Photos after heat treatment

[jamesp]

Pics 1,2,3 are before heat.Notice 4 and 5 washed out the pretty butterscotch due to the heat.Pic 6 is the 40 percent that changed for the good.Pics 7,8,9,10 are closer ups of the 40 percent that changed for the good.These were some old tumbles and rejects so i used them for guinea pigs.They were not pretested.But proved that about 40 percent changes with heat in a good way.The 15 pound pile of rind from the pre tested coral head has nice colors and grain textures(lots of purple!).The slabs were a failure.The 5 test chips all failed except one,and it was so so.
www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632278494344/
Pic 1 is 15 pounds of rind removed from a single large coral.The test showed a lot of purple.The outcome was 8-9 pounds of pretty stuff and not as purple as the sample.But real pretty and cool specks/grain.2,3,4,5 after cook.
www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157632279421674/

[Sabre52]

I really like this kind of post James. Always very cool to see the before and after. I wonder how the Indonesians heat treat their coral. They do mainly slabs and the color saturation seems to go from rind to rind and be fairly uniform. Most the treatment results in manly golden tones but you do see some that turns fairly reddish to purple in color....Mel

[jamesp]

Mel,i read that the Indonesians cover the coral with a few inches of mud and then do a fire on top,but in wet mud.Our native americans had to do it with fire too.Much more of an art.
I wish our native coral was as attractive as that stuff.The local coral is affected by iron,minerals etc absorbing into it's'rind'.That Indonesian stuff has nice color and pattern, rind to rind like you stated.

[Sabre52]

James. I'd not be surprised if they had iron rich lateritic soils in Indonesia because that type of soil is common in the tropics. So, if they actually do bury and burn the coral in that type of mud, it might be a dyeing process in addition to the heat treatment because their type of fossil coral is a bit porous. That infusion of iron salts would explain the great color saturation they achieve....Mel

[jamesp]

I know the corals found on the coast of Tampa and New Port Richey have wild colors.And other salty clays in brackish locations produce color.I was hoping that Indonesian coral has good natural color too.Is Georgia red clay a lateritic clay?

[Sabre52]

I would think that any of the iron rich red clays are laterites. I talked to a guy selling Indonesian coral at a big show once ( he had both rough and slabs). He said the bright oranges, pinks, and red/purples are heat treated. All the uncut rough he had, and it was a lot, had fine polyp patterns but we're not impressively colored, mainly tans, off whites and grays. I agree with you though that the agate in a lot of the Tampa Bay type coral is quite colorful so must be heavily impregnated with iron salts......Mel

[jamesp]

I learn stuff from you.I never knew it for sure but i've been every place in Florida a silicification had ever been reported on the ocean shore or brackish waters and the silicfics have colors that are unique and above and beyond.The salt does have an impact.Predominately-black and pink.Most of what i have treated was low grade.I just figured out how to heat w/out fracture.And most folks hunt the psuedomorphs.I have always searched for the solid corals w/great color.And the knappers look for the big stuff.So i will bore all w/lots more pics...
BTW i got a little camp in FL and it is 125 miles inland on a section of the St.John's river that is 6 miles across.About 8 miles away is a 35 million gallon a day spring called Salt Springs.
The artifacts i find in that area are also heavily stained.You can catch a large mouth bass or a Redfish on a plastic worm in that river.So ocean life or fresh water life in one strage place.

[Deleted]

jamesp your experiments keep bringing new knowledge. I hope you never stop. I love the chips you sent me. I need to get my tumbler back working and put a polish on them!

Need to visit and go fishing.

[jamesp]

My buddy Chris catching my bait on the St John's River.I'm ready when you are Scott.
The background is Hogg Island about 1 x 2 miles in size.During the off season the crabbers probe for artifacts off this desolate stretch of wilderness.The probes are 1/8 inch spring steel rods 16 inches long welded to a handle w/T at the bottom like a straight tine pitch fork.You have to wade out in the river and push the probe into the sandy bottom.The probe will ting and stop when it hits flint,glass or any other infrequent solid.The old shore washed away and left the artifacts behind.I go sometimes,but do not find these waters relaxing.Best done w/a group to reduce your odds.

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