Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => Topic started by: Sparrow on February 23, 2012, 01:44:31 am

Title: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 23, 2012, 01:44:31 am
Saw a chunk of common opal ,asked the guy if it came out of the road improvement they were doing down the road from me.
Yep !.....Went looking.  Oh yeah,...they blasted a long road cut out of the basalt. I found the opal seam. Went to work, got out about 50 pounds, I will be going back tomorrow.
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Jimbob on February 23, 2012, 01:49:21 am
Good stuff, congrats on the find!
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 23, 2012, 01:51:24 am
Botched the last picture. Here it is. 
This stuff knaps really well. This deposit is about ten minutes from my house. Only problem with it, ... tons of loose basalt hanging above it,explosives really fractured this face.  '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 23, 2012, 02:01:03 am
Picture of the wall face. Lotta rock up there.
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: iowabow on February 23, 2012, 10:21:18 am
That stuff looks great
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: criveraville on February 23, 2012, 10:36:25 am
Great find Frank! You can also sell it (the smaller pieces).

Cipriano
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: cowboy on February 23, 2012, 11:33:43 am
Nice find! That is some cool looking rock too. Yep, be careful! Would be too easy to get buried digging around down there..
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Will H on February 23, 2012, 01:34:45 pm
Awesome find! I love opal! Knapps like butter :)
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: bowtarist on February 23, 2012, 01:41:47 pm
Sweet find.  Keep your escape path clear and your eyes and ears open.  Few rocks are worth getting hurt over or worse.  I bet that makes a beauty of a point though.  Good luck, dpgratz
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: iowabow on February 23, 2012, 03:09:39 pm
I would follow that band to a location that might be safer
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 23, 2012, 09:30:41 pm
Found another seam of the stuff down the way, unfortunately,lower quality. Dug out a nice chunk this morning,had to take more pic's.
What it looks like outa the ground and a flake.  '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Bevan R. on February 23, 2012, 09:37:06 pm
WOW!!!
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Jimbob on February 24, 2012, 01:58:27 am
Thats some good lookin stuff!!
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: cowboy on February 24, 2012, 11:59:33 am
Wow! Beautiful rock. Of course first thing that pops into my head is trade?? ::).
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: bowtarist on February 24, 2012, 12:38:14 pm
8), dpg
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: YosemiteBen on February 24, 2012, 03:50:14 pm
What's it gonna take for me to get some of that????
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: mullet on February 24, 2012, 05:14:35 pm
Nice find, Frank. That stuff is fun to knap. Brian Melton sent me some of the white a few years ago, it sure was easy.
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 24, 2012, 08:43:55 pm
I spalled  some out this morning,It looks awfull pretty with all the cortex off. I reckon when I get enough of this out of the seam,I will be putting out a trade call.Going fishing tomorrow and back to the seam on sunday. I will take my tankers bar and a pick. Anyone out there into natural pigments ? This stuff is in a yellow ocher than is really nice. I have some red ocher that came from a pocket a little ways from the opal.   Gotta get this done before the county guys get wise and put up a sign or something. >:(
     .... '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: TRACY on February 24, 2012, 11:08:54 pm
Very cool find Frank! Break out the night maneuvers or whatever it takes ;)

Tracy
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: cowboy on February 25, 2012, 08:24:54 am
Tankers bar? Man i haven't heard that in years. Was in an armor unit for awhile myself. Wish i was there to help you dig - think i like that more than making arraheads, ha ::).
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 26, 2012, 01:13:20 am
Yeah,it's kinda crazy how you feel like a kid on Christmas morning, every time you pull out a big chunk.  '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: bushman on February 27, 2012, 05:05:42 am
Nice find, looks like its some expansive walnut for rifles stocks. Nice one.
Bushman
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: YosemiteBen on February 29, 2012, 01:47:57 pm
I would really like to get a few pieces of that opal you found. What's it gonna take for me to get some?
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on February 29, 2012, 03:28:18 pm
Send me a p.m. with your address and I'll send you some.  '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: mcginnis6010 on February 29, 2012, 03:48:37 pm
Wow that stuff looks beautiful let know what you need or maybe I canoe make ya something for a few pieces.
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: jonathan creason on February 29, 2012, 06:23:37 pm
Hey Sparrow, if you collect any I'd like to get some of that yellow and red ochre.  Got a few things I want to try.
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on March 02, 2012, 09:04:57 pm
Mcginnis and Jonathan. PM's Sent.  ' Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: vinemaplebows on March 02, 2012, 11:16:35 pm
Sparrow,

                   You ever find the good agate at the pits??? I did!
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on March 03, 2012, 01:43:05 am
What you talkin' 'bout Vines ?      '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: vinemaplebows on March 03, 2012, 01:20:02 pm
At the diotamacious earth pits up on the hill east of vantage. In the tons, and ton of opal most of which was junk, you could find a very nice seam of agate. The seam in the earth would go from opal to agate (if you were lucky) to diatamacious earth (love that fluffy white crap) It was a little more difficult to find , but when I did I collected about a ton of the stuff, they buried where I was collecting....what a bummer!! The new pit futher west doesn't have jack!!!
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Baldmoose on March 03, 2012, 01:54:50 pm
There is an old agate mine here right in thunder bay.....  talked to the owner last year and he let nativenoobowyer86 and i look through the rubble.....   want to talk to him again and get permission to walk around his property a little more.
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on March 03, 2012, 02:11:17 pm
Moose,Agate can make some of the prettiest points there are. Vines,  I never dug there,came in from the Hanford side and dug petrified logs up on top of the saddles.Good stuff it was too !  '  Frank
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: vinemaplebows on March 03, 2012, 03:21:44 pm
Heard there are people claiming private land up there, stayed away from there but 1 time...there was a club there at the time. You fing good knappable wood there???
Title: Re: Rock find
Post by: Sparrow on March 03, 2012, 04:04:10 pm
Yeah ! It was snow white and knapped like butter.Couldn't tell you what kinda tree.Maybe a cottonwood. Only found the one.I don't think I have even a chip of it left,all given away or made into gravel. (I was just learning to knap then) There are more logs up there for sure.Alot of it is darker stuff and you find its like all over the basin in the form of points and debitage.Saw a partially completed blade about 4 or 5 inches long laying on the bank of the Columbia down by Mary Hill one time.Looked like saddle mountains stuff.  '  Frank