Before and after heat treatment-Florida fossilized coral

[jamesp]

Before:


It is #1 on lower right

After heat treatment. Reduced to smaller pieces after heat, much easier to break after heat. Almost no fractures.

Another arrangement and some samples from other corals at left. One was very blue.


Thanks for looking.

[quartz]

That sure turns the lights on in that rock, thanks for the show.
Larry

[jamesp]

It's the dull irons(browns) that go wild Larry. The ugly stuff that I passed over for specimens.
Many shades of iron in Georgia, the red clay capital.

The bigger corals have drastic color change from gravity top to bottom. I guess heavy metals/minerals were pulled by gravity during formation.
Salts do weird stuff too. It can start out white and go black if salt content is heavy. Thanks for comments.

[Deleted]

Your wife is a saint. Heat treating dead coral in her oven.........................

[bhiatt]

FISH ON!!!

[Drummond Island Rocks]

those are gonna be some killer tumbles. Do you heat it then break it or break it first so it colors easier and deeper?

Chuck

[jamesp]

She gets upset when I cook live things Scott...

I have to post cooked coral for Brad. He wants to make cobbler out of it. LOL

[jamesp]

You asked a key question Chuck. Do you see the yellow color in the smaller pieces?

That is the color that showed at the breaks after heating.

I saved the 2 big pieces for cabs. But I heated them all at the size of the big pieces, then broke them exposing the yellow.

If I had cooked the smaller pieces you would see a lot of that pink/purple and less yellow-until you tumble.

Then the tumble makes the sharp edges turn yellow. So I messed up on this one. I should have cooked them in small tumble size to have purple w/yellow corners.

You never know for sure what is going to happen. Normally those are pink/purple all the way thru-yellow??-That's a first

[jamesp]

Closer view of the specks. Those specks are capillaries that fill w/minerals. Sometimes the capillaries make very interesting specks:

This blue stuff also has specks. Blue this blue is not so common.

This is from an area not known for coral. It changed drastically

A perfect fracture free slab for knapping 7 inch spear

[Pat]

Thanks for showing this. A friend is interesting in heat treating, as I am. Like before and after photos.

[jamesp]

I did it bang on the first time I tried Pat. I cooked some clear Montana for Fossilman. It turned it from clear to cloudy light blue.
This is Fossilized Man's Montana after cooking. Fractures were there before heating. See how it is a pretty cloudy color.

He is also getting this heated coral so his knapper can make him a Florida spear too

My (wife's) oven goes to 572F=300C

Better get it before Mom catches ya. Those two pans hold 40 pounds of rock together,12 pounds of sand.

[Deleted]

completely and totally and overwhelmingly badass.

So, next time you can make purple and yellow?

[jamesp]

That's a lot of agatives agateives moroani macaroni melancholy

I cannot say for sure Shotgunmoranman Shogunman.

I am on my way to Florida in morn. All the rivers are to deep to coralize so I am going to west coast.
Cousin's stepdaughter just moved over there and says I have a place to stay. Hoping to find the real odd
stuff from that area. And kayak out 3-400 yards and snorkel for it. Cousin Ed the diver head is on vacation
and finished divorce this week. Fast times ahead. Come to US downunder and lettuce get you kilt

Real odd stuff before:

After


After-a batch posted before-please look at these
www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157633217576214/

[quartz]

Wow from both of us, variety of color absolutely impressive. Thanks for the show. Fun stuff.
Larry

[Pat]

Have a good trip.

I know Florida has some gorgeous coral. I have a couple of pieces we bought at a garage sale in Oregon long time ago.

Rocks show up just about anywhere and everywhere.

Good luck!

[jamesp]

Those agates from out west have been finding there way to the east for a long time Pat.

The stuff that turns black is probably got heavy metal salts Larry. The coral from ocean water in the gulf is full of black

[bhiatt]

now that specimen in this last photo is killer. Thing looks like something that would be hanging from the ceiling at Studio 54.

Hey Jamesp, you know I cant resist a good coral pie. Those reds are really vibrant.

[Steve]

I've never tried heating rocks in the oven. I want to stay married.
Many years ago I took a pottery class. They mentioned that placing a penny in the kiln would often change the color of the glaze.
The temperatures here are lower, but could you get the same effect by putting different metals in the sand with your rocks?

I recently bleached some black petrified wood. Now I have white petrified wood. Think I prefer the black, so I may tumble off the white to get the black back.

[snuffy]

Jul 3, 2013 16:22:33 GMT -5 Steve said:

I've never tried heating rocks in the oven. I want to stay married.
Many years ago I took a pottery class. They mentioned that placing a penny in the kiln would often change the color of the glaze.
The temperatures here are lower, but could you get the same effect by putting different metals in the sand with your rocks?

I recently bleached some black petrified wood. Now I have white petrified wood. Think I prefer the black, so I may tumble off the white to get the black back.

I bought a large turkey roaster to do mine in.Worked well.Dont know about the metal in the sand part.Jamesp is hunting coral,maybe when he gets back he could shed some info on the subject.

snuffy

[Deleted]

Jul 3, 2013 16:22:33 GMT -5 Steve said:

I've never tried heating rocks in the oven. I want to stay married.
Many years ago I took a pottery class. They mentioned that placing a penny in the kiln would often change the color of the glaze.
The temperatures here are lower, but could you get the same effect by putting different metals in the sand with your rocks?

Probably not at oven temperatures. At kiln temps, some of the mineral (metal oxide in the case of the penny) can vaporize and produce surface colors. At even higher temps, the mineral atoms can actually penetrate the surface and change it deeper (the process, called diffusion, is used to artificially color low-grade sapphire and other gems).