One Door Shuts...And Another Opens

 Well, the scenery sure has changed. I now look out on several inches of snow with more to come today. Lapidary work requires a lot of water and right now that water is cold- VERY cold.

So now the scene shifts to fabrication and that takes place on my bench in my alloted space in "the real artist's" studio.

I have a problem that would be the envy of most- too much beautiful material! The real artist (AKA She with the agate eye) keeps finding me beautiful agates, jasper, amethyst, carnelian- you name it. I literally have enough good material to keep me going for decades but at 77 years old (and I mean OLD) I don't see decades in my future. So the first task has been to pare down the "stash" to a manageable amount.

As you can see this hasn't been an easy job. The small oval container just to the left of the blue bin contains well over 100 possible cabs to set. I'll probably get that down to about 20 that I'll start working on soon.

So if you ever want to buy some beautiful cabochons to make your own pieces, let me know.

A Powerhouse Rock Saw

 I am a member of several Facebook lapidary equipment groups and often see people dissing the Hi-Tech 10 inch saw. It's a cheap build and not powerful enough to cut big stuff- especially using water, not oil.

Well, I've got news for you guys- you're dead wrong!

Today I decided to cut a rather large rock.

I don't use a vise and that is a 10 inch Hi-Tech sintered (red) blade that I have "reconditioned" using the Highland Park technique of hitting the rim with a bastard file- works like a charm. As you can see, the rock is a full 3 5/8 inch high and while it's a little macro, it's still a silicate and plenty hard. I cut two slabs.

The first slab was 5/16 inch thick and once I saw what the saw could do, I cut the second 3/16 inch. The saw actually has a vise and a bridge whose position can be changed by using different holes in the deck but honestly, I find that I can get uniform cuts just by lining the piece up using the patterning on the deck. That's beautiful flame agate around the edge. Here's a close up lit from the front.

I will sell these in my shop as slabs to be placed in front of a light or candle so here's the back lit money shot.

One last thing about the saw: I have used it regularly for 4 years and cut a ton of rock. There has been absolutely no warping of the resin body and, of course, no rusting. It is one tough customer. The blade is as true as the day I got it and the Hi-Tech red sintered blade will go to-to-toe with any other name brand in both quality of cut and durability. Because it uses water, even my artist wife likes it and, since she makes paint from the rock sludge, she'll even clean it for me! Check out an earlier blog post to see a painting she did using the sludge.

If you ever find yourself on Digby Nech, stop by and if the weather is good, I'll fire it up for you.

The Family Reunion

 A few weeks back we experienced a very rare occurance. Our daughter Lisa, who hand dyes our beautiful Seawall Fibres Yarn, was visiting from the Bahamas. Then our other daughter Sandra, who fashions a lot of our polymer clay pieces, came from Dartmouth. So for three days we had the "Original Fab Four" back together and even had our granddaughter here for a bit as a bonus! It was like going back decades- lots of recounting of family legends, cheating accusations during various games and, most important, lots of laughter!

Man I've missed that laughter.

Much time was spent in the studio and there was even some rockhounding at nearby Gulliver's Cove.

Gullivers is a beautiful spot on the Bay of Fundy and there is a public hiking trail right out to that point, with spectacular views.

Over the years we have found some nice pieces there- especially botryoidal and porcelain agate. You will notice that the pics only include Vickie and Sandra. There are two reasons for this. First, I still can't walk very well so somebody had to take the pics. Secondly, we found that in Norwegian, the name Lisa  actually means "She who cannot find silicates- especially amethyst"! I know... who would have ever thought that's how Lisa would translate but over the years we have found this to be jaw dropping in its accuracy. Lisa has been unable to locate amethyst pieces even after we have seeded the beach and told her where to look!!

Upon their return, all finds were brought to me for inspection and the usual haggling ensued as to what was suitable for cutting and what was destined for the "rock wall of shame".

So if you like rockhounding, come to Digby Neck. And if you think you've found something interesting, bring it by and I'll give you my professional opinion (limit one rock) and show you around my rock shop- The Lap of Lapidary!

We're Back!

 I am now mobile enough to get to the showroom and my office so we are open for business again! Stop by and see what's new.

Temporary Shop Closure

 Some may know  that I have had both hips replaced and last weekend I did something to displace the left one. It's getting better but I  still can't walk very well so we have decided to close for   the baalance of the week.

I will be here and can be reached by phone (902) 482-2188 or by email ptoceanwaves@gmail.com    If you are only here fooor   a few days and really want something from the shop, Vickie will be around and if you call, we'll try our best to open for you

Lost Painting

 This post is for the nice golfer and his son (big Celtics fan I gather) who bought several items. When you realize that you don't have the small painting, contact me and I'll send it to you no charge.

I'm posting here since I gave you my card and encouraged you to check out the blog.

And don't forget, we accept repeat visitors. Next time we'll talk golf!

Introducing The Castaway Collection of Jewelry

 Beautiful jewelry is easy to find. But interesting jewelry isn't. That's why I make it.

We live right across from a beautiful beach and got to wondering how we could make pieces using the materials we find there. Thus The Castaway Collection was born.

The idea is simple- take found items- driftwood, shells, sea glass and rocks and make interesting pieces. They aren't to everyone's taste but those who like them LOVE THEM!

here are some we've made from shells so far:

The last one is extremely interesting and features a shell core and we've made several others.

We also use driftwood:

And of course we incorporate beautiful local beach glass.

As you can see, some are simple and some are more complex but all are very modestly priced because, quite frankly, our reward is overcoming the design and engineering challenges. These pieces are so different, they had to have their own display.

So if your travels take you to the wilds of Digby Neck, stop by and see for yourself. And check out our rock shop, hand dyed yarn and other jewelry!

Lots of Tourists

 As the weather finally improves and the smoke clears, more tourists are starting to appear and we've also seen people who come annually as they have summer homes here. I'm being kept busy making new pieces to replace sold items. Here's a real beauty combining a beautiful stone, unique hand fashioned copper setting and a show stopping Viking Knit Chain.

I have to say this is one of the most beautiful stones we have found on the neck. It positively glows!

Once again I have embarked on an ambitious project- finish 100 cabochons through the summer. Honestly, if I didn't have my Cab King with the trim saw attachment, I couldn't do it.

Believe it or not, one of the big problems I have is to be selective. Vickie has found me so much beautiful local rock! Here's a sampling.

This gorgeous piece has spectacular colour and patterning and will make a stunning pendant.

Another amazing piece with several different types of structure. It is photographed wet- hence the highlights.

This stunner has areas of moss agate on the bottom and a great pocket of fortification agate along with rich colour shifts. 

And last but by no means least, we have this show stopping combination of plume agate in an amethyst matrix. And these are just a few of this summer's haul. So if your travels take you to Nova Scotia. Make sure to come to the most interesting part- Digby Neck- and stop by to say hello and see the shop.

Cheers.

Beautiful Hand Dyed Yarn

 Because I'm a rock guy, I sometimes forget that we are famous for our gorgeous hand dyed yarn.

Actually there's a tie in between the yarn and the rocks. When our daughter Lisa, a talented indy dyer visited for the first time she was struck by the beautiful colours of the local rocks and decided to try and capture them in her Seawall Fibres hand dyed yarn. That's why all our skeins are named after rocks and minerals. But while the local rock is very hard, our yarn is very, very soft! It is merino wool and comes from a mill in England and we sell it in many weights and blends. Our resident artist and colour expert curates it into complimentary colours to make selection easier but one can buy any skein that strikes their fancy.

In addition to the yarn, we sell accessories and patterns as well as amazing hand knit items- mostly from patterns designed by "The Real Artist" who is usually around to answer questions from her knitting "tribe". And if you visit at the end of July this year, you can meet the dyer herself!

As a non-knitter, I must say a few words about this "unique" group of people. They are all crazy. But crazy in a good way and I love meeting them. I used to be in the golf business and thought golfers were the biggest fanatics in the world. Then I moved to Florida and invested in a sunglass company and started rubbing shoulders with surfers and bass fishermen. I quickly pegged them as being the true fanatics- the hard core of the fanatic universe. But then I met knitters and quickly realized I had found the top of the fanatic mountain- the "ne plus ultra" of the genre. One brief encounter sums it up. A few years back a lady came in from South Carolina and picked out a few skeins. She said that even though she had SABLE, this yarn was too beautiful not to buy. I was unfamiliar with the term SABLE and asked her. She said SABLE was a knitting term and stood for Stash Acquired Beyond Life Expectancy. "I'm 75 and have several hundred skeins of yarn. Do the math!" We should all have such a passion in our lives.

So if you are a user of yarn and want to see some absolutely beautiful material in an absolutely beautiful setting, pencil in a visit to Digby Neck. You will NOT be disappointed!

Milestone Reached!

 About 7 years ago, I started the blog to show people this beautiful part of Nova Scotia called Digby Neck and the art we produced here. As an old geezer, I didn't expect many would take the time to read it.

Boy, was I wrong!

This week, it blew through 90,000 (non bot) page views - a number I never thought possible. It has been read all over the world and I get such satisfaction when visitors come into the shop and say we decided to vacation here after reading your blog. Can I get to 100K? Only time will tell but it better happen soon because I ain't getting any younger!

So what have we been up to recently? Well, yesterday I made Vickie a new case for her phone. She couldn't work the power button with her old case so I tried to use the same design I use for my guitar pic pouches and it worked!

Happy wife, happy life!

We also had a visit from our friends who have a place down the Neck but now live in Maine. They share our passion for rocks and lapidary and brought a few things they had collected while here and I cut a couple for them on my Hi-Tech rock saw. There were some very pleasant surprises. This is why I love cutting rock!

This one has beautiful colour and patterning due to areas of plume and fortification agate. The closer you get, the better it looks!

Then there was this spectacular piece (found by the wife- see, I told you I'd give you credit!).

It was so good I cut it in two directions. The patterning is simply amazing and the limonite gives it such beautiful colour. 

So if you love rocks, come to Digby Neck! And stop by my rock shop- The Lap of Lapidary- and show me your treasures!

The Lap of Lapidary is Open

 The weather on Digby Neck has turned warm enough to turn on the outside water and that has allowed for the renewal of activities in my rock shop. The first order of business was to cut some of the finds made by "She With The Agate Eye". All these rocks were cut on my 10 inch Hi-Tech saw using their red sintered blade.

I want to say a word about the saw. I am loving it more with each cut! And having now used it for four years I can make some conclusions.

1. This saw is durable. I read comments on lapidary sights about the "cheap, flimsy build". I can assure you it is neither cheap or flimsy. Rather, it is tough and durable, easy to clean (more on that later), doesn't rust and the motor is great. For years I kept my 10 inch oil cooled saw with a new 1 H.P. motor for larger rocks but no longer. I'm selling my old friend, the Mercury 10 inch with it's nice motorized feed.

2. The red sintered blade is as good if not better than my previous go to MK-303, especially if you add a little water soluble lubricant. And I only cut material with hardness 6.5 or higher.

3. I love using water instead of oil. I cut by hand feed mostly and the water is cleaner, safer and the rocks are clean coming off the saw. As a bonus, my wife is an artist and she will actually clean my saw for me to get the sludge, with which she makes paint!(see earlier posts). She would never cut rocks on the oil saw but she enjoys cutting on the Hi-Tech.

4. Capacity. Any rock I could cut on the 10 inch oil saw I can cut on the Hi-Tech.

Now on to some examples. Here on Digby Neck, the agate, carnelian, amethyst, quartz and jasper are usually found as veins in the basalt. Here's a great example.

The vein contains agate, fortification agate and amethyst and since this particular vein actually looks like The Neck, I'll make pendants with a lot of the basalt intact. We have some spectacular plume agate and here's a good example.

I just love the pockets of fortification agate and it makes amazing jewelry. Here's another interesting example.

And last but by no means least, here's a specimen of my wife's favourite- sagenite.

Here on The Neck, we get some amazing colours in this rock- green, purple, yellow- along with amazing patterning and when it is solid, it makes awesome polished stones.

All the above stones are local and a small fraction of what can be found. So if you like rocks, stop by The Lap of Lapidary!

We're Open For 2023!

 Hi folks.

We'll, if the weather cooperates, we will be open this holiday weekend- April 7-9.

While it is still to cool to fire up the machines in the Lap of Lapidary, we have plenty of new pieces in the shop and while they last, we have a sale section.

So if your travels take you to beautiful Digby Neck, stop by and say hi. You just might leave with a treasure. And don't forget, everyone who stops by can take home a free piece of The Neck- a polished local stone.