jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Mar 20, 2017 5:39:55 GMT -5
Have started sawing large common white coral heads into 5-6-7-8mm slabs and busting it up into vibe media. Random shapes. A tough, hard pure silica based rock. Coarse rounding it in the rotary. Should last a long time as vibe media. Like white ceramic media, it helps to show the color of your rock slurry when using white aluminum oxide. Slowly replacing the colored rock media with the white coral. Some of the old media has pits and cracks. Accumulated smalls by separating tumbles from media with a screen junky rocks get in the mix. The pitted media never seem to make much difference though. Aforementioned cora
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Post by melhill1659 on Apr 16, 2017 7:57:25 GMT -5
That's a great idea. I don't find Coral like that though 😂
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 16, 2017 13:47:14 GMT -5
That's a great idea. I don't find Coral like that though 😂 Seen your coral, me jellyish, especially the red stuff. In that purdy shady creek. That was about a 20 pounder, had to dissect it into pieces with the saw. The light yellow band is from swamp water soaking into the rind on the outside of the coral head. Found in the New River, Pasco county Florida heavily trespassing with curious cows and a nasty bull looking over my shoulder. Better to ask forgiveness....certianly you know that one. HAD to sneak onto the orange farmer's property, his gate was made out of large pithy coral heads. Call it a hint. The little corals were beautiful and not pithy. GOT to go back. (next time w/permission hopefully). Little corals from his river after heat treat. Dang it's pretty.
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grizman
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since July 2011
Posts: 878
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Post by grizman on Apr 16, 2017 15:19:52 GMT -5
Pretty?..Uhh, I'd call that gorgeous! I'd love to visit the part of the country where that comes from. That's not going to happen at my age. Congrats on the finds and the heat-treatment.
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Post by melhill1659 on Apr 16, 2017 16:26:50 GMT -5
That's a great idea. I don't find Coral like that though 😂 Seen your coral, me jellyish, especially the red stuff. In that purdy shady creek. That was about a 20 pounder, had to dissect it into pieces with the saw. The light yellow band is from swamp water soaking into the rind on the outside of the coral head. Found in the New River, Pasco county Florida heavily trespassing with curious cows and a nasty bull looking over my shoulder. Better to ask forgiveness....certianly you know that one. HAD to sneak onto the orange farmer's property, his gate was made out of large pithy coral heads. Call it a hint. The little corals were beautiful and not pithy. GOT to go back. (next time w/permission hopefully). Little corals from his river after heat treat. Dang it's pretty.
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Post by melhill1659 on Apr 16, 2017 16:48:52 GMT -5
That's a great idea. I don't find Coral like that though 😂 Seen your coral, me jellyish, especially the red stuff. In that purdy shady creek. That was about a 20 pounder, had to dissect it into pieces with the saw. The light yellow band is from swamp water soaking into the rind on the outside of the coral head. Found in the New River, Pasco county Florida heavily trespassing with curious cows and a nasty bull looking over my shoulder. Better to ask forgiveness....certianly you know that one. HAD to sneak onto the orange farmer's property, his gate was made out of large pithy coral heads. Call it a hint. The little corals were beautiful and not pithy. GOT to go back. (next time w/permission hopefully). Little corals from his river after heat treat. Dang it's pretty. As soon as I get more room I will be buying a kiln. Those look like blue diamonds!! Our red corals are cool but so globular, weird shaped and hard to do anything with. I did happen to find some small nice Tampa Bay when I was in the area last summer. Can I tumble it?
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 16, 2017 20:10:09 GMT -5
Any chert or coral found around Florida is good tough tumbling material melhill1659. You will have fun with a kiln if you have cherts and corals. Some agates and flint likes. Some of the banded agate you find in the creek there should be candidates for cooking, soft yellows and oranges can get hyper color.
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Post by melhill1659 on Apr 16, 2017 22:09:02 GMT -5
jamesp, I've studied up on the subject a good bit. Just haven't gotten the nerve up to possibly mutilate my kitchen oven and can't find an antique electric turkey roaster 😂
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notjustone
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2017
Posts: 426
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Post by notjustone on Apr 16, 2017 22:18:41 GMT -5
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2017 6:38:26 GMT -5
Pretty?..Uhh, I'd call that gorgeous! I'd love to visit the part of the country where that comes from. That's not going to happen at my age. Congrats on the finds and the heat-treatment. Thanks Mr. Grizman, might as well pack in as many expeditions as possible before age gets a hold on things. Some how some way the system needs a change. Instead of having to work thru our prime we should play then and work later perhaps. Better if we didn't have to work at all ! Since age 35 I worked a hard 6 months and was off 6 months. 6 months @80 hours/week. Young can do that. 6 months is a long time to rest and organize your life after the work cycle. At 60 not so easy ha. But 60 is close to retirement. If coming back in another life I would do it the exact same though. Schlumberger Oil Services was hiring us engineers out of college 6 months on/6 months off but had to spend 6 months in field in foreign country. High pay, company vehicle, free housing. Same theory.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2017 6:43:22 GMT -5
jamesp, I've studied up on the subject a good bit. Just haven't gotten the nerve up to possibly mutilate my kitchen oven and can't find an antique electric turkey roaster 😂 Go to Goodwill or a used restaurant supply and pick you up an old commercial 1/4 oven rated to 600F or get a good turkey roaster rated to 550F. You need 600F, most turkey roasters will go there if you pack the rock correctly. Or simply bury the rocks 2-3 inches deep and build a campfire over them on a calm day.
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Post by melhill1659 on Apr 17, 2017 8:48:28 GMT -5
Go to Goodwill or a used restaurant supply and pick you up an old commercial 1/4 oven rated to 600F or get a good turkey roaster rated to 550F. You need 600F, most turkey roasters will go there if you pack the rock correctly. Or simply bury the rocks 2-3 inches deep and build a campfire over them on a calm day.[/quote] I've combed our goodwills an online ones, think I'll look up catering places next. Ummm but we do keep a burn pile down by the pond as well... I'll take the free route first 😂 Thanks Jim! A little birds told me there may be an Arkansas Rockhounding trip being planned for this summer. Care to give me details so I can Crash the party??
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2017 8:58:26 GMT -5
Go to Goodwill or a used restaurant supply and pick you up an old commercial 1/4 oven rated to 600F or get a good turkey roaster rated to 550F. You need 600F, most turkey roasters will go there if you pack the rock correctly. Or simply bury the rocks 2-3 inches deep and build a campfire over them on a calm day. I've combed our goodwills an online ones, think I'll look up catering places next. Ummm but we do keep a burn pile down by the pond as well... I'll take the free route first 😂 Thanks Jim! A little birds told me there may be an Arkansas Rockhounding trip being planned for this summer. Care to give me details so I can Crash the party??[/quote] I believe novaculite is a heat treatable rock from the Arkansa. However, it is insane. Heat treats at like 800-900F. I want some to try. Google 'heat treating novaculite'. I got no way to cook that hot other than the ole camp fire down by the pond. Sure they will welcome your crashing their party...
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Post by Garage Rocker on Apr 17, 2017 9:06:00 GMT -5
jamesp, I've already turned some of your coral into small media for my course grind. I typically use small Lakers and diced low grade Montana agate as my smalls. The coral is a good candidate too, hard stuff, should last a long time. If and when my ceramic media wears out, I'll have plenty of small media for the Lot O.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2017 9:22:30 GMT -5
jamesp, I've already turned some of your coral into small media for my course grind. I typically use small Lakers and diced low grade Montana agate as my smalls. The coral is a good candidate too, hard stuff, should last a long time. If and when my ceramic media wears out, I'll have plenty of small media for the Lot O. I like high grade agate media be it Brazilian Montana coral lakers and others. It's pretty for one thing and some of them end up being fine jewelry grade tumbles. I question having the same shape media too, random may do a better job.
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Post by johnjsgems on Apr 17, 2017 12:29:35 GMT -5
Pretty media. Plain old pea gravel and saw trimmings are very cost effective too.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2017 14:12:45 GMT -5
Pretty media. Plain old pea gravel and saw trimmings are very cost effective too. Thanks John The old timer I knew used newspapers and saw trimmings too. If you are going to tumble you might as well use pretty media.
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Post by Garage Rocker on Apr 17, 2017 14:40:38 GMT -5
Pretty media. Plain old pea gravel and saw trimmings are very cost effective too. Thanks John The old timer I knew used newspapers and saw trimmings too. If you are going to tumble you might as well use pretty media. That's my philosophy James. Space is limited, takes so much time and effort, might as well make it all count.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,154
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Post by jamesp on Apr 17, 2017 17:22:41 GMT -5
Thanks John The old timer I knew used newspapers and saw trimmings too. If you are going to tumble you might as well use pretty media. That's my philosophy James. Space is limited, takes so much time and effort, might as well make it all count. Thought I might get charged as an efficiency phobic. (kinda am) Have you watched the news lately; it's hard to find good media.
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