jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 10, 2014 13:29:51 GMT -5
spiritstoneI have done them in a tray of sand on the wood stove. That is a great way. If you build fires a lot, you can do small samples and dial it in for your agate. Move the sand tray closer to the hotspot to bring the heat up slowly, put a thermometer right in the sand. A cook I did in the wife's convection oven. It is 300C/572F (at least). Great cooker. Dog supervising www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632540385118
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spiritstone
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Post by spiritstone on Dec 10, 2014 14:03:27 GMT -5
Just cover with tin foil heat and serve. No stirring or basting involved! I like it. LoL. Look out Chef Ramsey. I dont think I can get away from trying it in the house. Shop is wired for 240, could put a stove in there and see what happens this winter. Something to think about after the holiday season on buying second hand. I like the wood pit idea better, just bury and shove a turkey temp gauge into the sand. I think it should enhance some of the lighter blues, maybe. Flashbang! Skip the stove, going to try this on the BBQ. fricken neighbor thinks its weird I cut rocks up, wait until i bring out the BBQ sauce and put it on the table beside it. LMAO
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Mark K
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Post by Mark K on Dec 10, 2014 14:53:36 GMT -5
Just read this thread straight through and I have to say.... I love how you boys can get so off topic with your rock recipes. Does my heart good.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 10, 2014 16:10:35 GMT -5
This would be a great topic to pin for future references.....Get it off this taboo post....Thumbs up I'm just going to share the opinion of my co-worker. He thinks that most flint ridge and other material looks better natural... like the 1st piece would be cooked and the 2nd piece would be natural.. He has been to flint ridge before and has some really cool stuff. Cooking stables the flint,making it easier to work with.....It will be treated as my others were...
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 10, 2014 17:54:38 GMT -5
Just cover with tin foil heat and serve. No stirring or basting involved! I like it. LoL. Look out Chef Ramsey. I dont think I can get away from trying it in the house. Shop is wired for 240, could put a stove in there and see what happens this winter. Something to think about after the holiday season on buying second hand. I like the wood pit idea better, just bury and shove a turkey temp gauge into the sand. I think it should enhance some of the lighter blues, maybe. Flashbang! Skip the stove, going to try this on the BBQ. fricken neighbor thinks its weird I cut rocks up, wait until i bring out the BBQ sauce and put it on the table beside it. LMAO Works best with yellows oranges and reds. May turn blue gray, just warning you. Yellow orange and red are usually iron, it sure changes. Yellow to orange orange to red red to redder or into brown. Some browns turn lavender. But all of the above is not for sure, you never know what color the stuff will change. Cause there is many metal salts. and salt presence turns black This batch was wacko, it was bland before I cooked it, and no black
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spiritstone
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Member since August 2014
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Post by spiritstone on Dec 10, 2014 18:27:03 GMT -5
I have seen the natural grey to blue look in some. Makes sense on the blue to grey now. A few browns I have may turn out better if they go lavender. Lavender is in the area. Have to try it on a smaller one first to see if it changes darker?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 11, 2014 6:56:34 GMT -5
I have seen the natural grey to blue look in some. Makes sense on the blue to grey now. A few browns I have may turn out better if they go lavender. Lavender is in the area. Have to try it on a smaller one first to see if it changes darker? I would cook that in a second. To see what the lavender/reds do. Mind you, that is beautiful as it is. Tough competition w/out heating. Awesome agate spirit. Some coral had white skin, from sitting in white clay. Often lacks iron, so little color change. Those found packed in red/brown clay often go wild. Those found in saltwater clay will go black-for sure, usually around the edge, depending on porosity of agate.(see slabs in last photo) Many effects from the soil the agate formed/resided in. Your agate has a brown skin, good sign. And lavenders are rare for me, but lavender almost always gets deeper lavender. That is a very high grade of glassy agate. I would think hotter than 500/550F is hot enough. If it came out of wet conditions you will want to leave it where it can dry, like over the furnace below 210F. Hotter than 212F, and it can break the rock if heated too fast. Gotta get rid of the moisture slowly. I pile the coral in the sunny side of the greenhouse, after a year I do not have to preheat it. Otherwise, I preheat it for 24 hours in the furnace at 200F.
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Dec 11, 2014 7:21:39 GMT -5
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 11, 2014 10:46:03 GMT -5
Damn it,now I'm droolin"!!!!!!!
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Dec 11, 2014 11:22:19 GMT -5
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spiritstone
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Post by spiritstone on Dec 11, 2014 18:52:13 GMT -5
I have seen the natural grey to blue look in some. Makes sense on the blue to grey now. A few browns I have may turn out better if they go lavender. Lavender is in the area. Have to try it on a smaller one first to see if it changes darker? I would cook that in a second. To see what the lavender/reds do. Mind you, that is beautiful as it is. Tough competition w/out heating. Awesome agate spirit. Some coral had white skin, from sitting in white clay. Often lacks iron, so little color change. Those found packed in red/brown clay often go wild. Those found in saltwater clay will go black-for sure, usually around the edge, depending on porosity of agate.(see slabs in last photo) Many effects from the soil the agate formed/resided in. Your agate has a brown skin, good sign. And lavenders are rare for me, but lavender almost always gets deeper lavender. That is a very high grade of glassy agate. I would think hotter than 500/550F is hot enough. If it came out of wet conditions you will want to leave it where it can dry, like over the furnace below 210F. Hotter than 212F, and it can break the rock if heated too fast. Gotta get rid of the moisture slowly. I pile the coral in the sunny side of the greenhouse, after a year I do not have to preheat it. Otherwise, I preheat it for 24 hours in the furnace at 200F. The agate can become even darker in purple. To get into the seam of the high grade material, you need to dig at least a few feet through topsoil , forestfire ash and colored volcanic ash layers. The area is as dry as??? California close enough to a description. I have a lot of the blue, resembling the Buse lake agate I posted if its still up, probably not, that's what I want to give it a try with first. Getting the feeling it wont enhance the blue only turn more grey. Still have to give it a shot to find out. Keep u posted when I pick up a sandbag, ground is solid cant dig it up and give it a shot on the BBQ. 500 to 550, got it memorized. Slow gradual heat to 500 then bake for at least 1 hr. Gradual cool down...say 150 degrees every hr? to heat off? Thanks.
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Purplpixie
Dec 11, 2014 19:06:05 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by braders on Dec 11, 2014 19:06:05 GMT -5
This is a awesome thread to read threw great info and pics !! Has me so dang curious now about cooking some rocks Also makes me think there is some members here I would enjoy so much to spend some time around and watch their crazy rock minds at work !!! Cheers ...
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Post by catmandewe on Dec 11, 2014 20:52:05 GMT -5
Harley uses a turkey roaster to heat treat his rocks, layered in sand and ramp it up to whatever temp he needs and then ramps it back down by 50 or 100 degree increments.
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Post by glennz01 on Dec 11, 2014 23:16:48 GMT -5
This is a awesome thread to read threw great info and pics !! Has me so dang curious now about cooking some rocks Also makes me think there is some members here I would enjoy so much to spend some time around and watch their crazy rock minds at work !!! Cheers ... You don't want to hang around me... i'm possibly going to go try to get a few huge pieces of prehnite I couldn't get in the summer due to the size this sunday.. I'll be walking through at least half a foot of snow pulling a sled... and up a very steep cliff. I hope it stays relatively warm Did i mention "warm" is 20*F or higher?
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Post by braders on Dec 12, 2014 7:37:46 GMT -5
This is a awesome thread to read threw great info and pics !! Has me so dang curious now about cooking some rocks Also makes me think there is some members here I would enjoy so much to spend some time around and watch their crazy rock minds at work !!! Cheers ... You don't want to hang around me... i'm possibly going to go try to get a few huge pieces of prehnite I couldn't get in the summer due to the size this sunday.. I'll be walking through at least half a foot of snow pulling a sled... and up a very steep cliff. I hope it stays relatively warm Did i mention "warm" is 20*F or higher? T shirt weather Sounds fun to me
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 12, 2014 10:03:35 GMT -5
Harley uses a turkey roaster to heat treat his rocks, layered in sand and ramp it up to whatever temp he needs and then ramps it back down by 50 or 100 degree increments. Turkey roasters perfect, unless stone needs more than 600F.
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Post by catmandewe on Dec 12, 2014 10:33:09 GMT -5
Actually you can take the thermostat apart and get it to go higher but that is best left to people who know what they are doing.
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 12, 2014 11:08:54 GMT -5
Actually you can take the thermostat apart and get it to go higher but that is best left to people who know what they are doing. I've been known to do that....And with results...LOL So how would a guy attempt it with a roaster? Is it an easy tweak or better off to just leave well enough alone......
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Dec 12, 2014 13:43:47 GMT -5
Actually you can take the thermostat apart and get it to go higher but that is best left to people who know what they are doing. Probably tweaking the bimetallic spring. After that adjustment, fire proof location sounds safe.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jan 1, 2015 14:18:03 GMT -5
Great results on phil's rhyolite. It ended up about mohs 6. Heated on left. Hoping the yellow turned orange, but not. Classic color change other than the orange. thanks Phil, for this beautiful material. ah, heated to about 650F, no cracks, blown up rocks or need to dry. Bullet proof, all rhyolite I have done so far. and excellent mechanical property improvement for knapping, will now tumble. Guessing the heated material will round much faster, they will tumble together
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