| Mike Streeter |
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| #1 |
Hey gang,
Click on the following link to for Chrissy's and my latest excursion:
Click Here for report
Mike |
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| Gemhunter |
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| #2 |
Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing this report and pictures with us all. Man those rocks of a neet color to them for cabbing.
KOR Carl in WI still fighting MRAS. |
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| Sandy B |
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| #3 |
Hey Mike,
That's some pretty material, and you know how I love Fluorite. Not to shabby cabbing job!
Sandy B |
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| Bruce Skubon |
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| #4 |
Very cool stuff. I wanna hear the geologic history of the rocks!!!
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| Junesse |
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| #5 |
Those are really lovely! Did you have any trouble w/undercutting due to the differences in hardness of the fluorite and granite? |
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| Ivey nelson |
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| #6 |
Yes, I wondered about under-cutting too. There is quite a spread in hardness there. Pretty cabs by the way. Real nice. |
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| Wayne |
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| #7 |
Well it's nice to see that you're seeing things(or is that rock?)
in a different light. Some people only look in one direction and miss many opportunities to discover true worth where they were overlooked in the past.
You were lucky this time to be able to return and pick up the pieces once thought as "low grade", or no good, and being able to bring out the best in them. This takes effort and a will to look in all directions!
Great looking cabs!!
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| Tom K. |
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| #8 |
I'm sitting here laughing at Mr.Mineral turned Mr.Rock!!
Yeah,yeah,,,,yeah,,,I know you're still into minerals but to think of what you've done in a short time with rocks is amazing to me!
When ya gunna make me a stainless steel belt buckle???? lol
Tom K. |
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| Jim Adams |
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| #9 |
Hi Mike,
Very fun report and pictures! The picture of Chrissy is a classic. It's obvious you are both having a great time in the fantastic NC mountains. One observation from our trip there this June. That French Broad River seems to go on forever! I don't know how many times we crossed over it on our way home. ...And which French broad was it named after anyway! 
Beautiful cabs, although I'm not quite ready to try cabbing that fussy Fluorite yet again. |
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| Joe D. |
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| #10 |
Mike,
Those rocks have very nice color but are a bit fragile and brittle, by the looks of them. That 8" one you show seems to be a bit more "Silicified" then the others and should cut better.
I don't try and cut the rocks that look like that anymore. Most of them will either crumble or have softer minerals inside the harder ones that tend to fall apart and make those tiny holes in the cab. I know you like to leave them there, as a natural look but I don't. I used to collect a rock that is beutiful red, white and blue Quartz but it has a Chlorite mineral mixed around inside it that is an ugly tan color and it is a weak spot wherever it appears. Now I don't keep them but throw them back. There is also a Feldspar & Calcite variety with the same Chlorite junk inside it. They make nice rock specimens but lousy cutting material. I still collect the bigger ugly Garnets and Zircons so I can re-cut them into other shapes and even facet them with the Genie.
I just started to find some nice purple rocks, that cut great, in my crick. They are Quartz though, not Flourite and not of the Amethyst grade.
Even the worst day rock collecting is better then the best day working for a living. Thanks for taking us along on your trip.
Joe D. |
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| John Cornish |
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| #11 |
Hi Mike,
Thanks for sharing your report. It made for a nice read this morning. Neat looking material, even darn I say it... pretty!  There's treasure in them there hills!! All the very best!
John |
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| Mike Streeter |
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| #12 |
Hey Carl - Thanks, man! Cabbing these rocks goes pretty quick since they are relatively soft.
Thanks, Sandy - I'll give you a piece next time you're down this way.
Bruce - I agree, the rocks are way cool. Here's the Reader's Digest version of the geologic history. A granite was intruded sometime before 1,000 million years ago, probably around 1,600 my. This "basement" rock was subjected to metamorphism as least three times: 1) Precambrian Grenville Orogeny 2) Ordovician Taconic Orogeny and 3) Pennsylvanian and Permian Allegheny Orogeny. The basement rock was thrust to the west over younger rocks probably during the Taconic orogeny. This faulting likely resulted in brecciation of the brittle rock. It is also likely that barite, fluorite and other minerals were injected by hydrothermal processes during the Taconic. Brecciation of the already-brecciated brittle rock likely occurred a second time during the Allegheny Orogeny, as is evidenced by the offset of barite and fluorite pods, layers and veinlets. Keep in mind that much of the geologic history of western North Carolina continues to be a subject of much debate amongst geologist way above my level of expertise, so take what I written with a grain of salt - or maybe an entire block.
Hi Junesse - Thanks. I believe that since all I use is diamond and it is considerably harder than any of the mineral and rock constituents of this rock, undercutting on the cab faces was not an issue. I did, however, have to apply less pressure on the sides, corners and edges composed of barite when I was grinding and sanding because it is the softest mineral in the rock.
Thanks, Ivey - Got you covered with my answer to Junesse.
Hey Wayne - Thanks. Yep, you've been telling me to slow down . . . I haven't completely, but I am going back to take second and third looks which works out the same in the end, just takes more energy.
Hi Tom - HA! I'm going to leave the metal working to you and others, good buddy . . . but, I used to say that about cabbing . . . so who knows, but don't hold your breath!
Hey Jim - Thanks. Of course, Chrissy didn't like the picture of herself, never does, but I also thought it was classic. Glad you noticed. You're right about the French Broad River - it is over 200 miles long and is the only major river on the western side of the eastern continental divide that flows north before turning west into Tennessee.
Hey Joe - I was actually surprised that the rocks held together as well as they did as many of the fractures have been mineralized. They were a bit on the soft side to take a killer polish, but they still shined up pretty well.
Hi John - Just trying to keep up with Mr. Cornish! Thanks, man and yep, it's OK to say pretty, even for manly-man like you. |
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| Don Robinson |
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| #13 |
Mike
Nice looking material I aespecially like te 8 inch piece of Flourite& Barite in matea granite the yellow band looks interesting and adds to the mix of colors.
DOn |
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| Don Robinson |
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| #14 |
Boy look at all the typos...time to clean the keyboard.
Don |
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| gemdragon |
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| #15 |
Wow Mike and Chrissy
Those are SUCH beautiful colors in those nice cabs! What a great report,as per always too! I love your landscapes out there. I've always enjoyed how you two can get out this time of year and I'm sure looking forward to it in the future here after all our years being iced in by Oct!
This year has been great weather on Oregon's west side,just too much to do on our new property!Fence is now going up and holes for my mini-orchard come next... Well, in a year or two(or 4 months-hahahah) we'll be OUT again tromping in the woods,not just the(usually) easy and quick beach! There is new-to-us material here like rhodonite and I can't wait to find some! Your trips are so real and invigorating: What a reminder!!! KOR, Rhonda
PS-That's an exceptional portrait of Chrissy! |
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