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Thanks for another informative video. 👍

Always seeing the positives. Slicing for inlay is a great idea. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Roy, I don't know if this counts as doing something as l'm only a house keeper who's getting use to my life now after having open heart surgery 9 months ago, but hey... I'm still alive so it's all good😊. I've only cut and polished a few stones so far which were mainly jasper,. So thanks you so much for this opportunity to win some beautiful opal. Also I hope you get some rest and feel better soon! Cheers😀

I think it looks beautiful, black potch and all ❤

This is very helpful! I'm about to use cerium oxide for the first time and I feel much more prepared now! Thank you

Thank you Roy, what a great result!

WHat are the blades called so we can find them?

Nice showcase Roy. Thanks! I have a stone like this at home. Will try to cut it up and use as inlay or something as well, because it is great from the side but way too dull and directional from the normal face. Curious to see what you will make of these

dop wax might be useful for holding opal when you slice it. The slices look very nice, I just found the thin blades on the web they will come in very handy. Great update 2x👍

I would buy some blades from you

This is a really cool ring, it motivates me to cut even the smallest stones. thank you for presenting🎉😊

I can’t wait to see what you do with these. The black backing really makes the color pop.

Id definitely be into some of these blades to Roy. So any information on where you got them from or when you might stock them would be appreciated

What a good idea!.

I'd be up for some of these when I order my beginners set from you (still in process of acquiring beginner's rough :D).

Awesome. That's exactly what I was thinking you should do with that crystal piece

I never fail like this ... SHAME! When things don't go well, I just delete the video files and throw the opal away, so there is no trace of failure! (I enjoyed the video and I actually thought that you were going to pull it out! You can now slice it into tiny pieces ..... oh -- I guess that was what you did in the other video! duh...

I really enjoyed this video. I had not heard of blue tack, but I have used another putty-like "adhesive" somewhat like it, but I would never trust it to hold anything ( not even paper.) Nice technique! If I ever decide to go back to making mosaics (NEVER WILL), I may use this technique. (NO, I WON'T)

Riley sold me a fantastic blade for slicing. It is larger than all my other blades, but as thin as that one you got there, and has the cutouts in the disc that prevents suction problems. I have not looked back, it is my standard slicing tool now

Where did you get the blades, Roy? Please stock them, Roy!!!!🙏

Go ahead and stock up!

Thanks for the video Roy.

Translation for US viewers - Blu-Tack that we use in Oz is the same thing as Poster Putty or Mounting Putty

With ring inlays like that you do also have to note to add a little curve to the face and back

Really nice Roy, I have lots of side facing stones and never thought to try slicing them like that, I just gave up on them. Need a blade that thin…. Thanks for sharing

And btw, I hope you feel better soon!

Love to surf, learn about amazing things the earth produces, working with my hands. Got into opal for many reasons, one of which is that it has a relatively similar hardness compared to human dental enamel... so cool!

Great information. Thanks for sharing... Beautiful stone

I'm so thankful for these videos. I've learned something new with everything I find.. my feed is putting out videos that's years old now. So, expect comments on them 🤣 I feel like I need to do more than just like the video, wanting to express my appreciation with a comment... Thanks for sharing your knowledge... The finished opal is absolutely amazing! WOW 😳

Always a shame when it goes that way.

haha, that business card is giving me flashbacks. I really need to update some sort of a self portrait… neat video! think dad showed it to me when it was uploaded x.

43 year old here. Working as a social worker since three years and just finished school (again) after changing careers after 20 years. Just starting to get into the hobby now I Have some time to spare 😊

the link you posted from opal empire says UNSAFE

Hi Roy, my name is Rob from Maleny in Queensland, I enjoy travelling to opal country in my time off (especially Yowah and Lightening Ridge), have have recently joined Caloundra Lapidary Club and I love it. I've never heard of half of the opals you showed in your clip Roy - very exciting. I work for the Co-op in my Eco Village as an admin. I'm setting up on my verandah for opal carving and slowly collecting the right tools.

Found you through pultizer opal , i like you already.

The potch looks grey

I have a lot of small thin scrap pieces/offcuts I’m using to practice on. There’s quite a bit of colour in some but I’m wondering if these scraps, after polishing, can be bonded together or even if they’ll bond to metals like silver, gold or even platinum? I’m not a big fan of jewellery but I’d like to join bits to make a larger piece to cut into a small basic object? I’m wondering if it would hold together through shaping & polishing or would it need embedding in a resin? I guess I could just dive in & find out

It definitely looked nice to start with 😢

Interessante Zusammenstellung. Cool

I'll be 75 in three months. I am still working As an engineering carpenter, plumber, tile and marble. I have been buying a few opals here and there for about 3 years, planning to one day purchase an 8" Cab King. Opal is my birth so tone as well as tourmaline. My mother had some blue opal she was given in the 1950s. I always admired her opal jewelry since I was eight years old.

10 million years to form, what’s the hurry to cut it ?

Thank you for sharing

Glad I watched this. I'll go test my bur that's scratching the hell out of my stone 🎉

🤦‍♂ such a shame, it looked great from the edges but the faults were a killer. 2x👍

I bought one of those Opal vials from a company here, in Australia, & I was lucky enough to find a few nice cut off sections of a similar size to this one, however I’m a total amateur so I’m practicing on the worst bits, using cheap equipment but I’ve got a feel for it due to my lab skills although my hands get tired now. What type of drill bit was the 120 you mentioned? Was that a diamond bit?

Man the side colour and pattern was stunning, sad when they don’t face right or that potchy cloud doesn’t go away..