tsa-la-tsi-s-gi gv-do-di ka-ne
dance
- with - snake
DANCES
WITH SNAKES
"CONSUMER ACQUISITION SITE"
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tsa-la-tsi-s-gi gv-do-di ka-ne dance
- with - snake
DANCES
WITH SNAKES "CONSUMER ACQUISITION SITE"
|
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Tumbling General Information Two methods of tumbling being discussed will be the rotating tumbler, and the vibrating tumbler. For both methods the grinding medium used is silicon carbide. The Grits: Rough grit (anything under 100) is used for the first stage. Medium grit (100 – 300) is used in the second stage. Fine grit (400-600) is used for the third stage. Estimating Cost: As a “rule of thumb”, silicon carbide, 220 to 400 grit, weighs approximately 0.8 ounces per tablespoon. Fine grits, 400-600, and polishing compounds, weigh approximately 0.5 ounces per tablespoon. Weigh your stones when you get your tumbler barrel 2/3 to3/4 full. A six-pound tumbler doesn’t always hold six pounds of rocks. As a rule of thumb, use one tablespoon of grit per pound of stones, or one tablespoon per two pounds of the manufacturer’s weight rating for the tumbler. Most tumbling books suggest more grit than is really necessary. Volume shrinkage: Roughly 25% of the beginning volume tumbled in step one will turn to mud, so run two loads of step one. This will provide the filler material to replace those that were ground away or thrown away from the first step. Size and hardness of stones: A superior polish requires a variety of sizes, with the emphasis on lots of small chips that help polish the larger stones. All stones in a load should be of the same approximate hardness. Softer stones will not polish and may be gouged by harder stones. A Handy Hint: Have a notepad next to the tumbler to record the date, time, and condition of the stones during the various stages, steps, and grit changes. Polishes: There are many different types of polishes for the final stage. The best one for you will be determined by experimentation. Some of them are: Rapid 61, Aluminum Oxide, Cerium Oxide, Tin Oxide, Chrome Oxide, and Tripoli. Suggestion: Rapid 61, Cerium Oxide, or Tin Oxide. Burnishing: Use a soap rinse between the third cycle and polish, then after the final polish. Bar Ivory Soap is the only pure soap readily available. Chemical additives in other soaps and detergents seem to leave a residue on the stones. The dark color when this soap rinse is poured off shows how much grit was still on what you thought was a clean stone. Shave the bar with a knife or whatever method you wish. The water-soap combination reaches a balance when little bubbles appear on the surface of the moving material and should remain this way throughout the soap cycles. The soap bubbles provide a cushion for the stones. Excess water slows down this process. Cautions:
TUMBLING CHART Suggestions: Gas:
If you are concerned about gas buildup in the
tumbler barrel, add a teaspoon of baking soda for each three pounds of
material in each grit cycle. Spalling:
Spalling is a “ground glass” appearance
on the edges of the stones. If this occurs in step four using a rotating
tumbler, go back to step three and add filler material. Filler:
Filler materials may be purchased and may
include the following: Plastic pellets, ground black walnut shells, etc. A
material that floats is easier to remove from the polished stones. Vibrating
tumblers do not generally need filler materials. Vibrating
Tumblers: If your vibrating tumbler has gray sludge running down the
outside during grinding, whitish sludge during polishing, or soapy stuff
during burnishing, you most likely are using too much water and grit, polish,
or soap
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HAVE YOU BEEN THE TARGET OF A SCAM LATELY? DON'T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! AUGUST 20TH, 2008 - BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA
If you are not on your toes all of time, you could be the target of a scam or con. Last evening while filling up with gas at QT in Broken Arrow a blue PT Cruiser pulled across in front of my truck. A casually dressed black man stepped out and in a hushed voice asked if I was interested in buying a laptop computer. He proceeded to tell me he had three or four of these for sale for $250 each. Claiming they were brand new Sony Vaio laptops. My first question was "Are they hot?" and I informed him I wasn't interested. He pressed on asking if I would pay $200, then $150. "I don't buy merchandise from the trunk of a car" I informed him. He then asked how much I would be willing to pay, and went back to his car, retrieving a package from the back seat that appeared to be a box about the size of a laptop, wrapped in brown paper, taped up excessively with packaging tape, and a photocopied ad from Office Depot advertising a Sony Vaio for $2099. In the process of getting the package from his car, he covered it with a sheet before bringing it to show me.... A lot suspicious... He handed me the package and returned to his car to retrieve a laptop from the back seat, again covering it with the sheet so no one else could see what he was doing. The laptop was an older Compaq, that he claimed a lady had dropped, but the ones in the packages were Sony. He very quickly returned it to his car, not letting me see more than a glimpse of it under the sheet. Meanwhile, I was hefting the supposed "new" packaged laptop, the entire time suspecting a scam more so than stolen merchandise. I strung him along a little while, squeezing the package (it was too lightweight, and compressed easily) Now knowing I was actually holding a package with nothing substantial inside, I told him I might be interested if he showed me what was in the box. He very quickly retrieved it from me, still trying to get me to pay $150 for it, as he gradually put distance between us getting back to his car. That pretty much ended the conversation. I told him again, "show me what's in the box, I might be interested." No go, he got back in his car and quickly went looking for another mark.
I had meanwhile finished filling my tank, and drove to a strategic location in the parking lot to watch him and his accomplice as they drove about the lot, approaching literally everyone coming and going, I quickly dialed 911 and reported their activity, gave a description of the vehicle and what they were doing, stressing that I firmly believed they were scamming people with empty boxes. I waited for police to arrive, but before they did, the vehicle exited the QT, and drove down the street. I followed at a distance, again calling 911 dispatch to report they had moved to another location, near Chili's and Buffalo Wild Wings. Actually, they had gone to the Lowe's parking lot and by the time officers arrived, had already approached several patrons in the lot. As an unmarked Dodge Charger pulled into the BWW lot, I pointed them to the Lowes. Two other marked units quickly converged on the lot, and as the PT Cruiser approached another mark in front of the store, they hit the lights and surrounded the vehicle! Too cool! I watched from the lobby of Lowes as they talked to the "suspects", and got the passenger out to open the back of the vehicle. After some minutes, a couple came out of the store and saw that the police were questioning the pair, and hollered at them "What are they doin'? Tryin' to sell ya a laptop?" One officer motioned them over and asked if they had been approached, to which they answered yes. The officer asked if they would be willing to make a statement, and a citizens arrest on suspicion of fraud. When they said they would, one of the suspects started cursing at them, this just added resolve to the couple, and they immediately made the citizens arrest. (This was necessary because the officers had no evidence of a crime otherwise.) At this point the two were arrested on fraud charges.
As it turns out, the packages were Fed-X boxes filled with newspaper... They had empty boxes, brown paper bags, tape, scissors, and flyers in the back to make more fake packages. Officers also found bolt cutters and a few personal items in the vehicle, along with three or four bogus packages, and the old, useless Compaq laptop they were using as a prop for their con. They did not find any weapons or drugs fortunately, but the passenger had a felony warrant for his arrest in Florida (the officer said that unfortunately, Florida would not extradite). Officers said they also had a fair amount of cash on them, leading officers to believe they were semi-successful with their con game. Both suspects were from Alabama, and the PT Cruiser had Alabama plates. Both are now sitting in the Broken Arrow jail, the PT Cruiser is impounded, and at least for now, they are off of the street.
Do you think those who paid $150-$250 for a box of newspaper will report it to authorities? Probably not.... Wouldn't you feel a bit foolish for falling for the scam? How about the fact that anyone with common sense would know they were about to purchase stolen merchandise, had the package actually contained a new $2000 laptop...
If you buy merchandise, especially new or near new expensive merchandise off the street, or from the trunk of someone's car, for pennies on the dollar, you should know you are about to buy stolen merchandise, and will be supporting crime. So don't do it! Don't be a victim! Report this kind of activity and save some other fool from making a mistake. These are tough times and if we don't stand up as citizens and do our part, then we are part of the problem!
In all honesty, it felt good to help get these two apprehended! And yes, I gave a written statement, and if asked, would gladly testify against them in court!
Virgil
© 2006 - DANCES-WITH-SNAKES.COM VIRGIL G. RICHARDS
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