Texas Banded Agates and Petrified Wood - PART 2: Cutting Time!

Cutting open some of the nicer pieces from the Mother's Day hunt in south Texas. Plume Agates, Banded Agates, Petrified Wood, and More!
Thanks again to Agate Dad for the recommendation on the saw I used in this video.
You can check out his channel here (and you certainly SHOULD!):
/ agatedad
#TheFinders #Agates #Rockhounding #PetrifiedWood

[@mitchgillilan]

So many different types of plume and moss!! Love every one, you did really great and those are just spectacular quality!! ❤ 👏

[@papiojenjones1585]

I am drooling for cabochons! What beauties!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! Yes, I'm drooling for cabs too! I've been so busy hunting, cutting, and making videos that I haven't fired up the cab machine in forever! But I will! I have a couple more videos to edit up and I'm heading out for a few weeks to New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana, and Wisconsin. But after that, I need to get busy on finishing up some of these babies!

[@huntingrocks]

Man those agates are AMAZING !! I love number 2 that ribbon agate is cool , of course 3 is my favorite color

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! They really are surprising - you never know what's inside some of these. I went back out there and got another 2 buckets full last weekend. I can't wait to clean them up!

[@dennisyoung4496]

Lot of kool rocks!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! And thanks for tuning in! I'm hoping to get another video up in a few days, if my work schedule permits.

[@fishinfool]

Thanks for bringing us along on that awesome reveal

[@denisthemineralist4033]

My pleasure! We did a second hunt in that part of the state again just recently, and I have several boxes more. I'm going to try to start cutting again this weekend, weather permitting, so stay tuned for those. I think I have some real stunners, but only one way to find out!

[@brianjohnson3974]

That Ribbon Plume Moss Agate!!!!!

[@jarlsoars1150]

Very nice!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thank you so much!

[@aliciakiely8405]

omg wow! super beautiful!!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thank you! Did you see the ones we found from the same area in the latest video? I'm in the process of cutting more of those right now.

[@tashacano3324]

Those were some awesome finds!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! I've been cutting new ones today from the most recent trip and I have some more winners. As soon as the sun comes out for more than 10 minutes a day, I'll get them on video and post them! :D

[@frankmckinley1254]

Great video. I live near Hondo, Texas, would love to go rock hounding with you sometime. Thanks for the content.👍

[@lesliewilliams111]

Great job! Wish my mom could go hounding with me! If you ever need a picking buddy I'm in Tennessee!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Cool deal! What part of the state are you in? I haven't been up in Tennessee since fall of last year (over in the Smokies). I need to get back to Tennessee and Kentucky. I do enjoy taking my mother along on these hunts. I know she won't be able to do it forever, so we're enjoying it while we can. It's wonderful to hunt with someone who gets excited about what you've found, and honestly, it's fun to have a little friendly competition - we always keep track of who got the largest find or the most unusual, etc. In the end, everybody wins anyway. And the rockhounding is what I think is keeping her so young and fit. At 73, she scrambles up boulder piles and swings a sledge hammer just as good as the rest of them!

[@Ontario_Rockhound]

Glad that this was in my recommended section, great video, awesome agates!!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

I'm glad it was recommended too! I'm just getting started out. Thanks for the feedback. I'm working on more videos as quickly as I can. I just can't seem to stop hunting long enough to edit. LOL!

[@Ontario_Rockhound]

@@denisthemineralist4033 try and put a day aside as editing day, I set Sunday as mine.

[@denisthemineralist4033]

@@Ontario_Rockhound That's what I'm doing THIS Sunday for a change! We'll see how I do. :D

[@ErinsEnergy313]

Fantastic finds and super good editing my friend! MN rock hounder and new sub here!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thank you so much! I'm teaching myself to edit as I go, so hopefully, I'll continue to hone the craft. Now that the holidays are over, I have a bunch more vids to edit and post, and one is from my recent trip to your neck of the woods. The weather was unkind, so we didn't bring home a bonanza, but what we did find was attractive and made me resolve to come back in 2023 for more!

[@ErinsEnergy313]

@@denisthemineralist4033 Can't wait to see! Yes, we've had a rough winter so far. I've always loved rocks, but pretty new at collecting. I love watching and learning ♥ Thanks for taking the time to comment, much appreciated!

[@scloki]

Glad I found your channel! Great finds! It's going to be awesome to see your channel grow!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! I'm glad you liked what I've got so far. I'm working on several more videos now - they're a bit more work to edit than I originally suspected. :D Especially when I hunt more than I edit! But it's well worth it in the end. I love sharing that moment of discovery with other people. I should have been doing this for years!

[@brianjohnson3974]

My favorite part is that you don't roll the stone while cutting!!

[@cjriordan9100]

Man you found some fantastic rocks!!

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! I have more on the way. Glad you found the channel!

[@jackiechang1758]

Love the reveals! I think the #4 Blue and Black banded Agate looks sort of like a Century Egg.

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thank you, Jackie! I can't wait to share some of the stuff I got this past week in Montana!

[@darrinwilliams5715]

That was an amazing hunt. The agates were insane.😎😎

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks! Yeah, I've hunted these things here in Texas for decades and I'm still blown away every time I open one. I'm working on another video or two from the hunt that followed this one. If you liked these...

[@eriksrigley9026]

Nice job. Love to see more. We are in Minnesota but do agate hunting around the country. Just subscribed.

[@denisthemineralist4033]

Thanks for the kind words! And thank you for subscribing. I'm working on the next video right this minute (and I have about 4 or 5 more to edit and post after that).

[@billywhitehorn6397]

here's a few you might check out: rockhounding life, michael Van dyke, quartz cowboy, Elley knows rocks, kadydid Rocks, Dan herd, alice in minerland, Bloomington, rookie Rockhound, Agate angler & meMiner

[@billywhitehorn6397]

all are pretty good in their areas

[@billywhitehorn6397]

by the way all mentioned here have u-tube channels

[@brianjohnson3974]

My wife wants to see some pet wood cut diagonally to the grain... please.

[@brianjohnson3974]

I would call #16 a Dendritic agate... imho

[@garymaylon2025]

What part of South Texas did you find such beautiful rocks?

[@DonnaDouglas-hp9yt]

I want your Mom to teach me how to rock hound.

[@denisthemineralist4033]

She does have a gift! I think her strategy is to wait until I'm getting all excited about something cool I found, then use her jedi powers to find one even better to keep me humble. :D

[@v7i5k2t5o7r]

🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@Grip_ItandrRip_It]

some really nice pieces there!! What do you do with the slabs or polished specimens?

[@denisthemineralist4033]

So far, the ones I haven't cut and polished for display in my own collection have been set aside to be further processed. I'll be moving eventually, as my current space is a bit small (and evidently subject to flooding as Hurricane Harvey demonstrated). The plan is a place with a much larger workshop so that I can make more cabochons and such. I'd love to see more of it turned into jewelry or display pieces. Of course I need to stop adding to the stockpile every chance I get, but we all know THAT'S not going to happen... LOL! :D

[@richard11935]

your finger gets a little too close to that blade 00:10 seconds in be careful

[@denisthemineralist4033]

The cool thing about lapidary blades like that is that they're actually blunt and grind through the rock with diamond chunks embedded in the steel. You can run your finger across that wet blade while it's running and it won't hurt or leave a mark at all. The only danger is if you linger on the blade long enough for a brush burn. As a woodworker also, I can promise you I would never have my hands that close to a sharp blade for sure!

[@richard11935]

@@denisthemineralist4033 that’s awesome thanks for that.

[@AF-oh2ql]

Bro I thought that was a chicken nugget in the thumbnail 💀

[@denisthemineralist4033]

LOL! I get excited when I find those too! I'm headed out this week on another hunt. I'll see if I can't score some onion rings or curly fries to go with it. :D

[@BlazingShackles]

Texas Tightwads. You guys never share location.

[@ClubCrayKray]

In west texas where I hunt, the spot is the Alpine area and beyond 😊

[@BlazingShackles]

@@ClubCrayKray Open BLM or private land?

[@ClubCrayKray]

@BlazingShackles sometimes on private with permission but there are sections by the railroad tracks that I like to walk and pick up cool rocks.