jamesp favorites-Rio Grande #2

[rockjunquie]

All of you- jamesp, captbob, 1dave and Sabre52 - I have learned more from this thread than from any book or class. Seriously, this should be a sticky somewhere. Lots of really great info and mandatory reading in my opinion. I just posted in 1dave's new thread about why I am an RTH'er. This thread epitomizes the spirit of sharing information. Well done, guys! I know I have said similar already, but every time I come back to read the newest, I'm impressed all over again.

[Sabre52]

Wow Dave that is super interesting! Just looked up and did some reading on the Dockum Formation and that sure would account for the presence of Triassic wood types in the Rio Grande gravel. I've definitely seen AZ type rainbow wood in the Rio gravel. I've been around Dickens, TX on the est edge of the Edwards Plateau and the geology is real interesting. Dickens itself is interesting. Makes sense that drainage from that region would carry pet wood down to the big rivers....Mel

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 12:49:18 GMT -5 rockjunquie said:

All of you- jamesp, captbob, 1dave and Sabre52 - I have learned more from this thread than from any book or class. Seriously, this should be a sticky somewhere. Lots of really great info and mandatory reading in my opinion. I just posted in 1dave's new thread about why I am an RTH'er. This thread epitomizes the spirit of sharing information. Well done, guys! I know I have said similar already, but every time I come back to read the newest, I'm impressed all over again.

As long as I can keep milking the brains of Mel, the Texans, genius of Dave, literary skills of Bob all will continue Tela.

Went over and did separation of the stuff in buckets. Wood, plume and jasper.
Brought the 'real' wood back to the saw to see if Georgia boy can play 'find the pretty wood' w/the big boys.
Arranging it close to the sun for some photos if sun will return.

[jamesp]

I'll be studying this article 1dave. Origination of this stuff fascinates.

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 11:59:16 GMT -5 Sabre52 said:

Great link, eye candy for sure. I think maybe your very first pic is a fern bud. Find cone shapes ones very similar in color and pattern at Simmons City, TX.

UN, never mind, went back and looked again and I'm thinking just weird chert *S*....Mel

That one seemed woody on the surface a bit. Threw it in the wood pile. It seems to be similar to chert or a jasper.
Just cut a cool one. Starting on wood from mostly first half of trip. 2nd half may be better.
Motive is to saw in half, then saw a half into a quarter, then tumble for 3-dim view with and cross the grain.

[captbob]

Enjoyed your photo album link James! I need to get back to taking pictures. Been working on other projects the past few days, but more photos is high on my list.

[Deleted]

Nov 9, 2016 13:25:18 GMT -5 Sabre52 said:

Wow Dave that is super interesting! Just looked up and did some reading on the Dockum Formation and that sure would account for the presence of Triassic wood types in the Rio Grande gravel. I've definitely seen AZ type rainbow wood in the Rio gravel. I've been around Dickens, TX on the est edge of the Edwards Plateau and the geology is real interesting. Dickens itself is interesting. Makes sense that drainage from that region would carry pet wood down to the big rivers....Mel

Agreed!! 1dave that was amazing!

Now, how do you explain Montana agates in the Texas gravels?

👍👍

[Sabre52]

OK, just my two bits worth but the agate in the Texas gravel only has a resemblance to Montana agate. Both can be clear chalcedony but the way the dendrites form in Montanas, along obvious sealed fractures, and the skins, are to me, different. Seldom are the Texas forms glass clear. When they have dendrites, which is fairly rare, they do not seem to be along obvious fractures but rather floating free. The dendrites actually remind me more of those in Sweet Water agates. Nor do most the Texas ones have the classic sort of potato like shapes of Montanas. The closest thing to Montanas in my book are the ones from Souris, Manitoba, Canada which are actually from the same source as the Montanas. ( Glacial distribution from the Rockies.) You also find some similar agate on the gravel terraces along the Colorado River in Commiefornia and in Afton wash . Maybe the ones in Texas found there way clear down from the extreme northern Rockies by way of glacier, but I think maybe they are just the occasional included chalcedony gas pocket nodule that shows up in other beds or even very clear chert with dendrites as there is certainly colored dendritic chert like that in Texas gravel. I'd just call them Montana-like agates *S*....Mel

[jamesp]

There is what looks like chert and can be hazy clear with black splashes in them. Skin looks like chert. Darn close to Montana.

Tiny dendrites in this one, sometimes varied and bigger. Montana like...
I would take some of these fine cherts over agate because it is hard as a brickbat and mainly because it rarely has a crack it it.
Rarely get a big Montana without cracks, not this material.
They are often yellow from a surface stain but when the sun hits them you can tell it is translucent.
This one hiding behind a bleached coating.

The cherts must be formed in a perfect environment because so many of them are 5-15 pounds and have not one crack.
They just lack color, but plenty of patterns.

Sabre52, I saved a bunch of chert windows for the tumbler. I also want to make a Texas chert collection.
The windows will have the exterior skin and the other will show the unweathered chert internally. All 1.5 to 3 inches and ave. 1/2 inch thick.
I don't know why but those giant perfectly tumbled cobbles intrigued me.
I wish I could tumble a rock that size the way nature did it. As you described them, flat ovoids.
I wish those cherts had the primary colors of the mosses blended in them. As they were a dime a dozen.

Oh yea, cool Montana like chert:



Close to the clear stuff



This may be a chert of superb quality, rounded like a chert

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 14:21:58 GMT -5 captbob said:

Enjoyed your photo album link James! I need to get back to taking pictures. Been working on other projects the past few days, but more photos is high on my list.

Fine time to do some darn good photos is high noon on full sun day.
I usually fill the frame of camera about 1/4 to 1/3 with the rock about a foot away.
Then crop the edges away. Get too close and you can get blur easier.
Bright sun makes quick hand held photos easy.

Lot of this rock is dark and needs strong light to appreciate details.

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 11:28:04 GMT -5 @shotgunner said:

How many wood handles get broke windowing with that little hammer?

Thanks fot the eye candy. Sincerely appreciated. Props amigo!

I have old used hammers. But they are still made but not exact same.

Nupla M 8 ball pein. Lifetime warranty. Do with its as you will. M 8 = 8 ounce. Head is fairly soft.
Comes with fiberglass handle. Never broke one, finally had the head come loose.
One tough arse hammer.

Nupla

[Sabre52]

James, I too am fascinated by Texas chert. I have a pile from La Grande behind the shop. As you've said, very hard and unfractured. Some has pretty nice colors and some has cool fossils. I love the brecciated ones that resemble pastellite. I guess, if it weren't so common, we'd be more excited by it but man there are literally millions of tons everywhere. I have a couple of types in my pile to saw. Did you find any of the back and gold sort of dendritic ones? Those are really pretty stuff...Mel

[jamesp]

1dave, there was a good bit of very well rounded quartzite. Mostly white and deep purple. Fine grained and really dense.

[Deleted]

Nov 9, 2016 18:41:17 GMT -5 jamesp said:

Nov 9, 2016 11:28:04 GMT -5 @shotgunner said:

How many wood handles get broke windowing with that little hammer?

Thanks fot the eye candy. Sincerely appreciated. Props amigo!

I have old used hammers. But they are still made but not exact same.

Nupla M 8 ball pein. Lifetime warranty. Do with its as you will. M 8 = 8 ounce. Head is fairly soft.
Comes with fiberglass handle. Never broke one, finally had the head come loose.
One tough arse hammer.

Nupla

Nupla has 4 Oz. Home depot dot com has them.

I've broken so many hammers on rocks. Having trouble parsing 4oz vs 22oz estwing steel handle. Gotta hit our stuff quite hard to break it.

Gonna see about speed vs weight....

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 18:44:18 GMT -5 Sabre52 said:

James, I too am fascinated by Texas chert. I have a pile from La Grande behind the shop. As you've said, very hard and unfractured. Some has pretty nice colors and some has cool fossils. I love the brecciated ones that resemble pastellite. I guess, if it weren't so common, we'd be more excited by it but man there are literally millions of tons everywhere. I have a couple of types in my pile to saw. Did you find any of the back and gold sort of dendritic ones? Those are really pretty stuff...Mel

I sawed a black and gold today but it had too much black to be attractive as was the spot I windowed it at.
If you are into patterns then it should keep you interested.
The patterns are on the large size, not so good to fit in a cab scale.

Many of them would read like a plume. Yes, brecciations and fossil packed.
The patina highlighted the fossils in much of it. But not near as apparent internally.

[jamesp]

Nov 9, 2016 18:55:18 GMT -5 @shotgunner said:

Nov 9, 2016 18:41:17 GMT -5 jamesp said:

I have old used hammers. But they are still made but not exact same.

Nupla M 8 ball pein. Lifetime warranty. Do with its as you will. M 8 = 8 ounce. Head is fairly soft.
Comes with fiberglass handle. Never broke one, finally had the head come loose.
One tough arse hammer.

Nupla

Nupla has 4 Oz. Home depot dot com has them.

I've broken so many hammers on rocks. Having trouble parsing 4oz vs 22oz estwing steel handle. Gotta hit our stuff quite hard to break it.

Gonna see about speed vs weight....

I thought it was 4 ounces, stand corrected, it is 8 ounces.
Useless on granite and grainy chert, but speed kills when it comes to glassier/amorphous materials.
Have wood 8 oz. with longer handles. Those really do the speed thing. But the head works loose quicker.
Never broke a handle, kinda let the head do the work and not force the handle.

[jamesp]

Two woods and a palm

with the grain



cross the grain



skin



with the grain



across the grain



Palm, with the tubes



cross the tubes



Palm's sunny side w/the bleach thing

[Deleted]

Thank you for the knowledge!!

[jamesp]

Nov 7, 2016 7:52:40 GMT -5 HankRocks said:

I have a collected and cut a decent amount of the Rio Wood from years past, both from the valley and some from Terlingua watershed area. Most of it seems to have outside skin darker than the interior. Not sure what happens during the process of eroding out and washing down, maybe buried again and re-eroding. I like the with-the-grain cuts as much or more than the cross-grain cuts.

I am envious of your trip to the Valley and I am hoping to make that trip in the early spring, after Deer Season.

Thanks for documenting so well.

H

"I like the with-the-grain cuts as much or more than the cross-grain cuts."

Me too HankRocks

[orrum]

Palm is big too!