Main Discussion Area > Flintknapping

suitable flint?

<< < (3/3)

raalf:
Okay, gonna try cooking some more.

I have a programmable industrial oven at work I can use.
Sounds like popcorn when cooking, when I put them in naked.
Will use some sand this time to slow down the process.

Chippintuff:
Some use sand, and some never use it. I use it because I think it reduces the chance of the temperature changing too fast. If I heard "popcorn" inside my cooker, it would be rocks fracturing.

Some say they cook whole rocks without problems, but in my experience it has been best to thin it to about an inch thick or less before cooking it.

WA

mullet:
For all of my smaller stuff I use a Black and Decker toaster oven. I've bought two at the Flea market for $5 a piece. It goes up to 550dgs. I just stack as much rock as possible inside, turn it to 450-500 and let it go all night. I unplug it in the morning and take the rock out when I get home from work. I've never ramped it up in stages but I don't cook large pieces in it. You can also bury it in dry sand about 2-3" and set a large bag of charcoal on it and let it burn till it is cool enough to dig the rock up.

Chippintuff:
Eddie, I would have never thought a toaster oven used like that would work, but if it does, it does. I have an old toaster oven that works fine but is showing a lot of use. That may be a good experiment for it. Does it cook evenly throughout the batch?

WA

mullet:
Yes it does. The only time I have any pop is when I mix Perdanales with a harder chert and it gets too hot. Now I try to just cook rock that needs to heat treat around the same temperature. Most of the time it is small spalls but occasionally I'll put bigger ones in to help reducing them down during thinning when it starts to get tough again.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[*] Previous page

Go to full version