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Message started by Kjev on Aug 10th, 2013 at 10:18am

Title: Heat Treating Stone?
Post by Kjev on Aug 10th, 2013 at 10:18am
This is mostly directed at Paleoarts.

I recently had a relative pass away. Before he practiced his Shakespeare and shuffled off this mortal coil, he was a mason, and left behind several different types of stone and brick from jobs he had done.

I acquired several pieces of slate, with the hare-brained idea of trying my hand at making stone tools. I've read some of Paleoarts' posts and heard mention of heat treating stone before it's worked.

What is it? What do you need, how is it done? And please don't be afraid to get remedial with me.

For tools I have a forge, 4-inch disk grinder, bench grinder, and a couple of belt sanders, along with the usual array of hammers (lots of hammers!), punches, and chisels that accompany the forge.

Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
Post by squirrelslinger on Aug 10th, 2013 at 3:25pm
OK. Some things- you only heat treat knappable stone.

slate can be ground... concrete works amazing for this.

when you heat treat stone you need to heat is super slow and cool it super slow.
http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php/topic,40945.0.html
Has a lot of info.

Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
Post by Kjev on Aug 11th, 2013 at 1:33am
Sooooo.....

[list bull-redball]
  • Tossing the slate onto the forge was a bad idea.
  • Using a skinny wheel on my disk grinder was interesting. You could watch the wheel visibly (and rapidly) shrink to nothing.
  • Super slow. Again, the forge, probably not a good idea.


    Thanks for the link, Squirrelslinger. I'll definitely check it out!

    And for future reference, my DAD is the one who can knap stone. I've never even attempted it.

  • Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
    Post by squirrelslinger on Aug 11th, 2013 at 9:58am
    I mean take the slate, act like your porch is the file, and grind out the shape you want.

    Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
    Post by LukeWebb on Aug 12th, 2013 at 6:31pm
      Find a slab of sandstone or concrete.  Keep the sandstone/concrete wet at all times and grind the slate AGAINST IT, not the sandstone against the slate, so you are holding the slate not the sandstone.  You do not heat treat slate.  Heat treating is for making a metamorphic stone like flint or chert more brittle and more easily KNAPPED (meaning to flake it to shape it,) and is not somthing that can be done or would help if  you could do it to something like slate that you intend to grind.
       To rough shape the slate hold it on a wooden board or on a concrete slab that won't break and pound the edge with a round stone about the size of a tennis ball to crush it away, when it is close to the shape you want then move on to grinding it. 

    KEEP THE SANDSTONE WET!

    Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
    Post by Kjev on Aug 12th, 2013 at 6:40pm
    Sooo....

    Keep the sandstone wet.  Got it.;)

    Thank you for the advice on rough shaping it. That helps a lot!

    Would an electric grinder work? Or would I need special disks for it?

    Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
    Post by LukeWebb on Aug 12th, 2013 at 9:49pm
      An emery stone grinder would work but you would need a wet grinder as you can't breathe the dust.  I always kind of consider using power tools to be cheating, especially when it is quite easy to do it the old way.  You will have a lot more fun shaping it with sandstone or cement anyway, and even if you did use a grinder you can't sharpen the edge with it, it will chip it away as it gets narrower, you would still need to wetstone it.

    Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
    Post by squirrelslinger on Aug 13th, 2013 at 11:23am
    actually you can just use a piece of smoother concrete or much finer sandstone.
    Or a file like I do.
    it can get surprisingly sharp!!!!
    i don't see using a whetstone for that... slate is pretty fine grained but not THAT fine grained... at least not the stuff I have...

    Title: Re: Heat Treating Stone?
    Post by Kjev on Aug 13th, 2013 at 9:20pm

    LukeWebb wrote on Aug 12th, 2013 at 9:49pm:
      An emery stone grinder would work but you would need a wet grinder as you can't breathe the dust.  I always kind of consider using power tools to be cheating, especially when it is quite easy to do it the old way.
     

    It's the time factor. I only have about 3 evenings a week when I'm home, which also involves jammies-and-stories-and-bed-O-My! with the broodlings. As soon as I get some lights in my shop I can actually use more of my free time. And this falls into one of those "just to see if I can do it" categories.


    LukeWebb wrote on Aug 12th, 2013 at 9:49pm:
    You will have a lot more fun shaping it with sandstone or cement anyway, and even if you did use a grinder you can't sharpen the edge with it, it will chip it away as it gets narrower, you would still need to wetstone it.


    True, I don't expect to get it very sharp with a grinder. I can't even do that with steel. I get my steel edges close, then spend a few hours with some files, then some stones, and, and finally, the unglazed bottom of my favorite coffee cup (this is actually why I bought this particular cup).


    squirrelslinger wrote on Aug 13th, 2013 at 11:23am:
    actually you can just use a piece of smoother concrete or much finer sandstone.
    Or a file like I do.
    it can get surprisingly sharp!!!!
    i don't see using a whetstone for that... slate is pretty fine grained but not THAT fine grained... at least not the stuff I have...

    I wore out a good file trying to shape stone. It's now on its way to becoming a nice dagger. That's why I was looking at my disk grinder. Disks I have plenty of. Files I do not.

    Thanks for the advice!

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