QuestionGday Rod, is there any product i can use to avoid opal cracking or to repair opal that is cracked. I have a couple of pieces of cracky stone from tintinbar nsw that needs repairing, others i have put in baby oil as this is supposed to work. Any hints or further contacts would be most appreciated, thanks for your time, paul
AnswerHi Paul, yes there are 2 products we know of that can help . 1 . is called Opticon , it is a fracture sealer and probably available in Australia. The other is windscreen repair for cars .While baby oil makes it look like its fixed , it is not the correct refractive index for the optics and will only be a temporary apparent fix . The opticon is good , but I understand that the windscreen repair is working well also .You cant really avoid the opal cracking if its from a area that makes it unstable ( many LR black opals today are quite dangerous for cracking )
The opal from Tintinbar is volcanic in origin and its water content is unstable , it would be a browny piece of glassy . My father said he saw some from many years ago , but there is no way to stop it cracking, like virgin valley USA has sort of similar . Best keep it in a jar of water or oil like you have , if its already cut into a stone then try the opticon or the windscreen repair. I hope that helps ...cheers Rod K
