What is this?

[roc2rol]

I have worked some obsidian
and it’s a pleasure to work and buff
I have a good source for snowflake obsidian
and they make excellent hearts

I’m on the lookout for rainbow obsidian
as the name implies
there are different shades of color in the glassiness

much like this mahogany obsidian


I did this piece from a tumbled stone
I bought at the AZ. Mining & Mineral Museum
for .75 cents!!

Those types of places are great for inexpensive exotic material !
It’s a amazing! Because you can buy polish stones, many times,
less expensive then rough material/
Keep your eyes open. Tumbled stones, most any shape, I can craft a heart from.
The best are oblong and sort of flat.
I slice them in ½ & craft them bookend style.
If that makes any sense.


I’m looking forward to the weekend so I can do my hobby
I’ll keep you in mind as I grind Paul
maybe, I’ll come up with something you’ll like…

roc

[roc2rol]

heres how the honeycomb calcite/blueonyx combo came out



ya all have a safe & fun weeknend !!

roc2rol
Ed Arno

[roc2rol]

Here’s an interesting phenomenon
Not sure where it was found.

This little nugget has all kinds of surface
colors, crystal growth and a dense weight.
Cut it to see the inside



Metal! Not magnetic. Flakes out with a knife.
Pretty sure it not lead. Didn’t seem soft enough.
I figure pot metal.

Could it be some kind of industrial slag?

Thanks for looking
Ed

[Gil Flores]

Hi, If the yellow-orage crysrals on the outside are botroydal or blades, I would guess that the metal is possibly galena (lead) or manganese. The picture of the cut piece is not sharp enough to tell. There are many areas in AZ to find lead minerals.

[Gil Flores]

Anyone that has a question about a rock used to be able to go down to AZ Mining and Mineral useum. Our horrible governor took it away from us. . . So, post your pictures. If I can't ID it, I have geolosist and mireralologist friends who can.

Also, check out www.mindat.org

happy hunting and good luck

[roc2rol]

Thanks Gil

none of it is botroydal
more of just a random rough crust
with some tiny quartz crystals

here’s another picture



I realize it’ll be hard to I.D. from a picture
and its not all that important.
I was thinking of sending a sample to Paul.
But ya know ==busy and all.
But I am gathering that it could be natural
as oppose to a type of slag?


Now here another wonderful mystery



We have some strong conjecture on what this rock may be.
Not sure where it was found but around Globe AZ is good guess.

Ed

I was thinking of starting thread about
AZ. Mining and Mineral Museum
I’m one of the dissatisfied for sure!

[cubfan64]

Thanks Gil

none of it is botroydal
more of just a random rough crust
with some tiny quartz crystals

here’s another picture



I realize it’ll be hard to I.D. from a picture
and its not all that important.
I was thinking of sending a sample to Paul.
But ya know ==busy and all.
But I am gathering that it could be natural
as oppose to a type of slag?


Now here another wonderful mystery



We have some strong conjecture on what this rock may be.
Not sure where it was found but around Globe AZ is good guess.

Ed

I was thinking of starting thread about
AZ. Mining and Mineral Museum
I’m one of the dissatisfied for sure!

That last rock is really interesting Ed - it almost looks like petrified lizard skin

[roc2rol]

Hi Paul
Might be
because according to people in the know
that rock is mineralized worm trails !
is that wild?

I'm sceptical --but it could happen
amazing what the naural process
of mineralization can accomplish

roc

[Tyroler]

Here's a few "rocks" and other things I've inherited, found or in a couple cases made

This first one is a copper containing rock about the size of a fist that was in our house in NH when we moved in - no clue where it came from, but it looks pretty cool.



This next is a smaller sample of azurite containing ore I found in a mine dump not far from the JF Ranch - there was lots of it there, but I didn't much time to really dig around. Found a couple mine shafts nearby where it was likely removed from.



Next is one of a bucketfull of Apache Tears that I collected near Superior at the perlite mines there - couldn't find any of the fist size ones, but lots of marble to golf ball size ones.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCAf_Ajh_KQ


Next one is a sample of Chrysacolla taken out of the dacite mines W and a little N of the Don's camp.



These last two photographs are copper sulfate crystals and nickel sulfate crystals I made at one of my last jobs where we recovered metals from hazardous waste. Out of boredom while working 3rd shift now and then I would purify some of the solutions we had in the plant and try "seed" and slowly allow the crystals to form. The copper sulfate usually worked out really well although I was only able to make large single crystals now and then - all it takes is a tiny bit of contamination or movement to the solution while it's crystalizing to cause it to form lots of smaller crystals like the one you see (blue). We didn't have as much nickel solutions to play with, but I was able to make a few good size green chunks like the last photo.

Chemistry can be so much fun





There you go - hope you liked em