Rock Run/Fishing

[knapperhead]

Went fishing this am but the fish were off doing fishy things I guess. Not one bite so I started collecting some flint. Most of it is kind of grainy so I will try cooking it in the turkey roaster. A few pieces look like rootber though.

[Stringman]

Some nice rock there.

[Trapper Rob]

At least you didn't come back empty handed nice haul.

[cowboy]

Those are some some pretty rocks! I bet a little heat will slick em right up.

[knapperhead]

i'm going to cook them today, hopefully i can get them hot enough. then i will turn them to rubble 

[knapperhead]

 i skinned them out today, now they are soaking in a 400 degree sand bath. they were pretty tough, the rootbeer pieces were awesome. I hope they survived the cook.....

[JackCrafty]

Awesome stuff there.  I find that the lighter stuff cooks better than the darker.  Hope the rootbeer survives.  If it does, it's really nice!

[knapperhead]

Unfortunately only one good piece of rootbeer survived, i wish i would have known better. i haven't had a chance to try any of it yet but the heat brought out some nice colors. I will try another batch later this week and leave the rootbeer out.
If these rocks are around or have been in water, would it be best to dry them out first? Maybe cook them on low for several ours before ramping them up?

[caveman2533]

Yes it would be a good idea to dry them if you can a few hours won't do it. I dry for 24 hrs at 195. Good root beer almost doesn't need heat.  How are monitoring temp in you roaster?  I'd bet it got hotter than 400. When temp can not be precisly controlled it is a good idea to use a sand bath also.

[JackCrafty]

I've been asked many, many times about how to cook rock and I always say:  200 degrees for 24 hours, then 400 degrees for 4 hours, then shut off heat and let cool for 12 hours.  Not sure why these stages get disconnected.  There are ALWAYS three stages when cooking rock: dry, heat, cool.

There are specific formulas for specific rock but you have to know exactly what you have.  The above formula is what I use when I don't know what I've got or when the rock types are mixed.

I think I need to put the info in my signature or something. 

[knapperhead]

I don't have a way to monitor the heat, I use the sand bath and then just go by the dial on the roaster.

Thanks for the 1,2,3 method of cooking them. I'll try that this week. I usually sart at 200 and then go up 50 degrees every 2 hours and then let them soak around 400 for four hours and then let them cool until I can dig them out and they are not too hot to the touch, usually 12 to 24 hours.

[knapperhead]

heres the new batch.....
i am following the 200 for 24 hour guideline

[JackCrafty]

Good looking batch.     Can't wait.

[David_Daugherty]

I look forward to seeing some points out of them rocks