Currently Rockhounding

The ads that were run in Lapidary Journal in the 60s and 70s were so good when compared to what we have these days, which is often just some lame social media posts about a 10% discount on something you probably don't even want or a re-posting of someone's TikTok / IG Reel showing an unboxing or a rock being cut...etc.

This "I.Q. Test" which ran in the September 1967 issue of Lapidary Journal, is far better at selling a product than a 60-second video with trending audio.

In the year 2083 no one will look back at your #ad that you made in 2025 for a company to re-post on Facebook and share it the same way I am looking back at the ads that were made in 1967 and sharing them.

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1 week ago | [YT] | 44

Currently Rockhounding

I'm just going to go out on a limb here and say that if a rock hammer has a typo on it, it's probably not going to be "Honed for Performance, Forged Perfection"

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1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 83

Currently Rockhounding

Thanks to my friend ‪@Betty-RockBetty‬ I now have this fancy new collapsible 5-gallon bucket.

I have to say it's pretty nice to have an extra bucket that can store flat in the car until you want it to be a bucket.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 123

Currently Rockhounding

Does anyone own or have access to a Rockwell hardness testing machine and would like to work with me on a project?

If so, please email me at currentlyrockhounding@gmail.com

(A photo of what these machines look like for attention)

1 month ago | [YT] | 24

Currently Rockhounding

Just an agate for your timeline.

1 month ago | [YT] | 219

Currently Rockhounding

3D-Printed lapidary machines are a waste of money.

Nearly every one of them being sold on Facebook, eBay and Etsy is printed from the cheapest material, which is PLA plastic, which will break down and deform over time. Nearly all of them have large print lines, which looks terrible and is a sign of both being printed on a low-quality machine quickly and being done poorly.

The people who make and sell these things make bold claims as to the quality of these printed machines, but from what I can see, there has been little to no real testing of them or comparisons to more traditional machines.

The most popular 3D-Printed machine seems to be a 6" flat lap. They often range in price between $140-$175 and they come with no laps. Add the cheapest garbage-tier set of diamond laps from Amazon for $45 which comes with electroplated laps in the grits of 100/200/320/500/600/800/1200/2000/3000 and you're at a total price of around $200.

I have bought some of these cheap electroplated discs for testing in the past, and nearly all of them were contaminated with larger diamonds when viewed under the microscope, meaning when running a 1200 grit disc, it has some large 60 grit diamonds on it that just leave a deep scratch mark on whatever you're working on.

So you saved money on the machine by going with a questionable 3D-Printed one but now you need to buy some decent laps.

If we're looking at the laps that Hi-Tech Diamond offers, the price can really add up. Electroplated 80/180/260 is $120 and then some smooth discs in 220/325/600/1200/3000 is another $125. 3000 grit is an okay ish finish, but most people will want a better finish than 3000, which means getting a cerium oxide finishing disc, which is another $16. So now you're $260 in a decent set of laps that are still pretty small at 6" which means you only really have a working space of 2" - 2 1/2".

So these 3D-Printed machines and decent laps will run you $410 + shipping and taxes.

Let's price out the two other options for a real 6" flat lap machine. You have the Hi-Tech 6" All-U-Need and the Ameritool Universal Grinder from covington.

The Hi-Tech is $550 but it comes with a 180# electroplated diamond lap, 325, 600, 1200 smoothing disc, polishing pad, 2-gram 14,000# diamond paste syringe, and four acrylic backing plates. This will get you going, but you really need to get more discs if you don't want to spend forever working on one stone.

The Ameritool is $625 and it comes with a 180g electroplated diamond disc, 325g Pro Sanding Disc w/ Backing Plate, 600g Pro Sanding Disc w/ Backing Plate, 1200g Pro Sanding Disc w/ Backing Plate, 1-Polish Pad w/ Backing Plate & 1-5g syringe of 14k Diamond Compound. So it's basically the same as the Hi-Tech.

When adding all the laps you will want to these machines, you get the Hi-Tech coming in at $696 and the Ameritool at $771.

I know this is a lot of money for these, but the reality is that lapidary as a hobby or job is expensive, and trying to save money by getting a 3D-Printed machine seems to me to be throwing money in the garbage can because they are not durable, they will break, they have zero resale value, and you will be buying a better machine in the future, which means you will be paying more in the long run.

Lastly, there is the option of buying used or making your own flat lap, which is a great way to save money. Nearly every machine I own I got used or made it myself.

1 month ago | [YT] | 78

Currently Rockhounding

Who taught you how to cut and polish rocks, and do you still have the first one you polished?

Pictured here is Sara's first attempt at polishing a rock along with a little help from me, and I have to say it's significantly better than my first attempt at polishing a rock.

1 month ago | [YT] | 212

Currently Rockhounding

This ad from April 1980 shows The Roc-Crystal Automatic Cabochon Machine that was made by Crystalite. The retail price on it is $2,495.00 and when you adjust it for inflation to 2025 dollars, it would be $9,733.68 or an inflation rate of 290.1%.

It's a cool machine and all, but was this ever worth it? You would have to make countless cabs to recoup that cost.

1 month ago | [YT] | 40

Currently Rockhounding

Just a nice little cluster of cavansite from India that I obtained from Kyle ‪@WorldofRockhounds‬ awhile ago, and it has taken me a long time to shoot a macro image of it.

The color is great!

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1 month ago | [YT] | 200

Currently Rockhounding

Never before have I seen so much conversation about a road before.

When you search for information about the Dugway Geode (they are actually thundereggs and not geodes) bed in central Utah, you will find conversation after conversation about how bad the road to the locality is, and I couldn't disagree more.

All the times we have gone, the road is just a normal, bumpy, gravel desert road, nothing to write home about and nothing our Subaru couldn't handle, or any other vehicle for that matter.

Have you gone there? How would you rate the drive out to it?

Shhhh a secret video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN0P_...

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1 month ago | [YT] | 20