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Post by mrbrett on Apr 7, 2004 7:22:46 GMT -5
Is there a better or maybe a correct way to breaking up large rocks into tumbling size? Right now i use a hammer and cover it up. I seem to get alot of pieces that are sharp and gagged.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Apr 7, 2004 7:44:44 GMT -5
Sorry, hitting a chunk of jasper or similarly hard material with a hammer will pretty much always result in sharp jagged pieces; that's why they make good arrowheads and scrapers.
I hope you're not using a carpentry hammer. Doing it in a shallow cardboard box, covered in an old towel, helps control the mess. Eye protection is a necessity. You can buy rock trimmers, but they're pretty expensive. A small diamond saw will let you make shallow kerfs, which will let you give some direction to the breakage. A cold steel chisel in combination with a ~2 lb crack hammer, both available at any hardware store or rockshop, is the ideal tool; for more delicate cobbing (breaking off the bad bits) use a prospectors pick with the flat, not pointy, end.
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Apr 7, 2004 14:31:13 GMT -5
I would have to agree 100% with everything SixRoxalot said.
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Post by rockyraccoon on Apr 7, 2004 20:04:22 GMT -5
do me a favor and go look here and tell me which if any of these you are calling a cold steel chisel. www.kingsleynorth.com/estwing.htmlthanks for helping a tool dummy! kim
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Post by cookie3rocks on Apr 7, 2004 20:14:01 GMT -5
What problems occur when using a carpentry hammer?
cookie
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Allagash
off to a rocking start
Member since March 2004
Posts: 22
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Post by Allagash on Apr 7, 2004 20:18:00 GMT -5
Cookie, a carpentry hammer will chip and splinter. As someone else said you should always wear eye protection and use a rock or crack hammer.
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Apr 7, 2004 20:27:16 GMT -5
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James
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 876
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Post by James on Apr 7, 2004 20:28:09 GMT -5
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Apr 7, 2004 21:29:09 GMT -5
Mostly repetition, but a few extra tidbits:
All of those chisels are cold steel, made for rock. I think I've used (and broken, heh, heh, heh) them all; 7-0331 is excellent. Bear in mind that Estwing is top of the line stuff; your local hardware store will have cheaper ones, $10 or so. A hand guard is nice, but you don't want a chisel that's too long, it seems to absorb the energy and is harder to handle for this type of work, at least in my experience. The bull point, 7-0332 is a great chisel, better for clobbering with a sledge, if you're getting into heavy work.
A carpentry hammer is made for carpentry, it is NOT made for hitting rock. Hitting rock or a chisel with a carpentry hammer is an excellent way to ensure you'll see the world out of one eye - razor sharp shrapnel easily spalls off the edges, and it's moving at about a million miles an hour. Ouch. Besides that, a claw hammer's too light to do any good. And the head being so small means you have to be a marksman to hit a chisel, not your hand. Oh, and that nasty clawy bit will occasionally come close to embedding itself in the old forehead on the backswing every now and then. Don't laugh, it's happened... Buy a ~2 pound crack hammer with a good wooden handle, they're pretty cheap and essential for collecting minerals in the field.
PS - You're not a "tool dummy", we were all beginners at one point. Get the right tools, follow the safety instructions, and have fun.
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on May 3, 2004 14:26:30 GMT -5
What is a crack hammer? I went to the hardware store and found the cold chisel (seemed room temperature to me) but they didn't have a crack hammer. However, I did buy a 2lb hammer that had a head that looked like a sledge hammer. Is that right?
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on May 3, 2004 17:06:30 GMT -5
Ah, I understand the confusion!
You have to buy a crack hammer from a crack dealer. You'll find a crack dealer on the bad side of town, some time after midnite; he'll be the nervous looking fellow standing on the corner.
Sorry, couldn't resist. Yes, you got the right hammer. Any other questions, fire away, and remember kids - drugs are bad, nnnnkay?
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Post by cookie3rocks on May 3, 2004 18:21:23 GMT -5
Didn't realize crack rocks were that hard to break. I'd quote Cartman, but it would just bleep me. cookie
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on May 3, 2004 19:54:01 GMT -5
Screw you guys --- I'm going home.
best line ever!
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Post by cookie3rocks on May 3, 2004 21:24:59 GMT -5
Git demit! You suck ass for stealin my fire~! had too. ;D
cookie
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Post by mrbrett on May 4, 2004 11:06:17 GMT -5
As a union carpenter/millwright I know all about things flying from hitting it at the wrong angle. Trust me...it hurts like heck!
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Skipper
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2003
Posts: 258
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Post by Skipper on May 16, 2004 23:17:47 GMT -5
Another good example of how useful this site is when you use the advice provided. Today, I took a box, cut off one of the short sides, then cut a square hole in the bottom. I sit the box on concrete and put the rock in the opening then whack it with my new crack hammer and cold steel chisel. Works beautifully to contain all the flying shards! I now have been able to break some hard rocks into tumbler size chunks. Thanks all!
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Post by creativeminded on May 17, 2004 10:12:18 GMT -5
I broke up several colors of quartz, some other rocks that I had picked up along the way as well as my mahogany obsidian. I at first just used a small anvel my dad has with a chisel and an ordinary capentry hammer, however, I noticed that the pieces were flying at a certian level so I found a box and put the anvil down in the box and most of the pieces stayed in the box. I got all of the rocks broke up to the size I want. I am now saving money for either a slab saw or a trim saw. Haven't decided which yet. Tami
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Post by cookie3rocks on May 18, 2004 21:09:42 GMT -5
I've been putting big pieces of quartz in a towel to break them. It's funny how I've come to recognize the sound of a good split and I don't bother to lift the towel until I hear it. Kind of a dull "thunk" as opposed to a solid pop. Messed up a whole bunch of towels. Good excuse to go buy new ones ;D
cookie
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Post by creativeminded on May 19, 2004 11:11:49 GMT -5
I know what you mean by a good split and no effect on the stone. I ran into that breaking up my rose quartz, sodalite, mahogany obsidian, and aventurine. I also found that if you see a crack in the rock use it to your advantage, you will get a good split.
Tami
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Banjocreek
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since March 2003
Posts: 1,115
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Post by Banjocreek on May 19, 2004 15:25:17 GMT -5
I have found that wrapping a stone in a towel and putting it in a good heavy duty vise will do the trick to avoid chards. I mostly use an 8" chunk of Railroad tie, laying on its side in a box about 12" high. It works works great. The rock rests in the craddle of the tie fairly well so I don't have to balance it on a hard surface, and it keeps me from accidently putting cracks in the concrete floor.
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