heat treating???

[Shooter_G22]

ok people,

    i know there has to be an easy way to be able to heat treat flakes... and i thinki have asked this question befor but i really wasnt ready to start doing it...   i should have a couple of dvd's on knaping on the way in from trades...  but i have to ask becuase i have some flakes here that i think if i heat treated them they might be a little more workable... right...  heat treating make the stone break a little easier correct???

   well i have a nice stove or electric oven that came with my apt...   you know the regular four electric burner on top and pretty decent size oven with bake and broil option...

  i'm single soo dont have to here anybody complian about putting stone in an oven instead of food i dont use the dang thing hardly anyways...   i thnk the most i have used the thing is to heat up some frozen pizza or a 2 day old delivery left overs... 

soo i dont think if i put some stone in there it would make a differance to the pizza that might go in a couple of days after...

but my question is how do i do it

can stone be heat treated in an oven??   and if so...   how hot and how long?

thanks for reading my extremly long question...
 

[knap_123]

dc waldof talks about using the oven in his book the art of flint knapping. yes you can use your oven accourding to him, and i dont see why not. first get yourself a baking pan and  enough sand to fill it up  to the top. make sure its dry and you can do this by cooking it in the oven for awhile if its not.  now,  empty it out and then add a little to the bottom, abot 1/2" will do. lay your flakes in and press them down and add the remaining sand on top. pat it all down and your set.now put it in the middle and turn your stove up yo 200. leave it there for a few hours. flakes wont take long to dry out like spalls or nodgles.  next, go up 50 degress every hour till you reach your desired temp.  most stone is safe at about 425 to450. just not blk. or obsidian!!! it will blow up!!!  now leave it your high temp for a few hours 4 or 5 and turn off your stove.  dont open the stove from start to finish. leave it off for at least 6 to 8 hrs. go do something or plan it so you cut it off at bed time and you'll sleep off the anticipation.  when its cool your ready. a dutch oven wouald be perfect for this. happing chippin and merry x-mas, john

[mobow]

I have cooked rock in the oven.  It works fine.  I do not put it in sand or anything.  Just lay them on the racks and go for it.  Just do not open the oven till all is cooled down.  Like said above 6 to 8 hours.  I usually heat at 200 for several hours and then up 50 degrees every hour to about 450 for most rock and leave it there for about 10 to 12 hours.  You will hear the rock pinging a little every so often, this is nothing to worry about.  Most important thing is once you start heating do not open the oven door.  keith

[stickbender]

     You can do like Mullet, ( Eddie ) does, and go to a Good Will store, or thrift store, and get a toaster oven.  And lightly wrap tinfoil around them.  So if any spalling does occur, it will be contained.  And that reminds me, that is exactly what I forgot what it was that I was supposed to do today.  Oh well, I'm retired, I'll do it tomorrow......

                                                                                      Wayne