jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 14, 2013 22:58:12 GMT -5
The beauty is in the skin Helen.Well done.And the cabber can play with skin removal to arrive at desired result.The colors are unique and uncommon.Hope you are having a good time. Just starting to get tumble finished stones from first heat treatments.They polish very well.And the variety pool is growing fast.Two long collection trips before the wet season were fruitful.And i had a couple of tons from years of collecting at the house.But they were not much help because most of that coral was not effected by heat.But i had enough variety to test what needed stocking.The big tumblers have helped test the durability and finishability.They were built to process coral for the most part.Lots more testing and color production to do.I cooked a head the other day that had some of the most bizarre colors and blotches.Too much fun.Thanks for inspiration Helen.
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on Jan 16, 2013 0:15:27 GMT -5
Awesome post, Helen! Enjoyed reading of your fantastic finds, mud ventures, and seeing the results from cooking in the kiln. How long did you leave them in the kiln? Looking forward to seeing some tumbled and cabbed. Pretty cool that James told y'all how to go find some of that gorgeous material he has us drooling over. ;D ;D
|
|
|
Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 2:11:36 GMT -5
Jan, they were in the kiln roughly a day, like James said. But I still don't think I have the temp settings down, because I got fracturing on even the little ones, so the big ones are goners trying it this way. I have to play with it some more before I can cook the bigger corals we found:).
It was so nice of James to send us his chips (even if he calls them rejects:P), because these corals are so hard, chipping them is unreal. I can't even chip one down to the agate part, swinging as hard as I can, multiple times at the same spot. My husband can, but he can still do a lot of 1 handed pushups, and he says these things are HARD to chip (tho he chipped some). The force he hit them with could have broke the steel head off the hammer, and he got a couple of little chips for that effort. I've honestly never seen anything so tough.
James must be one strong dude to have chipped so many. I fully understand now what James meant by a piece of shrapnel cutting his vein, when you swing that hard, you can't control what flies off the rock, and it would have nearly the force of a bullet if it did.
This stuff is HARD. I would guess close to a 7 MOH hard. Grinding it wasn't too bad but it's harder than say grinding Lakers, and about the same as grinding Ohio Flint Ridge Flint. They grind very smoothly, but not quickly. As I said, the entire experience taught me a whole lot of respect for James.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 8:06:12 GMT -5
I PM'ed you a recipe for cooking.2 degrees per minute will crack them every time.Got to be like 1/2 degree per minute.But i scolded you about that on PM.That's why i put it on PM:> That south Florida coral is usually tougher than a 10 cent steak.Has nothing to do with strength.i chip it for the most part with a tiny 8 once hammer with a long handle and hit it in the sweet spot.Speed kills,that high speed impact is what chips thin pieces off.So the long handle is to increase the speed of the hammer head.The initial opening of the coral head is done w/a bigger hammer.Hit it on the orange,not the white rind once opened.Especially the rind on those southern corals-it pads the hammer blows.Cover your whole body.I have pulsed blood 5-6 times from coral.It loves to sever/puncture veins.It is a big threat when breaking corals 3 hours up the river. Really-be cautious,you work w/glass and know how dangerous it is.I whipped the 16 pound sledge out on a 5 foot monster to get some rind.In that situation i cover it with old carpet for EVERY blow. My few experiences with your southern coral is it is trickier and easier to fracture.You may have to slow the heat down.It is always easier to heat small pieces,big ones fracture much easier.Take any tiny coral chip and heat it quickly with your glass torch,wear eye protection.You will see how violent this stuff is. Check your PM and pay attention:>
|
|
|
Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 16:22:46 GMT -5
I know James, I didn't get that pm before I tried it again already, LOL! I was so mad that my specimen pieces exploded... but today, I'm not made anymore, because I realized that I DON"T HAVE TO CHIP OR CUT THEM! HAAAA!!!! The piece I cooked was the little broken segment from the big rock my husband cut, the littlest break off piece from this pix (deceptive because it looks so small because the rest is so big, but is way bigger than my closed fist): I can't fit either of the other pieces in my kiln (the big one is still 13" diameter), and the littlest piece above took up a huge space, which I filled in with other pieces and some of your 'scrap' . ALL the specimens broke apart... and this is what came out-not one intact specimen. The pix is dry, straight out of the kiln, and you can see some more fractures in the larger chunks: On the other hand... look at the COLORS of that little chunk after blowing apart (reasons the colors differ is because my camera flash decided to go off on the below)! Here are a few pieces of the blown up chunk, closeup and wetted in natural light: A blown up small piece: other half: Another blown up piece (blood red!!!!!) This white one was from your pretty specimen I posted a pix of earlier, it broke too:(: Here's a PERFECT cabbable piece (that will have a teardrop shaped coral polyp 'window', with that coral colored border): And the rest of the smaller pieces and shards, with some of your pieces, plus my blown up specimen fragments: Here was the original of what went in the kiln from your box of 'scraps', and the above is what your scraps turned into:P: So, yes... I heated too fast... BUT!!!! now I don't have to cut them:P. Also, so far, everything that I collected and cooked has been black -blue-dark orange-blood red. I am thinking all my rocks will cook very dark colors like these were. I won't know til I do more, but if it's going to take 4 days, won't know for at least a week now. I think that torturous location turned out to be the color load spot:P!!!
|
|
bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
|
Post by bhiatt on Jan 16, 2013 16:30:04 GMT -5
wow those turned out great. really like the blue one. nice work.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 16:43:52 GMT -5
Did you put that stuff in a nuclear reactor Helen.Wild colors,really.Are you satisfied w/the results?Ya should be.I hope you get color like that with the calmer heat and no fractures.That blue and red is a new one on me.You may be hooked if you keep this up.It is amazing how much easier the coral breaks after heating.The strong yellow and orange were bound to change-did not expect blue at all.And i have never hit that red of a red.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 17:42:00 GMT -5
What will you cook next Helen?
|
|
|
Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 18:20:36 GMT -5
Hi James:). I'm not going to cook anything for a few days, then going to try a few more specimens I found (and rest of your rock chips), but do the 4 day cook. Just to verify that I can get that color again on a slow cook:).
|
|
|
Post by Pat on Jan 16, 2013 19:14:10 GMT -5
Helen, one of the reasons we go rock hunting is that we get to play in the mud. Sometimes it seems as if we are having a contest to see who can get the muddiest. Your kiln results are wonderful. I especially like the reds and blues.
James, your rocks and photos are stunning as usual. I can see the details of the corals. I think I like the corals as much as dinosaur bones. Both very interesting in history and in visual details.
Thanks for this thread!
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 20:27:12 GMT -5
Helen's territory has another whole category of corals that cook completely different.My mentor MR Burke cooked coral for almost 50 years from a small area close to where Helen got some coral.Most of it was on a 5 acre lot.He used a large kiln and sold most of it to knappers and made cabs out of it.He had a rock shop in Tampa for 45 years and his coral was big part of his sales.The other was the calcites and fossils from the Polk county phosphate mines.He and his wife are in their early 90's and will walk you into the dirt.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jan 16, 2013 20:28:31 GMT -5
wow helen. that is very cool. Jim you are so kewl for hooking her up! I remember her lamenting that florida had no rocks. She sure was wrong, and all 'cuz of you. Thanks for sharing with everyone, including me. I think I'll start your sphere next week, Look for my news in general rocks board.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 20:33:46 GMT -5
I got to send you a cooked head Scott.I found round just for the occasion.Skip those you got.I will get them out tomorrow.Just 2, little bigger than a hard ball.
|
|
jcinpc
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2009
Posts: 722
|
Post by jcinpc on Jan 16, 2013 22:04:26 GMT -5
Helen's territory has another whole category of corals that cook completely different.My mentor MR Burke cooked coral for almost 50 years from a small area close to where Helen got some coral.Most of it was on a 5 acre lot.He used a large kiln and sold most of it to knappers and made cabs out of it.He had a rock shop in Tampa for 45 years and his coral was big part of his sales.The other was the calcites and fossils from the Polk county phosphate mines.He and his wife are in their early 90's and will walk you into the dirt. yotalking about the rock shop on Armenia ave.? dude just died? his niece lives around the coner from me, all his stuff is in storgae at someones house. I used to go in there and shoot thebreeze with him alot
|
|
|
Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 22:11:21 GMT -5
Why is everyone so happy to point out when I'm wrong about something here? LOLOL!
But seriously, this was a happy happy wrong!!! There ARE rocks in Florida!!! But not real easily accessible... which is why you don't see rocks from here often.... they are in weird places that if not for people like James, you would NOT find them, they're in very strange places!!
And, I was a member of the Central Florida Mineral and Gem Society.... and no one there knew anything about these corals. They had a display of all kinds of rocks, including some Florida agates that didn't resemble these, cooked or uncooked. I think it's incredible that James knew about them at all!!
|
|
jcinpc
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2009
Posts: 722
|
Post by jcinpc on Jan 16, 2013 22:13:41 GMT -5
where are you located?
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 22:14:00 GMT -5
I think that is the guy that Bill Burke sold it to a good many years back.Mr Burke told me he was in bad health.The forum folks are into the coral.I hope you will keep posting.I heard about flint cookers for 30 years while collecting artifacts.I have enjoyed tinkering with it for a couple months.I am glad to see how old school cooker does it.I saw your stuff on another forum.The posts were involving you and scarlettsohara???I learned from them.i googled and that forum came up jc.
|
|
jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
|
Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 22:26:53 GMT -5
I am glad you found rocks Helen.I hope that you guys will go on more excursions.I got to find another spot for you guys to go to.You know,a lot deeper in the ground:>Another place where a bridge was built had a bunch of coral too.
|
|
|
Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 22:27:19 GMT -5
Oh yah... Gem Forum... I'm over there too:).
Where am *I* located or James? I'm in Orlando, James is near Atlanta.
|
|
jcinpc
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2009
Posts: 722
|
Post by jcinpc on Jan 16, 2013 22:44:36 GMT -5
Oh yah... Gem Forum... I'm over there too:). Where am *I* located or James? I'm in Orlando, James is near Atlanta. I was asking you , Helen, does your gem society/rock club ever take trips to the Brooksville quarry for echinoids? when I was inthe Tampa club they did, and there are boulders bigger than your house of the Brooksville chert out there. Most people who move here do not know what we have, they might be used to out west or up north agates and jaspers and all that. I am a 5th gen. Floridian so I have done my fair share of exploring, I have found rocks in the Wekiva river before, I have found artifacts in that area too. There is stuff around. Most of it isnt beautiful or colorful. Have you gone to honeymoon island and gotten coral there?
|
|