Author Topic: cooking quartz?  (Read 5603 times)

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Offline paulc

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cooking quartz?
« on: July 06, 2010, 09:10:37 am »
Hey All, I talked with a guy this weekend that claimed that quartz could be cooked to make it more knappable.  Anyone know anything about it?

And does anyone know what the native americans in N. GA used for knapping material?  Was it material traded into the area or is there a local rock they worked on?  Like maybe quartz? 

TIA, Paul C

Offline leapingbare

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #1 on: July 06, 2010, 12:59:03 pm »
Dint try to cook quartz :)

 They used quartz and they got coastal plans and other rock.
 If you go 100 miles in any direction your find rock that will knap.  well maybe not dead east, ya might find some old ballast stone in a inlet on the coast. but those were not there when the Indians were knapping :)
Mililani Hawaii

Offline Hillbilly

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #2 on: July 06, 2010, 01:38:17 pm »
I know that Jack Cresson told me once that he has had some success heat-treating some grainy varieties of quartzite, but that most types don't cook. Pure old quartz won't cook. The natives in N Georgia, like Jesse said, used mostly quartz, but there is some good quality Ridge-and-valley chert in part of NW Georgia and neighboring areas of TN and AL.
Smoky Mountains, NC

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Offline mullet

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2010, 02:27:28 pm »
 Most of the points and flakes I've found in Ga. were made from Coastal Plains, good and poor quality, coral, and quartze.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Offline paulc

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2010, 02:50:57 pm »
Anyone have any recommendations on places to find raw stone in the Savannah area?  Say within an hour or two drive?  I collected some quartz this weekend in the mountains and it did not seem too promising for a beginner...

Offline leapingbare

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2010, 03:14:33 pm »
yep.
 Get a scubatank and dive in the inlet and look for ballast stone. Its English flint and I'm sure its out there waiting for you to find it :)
Mililani Hawaii

Offline paulc

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2010, 03:19:41 pm »
think I will pass:-)  Can't swim worth squat never mind scuba with a load of rocks...

Offline mullet

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2010, 08:29:48 pm »
 If you have SCUBA you don't need to swim. Just bring enough tanks to walk the bottom. ;D , or get a good BC.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Offline paulc

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2010, 09:28:24 pm »
I have been trying to come up with an idea of where some of the rock might have been dumped on shore...other than River St.  I bet that would get me arrested!

Offline caveman2533

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #9 on: July 07, 2010, 02:09:32 am »
Jack Cresson Told me at the Bald Eagle knap-in that quartz will cook. Also many types of quartzite will cook but you may have to do it in successive stages. Biface then cook then biface some more then cook. and so on. It does not seem to pentrate as deep.
Steve

Offline paulc

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #10 on: July 07, 2010, 05:43:22 pm »
yep.
 Get a scubatank and dive in the inlet and look for ballast stone. Its English flint and I'm sure its out there waiting for you to find it :)

I actually found a small piece of what I believe is Flint on River St. today!  It is not any bigger than a golf ball so it is probably not going to be of much use but...there are A LOT of big cobble stones down there.  Oh the possibilities!!

Offline bryan irwin

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #11 on: July 07, 2010, 08:00:26 pm »
when you go back to the river looking for rock see if you can find some of them megalodon teeth and you can sell them and buy some rock. my sister found about 20 of them
bryan irwin

Offline mullet

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #12 on: July 07, 2010, 10:52:53 pm »
 Look in the Yellow Pages for Landscaping company's. Ask them if they use rock and check out what they can get.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?

Offline Bill Skinner

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #13 on: July 07, 2010, 11:17:40 pm »
How far are you from Flint River?  Bill

Offline mullet

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Re: cooking quartz?
« Reply #14 on: July 07, 2010, 11:25:31 pm »
 Bill, you can't get it out of the River anymore, and Jesse and I aborted this weekend digging there. It is dry and like concrete.
Lakeland, Florida
 If you have to pull the trigger, is it really archery?