jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 10:47:21 GMT -5
In a sort, you are loading your car with their resources. I gave away 10 pounds of fine tumbles. They make great icebreakers. It opened the door to people opening their ranches and friendship. This community has strong affinity for nature, serious rock lovers wether gems or natural landscape. Interested in the geology of the agates. Were proud of the fact their rocks were so beautiful. I did the same this summer. I brought a pocketful of tumbled unakite to Lake Superior. Not so much for the locals as for other rock hunters I meet on the beach. Some people are very experienced agate hunters, but don't realize that the other rocks can be beautiful too. Others don't have a clue what an agate looks like. Both types are happy to receive a polished piece of unakite. I met a family with three kids who were staying at Grandma's house on the beach. They each got a rock and then I showed them that the black sand on their beach contained gold. One of the kids ran up to the house and grabbed a magnet off the fridge when I told them that some of the black sand was magnetite. Lots of people fascinated by rocks or the fact that you would collect certain ones. A couple of your fine tumbles would tell the story in a hurry. Tumbles are great barter for intriguing people. Especially if they are from their backyard. |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,601
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 10:49:28 GMT -5
So far so good 1dave. Maybe I possess an eye for the Texas wood. Yea !! |
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Post by captbob on Nov 7, 2016 11:52:26 GMT -5
 Love it!! Hope the tumbler in you allows this one to remain intact! Way more special as a display specimen. |
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Post by txrockhunter on Nov 7, 2016 12:15:02 GMT -5
Keep'em coming!!!! I love the palm and pet woods.....can't get enough! Recently got a renewed interest in tumbling the pet woods and palms. I've got crates full of it. Broke up a 5 gallon bucket's worth and it's awaiting an opening in the tumbler. It's tough stuff.....without pre-grinding, it might be in sic 30 for 8-10 weeks! Seems like a few similarities with wood found in the San Jacinto gravels. Like you said, there is very little rhyme or reason to patterns on outside vs. inside! Your red wood above is a prime example! Not sure how 200 miles could result in a 50% reduction in size? I'm hoping this thread becomes 80 plus pages with your pictures! Jeremy Jeremy, all I can figure is that it was not just a tumble down the river but an grinding high pressure landslide/land movement. Like these rocks were under 500 feet of soils and the whole mass moving for some reason. Can't figure any other way these hard rocks got rounded. Those woods and palms still have cleavage down the grain, can be very difficult to make tumbles from. I am sawing some of this wood in 1-1.25 inch thick slabs and then breaking it to avoid jags and divots. The palm looks just like palm ~150 miles north of this local(George West). You are real fortunate to live in Texas. What a treasure trove. High pressure grinding would make sense! Being overly anal about fracture free rocks, makes tumbling pet wood very time consuming (re-cutting, re-grinding, and finally tossing out 100's of rocks). I frustrate myself by caring too much. Rewards of fracture free rocks are still greater! I like your cutting and breaking idea. Look forward to seeing how it goes. This is a piece of pet wood found NW of George West (Choke Canyon Reservoir construction site). Amazing stuff!  You are correct......very blessed to be a rockhound in Texas! |
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jamesp
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Member since October 2012
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 12:21:02 GMT -5
Agreed captbob. That has to stay as a display. I have fragmented stuff, that one a whole section. I cross grain cut the base for full view. I tried to go back over ALL the territory we covered to collect the wood. |
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Post by captbob on Nov 7, 2016 12:22:57 GMT -5
Glad I was there to get all that pesky overburden out of the way for ya!  |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 12:25:34 GMT -5
txrockhunter, wood has a fracture issue. You are fortunate to have some of the better wood, the Texas stuff is one of the most solid. HAD to be high pressure grind going on. Not sure if I would want to witness the cataclysmic events of those times.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 12:26:13 GMT -5
Glad I was there to get all that pesky overburden out of the way for ya! overburdenman |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 12:37:15 GMT -5
Due to the lack of rock exposure I wondered about Choke Canyon lake as a spot to hunt. Is that where you found this beauty |
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Post by txrockhunter on Nov 7, 2016 12:47:31 GMT -5
Yep. It was on the SE side of Choke Canyon, in a big dirt pile. My buddy found it and convinced him to give me 1/2.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 13:33:43 GMT -5
Yep. It was on the SE side of Choke Canyon, in a big dirt pile. My buddy found it and convinced him to give me 1/2. I would live to rock hunt there. Never get nuthin done. |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 17:31:29 GMT -5
Same palm cut cross grain and a few more thick slabs.    Big dino egg plume/moss  One of my favorites, conglomerated jaspers and cherts healed together tight    Strange one. Poppys ? orbs ? rose buds. Must be 8 pounds.  The alien brain. Skin and shape looked like wood. Probably not.  leaverite  leaverite  And thanks for looking. |
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 7, 2016 17:59:36 GMT -5
James
Two different parts of Texas, out in the Big Bend area in Terlingua Creek. Back on the Terlingua Ranch, had permission to go back on one of the properties there, lots of wood in the washes. Also around Falcon Reservoir over 30 years ago during a low level area, can't remember which side roads as it was tricky to find access. We did Bob's Nob at that time also.
I will say that most of the river and creek wash wood is very hard and will take a great polish. I have also found wood around Lajitas right out of the formation it was laid down in and although not too bad it was a bit softer and had more fractures and porous areas and in some cases the bark is well preserved. Not sure why the river wash wood is so hard, either all the river tumbling and erosion knocked way all of the softer areas including the Bark(maybe) or it could be that maybe the wood is exposed to two different agatizing events(maybe). I have noticed that not all fractures are equal. Just cut and polished a couple of preforms out of a nice piece of amber shaded Palm Wood. There were what appeared to be fractures, however none of the 3 or 5 broke during the tumbling process so it's as if Nature somehow healed the original fracture. This is all speculation on my part, but something drastic happened to this wood.
I would post pictures but I am still mastering that skill.
Good luck with cutting
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 18:31:29 GMT -5
Nice big nodules! Sweet!
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Nov 7, 2016 18:42:06 GMT -5
Ooh, nice! I like the poppy one and the alien brain.....Mel
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 19:44:49 GMT -5
Ooh, nice! I like the poppy one and the alien brain.....Mel Alien brain has orbicular area too!! Wow |
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Nov 7, 2016 21:44:57 GMT -5
James Two different parts of Texas, out in the Big Bend area in Terlingua Creek. Back on the Terlingua Ranch, had permission to go back on one of the properties there, lots of wood in the washes. Also around Falcon Reservoir over 30 years ago during a low level area, can't remember which side roads as it was tricky to find access. We did Bob's Nob at that time also. I will say that most of the river and creek wash wood is very hard and will take a great polish. I have also found wood around Lajitas right out of the formation it was laid down in and although not too bad it was a bit softer and had more fractures and porous areas and in some cases the bark is well preserved. Not sure why the river wash wood is so hard, either all the river tumbling and erosion knocked way all of the softer areas including the Bark(maybe) or it could be that maybe the wood is exposed to two different agatizing events(maybe). I have noticed that not all fractures are equal. Just cut and polished a couple of preforms out of a nice piece of amber shaded Palm Wood. There were what appeared to be fractures, however none of the 3 or 5 broke during the tumbling process so it's as if Nature somehow healed the original fracture. This is all speculation on my part, but something drastic happened to this wood. I would post pictures but I am still mastering that skill. Good luck with cutting Welcome to RTH Hank. Your mention of being agatized again makes good sense. Chert jasper wood and agate that made it to Falcon is about all hard stone. Wonder if only the hardest materials survived. Rot wood is so re-healed looking, about had to have seen another silica treatment. Never thought about hunting a wash flowing from Big Bend, great strategy. Lots of info, Texas geology intriguing. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 22:23:12 GMT -5
I will say that most of the river and creek wash wood is very hard and will take a great polish. I have also found wood around Lajitas right out of the formation it was laid down in and although not too bad it was a bit softer and had more fractures and porous areas and in some cases the bark is well preserved. Not sure why the river wash wood is so hard, either all the river tumbling and erosion knocked way all of the softer areas including the Bark(maybe) or it could be that maybe the wood is exposed to two different agatizing events(maybe). Good luck with cutting Perhaps you found a lower quality source and the river stuff is both from better source material and naturally selected for best quality by river tumbling. All the crap is destroyed in the river. Only the best remains. We have a similar situation here with morgan hill pj. |
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Post by HankRocks on Nov 7, 2016 22:45:54 GMT -5
Shotgunner
It does make sense that only the best has survived what ever journey it took through the ages. It may also have a bit to do with the age of the wood, 10 million, 30 million, 100 million maybe more. I would assume that some Doctor of Geology has written a paper on the subject of Petrified wood. Whatever the case I do like the material
James
One problem with Texas Geology is that almost all of it is locked up on Private land and access is spotty at best. Your mention of getting to know the locals is one method in gaining access. I have a couple of prospect properties which I am currently hoping to gain access to. Time will tell. It takes a lot to overcome the past rude behavior by idiots.
H
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 7, 2016 22:54:17 GMT -5
Off them a small trespass fee. Put it in writing what behaviour they can expect.
I have used this method to hunt on a few occasions.
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