Primitive Archer

Main Discussion Area => Flintknapping => ABO => Topic started by: iowabow on November 13, 2015, 10:23:20 pm

Title: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 13, 2015, 10:23:20 pm
Got a late start after the sun went down. I had to finish Hunting first.
Could not wait rain coming next week.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: nclonghunter on November 13, 2015, 10:45:18 pm
Big fire, I want to see the results when it cools.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: Chippintuff on November 13, 2015, 10:55:10 pm
I have been doing my heat treating in a turkey roaster, but I have some stone that does not get adequate treatment at the temp it will go to. Maybe the aboriginal method would do the job. The problem around here is that the dirt is muddy and will be till next summer.

WA
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 13, 2015, 10:58:15 pm
I have been doing my heat treating in a turkey roaster, but I have some stone that does not get adequate treatment at the temp it will go to. Maybe the aboriginal method would do the job. The problem around here is that the dirt is muddy and will be till next summer.

WA
where are you located ?
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 14, 2015, 06:28:44 am
A dim glow as I am heading out to the stand at 5:08am
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: nclonghunter on November 14, 2015, 07:16:18 am
Good luck on the hunt. Maybe you could lay a backstrap on those coals.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 14, 2015, 08:35:41 am
A pair came through no clear shot.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: bowmo on November 14, 2015, 11:55:27 am
Very cool. Any idea on the temps it reaches?

Chippintuff: you can just build the fire over the removable pan in the roaster. Might want to throw some sand on the ground and set the pan on that and then add your rocks and sand and build up a fire.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 14, 2015, 12:18:14 pm
Very cool. Any idea on the temps it reaches?

Chippintuff: you can just build the fire over the removable pan in the roaster. Might want to throw some sand on the ground and set the pan on that and then add your rocks and sand and build up a fire.
About 600
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 14, 2015, 12:31:20 pm
Upon return (with no deer) the chert bakes
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: Chippintuff on November 14, 2015, 01:57:00 pm
I'm near Bryan/College Station, TX,

I like the idea of using a pan or such as a container under the fire.

WA
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: RickB on November 14, 2015, 05:46:42 pm
I've used a washtub with sand in it before. Build the fire in the tub. Rick B
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 07:43:25 am
36 hours later heat rises from the pit. My pit is unlike others and will continue to treat the chert for days. The chert heat treat will be done in five days time.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 07:44:55 am
No addition Wood for a 4 day burn with a one day ramp down.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 09:56:36 am
I found some natural heat treated flint in the creak once.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 02:15:08 pm
Another photo of the pit
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 02:17:16 pm
See how the pit has changed?
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 02:20:28 pm
The very edge read 130
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 02:32:50 pm
I really don't know if this is in the hottest spot but we still have a fire burning after 48 hours here. So with this type of heat treating you will get days of work from the process and a very slow ramp down.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 02:39:58 pm
Look closely at the earlier pit photo and the latest. You will notice the surface has sunken. The charcoal created during the firing process is being consumed at a very slow rate.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: nclonghunter on November 15, 2015, 05:16:46 pm
Cant wait to see the end results. I havent heated any rock before, is there a visual difference or only a workable difference?

I know some will change colors but I am asking about the texture or grain appearance?
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 15, 2015, 07:01:25 pm
Yes it slicks it up a lot and makes it flake better.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: Tower on November 15, 2015, 09:50:59 pm
Nothing like good ole down home cookin!!!! Can't wait to see outcome.   
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 16, 2015, 07:38:12 am
The weather is moving in time to cover the pit.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 16, 2015, 07:51:05 am
I went out and heat was still coming from the surface so I covered the pit  with scrap wood. I think a shelter of hide would have worked well back in the day.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 16, 2015, 07:54:26 am
Keeping my hands out of the pit is really hard to to do. I really want to review the results but my past data tells me that the heat is still doing work.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 16, 2015, 08:04:04 am
Nothing like good ole down home cookin!!!! Can't wait to see outcome.
I keep changing the cook parameters to learn from each firing. This time I soaked a large biface in water for a week to see if it will crack and placed it in the center with wet sand above and below it. Yes this seems crazy but the water can only reach 212 degrees and until the water is gone this should slow the climb in temp in the chert bed. I changed the soaking of logs to the soaking of sand. My past research shows a slower ramp with the addition of water to the bottom of the fire.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 16, 2015, 09:17:28 am
The pit was arranged with larges bifaces to the middle and spalls and flakes to the outside. I can't remember how many bifaces were in the pit but they are long so if they crack we should still have some nice material to work with anyway. My goal is to have one nice paleo blade for the display I am working on. I think 6-8 are in the pit. I guessed a couple could crack and I would break a couple and maybe get a good one. Big points are hard to come by. First you have to find quality and size. This is difficult when out crops are the source material and contain ice cracking. Then you have to have some luck and hammer stone cortex without causing freeze cracks to expand. Then you have to working. It to a biface without snapping it from a bad hit. If you make it this far then it must survive the heat treating. If the heat is ok ,not to brittle and not too under cooked then it might flake well if there are no imperfections in the stone. So the road is long for large blades.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 17, 2015, 08:27:15 am
With pit still warm and a 2 inch rain fall predicted I pulled the spalls and befaces. I washed them so we can get a better idea of the out come. As you look at the stone remember that it came from a number of different quarries so there is going to be a lot of variations. Not one price broke. I am sure I am happy with the results till I start hitting the stone.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: iowabow on November 17, 2015, 08:47:41 am
Here is an example where you could predict that it might need some more heat. I really Am not sure with this Vein because I have only recently started working this material. My best guess it to throw it into the next pit fire and see if we get better color.
Title: Re: heat treating flint
Post by: nclonghunter on November 17, 2015, 04:18:17 pm
looks good to me, very interesting. You going to break some soon I bet... ;D