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Post by liveoak on May 10, 2022 6:20:03 GMT -5
I have to agree with Robin , that Pet wood you're finding is beautiful.
It doesn't have to compare with AZ pet wood, cause it's not , it's Alabama pet wood after all  I like the colors.
Mostly I'm pretty happy you've put it out here, truth be told, if I was in a creek in Al, before reading of your finds, I wouldn't have even considered to be finding pet wood. Opened my eyes. Thank you.
Enjoyed checking out your Etsy sites, looks like Denise is having fun with the lights.
You both found a good niche.
Patty
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 10, 2022 6:29:54 GMT -5
I don't care what you say, jamesp, that pet wood is beautiful. The lighter colored dreamsicle ones are yummy!  The wood probably petrified from silica from limestone Robin since we are devoid of volcanic ash as far as I am aware. Volcanic ash has so many types of metal salts that make those exotic colors that limestone silica's lack. From an organic color and pattern standpoint this material scores well though. Next step is to sample further out of this half mile circular deposit zone and see what may be lurking further out. |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 10, 2022 6:53:31 GMT -5
I have to agree with Robin , that Pet wood you're finding is beautiful.
It doesn't have to compare with AZ pet wood, cause it's not , it's Alabama pet wood after all I like the colors.
Mostly I'm pretty happy you've put it out here, truth be told, if I was in a creek in Al, before reading of your finds, I wouldn't have even considered to be finding pet wood. Opened my eyes. Thank you.
Enjoyed checking out your Etsy sites, looks like Denise is having fun with the lights.
You both found a good niche.
Patty
No doubt a freak find Patty. I have been rock hunting since a kid in the SE US and pet wood was never in the offering. I'm happy ! I saw the hourglass pendant you made. I also noticed the imported hourglass crap on ETSY. Rest assured the ETSY community knows what imported junk is compared to a hand made masterpiece like yours. If there is a 100 trending import items like hourglass pendants and only one handmade hourglass in the bunch guess what they will want to buy at a much higher price...Actually your hourglass begs to be mass produced(don't tell)with clever production machinery. Some guy bought a specialty lathe and started turning titanium wedding bands(this was years ago) and sold several million dollars worth of them in 2 years. After that the competition sprouted up but even at that he made out like a bandit and continued to sell like hotcakes based on his reputation. Reputation and lots of sales will keep them coming back to you. |
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Post by liveoak on May 10, 2022 7:18:02 GMT -5
I've tried selling on Etsy & others with my jewelry over the years, but the competition in that media is immense, especially from China sources now. So the price I had to get for it didn't attract any takers. Nice thought though.
I pulled out of trying on those sites when they opened the doors to imported crap, I mean crafts.
Most people say for items like mine to sell on the internet, you need that "social media" customer base- well I fail there. Good thing I do it for fun & interest at this point, not to put $ in the bank !
Patty
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brybry
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Post by brybry on May 10, 2022 10:17:34 GMT -5
I'm a bit south of Atlanta. I rarely know when i have a day off anymore due to low staffing and gearing up for summer tourists/banquet season. When i can I'll definitely take you up on your offer. I have a rough idea of where your collecting from. If I'm right, its not far away. I'm in Fairburn, SW of Atlanta. If you find the spot you won't have any problem filling your buckets. I'm in Hamilton, little over an hour away. For me its time to look which i won't have until our shutdown in August. Until then its 6 day weeks with maybe 2 days off once or twice. Unfortunately, I'm the only guy the Head Chef has than can effectively operate in any of the 6 outlets/kitchens we have. Its cool until I want to go rockhounding,lol. |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 6:43:12 GMT -5
I've tried selling on Etsy & others with my jewelry over the years, but the competition in that media is immense, especially from China sources now. So the price I had to get for it didn't attract any takers. Nice thought though.
I pulled out of trying on those sites when they opened the doors to imported crap, I mean crafts.
Most people say for items like mine to sell on the internet, you need that "social media" customer base- well I fail there. Good thing I do it for fun & interest at this point, not to put $ in the bank ! Patty
There are 925 'hourglass pendant' listings and over 5 million 'pendant' listings on ETSY. Specializing on an item helps a lot. With proper search engine(hourglass pendant) wording in a listing you may be able to move close to the front pages when a shopper searches 'hourglass pendant' which is probably the #1 search term for that item. The imports can be the best thing going for you, ETSY folks have money and like buying hand made high quality items. There is a good chance if you get your handmade item coming up on the first 3 pages of an 'hourglass pendant' you should begin to get sales. If you start selling at a good clip ETSY will make sure you get on the first few pages. Also, if you spend a few hours favoring shops that favor(lots) of other shops it can be a great way to break into ETSY. Many don't know that little trick. It puts your product out there in front of power buyers. It's a damn game. It also takes commitment and time and an investment in tools and materials that may not payoff(been there done that). But I have bad news for you. 'Marmalead' searches ETSY for statistical data. It has helped us(more so Denise because she sells an assortment of products) and we pay like $30/year for it. So I plugged 'hourglass pendant' and 'fire pit' into Marmalead. Results favorable for fire pits and not good for hourglass pendant. You guys should build and sell fire pits !(serious) It has been a couple of years since checking the pits on Marmalead, they are more desirable a product than ever judging from this analysis. Your product must be searched and engaged upon, with low competition. Of course you knew that, but it is good to quantify that info. If you have any other products you want to sell let me know and I will plug them into Marmalead...   |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 6:52:17 GMT -5
I'm in Fairburn, SW of Atlanta. If you find the spot you won't have any problem filling your buckets. I'm in Hamilton, little over an hour away. For me its time to look which i won't have until our shutdown in August. Until then its 6 day weeks with maybe 2 days off once or twice. Unfortunately, I'm the only guy the Head Chef has than can effectively operate in any of the 6 outlets/kitchens we have. Its cool until I want to go rockhounding,lol. So is life. Then you get to retire. I paid my dues at your age too. Hey, at least you are gainfully employed in the food industry ! Many are not so fortunate. |
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Post by liveoak on May 11, 2022 6:58:31 GMT -5
Thanks for the chuckle Jim,
Ya know, Tom & I have & do make many things, but we've never come up with one we felt was a good sell.
My jewelry always was a hobby selling thing, and it was fun for a number of years when I somewhat randomly sold some.
Never considered fire pits - obviously it's worked for you.
But again, you have that Altanta market.
We don't have a close urban market to tap into.
Patty
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 8:05:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the chuckle Jim,
Ya know, Tom & I have & do make many things, but we've never come up with one we felt was a good sell.
My jewelry always was a hobby selling thing, and it was fun for a number of years when I somewhat randomly sold some.
Never considered fire pits - obviously it's worked for you.
But again, you have that Altanta market.
We don't have a close urban market to tap into.
Patty
80% of them are sold thru ETSY and shipped all over the US. There is plenty of room for you guys. If you guys are interested in purchasing the pit biz it can happen. There is probably enough finished stock to pay for the cost of the business. Problem now is the risen cost of steel... |
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Post by liveoak on May 11, 2022 8:15:08 GMT -5
Jim I'm downright shocked that you ship those firepits.
Especially with the cost of shipping at this point.
Definitely see the lighting shipping easy- but steel is heavy . Obviously you have found a good market.
I think at this point we'll stick with our current business.
It's worked for 32 years - not getting rich or retiring on it for that matter, but it's an indoor job without being physically demanding - so we joke that we can do it till we drop.
All the other stuff both physical or no is for fun.
So Sorry - not buying you out anytime soon - you're stuck making fire pits this month ! 
Patty
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 8:22:53 GMT -5
Trip yesterday was a success. However the drone needed some WiFi time to do updates so it did not fly. Next time.
Ok, this is looking downstream on a big flat flood plain about 8 feet above a big creek. Normally these floodplains have 6 to 8 feet of rock free sediment and muck. Not this one, it is jam packed with petrified wood. A strange occurrence. This place is a riddle !
Looks like a tree fell across the creek and floodwater jumped the banks and polished the floodplain, note debris washed against the base of the trees. The wood gravel seems at least 5 feet deep, strange.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 8:41:05 GMT -5
Jim I'm downright shocked that you ship those firepits.
Especially with the cost of shipping at this point.
Definitely see the lighting shipping easy- but steel is heavy . Obviously you have found a good market. I think at this point we'll stick with our current business.
It's worked for 32 years - not getting rich or retiring on it for that matter, but it's an indoor job without being physically demanding - so we joke that we can do it till we drop.
All the other stuff both physical or no is for fun.
So Sorry - not buying you out anytime soon - you're stuck making fire pits this month ! Patty
Lol, today happens to be shipping day and it is getting in the way of rock hunting grrr. And yes, I will be too tired to go rock hunting the next day ! When the heavy 48 and 54 inch pits are sold out they are not being replaced. Time to stop lifting those things, too risky. Odd how people will pay those freight costs but they do. The fuel prices have started increasing shipping costs too. They are squeezing the little guys from all sides. A non-physical business sure makes better sense as age creeps up on us. I don't blame you for staying right there. You guys should be proud, it is not easy for Mom/Pop business to succeed these days. 32 years is a fantastic achievement. Well done ! I take you moved from New England to warmer weather ? You live in a cool part of the world. I love Florida but the boss never let us move there. |
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Post by fernwood on May 11, 2022 10:29:10 GMT -5
That pet wood is great. Rivals the AZ variety IMHO.
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Post by brybry on May 11, 2022 11:42:53 GMT -5
That pet wood is great. Rivals the AZ variety IMHO. That's what I said, lol. |
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 11:44:59 GMT -5
That pet wood is great. Rivals the AZ variety IMHO. I don't think so Beth. Certainly very different, it just lacks those bright candy colors. It smokes it in shear toughness, you have to beat that rock with the hardest hammer blows imaginable. I have never experienced such a tough rock. If hammered on the log's end downward and outward at a 45 degree angle toward the bark edge it sends nice long beautiful slivers off.(i.e. with the grain as if splitting wood). And odd how it is very attractive viewed perpendicular to the bark. Unfortunately it needs to be sawn, when hammer broken any other way it leaves fairly deep surface fractures and a very rough surface. Problem is trying to figure out which way the grain is going with so many different shapes. If it is like a 1 inch slab cut off the end of a log it petrifies incredibly nice as if the minerals were able to absorb into the vascular system's veins easier. I am learning it's peculiar orientation and shapes(and patina's). Anxious to get 18" rock saw back up and running for this stuff. Should be real showy sawn. The material laying on the ground in the floodplain shows dozens(hundreds lol) of colors since there is no creek stain on it being stored in clean sand. You can't walk away from it lol. It's like being in a candy factory. But poorly silicified pieces are the norm, maybe 15% is solid with gemmy colors. |
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 11:45:59 GMT -5
That pet wood is great. Rivals the AZ variety IMHO. That's what I said, lol. That AZ wood is hard to beat(that didn't sound right ). |
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Post by brybry on May 11, 2022 11:48:21 GMT -5
I'm in Hamilton, little over an hour away. For me its time to look which i won't have until our shutdown in August. Until then its 6 day weeks with maybe 2 days off once or twice. Unfortunately, I'm the only guy the Head Chef has than can effectively operate in any of the 6 outlets/kitchens we have. Its cool until I want to go rockhounding,lol. So is life. Then you get to retire. I paid my dues at your age too. Hey, at least you are gainfully employed in the food industry ! Many are not so fortunate. Those that aren't fortunate to be back on F&B is by choice. It's demanding, beats the body up, unforgiving and then add in overly privileged customers and it's a recipe for staying shorthanded. At least I have a job that I do enjoy half the time,lol. I'll have time to research and plan for the August shutdown tho. |
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 11:49:33 GMT -5
That pet wood is great. Rivals the AZ variety IMHO. That's what I said, lol. That pet wood is great. Rivals the AZ variety IMHO. Game not over. Still searching ! This deposit may be massive and have great variability. If AZ grade is there I'll find it. I'll bring gophers with color sensitive eyes ! |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on May 11, 2022 11:51:41 GMT -5
So is life. Then you get to retire. I paid my dues at your age too. Hey, at least you are gainfully employed in the food industry ! Many are not so fortunate. Those that aren't fortunate to be back on F&B is by choice. It's demanding, beats the body up, unforgiving and then add in overly privileged customers and it's a recipe for staying shorthanded. At least I have a job that I do enjoy half the time,lol. I'll have time to research and plan for the August shutdown tho. My younger ex-employee of 25 years finally graduated to su chef. Real tough kid and his chef job kicks his butt. |
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Post by liveoak on May 11, 2022 15:53:40 GMT -5
Funny Jim, every time you go back there and show more photos, it's starting to look like it's hard to avoid finding the pet wood .
Love to see what a slab looks like when you get your saw going.
We left NY some where around 30 years ago, been here almost 20. I think the long winters drive lots of people out.
Cheap real estate & taxes got us here, & the water based recreation - not the culture or rocks- BUT you have me rethinking about the rocks Trying to plan a trip up to Barbour county to scout- maybe in June ? We shall see - work and projects keep us too busy.
Question - The material laying on the ground in the floodplain shows dozens(hundreds lol) of colors since there is no creek stain on it being stored in clean sand. You can't walk away from it lol. It's like being in a candy factory. But poorly silicified pieces are the norm, maybe 15% is solid with gemmy colors
Meaning it's not all completely petrified ??
Or are you saying it's colored, but not hard ??
Patty
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#10 - Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's rocks