Main Discussion Area > Flintknapping
rainbow obsidian
jeffp51:
So as not to hijack a thread, I have a question. In a previous post there was talk of color in rainbow obsidian, and working with the grain or stripes. My brother recently gave me two 5-gallon buckets of obsidian that he said came from the rainbow mine in California. Now I am wondering if it has the potential for color in it. Where does rainbow obsidian come from, normally and how can I tell if I have it? The stuff I work comes out gray and translucent--most obsidian I have seen in the past is pitch black with maybe red streaks or snowflake inclusions in it. How would you work rainbow obsidian to get the best color?
Just curious.
Stringman:
You most likely have some rainbow in that bucket. It's hard to tell until you open it up and see what's inside, and it's also hard to determine the orientation. To make matters worse, using percussion to reduce your rock is not the most efficient way to get the color to pop. It seems the guys that saw it are much better at hitting the right angle and then getting the most out of each rock. So, as they say, it's better to be lucky than good. 8)
Zuma:
I wish I could help. I have only been lucky to
have knapped a few small pieces. Be interested to see
what others have to say. I'm thinking diagonal
with the flow.
Zuma
YosemiteBen:
from the previous post on Rainbow obs..... I will try to get some pics tomorrow to explain what I am talking about....
JoJoDapyro:
You will know. I just got some from Tyke, it is mostly green, with a touch of blue and purple.
I'll text you some photos when I get to my truck at about 6 pm.
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