Rapid City area rock hounds and agate polishing advise

[mtnsrawsum]

Hello everyone,
I am looking for advise on how to cut and polish some chert nodules of Teepee Agate. We recently extracted several very nice Teepee agates still in the host nodules but are unsure of how to proceed with cutting and polishing them. I have a 7" tile saw we use for geodes, also a Dremmel and tumbler for cleaning most of the other finds. What equipment is recommended for agate beginners? Suggested methods of cutting and polishing? The exposed agates are several inches in diameter and the nodules are well over a foot. DIY equipment? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

On a more personal note. We would really like to meet some locals who share our passion for rock hounding, minerals and life in general. Contact me if you are interested in meeting up for a rock hounding, snow shoeing, skiing, climbing, hiking, coffee, conversation and/or learning adventure!

 

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[605dano]

There is a rock hounding club in Rapid City. The people in it are very knowledgeable about agates. They meet ounce a month and have outings also. In the summer they have a mineral show with a many agates on display. Also a good agate is more valuable uncut than cut, that being said cut and polished teepees can be very beautiful. Hope this helps.

 

[rainorshine]

The best luck ive had is taking it to a rock shop and having them cut it for me. It can get a little spendy but if you think you have something special it could be worth it. Its hard to cut all the way through nicely on a smaller tile saw.

 

[ice9]

Trying to cut big agates on a little tile saw is a waste of time, but you could do a one incher or so if you really wanted to stand there for twenty minutes or so.

I'd suggest joining a local rock and gem club! You'll meet wonderful people, learn about the rocks you're finding, and I'm sure somebody will be able to cut your finds, either for a share or for a fee by the square inch.

Efficiently cutting and polishing rocks takes diamond tools, and they're generally not cheap. The typical cabochon machine is dead simple with very few parts, but you're still stuck having to pay for a half dozen diamond wheels, even if you make your own. Used machinery can be quite cheap and easy to find if there's a good rockhound scene in your area. Again, join a club, join the rockhounds mailing list, rock tumbling hobby forum, etc., tons of good info out there on youtube etc.

It's a fantastic hobby, have fun, and remember to protect your lungs from rock dust and eyes from chips - don't grind dry!!!