jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 31, 2017 11:19:34 GMT -5
Changed the plug so it will plug into a welding receptacle. It is an industrial welding rod drying oven purchased for $150 in a junk yard. Only goes to 600F. Good enough for most stones. Takes about 48 hours to cook an average load of rocks. Thermometer on back side, shelf home made for stacking stainless restaurant pans full of rocks and sand. Holds 100 pounds rock. Hotter at lower half where element is. Flint ridge from spiceman, kentucky agate slab from Garage Rocker, some test stuff from rockpickerforeverCover with sand to reduce heat shock and hold heat after turning oven off
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Post by rockpickerforever on Jan 31, 2017 11:22:11 GMT -5
Cooking rocks again, are you James? What you won't do for some pretty colors and stronger rocks.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jan 31, 2017 11:26:20 GMT -5
Let's see what happens. If all goes well, I'll load you up some more.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 31, 2017 11:29:01 GMT -5
jamesp heat treating service
send all your finest rocks
returns questionable
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Post by Garage Rocker on Jan 31, 2017 11:37:00 GMT -5
jamesp heat treating service send all your finest rocks returns questionable If I send it out, I don't expect it to come back. Never loan something you're not willing to part with, and don't send a rock hound your nice rocks.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 31, 2017 11:58:32 GMT -5
You now know the way of the rock hound Randy. I appreciate your generosity.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 31, 2017 12:05:50 GMT -5
Forgot about a rock explosion in this oven. Shook ground. See dent in back, metal is like 12 gauge. Fairly thick.
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Post by orrum on Jan 31, 2017 12:28:53 GMT -5
Heat to 200 and hold to dry rocknoyt. I hold overnite. If in doubt I heat to 200 overnite and turn off 24 hours and heat 200 overnite again. Then up 50 degreed per hour increase with same decrease on wsy down. Don't open oven for a couple days to avoid pot liding. James you gonna love thst flint ridge!!!; ;-)
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 31, 2017 13:51:48 GMT -5
Heat to 200 and hold to dry rocknoyt. I hold overnite. If in doubt I heat to 200 overnite and turn off 24 hours and heat 200 overnite again. Then up 50 degreed per hour increase with same decrease on wsy down. Don't open oven for a couple days to avoid pot liding. James you gonna love thst flint ridge!!!; ;-) Coral from wet clay has had too much water in it after 5 days 200F in the oven. It is a water sponge. Totally different animal. I try to put it in my greenhouse for a year. Coral high in the river bank much dryer. The prettiest coral absorbs water(metal salts) the most. Killer colors after heat. To reduce electricity I turn oven on 8 hours, let cool 16 hours. Over and over for a week. If rock is in sand it stores heat longer. I started using BB sized almandine garnets. They hold heat twice as long as quartz sand. But heavier than ever. Yes, the 50 degree thing and the NOT opening the door thing. Open that door at elevated temp and you better duck. Had them cool in a flash and shoot pieces by my ear(cartoon ricochet sound). The flint ridge is bone dry-no problem. Can feel in fingers. Master humidity measuring devises. Yes, anticipating. Chipped a few hundred pounds of coral for tumbling. Been sitting in hot greenhouse for several years. Smaller pieces dry so much easier. Dead dry. Gonna bake the dodo out of them. Hottest spot in the inferno. Wil shoot for phantoms too.
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Post by orrum on Jan 31, 2017 14:51:23 GMT -5
Hey Jim u r right coral never would dry after soaking in wster for millenium! Wet to the core, I need my sign for not thinking of that! LOL
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Jan 31, 2017 19:08:58 GMT -5
Hey Jim u r right coral never would dry after soaking in wster for millenium! Wet to the core, I need my sign for not thinking of that! LOL It is a crap shoot doing some coral Bill. Much much safer if sawn into slabs. Reduced to tumbles, what ever. 3-15 pound chunks are a crap shoot. The richer the natural color the more likely it is to get pocks, fractures and explosions. Because it is porous and let chemicals enter. Water too. After 500 grit in the rotary you can see the capillaries. They let water into the coral. Like little pipelines. Those capillaries are in about every authentic coral spearhead found. Guarantees the artifact is made of coral. Dang fingerprint. Coral can be grainy as quartzite. 600F and it changes to glass. Just crazy.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,676
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 1, 2017 12:36:31 GMT -5
jamesp heat treating service send all your finest rocks returns questionable James,I think you treated some Montana agate for me.......Same cooker???
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brucew
starting to shine!
Member since February 2016
Posts: 33
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Post by brucew on Feb 1, 2017 14:32:48 GMT -5
Have a question, I have been reading the forum and about heat treating coral, now I see fossilman posted about heat treating Montana agates, What all do you heat treat and what does it do ? I have never done any and in dry prairies we don't have much coral. Lol I have a burnout oven that came with some other equipment I got, Is this something I should hold onto or do I get rid of it ?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 1, 2017 17:18:53 GMT -5
Have a question, I have been reading the forum and about heat treating coral, now I see fossilman posted about heat treating Montana agates, What all do you heat treat and what does it do ? I have never done any and in dry prairies we don't have much coral. Lol I have a burnout oven that came with some other equipment I got, Is this something I should hold onto or do I get rid of it ? Try searching 'heat treating knapping materials'. You will get all the info you should need. Including what types of rocks are good for heat treating and at what temps.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 1, 2017 17:24:42 GMT -5
jamesp heat treating service send all your finest rocks returns questionable James,I think you treated some Montana agate for me.......Same cooker??? Hard to say. Got two weld rod dryers and the kitchen convection oven. I think it was the kitchen convection oven. Thing gets hot. Rated at 575F, but convection seems to add to it.
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zapins
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2016
Posts: 116
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Post by zapins on Feb 26, 2017 1:25:48 GMT -5
Do you have before and after pictures? I haven't heard of cooking rocks before other than sapphires/rubies/gemstones.
I've gone looking with my girlfriend a few times for KY agates in Estill county but haven't found any of the nice ones yet. I wish I knew where to look or better yet meet up with someone who does!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 26, 2017 6:27:23 GMT -5
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Post by woodman on Feb 26, 2017 12:14:43 GMT -5
Have a question, I have been reading the forum and about heat treating coral, now I see fossilman posted about heat treating Montana agates, What all do you heat treat and what does it do ? I have never done any and in dry prairies we don't have much coral. Lol I have a burnout oven that came with some other equipment I got, Is this something I should hold onto or do I get rid of it ? I use an oven to burnout the oil in slabs of petrified wood. If y ou got one, hang on to it, you will need it sometime.
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Post by johnjsgems on Feb 28, 2017 13:24:05 GMT -5
I sold a casting oven to a guy that sold South African tiger's eye. Next time I saw him he had the prettiest red tiger's eye. James, the exploding rock reminded me of a story my parents used to tell. Back in the day their rock club would go on field trips with as many as 100 people in attendance. The nightly campfire was more of a bonfire with stacks of palettes, etc. They would make a nice neat circle of rocks around the fire. One time after a rain in the desert they were enjoying the bonfire when all of a sudden the rocks started exploding sending rock shrapnel into the crowd. Many injures but all fairly minor. Can't be too careful with heat, rocks, and moisture. Then there was the time I was brazing metal on the garage slab...Pow! Missed me though.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Feb 28, 2017 14:49:23 GMT -5
I sold a casting oven to a guy that sold South African tiger's eye. Next time I saw him he had the prettiest red tiger's eye. James, the exploding rock reminded me of a story my parents used to tell. Back in the day their rock club would go on field trips with as many as 100 people in attendance. The nightly campfire was more of a bonfire with stacks of palettes, etc. They would make a nice neat circle of rocks around the fire. One time after a rain in the desert they were enjoying the bonfire when all of a sudden the rocks started exploding sending rock shrapnel into the crowd. Many injures but all fairly minor. Can't be too careful with heat, rocks, and moisture. Then there was the time I was brazing metal on the garage slab...Pow! Missed me though. Ha, that must have woke the gang up. Especially with a massive fire. Our granites and crystalline quartz's are not so likely to shoot fragments like cherts and cryptocrystalline quartz's. Pet coral and cherts from damp soils go crazy in dividing into flying particles at a rate of almost 1 to 4 to 16 to 256, etc. Tossing a chunk of water logged chert is a bad joke but done often. Never thought about heating tigereye. Fine yellow iron based color to turn red. Nice grainy and tough stone for heat treating.
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