jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,204
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Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 16:09:14 GMT -5
This will be about 30 pounds from 4 different veins.Three photos per vein.Almost all of this material was removed from coral heads with high speed percussion chipping by ancient man.The chips are long and thin and i have no idea how they did it w/out metal tools.The veins were each in different soils greatly effecting their color.Black organic muck,jet white clay mixed with coarse quartz sand,rust colored clay and a mix of dirty clay and sand.The ones from the white clay have the white rind and yellow/orange inside.The black muck turns em black en blue.The rust turns em the same,rust. The dog is inspector Erskin and supervises.Do not tell my wife i put crackers on the counter... www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632540385118/
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Jan 16, 2013 16:31:12 GMT -5
Some of those pieces look really nice already. It'll be interesting to see what cooking does to them.
Chuck
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,204
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Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 16:47:39 GMT -5
They are at 300 as i type Chuck.They are seperated so i can show before and after.Will need to tumble the hull and carbon off for a week or two before a good comparison can be made.
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Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 17:09:20 GMT -5
Awesome! You have all the colors I got, cept for that blood red (of which there are only a couple of pieces in mine that have it, and it's not solid, but in veins). What do you mean 'nuclear reactor' ? Those are great:)!!!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,204
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Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 17:18:26 GMT -5
The colors you got glow,like nuclear:>
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Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 17:40:25 GMT -5
I think that's only in the wet pix? When they are dry, they're dull and chalky (but very brightly colored still).
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Post by Pat on Jan 16, 2013 19:18:08 GMT -5
James, is that a special rock cooking oven? What is the highest temperature it can sustain?
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,688
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Post by Fossilman on Jan 16, 2013 19:24:21 GMT -5
Looks like a toaster oven,might be wrong.....
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,204
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Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 19:50:41 GMT -5
It will surprise you what polish does.Even when fractured.The material straight out of water is a little like wet concrete.After cooking it is hard and dry like aged concrete.But coral is hard and polishes well under most conditions-even when grainy.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,204
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Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 20:02:34 GMT -5
It is not Pat.It is as Fossilman says.But i paid like $650 for it.A gift for mrs.It is a Cadco Unox convection 1/4 oven. Meaning it is a quarter of a full(resturaunt lingo).It is a 300 degree celcious(572 farenheit).It may get to 600(best for coral).I am watching Ms Helen's results cause her kiln will easily do 600-650 to see if her colors are deeper/different. she is learning to slow the heat process the hard way though.Even after clear warnings.I'm not sure why she won't listen...
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Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 22:51:49 GMT -5
Well, should I admit now that I got nuclear colors because I did 750 degrees, even tho you told me to do 600? LOL! My logic was... if 600 makes pretty colors... 750 will make EVEN PRETTIER colors... and I was right:P. But you are right that I should slow it down if I ever want to have slabbable chunks, instead of letting the kiln chip them for me because I can't chip them myself, and that's what I'm trying next! Slooooowwwww fire!!! Also... I think where I went wrong was putting in that gorgeous specimen that JC called 'pinfire coral'... he said they are more delicate to begin with, and he does them at 500. So that could be what went wrong too. I think all my corals are pinfire tho, so I hope I can get them not to burst, they are really beautiful... AND get blood red sometimes!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,204
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Post by jamesp on Jan 16, 2013 23:07:47 GMT -5
Welcome to coral head fraternity Helen.Kinda like Jimmy Buffet's Parrot Head's.Just more colors!
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Post by helens on Jan 16, 2013 23:12:18 GMT -5
LOL!
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