ANDAMOOKA MATRIX ROUGH


This is a natural untreated andamooka rough that has been sliced. This is old material that that was sliced but kept in a large collection for many years.The collection had untreated and treated stones. You can have the fun treating it. Some times you might have to treat a few times and you might like to try oil instead of sugar as listed below.

This material takes a good natural polish.
You can reshaped it or cut into smaller stones.

Remember all rough is a bit of a gamble as some will treat better than you think while others worse! The only way to make sure is to treat it.
Mined in Andamooka South Australia


TREATMENT FOR ANDAMOOKA MATRIX WITH SUGAR ONLY.
MATERIALS
250 grams glucose,white castor sugar,pot or pressure cooker,plastic tweezers.
STEPS
-Preshape the material

- Thoroughly dry the material in oven sun or hairdryer. You can also soak in acetone for 10 minutes to dry the stones out.
- Put water in pot on low temperature and add glucose and castor sugar. DO NOT BOIL.
-Place warmed stones into warm solution and cover the stone with liquid.
-leave on low temperature for 24 hours but DO NOT BOIL.
-Remove with tweezers and let cool.Use a paper town to wipe away access.
The next steep is to carbonize the sugar in the stone. Place the stones on a metal or Pyrex dish and place in a kiln at 500 F degrees for one hour.This will burn or carbonize the sugar in the stone.
_When the stones have cooled clean on a grinding wheel.
Remember to take all precautions with gloves and mask and clothing with good ventilation.
This is a natural product so results may vary a bit due to how porous the sandstone is. Some material will have to be treated a few times to get good results. You can also experiment with various temperatures as i like to cook with lower temperatures.
Remember to have fun!
WE HAVE TAKEN THE PHOTO WITH THE ROUGH WET.
In the learning section of opal actions there is details on how to treat with acid and sugar but this sugar only gets good results on porous materiel
This material is very solid
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