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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Jan 27, 2005 12:13:03 GMT -5
Hi everyone, Here are some photo's of my most recent batch of stones.  Petrified Wood of various locations, colors and patterns.  This gorgeously colored piece was found within 7 miles of my home. I have been back searching for more ... but, I have not yet found any.  Greens and reds in this piece!  This is from Colorado, it comes from Two Buttes in the far southeastern part of the state.  This is Eden Valley Petrified Wood. It comes from south central Wyoming. This was a bear to keep clean of grit and plastic pellets, as there are small cavities and crevices that go deep into the stone. I was extremely carefull to get everything out of the crevices before starting another cycle. It has a gorgeous gloss balck interior. Just a few more photo's coming and I'll get back to the grind! John |
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Post by cookie3rocks on Jan 27, 2005 12:36:04 GMT -5
Pet wood is one of my favorites. Beautiful shine on those! More!
cookie
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Post by mrbrett on Jan 27, 2005 13:41:11 GMT -5
petrified wood is one of my fovorite to tumble. It takes a great polish. I have a one of those plastic laundry basket full and I mean FULL of petrified wood ranging from solid green to mix color of red,orange,yellow,brown. Most of them are 6-14 inches long to 6-8 inches wide. I'll probably cut most of it but I do have some in the tumbler right now.
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Jan 27, 2005 14:08:50 GMT -5
What are you doing to me? If your next pic is as good as these 2- well I'm gonna go crazy!
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Post by rockyraccoon on Jan 27, 2005 19:25:54 GMT -5
how on earth do you know what they are? i have a couple of pieces that look just like that eden valley that my friend from idaho brought me when he came - he got them at a rock shop there.
kim
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Post by connrock on Jan 27, 2005 20:03:44 GMT -5
Again they're beautiful!! Thanks,,,,,,,,,,,,, Tom  |
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Post by krazydiamond on Jan 27, 2005 20:49:47 GMT -5
yeh, how DO you know what all these are, is it from just being in the business/in the family for so long? those are gorgeous bits of pet wood.........i never cease to be amazed at the stuff you post, Bear, you are truly a Stone God.
KD
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deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
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Post by deepsouth on Jan 27, 2005 21:11:16 GMT -5
Very nice wood John . You done well.
The colour of the wood is depending on the minerals that have replaced the wood. The grain of the wood is depending on the type of tree it used to be. Then there is still the amount of decay that had taken place before petrification came about. All in all a very intesting mixed bag can be found in many location on this earth.
Thanks for showing
Jack
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Post by Cher on Jan 28, 2005 1:01:25 GMT -5
I find it so hard to believe that those were once a tree. Don't you just love pet wood!! I have a couple of pieces
but they are too big to tumble and I'm afraid to whack them.
Cher
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Jan 28, 2005 1:54:02 GMT -5
Hi everyone, KD and Rockyraccoon - I do some rockhounding in the summer months ... and if the weather is nice ... I will go out in the winter as well. I have even been known to put my fishing waders on and walk the gravel bars of the South Platte River in Colorado looking for Petrified Wood in the dead of winter and a foot of snow on the ground. I'm okay really ;D I have personally picked this material up off the ground and I keep my Colorado woods seperate from my Texas, Oklahoma, etc. I usually slab most of my material and tumble the left overs, trimmings and end cut pieces. I guess it is easier to remember where they came from, because of all the fun and great memories I had while rockhounding for them. I try to keep my rocks somewhat organized ... but, if you ever see my rock shop ... you will swear that I am a hoarding pack rat that is out of his mind ;D We finally found a buyer for my wifes ceramics business, so when her portion of the three car garage is cleaned out ... I am moving my rock shop into the garage. Hopefully, it will be before summer gets here Take care, John |
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Post by creativeminded on Jan 28, 2005 10:37:56 GMT -5
You talking about the piece that you had a hard time getting the grit and pellets out of reminded me of a couple of pieces of Sweetwater agate I had that I literally had to use the point of a knife to get the pellets out and I never did get all the grit out even with a toothbrush.
Those individual pieces are beautiful, shoot your whole batch turned out beautiful.
Thanks for sharing.
Tami
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Juniper
starting to shine!
Rock hound
Member since March 2003
Posts: 40
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Post by Juniper on Jan 28, 2005 21:03:25 GMT -5
so pretty. I just love pet wood, its my fave. I aslo have had a few tough ones but never did turn out . there is a lot to know about how to identify pet wood . I found a few sites but they are confusing  |
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Jan 28, 2005 22:15:20 GMT -5
My granddaughter just asked me yesterday how wood becomes petrified wood. Even though I have a vague idea of how that happens, I was totally at a loss of how to explain the process to a 12 year old.
Can y'all help me with a simple explanation, PLEASE!
She was looking thru my polished rocks and picked her 'favorite' to take home with her and it just happened to be pet. wood. It's one of my favorites, too.
BE
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Jan 29, 2005 0:08:28 GMT -5
Hi Be,
When the wood in the tree was replaced with silica (which is what all agates are comprised of) and over millions of years it hardened to stone and became petrified. That's about as easy as I can explain it.
I hope it helps,
John
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Jan 29, 2005 0:20:25 GMT -5
Thanks John,
I'll try that out on her and see how it works. I tried telling her that old wood laid around and that minerals and other stuff entered the wood and after thousands of years it became rock. She was not convinced that Nana had a clue about how it really happened!
BE
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Post by BearCreekLapidary on Jan 29, 2005 1:02:11 GMT -5
Hi Be,
You can also tell her that specific minerals in the ground will determine the color of the petrified wood (and other minerals and stones as well). If the area was high in Copper, the wood will have a green color to it ... if the area was high in Iron, it will have a red color, etc.
John
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bwalters
has rocks in the head
Member since March 2004
Posts: 557
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Post by bwalters on Jan 29, 2005 20:06:45 GMT -5
I didn't know that, John. That's interesting! That should help alot when I try to explain the process to my granddaughter again!
Thanks,
BE
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deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
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Post by deepsouth on Jan 30, 2005 14:55:13 GMT -5
If you live near a river or beach , it is easier to explain I believe. On our last fieldtrip we went looking for fossils on a shoreline next to a small cliff. We did find petrified wood and forest floor and leaf-fossils. Most was of too poor a quality to use for slabbing or tumbling.
On that beach was a big treetrunk , mostly covered in sand already and over time you could well imagine that it gets covered more and more . By explaining the motion of the earths crust upwards as well as downwards , your 12 year old should have no trouble in seeing what was about to happen to that tree.
Imagine that there are hundreds of meters of silt , sand and stone deposits on top of this treetrunk. The sheer pressure will help it to turn to stone. Also the heat that pressure creates will have a bearing on the quality of the petrified wood at the end of the cycle.
In the States you have your Mt St Helens as a good example of how whole trees and forests get covered in ash . Some volcanoes erupt so much ash that trees again will turn to petrified wood. Huge Lahars will bury many a tree !!
Jack
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Post by krazydiamond on Jan 30, 2005 16:10:04 GMT -5
I try to keep my rocks somewhat organized ... but, if you ever see my rock shop ... you will swear that I am a hoarding pack rat that is out of his mind
yeh, i know the feeling....
so i have a stupid question, why do some places have more pet wood than others? we have trees, sand, silt, etc. in Central New York, why don't we have pet wood? or did i miss something in the explanation?
KD
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deepsouth
fully equipped rock polisher
He who rocks last rocks best
Member since January 2004
Posts: 1,256
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Post by deepsouth on Jan 30, 2005 20:51:56 GMT -5
Hi KD ,
Maybe you can find out how the New York area has evolved over the last 180 million years or so...has it moved , changed up or down , has it been under sea or what. Your local:" natural history museum" should be able to help you there.
Let us know please .. Thanks
Jack
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