How to open a geode

Sometimes people think geodes are delicate and easily destroyed but the truth is most are very strong structures. Opening them sometimes can be a real task and other times they almost fall apart.

How I open them is with a grinder, a cutting wheel, hammer and chisel.  It depends on how you want you geode to look is how you cut it but for the most part I cut around the the center in a circle about about an inch and half to two inches as straight as I can. (first geode on the left in the picture above is uncut)

Next I take the chisel and put it in the cut and gentle strike it with the hammer. I do this all the way around the geode until it splits in half.(the middle geode in the picture).

I then cut around the outside of the half geode with the grinder end to end not cutting to close to the crystals on the bottom. I go as straight as possible and go about an inch to two inches. I do the taping with the chisel and hammer until it splits again. (last geode in the picture on the right)

Check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeWzYDu1fX0&feature=youtu.be for a video on this.