jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Apr 11, 2013 23:08:25 GMT -5
From a ditch a few miles from where Helen went to collect.The black suggests salt.It all started out butterscotch color.I could have never broken it down to smalls w/out heat treating first.This material was grainy and too unbreakable.Amazing,after heating it no longer breaks grainy,but smooth and waxy.Also tumbles much faster.  Some more pics www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157633217576214/with/8639195420/ |
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Post by helens on Apr 12, 2013 3:10:48 GMT -5
Oooh!! I didn't get any blue!!!! We have to go back there... haven't been able to get my husband to go, and I can't lug all that stuff there myself:(.
When did you get those James???
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Apr 12, 2013 5:37:00 GMT -5
Those are not weird colors. Those are awesome colors.
I have not seen any cabs of this stuff yet? why not slice some up after heat treating?
Chuck
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Apr 12, 2013 7:40:45 GMT -5
I can not find this spot on satellite Helen.It is about 2 miles north of where you guys went;an abandoned orange grove.I saw a pile of whole corals each about 3 feet across but had to trespass to get to them so i did not.The ones on the easement were darker yellows,so bland colors heat to brighter
colors,darker yellows/oranges go to a lot of black and blue...go figure.I did jump the fence and did check out this farm-had tons of coral in lots of ditches to coral zone.A tenant was living in a trailer there -should have got permission(about 6 years ago).
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Apr 12, 2013 7:50:56 GMT -5
I will slab some in the future Chuck.It has been a learning process.These were cooked in larger chunks and then broken to tumble size.The colors change from the hotter outside to the colder inside making even crazier color variation upon breaking them after heating.So i am still optimizing color with so many varieties.I cooked some blue stuff that was about cab size and it was clear on the outside layer and has a phantom cloud on the inside.The phantom cloud was the exact shape of the odd shaped outside.Make sense?
Actually those blacks and strange sci-fi irridescents will be perfect for gothic,sci-fi,steampunkers,etc.A downtown crowd in the urban of Atlanta
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Apr 12, 2013 9:51:33 GMT -5
You hit the jackpot on these. Those blues are amazing.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Apr 12, 2013 10:31:50 GMT -5
Dang,i thought i would be the only one to like these peculiar(they are weird Chuck) colors.Now i must see how they polish before considering them jewel grade material for the demanding cab competition.
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Post by helens on Apr 12, 2013 11:29:52 GMT -5
James, can you slab some of your coral instead of chipping them? I can't slab, and I have yet to see ANY coral slabbed.
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Post by Pat on Apr 12, 2013 12:06:51 GMT -5
The butterscotch, gold, and blue are lovely together.
You mentioned black suggests salt. Can you determine what causes which color after heating? If so, what can you tell me?
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,718 
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 12, 2013 14:38:08 GMT -5
Super colors James,they "pop"! I'm getting my chips "coral" made into some points...Doing some horsetrading as we speak...
I'll let ya' know how they turn out buddy.........
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,602
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Post by jamesp on Apr 12, 2013 17:11:19 GMT -5
Yes the coral can be slabbed Helen.A lot of it is tricky due to color intensity at the skin.If i have nice tumbled cab size pieces then the texture of the stone can be seen.I was not concerned about shape and probably prefer free-er form.And am fooling around with base metal settings of non-convetional methods.I would place emphasis on metal work.I am still cooking it to see -
1 color
2 polishability
3 fracture resistance
4 effects on the stuff i can collect
I have collected solid corals for their color qualities for years and have a lot of different ones.
So i am still experimenting.I keep learning new reactions.Then it takes 10-12 weeks to see how durable it is to grinding/polishing by tumbling.So far most pass all the durability tests.And am possibly looking for uncommon colors for a line of jewelry or resale.
Color changes are somewhat predictable until this whole category came along Pat.It is the first white stone i have ever cooked that has strong color changes.Normally---yellow to orange,orange to red,brown to red,black to blue,clear to white or white to clear.The red spectra is mostly iron and it changes readily.White stone is usually iron free,but this stuff is not following protocol and changes in new ways.
Another problem is i need to collect specific coral that i did not collect in the past because it was not attractive until it is heated.Just happened to have some of those in my pile.And i got to wait till dry season to collect those materials.So it is a big data collection/experimentation project at this point.
Those pieces i sent you Fossilman are most recent and some of the best i got.I have a lifetime project so i may have to be Coralman one day.I am looking forward to your horsetrading efforts.
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Post by Pat on Apr 12, 2013 20:47:43 GMT -5
Thanks for the color explanation. I figured it was due to a lot of iron. Looks like it all goes from a fainter color to a darker color except for the extremes. Black lightens to blue, and the oddball clear to white or white to clear.
Interesting.
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Post by Toad on Apr 13, 2013 6:27:53 GMT -5
Real nice.
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