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Rock ID (Read 988 times)
RockerSlinger
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Rock ID
Jun 12th, 2020 at 9:57pm
 
I live in West Tennessee, so we don’t have any natural rocks around. I’ve been wanting some chert to make spear points with, so my uncle brought me some rocks like this from middle Tennessee. But this doesn’t really look or work like I expected chert to, so I was wondering if any of y’all know what it is and if it is workable. Thanks.
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #1 - Jun 12th, 2020 at 10:12pm
 
If it’s on the soft side it may be heavy on the limestone. It looks chalkier than the chert we have all over South Texas, but it definitely looks like chert.
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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RockerSlinger
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #2 - Jun 13th, 2020 at 12:08am
 
I think that’s it. It is a little crumbly, but it seems to have small pieces of chert mixed in. Thanks for the response
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #3 - Jun 13th, 2020 at 11:07am
 
Ft Payne chert. 

It will work raw but works better after being heat treated.  And that's not a particularly good rock but will do to learn on. 

Go to Paleoplanet, there are usually some rock sellers there.  Along with an entire Flintknapping sub forum.
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ghost0311-8541
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #4 - Jun 15th, 2020 at 10:15pm
 
Bury it under about 4 in of sand and build a fire on it to change the structure of.
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NooneOfConsequence
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #5 - Jun 16th, 2020 at 10:03pm
 
ghost0311-8541 wrote on Jun 15th, 2020 at 10:15pm:
Bury it under about 4 in of sand and build a fire on it to change the structure of.


I’m skeptical ghost. 4” is a lot of sand especially when heat rises. You’d need the fire to burn for a while for the heat to penetrate that deeply, but it would certainly change temperature very slowly that way. I have to assume that’s a good thing for this process?  How big and how hot a fire?  How long do you leave it under there?
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“My final hour is at hand. We face an enemy more numerous and cunning than the world has yet seen. Remember your training, and do not fear the hordes of Judas. I, without sin, shall cast the first stone. That will be your sign to attack! But you shall not fight this unholy enemy with stones. No! RAZOR GLANDES!  Aim for the eyes! May the Lord have mercy, for we shall show none!“  -Jesus the Noodler
 
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ghost0311-8541
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #6 - Jun 19th, 2020 at 9:59pm
 
It takes time if you put it in the fire it's just going to break up in chunks the sand will help it get hot but no to hot then cool down about 6 to 8 hours until it cools down.
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Bill Skinner
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Re: Rock ID
Reply #7 - Jun 20th, 2020 at 12:16pm
 
Depending on your soil and the amount of moisture in it, you will probably have to build a fire and let it burn for a while.  Like 4-12 hours.  And it will have to be a big fire, out of green wood to get a lot of coals to bake the moisture out.

How deep to bury it depends on your soil, too.  Plus how big a fire, what kind of wood you're burning, how windy it is and how thick the bed of coal you build up.  And what kind of rock you have.  One size does not fit all rocks.  Some treat at much lower temps than others. 

Way back when, I'd start a bonfire in the evening, get flames head high and let it burn out all night.  Next morning, scrape off the hot soil and some embers, put my preforms on the ground, cover them back over, about 2-3 fingers down.  Then carefully build the fire back up.  Once it was going good, start adding green wood until you get the head high flames.  You cannot toss logs on, that will break the preforms or knock the sand off, in which case, the preforms explode.  Once I got about ankle deep coals, I went off and let the fire burn out on it's own.  Let the ground cool on its own, dig them up too quick and they will crack into pieces as they cool.

So, usually two nights and one day to cook the rock, you can dig them up on about the morning of the third day. 

Or you can put them in a turkey basting pan with a lid, full of sand and put them in the oven.  Cook for at least two hours with the top off, just below the boiling point of water to make sure the sand is completely dry.  Then go up in thirds every two hours to your desired temp, hold that for two hours, then turn it off and let it sit until cool.

Or use a kiln, under boiling point for at least two hours to dry the rock, 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 and hold for a couple of hours, then turn the kiln off.

The reason I talk about drying the rock and sand is that if you do not, or heat the rock up too quickly, the water inside the rock will cause a steam explosion.

Or, you ain't lived until you've been next to a head high bonfire listening to your blanks and preforms explode and getting showered with chunks of red hot rock.   Grin

You can do the same thing with surface firing pottery...ask me how I know that one.... Grin
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