I need cooking advice!

[paulc]

So I have access to a crock pot that doesn't seem to go hot enough for either my flint ridge OH material or the texas chert I have.  Currently I have to about bust my guy to get tiny flakes and crumbles off either stone.  I don't have access to a kiln or oven that goes hot enough.

Thoughts?  All this stone has spent probably 3 or 4 days in the crock pot so it should be good and dry. I tried years ago with burying some other stone and building a fire over it, and ended up with hand grenades showering the yard with shrapnel and burning coals.

I need help please :-)

attached is my first "point" from obsidian.  It helps if you squint a bit...

Paul

[Trapper Rob]

Some guys use a turkey roaster.

[mullet]

Paul, from what I understand you need to get Flint Ridge a little hotter then Turkey Roaster range.

I'd experiment by burying it under about two-three inches of clean, playbox sand . put a 20# bad of charcoal on top and let it go till it cools down. Just try some small spalls and flakes and see what
happens.

20# doesn't cost that much and put an assortment of rock sizes in and see what works and what doesn't.

[Chippintuff]

Most of the Texas rock does well in a turkey roaster. I  doubt crock pots get hot enough.

WA

[Tower]

I agree . A crockpot isn't going to do it

[penderbender]

Crockpot only goes to like 209 degrees. I thought about that.  Fire seems like the most likely way. That's how they used to do it. Cheers- Brendan

[Sasquatch]

Watch Ryan Gills video on youtube about ABO heat treating.

[1442]

close to the side and in the corners of a turkey roaster gets mighty hot. Hotter than my thermometer will read and it reads to 500 I think. The reading was climbing so fast when it maxed out it had to be quit a bit hotter than the 500.
I've placed really grainy gravel in the corners and severly overcooked it with dial set on 400.

[Chippintuff]

My turkey roaster gets to the dial setting in the middle and on the dial side, but it gets 75 degrees hotter on the other 3 sides. I have put fiberglass insulation in the lid, and I fill it with sand to fill all voids between rocks. In the past I have noticed that it gets hotter and faster if the roaster is not full.

WA

[bjrogg]

I'm not the greatest chief on here for sure so can't give exact recipe. I've cooked some Butterscotch Flint river in turkey roaster that came out great. I've also ruined some Texas Flint I overcooked. From what I've heard about Flint ridge it needs higher heat. I think I'd try Eddie's charcoal cooking recipe. I know it's tempting to put everything in pit or roaster at once but until you figure out the right temperature and soak time you might just want to try smaller amounts. I felt terrible when I turned my Texas Flint into gravel without even getting to hit it.lol  I'm thinking you could cook your Texas chert in turkey roaster.
Bjrogg

[Hawkdancer]

How large a piece is about right?   Got some Ft Payne and some dactite?   Also somewhat concerned with messing up the oven with shrapnel - little woman would somewhat upset .  I do have an old grill to serve as an outdoor oven with the sand and charcoal plan.  There are some stalls and flakes as well as chunks.  Does obsidian need heat treating?  I am thinking no, because it is a volcanic glass.  Thanks, Hawkdancer

[Outbackbob48]

Hawk, obsidian or dacite does not need heat   already cooked. Paul C, just my .02 worth but I would save your Flintridge until you have more experience, everything else hit it  hard. Bob

[nclonghunter]

Some of the internet sales, like Craigslist or Letgo will have turkey cookers for cheap. I plan to get one for cooking rock but all I have now is rhyolite and it wont help it...

[mullet]

Some of the internet sales, like Craigslist or Letgo will have turkey cookers for cheap. I plan to get one for cooking rock but all I have now is rhyolite and it wont help it...

James Parker gave me a tip about your Cryolot. He told me some of that real tough stuff works a lot better if you heat treat it real hot.

[Sasquatch]

Do an abo heat treat for Flint ridge you can get 600-800 degrees easily.   I recommend that you get a turkey roaster if you want to collect your own stone.