The Logbook: Janyce Takes the Wheels - The 3D Marquise
The Strike
The Spokane Workshop
The Material
Raw Serpentine & The Full Shop Arsenal
The Core Philosophy
Bob is Not the Boss; We Are a Team
The Revolution
Janyce Takes the Wheels
The Shift Change
In the early days of building Rockhound Studio, Bob spent months engineering the heavy machinery, rigging the saws, and calculating the cutting angles. When you build the engine, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you are the sole mechanic of the operation. That illusion shattered the day he left for his day job.
While Bob was at work, Janyce didn't wait around for permission. She fired up the equipment, grabbed a piece of raw serpentine, and went straight to the 3400 RPM wheels.
The 3D Marquise & The Hellstone
She didn't start with a simple oval or something easy. With absolutely zero oversight, she independently cut, shaped, and polished a highly complex 3D marquise out of that raw serpentine. She pushed it all the way through the grueling grinding steps, working it until it hit her signature glass-like finish.
When Bob walked into the house, looked at the bench, and saw that perfectly finished stone sitting there, he learned a permanent, undeniable lesson: Bob is not the boss. They are a team.
The Flat Lap Grind
Cabbing the dome is only half the battle. If the back of the stone isn't perfectly machined, it will never set right. Janyce didn't stop at the arbor; she took over the flat lap. Running the lap requires a completely different feel for the stone—grinding it perfectly flush against a spinning horizontal disc while fighting the suction and the grit. She locks the backs of these stones down until they are dead-flat.
The Drill Press & The Hardware
The final, highest-risk step in the shop is the hardware. Drilling stone is not like drilling wood or metal. If you push too hard, let the diamond bit get too hot, or miss your angle by a fraction of a millimeter, you will shatter hours of flawless polishing into dust. Janyce commands the drill press right there on the dining room table, sinking the holes and setting the bails with dead-center precision.
The Equal Partnership
That 3D marquise serpentine was just the beginning. It celebrates the absolute reality of Rockhound Studio: there is no "boss" in this shop. We are a two-person army and a complete team. Bob might build the machines, but Janyce commands the wheels, the lap, and the press. Every finished piece that leaves this house is handcrafted by Bob and Janyce, carrying the weight of a true 50/50 split.
Handcrafted by Bob and Janyce / Inspired by Rufus 🐕💙