Here
are some heat treating tips and temperatures
Why
do we heat treat? Heat treating alters knapable material
that is otherwise unchippable and transforms it to
a glass like characteristic. Heat treating will also
improve the colors of some flints. Browns can become
reds, grays can become blues yellows become orange
and so on. It's an oxidation of the minerals in the
stone. Soak heating (heating for 36-48 hours at a
constant temp) is not necessary but will further enhance
this knapability and color change. Not all materials
can be heat treated. An example of this is the black
and bluish Kentucky "Horn Stone".
For the sake of simplicity,
we will call all knapable stone "flints"
regardless of what they are.
Remember that there
are different grades of all materials, So the chart
below has ranges for each type and or grade. It is
also important to understand that these temperatures
are for spalls or pieces that are absolutely no thicker
than 2 inches.
Heating thicker pieces
requires lower temps and a kiln with NO air leaks.
Preforms, seem to be able to take hotter temps than
spalls. This is likely because of there uniform shape.
The preforms can be fairly thick. This is a nice advantage
for knappers who have attractive flints that knap
like concrete when there raw. They can be preformed
and then heated with little risk of damage.
If a material is not
on the chart, experiment with it. If it seems high
grade and you still want to heat it to get that glass
like look or workability then start with low temps
(around 350f.). A rule of thumb is this: white or
gray flints take hotter temps than darker flints.
Black flints or cherts.
Moisture content is
ever present throughout the stone in ALL flints. Some
materials indicated below are very sensitive to heat
due to this. They require a special drying process.
With out this drying process listed below, your flint
will be destroyed.
Most of our Coastal
Plains (including the Jaspers and Corals) flints need
special care because of this. It is not total necessary
but worth it! For example: on the chart below,
Flint River" chert can be heated to 450-460f.
This is with the drying process. If you don't
want to go through the trouble of the drying, then
the max temp must be lowered to 350f. Any hotter and
it WILL become damaged. Now then, if you dry it, and
following my instructions below, then the stone can
be heated to 450f. This is fact.
The final result for
this drying process is better color and knapability
with this particular type of stone.
If you have heated
your flint and it has not improved, you can always
re heat the flint to hotter temps but you can never
go back. Once you have over heated the stone, the
damage is done.
I have had experiences
where I know I have heated flint just a bit too hot.
The stone became very unpredictable and easily developed
splits at the point of impact on the platform. After
some tears, the rock was put in a bucket and forgotten
about for over a year. I could not bring myself to
trim through it and salvage what I could. Then, after
it was re discovered a year later, hidden away in
my shop, I tested the flint with a billet. The same
pieces that had chipped uncontrollably now became
very manageable. It was awesome I might add. This
has happened to me twice now and I am certain that
some of the stresses caused in heating had come out
of the stone over time.
*Highly
recommended drying as per directions below.
Any
deviation from this will result in blown flint!
That I guarantee!
First the flint must be dried
This takes
about a week so be patient
Take the flint up slow and down slow, no faster
than 50 degrees an hour!
Step 1. run up to 250 F and NO higher,. and allow
to cool to room temperature.
Step 2. run up to 250 F. and NO higher, allow
to cool to room temperature.
Step 3. run up to 250 F. and NO higher, allow
to cool to room temperature.
Step 4. run up to 250 F. and NO higher, allow
to cool to room temperature.
Step 5. The final heating will go to 450 for high
grade material
For lesser grades 460-470. {Thin Slabs may go
higher}
Do Not heat whole rocks or spalls thicker than
¾ of an inch.
Please remember
If I said it here, I mean
it! |
Basic
flint heat treating instructions
Be sure the kiln is packed full with NO room for
more stone. If you need to top the kiln off, get
anything of poor grade to fill it up, even a brick
will do! This insures that the flint will ramp
up and cool slow with limited air currents within
the kiln. (This causes temperature shock, which
can blow up or crack your flint).
Take the flint up slowly and down slow, no faster
than 50 degrees an hour.
Hold time at finished temps should be at least
3 hours. (No need to hold it longer unless your
going for enhanced color)
Do Not heat whole rocks or spalls thicker than
2 inches.
Trouble
shooting problems with breakage
1.
Pot lid fractures: Due to flaws i.e. Water
pockets, fossils, inclusions and crystals to name
a few or general overheating.
2. "S" shaped fractures across
spalls or thicker stones: Air leaks in kiln, ramping
temps (up or down) faster than 50 degrees per
hour.
3. Crazed gritty appearance when chipped:
Over heating.
4. The "...My kiln is full of sand..."
affect. Severe overheating.
5. Rock keeps cracking when trying to knap
it. Overheating, or excessive moisture in
the stone. It is also possible that there are
color bands in a stone that have different compositions
and therefore one stone could have stresses in
the rock from the heat treatment process. One
stone could have such a diversity that, for example,
one half might heat perfectly at 550 and the other
half is on the verge of being over cooked because
of mineral diversity. The answer to this is experimentation
to find the best possible temp for that stone.
Also, excessive drying helps with these problems!
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Basic
Kiln safety
Operate
your kiln safely!
1. Never operate kiln on a wooden or flammable
surface. Use cement blocks.
2. Place kiln elevated on concrete blocks with
holes in them or a proper metal stand. Do NOT
set directly on any floor!
3. Keep kiln at least 20" from any walls
or other objects at all times.
4. Use cement fiberboard on near by walls for
an extra-added protection!
5. Use a "dedicated" outlet for each
kiln switch on a 15-amp breaker.
6. Never heat-treat large blocks of stone. Stones
could violently break apart. This could knock
the lid right off a kiln ejecting VERY hot
Fragments, creating a serious fire hazard!
7. Keep your kiln out of the weather, Damage to
electrical parts will result.
7. Never operate kiln with flammable fumes, liquids
or vapors present.
8. Avoid heat-treating in your home or living
space. Heating rocks can produce poisonous or
harmful vapors, even if not cut on rock
saws!
9. ALWAYS WEAR A RESPIRATOR WHEN LOADING OR UNLOADING
YOUR KILN!!! DUST FROM BRICKS AND ROCKS ARE
DANGEROUS TO YOUR LUNGS! |
Below
I have classified the materials into three grades:
"A" = High grade, sometimes very
knappable in the raw state. A slight to good gloss.
"B" = Medium grade, a dry texture.
Gritty when you scratch it with your fingernail. No
gloss
"C" = Quite dry in appearance. Coarse
and very difficult to knap.
All
Temperatures are Fahrenheit
Some common but not all of North
America's lithics...
*Coastal
Plains
Corals found in water
Rivers or oceans |
A |
490-515 |
North Dakota
"Knife River"
Fossil cattails |
A |
350-380 |
B |
515-540 |
|
|
C |
540-600 |
|
|
*Coastal
Plains Fla.
Corals found on land
|
A |
450-550 |
Arkansas
Novaculite |
A |
|
B |
550-600 |
B |
|
C |
600-630 |
C |
|
*Coastal
Plains Cherts
found in water
|
A |
480-500 |
Ohio "Coshocton"
flint |
A |
|
B |
500-550 |
B |
|
C |
550-650 |
C |
|
*Coastal
Plains
Cherts found on land |
A |
520-530 |
Ohio "Flint Ridge"
flint |
A |
|
B |
530-575 |
B |
|
C |
575-650 |
C |
|
Coastal Plains
Chalcedony found in water pronounced
(kal-sed-ni) |
A |
350 |
Ohio "Flint Ridge
Chalcedony" |
A |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coastal Plains Jaspers |
A |
450-500 |
*Midwest
"Burlington" chert |
A |
500-540 |
B |
500-575 |
B |
540-580 |
C |
575-750 |
C |
580-630 |
*Coastal
Plains
"Flint River" Chert |
A |
440-450 |
Texas "Georgetown"
|
A |
350-360 |
B |
450-480 |
|
|
C |
480-515 |
|
|
*Florida
Cherts |
A |
500-540 |
Texas "Alibates" |
A |
450-530 |
B |
540-600 |
|
|
C |
600-700 |
|
|
*Southern
Alabama Coastal Plains
Cherts |
A |
500-530 |
|
A |
|
B |
530-600 |
B |
|
C |
650-700 |
C |
|
Texas "Ft. Hood"
fossil stramatolites |
A |
500-520 |
|
A |
|
B |
550 |
B |
|
|
|
C |
|
Texas
Edward's Plateau
River cobbles & tabular cherts |
A |
350 |
|
A |
|
B |
350-400 |
B |
|
C |
400-550 |
C |
|
Tennessee
agates
|
A |
450 |
|
A |
|
B |
500-520 |
B |
|
C |
600 |
C |
|
Some flints that will not heat treat:
North Dakota
"Rainy Buttes"
Fossil wood
Kentucky
"Horn stone"
Tennessee
"Ft. Payne Chert"
"Dover Chert"
Pa. NY. Ontario
"Onondaga"
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