good Job:   Nice tongue shot on the monitor.   :Very Happy:   Lovely gecko too, but I'd have likely come home empty-handed too, as I already have "enough".   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 
Thanks for sharing though....I love to shop, & it's much safer this way, lol.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (10-04-2022)

----------


## Snagrio

> Most vendors were only selling visible ball python morphs (no 2x, 3x, 4x, Normal looking Hets).


I think that's the same story everywhere. I can't believe the BP market  hasn't crashed yet with how they oversaturate everything, probably only  because they come up with new morphs every couple months or something. I'm fortunate that my local still has a decent variety despite its relatively small size, and even then the tables are still 40-50% BPs.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-07-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-04-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (10-04-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Oooh, a Huntsman!  I used to have one.


I took a photo of this Desert Huntsman because it seemed pretty formidable.  I bet it makes an interesting pet... :Smile: 




> I'm fortunate that my local still has a decent variety despite its relatively small size, and even then the tables are still 40-50% BPs.


I would say the New England Reptile exp was about 30% Ball Pythons. 
 Leopard geckos made a big showing this time round in October Expo....I saw a lot of really nice ones...even some approaching the $1K price range (which is impressive).

*Photo #267*

Local Serpentinite, and some non-local Quartz....I took the rough blue stone from an old childrens tumbling kit (circa 1975): it is dyed agate.
Fire/Pastel (Firefly)/66% Het Clown, shown above.

----------

Argentum (10-05-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-04-2022),_Homebody_ (10-04-2022),_Kam_ (10-05-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

> I took a photo of this Desert Huntsman because it seemed pretty formidable.  I bet it makes an interesting pet... ...


She wasn't "cuddly" but yes, she was a handsome spider, gave me hundreds of spiderlings  :ROFL: & happily chowed down mealworms.  She lived a couple years with me- a natural lifespan. (She was an adult when I got her, & I understand they max out about 2.5 years.)

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (10-07-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> She wasn't "cuddly" but yes, she was a handsome spider, gave me hundreds of spiderlings & happily chowed down mealworms.  She lived a couple years with me- a natural lifespan. (She was an adult when I got her, & I understand they max out about 2.5 years.)


Neat! 
 Have you bred spiders?  
I tried my hand at raising and breeding mantids (hatched an egg case and kept hundreds), raised them for many weeks, but, lost 95% at the 6th instar due to molting issues-let the rest go...(I have pictures somewhere, but, too lazy to find them).

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #268
*
I'm sure most members here will realize something odd about this pastel (aside from being in-shed).
The light orange blushing on the sides is obvious, pretty cool: it will fade as the snake grows.
Thought it was a fluke at first, but, I have seen it repeatedly: one of the characteristics on my Pastel Het Lav Albino line.

----------

Argentum (10-07-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-07-2022),_Homebody_ (10-07-2022),_Kam_ (10-08-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

> Neat! 
>  Have you bred spiders?  
> I tried my hand at raising and breeding mantids (hatched an egg case and kept hundreds), raised them for many weeks, but, lost 95% at the 6th instar due to molting issues-let the rest go...(I have pictures somewhere, but, too lazy to find them).


No- that was all her idea, lol.  "Surprise!"  "They're H-E-R-E!"   :ROFL:  And I just released them.  Even offered her freedom too but she wanted none of it- she liked room service.

----------

_Lord Sorril_ (10-08-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #269
*
Agate from Madagascar and Mozambique, Pastel/66% Het Clown

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-10-2022),Argentum (10-08-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-08-2022),_Homebody_ (10-10-2022),_Kam_ (10-08-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #270
*
Some granite from NH, and a Het Pied Ball Python.

Interestingly:  I just so happened to visit the spots I collected these stones today, it was a nice day.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-10-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-09-2022),_Homebody_ (10-10-2022),_Kam_ (10-16-2022)

----------


## D-.No

This is such an amazing thread! Thank you so much Lord for all these great photos. I wanna get off my phone and on a real computer to go through and enjoy all 50 something pages of it though🤣🤣

----------


## Lord Sorril

> This is such an amazing thread! Thank you so much Lord for all these great photos. I wanna get off my phone and on a real computer to go through and enjoy all 50 something pages of it though����


Thanks! 
 A few more years and this thread will start to read like a book.   :Smile: 
*
Photo #271*

'Normal' ball python shown.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-10-2022),Argentum (10-10-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-10-2022),_Homebody_ (10-10-2022),_Kam_ (10-16-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

> Thanks! 
>  A few more years and this thread will start to read like a book.   ....


Don't hold your breath waiting for us to complain... :Cool:   I'm even enjoying the scenery you're sharing!  Do continue- it's all welcome.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-10-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (10-12-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

*Photo #272
*
Brazilian Agate (natural color), and a Fire/Pastel (Firefly)/66% Het Clown.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022),Argentum (10-12-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-12-2022),Erie_herps (10-12-2022),_Homebody_ (10-12-2022),_Kam_ (10-16-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

With Fall upon New England the leaf litter makes it difficult to find good rocks for tumbling in my area.

I still try though.   :Smile: 

In other news:
I thought maybe a 27lb. knucklehead pumpkin with a big ball python wrapped around it might make for a cool photo...
Maybe not... :Cool: 

I eventually decided to use a snake that was a bit more 'manageable' in size....

Interesting that the gray tones are visible in this flash photo for this Het Axanthic/Leopard Pastel.  :Smile:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022),Argentum (10-14-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-15-2022),D-.No (10-14-2022),_Homebody_ (10-14-2022),_Kam_ (10-16-2022)

----------


## D-.No

Another great photo!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

----------


## Argentum

As always, you provide great ideas for pictures. My photography skills are horrible, but the idea is still fun.



After I put her away, I noticed the shed skin from my Banana Fire Bee male that was set aside to dry out, so....



It might have worked better if it hadn't been already almost completely dry.

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-15-2022),_Kam_ (10-16-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (10-15-2022)

----------


## Bogertophis

> With Fall upon New England the leaf litter makes it difficult to find good rocks for tumbling in my area.
> 
> 
> .....


With trees so beautiful, I'd only be looking up anyway, not complaining about the rocks being obscured by leaves.   :Very Happy:

----------

_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022)

----------


## Lord Sorril

> As always, you provide great ideas for pictures. My photography skills are horrible, but the idea is still fun.
> 
> After I put her away, I noticed the shed skin from my Banana Fire Bee male that was set aside to dry out, so....
> 
> It might have worked better if it hadn't been already almost completely dry.


Thank you Argentum!  The photos look good to me!  You did a great job positioning the snake.   :Smile: 

I had messed around trying to take black-light photos with my pumpkin and a BEL, but, the light was not bright enough to reflect off the orange/green pumpkin...
seeing your white pumpkin I realize that would have been a better choice.

Holidays are great for taking photos, Halloween is perfect for snakes because there are so many things can be used as props: Skulls, statues, sculptures, artwork, pumpkins, plates, etc etc
I don't mind going off-topic because I have plenty of Snakes and Stones photos to get back on track:  
*I encourage everyone to add any Holiday snake photos to this thread!*




> With trees so beautiful, I'd only be looking up anyway, not complaining about the rocks being obscured by leaves.


I can complain-because I want it all!  :Wink:

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Argentum (10-15-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I was loading my rock tumblers the other day and ran across this large broken geode in a box of rough material I bought years ago.
It looks kinda cool, I don't think tumbling will improve this one:

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_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022),Argentum (10-15-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-15-2022),_Homebody_ (10-15-2022),_Kam_ (10-16-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> I was loading my rock tumblers the other day and ran across this large broken geode in a box of rough material I bought years ago.
> It looks kinda cool, I don't think tumbling will improve this one:



Magnifique!  Don't you dare tumble that exquisite geode!  (Pretty nice snake too.   :Wink:   )

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #273
*
Some Carnelian Agate, some Jasper, and a Fire/Pastel (Firefly)/66% Het Clown...
I totally doubt Het Clown on this one.  :Smile:

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_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022),Argentum (10-17-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-17-2022),Erie_herps (10-17-2022),_Homebody_ (10-17-2022),_Kam_ (10-21-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #274
*
Madison Blue Agate in matrix from Montana (USA)
Fire/66% Het Clown

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_Albert Clark_ (10-18-2022),Argentum (10-18-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-18-2022),Erie_herps (10-19-2022),_Homebody_ (10-18-2022),_Kam_ (10-21-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Halloween is approaching fast!


First photo is a Soul Sucker (HGW/Lesser) on a fake cat skeleton.
Second photo is an Aztec Death Whistle resting on a Spider (possible YB).

Death whistle in use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9QuO09z-SI (fun for the whole family)...

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Argentum (10-18-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-18-2022),Erie_herps (10-19-2022),_Homebody_ (10-18-2022),_Kam_ (10-21-2022)

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## Bogertophis

That "death whistle" is a pretty chilling sound- I can see how it might give a psychological edge when used in battle.   :Cool:

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Erie_herps (10-19-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> I can see how it might give a psychological edge when used in battle.


Or when your partner decides you are sleeping too late... :Party:

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Erie_herps (10-19-2022)

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## Bogertophis

> Or when your partner decides you are sleeping too late...


That might just turn into another kind of battle... :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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Erie_herps (10-19-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

Originally when I started rock tumbling I took a bunch of stones from my backyard and tossed them in the barrels to see what would/wouldn't tumble.
I liquified about 75% of the rocks I tossed in (too soft/sedimentary), and a lot of them wouldn't hold a polish.
I recently went back and ran these 'surviving' stones through my UV-18 vibe tumbler...much better now!  (shown below)

*Photo #275
*
66% Het Clown shown above

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Argentum (10-23-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-22-2022),Erie_herps (10-27-2022),_Homebody_ (10-22-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

In the Fall spirit-I snapped a few photos today.
I could add puns and and/or bad jokes, but, I am not going to (this time).  :Wink:

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Argentum (10-24-2022),_Armiyana_ (10-24-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-24-2022),Erie_herps (10-27-2022),_Homebody_ (10-24-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

My mother saw the Halloween snake photos above and said 'You don't use that Wega Board do you?'  
Wega board eh?  Sounds like an amusing video on YouTube I saw before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15nNY7uofNw  :Razz: 

Anyhow,
*Photo #276
*
'Normal' Ball python

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Argentum (10-25-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-25-2022),Erie_herps (10-27-2022),_Homebody_ (10-25-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I notice we broke 1.5M views!  Thanks All!  2M here we come!

In other news: during my travels today I saw this device pictured below:

Took me a few minutes to figure out what it is considering it is a Scrimshaw piece.
I am actually surprised there are quite a few designs of the time incorporating snakes.

Anyone care to guess what it is?  :Smile:

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Argentum (10-26-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-26-2022),Erie_herps (10-27-2022),_Homebody_ (10-26-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Bogertophis

A distance measuring device?  What a cool design, whatever it is!

Oh wait, is it a pizza cutter?   :Very Happy:

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_Kam_ (11-18-2022),_Lord Sorril_ (10-26-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Oh wait, is it a pizza cutter?


You are on the right track.  Try again!  :Smile:

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## Bogertophis

> You are on the right track.  Try again!


It's for making pasta!

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-26-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> It's for making pasta!


Awwwww so close!  It is an old 'Pie Crimper'! (aka Jagging wheel)
A quick Google Search will show that are actually several serpent-based ivory hand-carved designs--I never knew until today!   :Smile:

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*Bogertophis* (10-26-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Well I don't make pies OR pasta from scratch, so there ya go.  Nothing for size reference either.  But what a COOL design!

It reminded me of some gadgets I've seen though-

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_Lord Sorril_ (10-26-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Well I don't make pies OR pasta from scratch, so there ya go.


I know right! 
 I bake every now and then and I have a set of pie crimpers too...I call those 'my fingers' and if I'm getting fancy:  tines from a fork work as well... :Wink: 

*Photo #277
*
BP: Pastel/Het Axanthic

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Argentum (10-26-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-26-2022),Erie_herps (10-27-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #278
*
BP: Pastel/Het Piebald

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_Albert Clark_ (11-04-2022),Argentum (10-28-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-28-2022),Erie_herps (10-29-2022),_Homebody_ (10-28-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

I was out late last night at a Haunted Woods event and I was exhausted today.
As I was laying in bed staring at a broken deer skull in the corner: I started thinking it might look cool to 
do a group shot by putting ball pythons on the antlers.

It seemed like an easy photo, but, not quite.

My original plan was to have 11 ball pythons in this photo including:
2 large Black Pastel females (one behind/below each antler), and a GHI/Fire behind the skull curled up holding the blue brazilian agate in her coils.

Balancing issues aside:
 -the two Black Pastel females decided to leave (due to their size-I had trouble positioning them both simultaneously)
-The GHI/Fire refused to coil around the agate before she decided she had enough and became defensive
-The Piebald top right kept striking at me hungrily and falling off the antlers onto the Firefly below
-The Firefly lower right was really-really angry (the piebald falling on her did not help)
-The Firefly Clown (center) also kept falling backwards off the skull and would lay upside down and stare at me in confusion

The photo came out OK though, symmetry is a little off, but, I am pleased with it.  :Smile:

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_Albert Clark_ (11-04-2022),Argentum (10-30-2022),*Bogertophis* (10-29-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Bogertophis

I love it!  Even without all 11 snakes-   :Very Happy:   Getting this many snakes to remain in position, well, you did great!

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_Albert Clark_ (11-04-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

*Photo #279
*
BP: Lavender Albino

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_Albert Clark_ (11-04-2022),Argentum (11-04-2022),*Bogertophis* (11-04-2022),Erie_herps (11-04-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Albert Clark

Every photo should take first place! The lavender albino is extra special!

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_Lord Sorril_ (11-04-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

> Every photo should take first place! The lavender albino is extra special!


Thanks! After 8 years of heavy use I think I need a new camera.
I had a bunch of Snakes and Stones photos that came out pretty hazy/blurry.  I tried to troubleshoot with no success.
Luckily Black Friday/Cyber Monday is coming up!  I will see if I can upgrade to a Olympus TG-6 (from TG-5).







At Low Resolution these photos don't look too bad.
At High Resolution these photos are a mess...lol.

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Argentum (11-04-2022),*Bogertophis* (11-04-2022),_Kam_ (11-18-2022)

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## Lord Sorril

As I mentioned previously I was having some trouble with my camera (pixels dropped, blurring etc).
I bought a new camera on Cyber Monday (Olympus TG-6).
Took me a while to receive it-so unfortunately I had to sell some ball pythons before I got a chance to photograph them.  
Ahhh well, I still have my holdbacks...

Shown below is the lens of my TG-5 after 7 years of adventures.


*Photo #280
*
Pastel VPI Axanthic with tumbled/polished Rubellite
Rubellite = Pink Tourmaline in Quartz

Tough material to tumble because it was heavily fractured when I received it (due to the mining process).
Does make a nice photo-if one does not look too closely.   :Wink:

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*Bogertophis* (12-10-2022),_Homebody_ (12-10-2022),_Kam_ (12-19-2022),_Spicey_ (12-10-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Beautiful!  And I can see why you needed a new camera, lol.

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## Lord Sorril

> Beautiful!  And I can see why you needed a new camera, lol.


Yeah, it makes a world of difference!  :Smile: 

*Merry Christmas All!*

*Photo #281*

Pied with a Brazilian Agate.

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*Bogertophis* (12-25-2022),_Homebody_ (12-25-2022),_Kam_ (12-25-2022)

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## Bogertophis

Beautiful!  Looks like we're all getting to enjoy your new camera-  :Smile:

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## Kam

Beautiful! Merry Christmas. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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