has any one tryed this ?

[littlehunters19862011]

I'm just wondering if any one has tried  to nap those black railrood rocks that's mixed in with all those others. they seem to be to hard but was just wondering if any one has tried to heat treat them and nap them ... i don't have any  napping rocks that i have seen here i been trying to nap glass so far i have not made a real big point that i would use for hunting deer but they would be good for hunting rabbits .I'm still trying to get it down tho .

[Hunts with stone]

Thats kind of vague. Have you tried to break some. And does it fracture like chert? Does it have a glass sound when you tap them together? Are they cobbles or worked quarry stone for RR bed? Best thing is try it you got nothing to lose.

[littlehunters19862011]

i don't no it don't have  a glass sound win u hit it you can knock flakes off of it but its hard to do . I'm new to napping so i don't no much i have been playing around with glass bottles and others  made  sum smallpoints with the glass but cant find any thing around here that's any batter to try on so i was just wondering if any one had tyred that.

[Hunts with stone]

Try to post some pic's . What are you working with Percussion or pressure or both? Also keep your eyes open for old Toilet tanks as they knapp pretty good. TV's and Computer monitors have good glass in them. Ask in the trade forum area to see what comes up. And as always if ya find a rock hit it you never know.

[Dalton Knapper]

I may be wrong, but I think that stuff may be slag from the steel industry that is often used as railroad ballast. This kind of slag usually sort of glassy and black, and may have been a byproduct of the steel industry or some industry where lots of smelting happened with coal. I think it has a lot of bubbles in it, but it's been so long since I have seen any and I just can't say without seeing it.

If it knapps, it knapps. Try it and see. If you can't knap it, identifying what it is won't help you any.

Here's some being dumped in China:

[littlehunters19862011]

here are sum pics   best i can do for now .

[Dalton Knapper]

It dosen't look very promising. You'd be better off with bottle glass, porceline (johnstone), TV tubes or floor tiles. That stuff doesn't show any sign of what is called a conchoidial fracture (breaking like glass).

I am pretty sure that the stuff you showed is worse than all the materials I mentioned above. You can take any bottle, slip in the largest bolt that will fit in the neck and shake it up and down until the bottom breaks out. From there, knapp the bottom. If you have a place near you that makes glass table tops or such, beg some strips off them. Floor tile from the big chains often is good. The slicker the better but judge it by the bottom of the tile, not the top.

Good luck, but that railroad ballast you showed is not at all promising.

[littlehunters19862011]

OK THANKS  FOR THE REPLIES.I HAVE  ALOT OF GLASS GAR  BOTTOMS SET ASIDE BUT THE PROBLEM I HAVE WITH USEING THEM IS I TEND TO BRAKE THEM IN HALF A LOT. WAS JUST LOOKING FOR SUM OTHER STUFF TO TRY .

[madcrow]

From teh small pics, the black stuff looks a lot like the coal I use in my forge.

[littlehunters19862011]

well i found sum  old  floor tiles. that were cuts from win my dad redone his counter top. got sum of it put up. got my first point out of it yesterday first one that i did not brake any way.  but  i was not able to  get all of the back off of it and still a little of the smooth side on the front . but was happy  i did not brake this . and to keep from braking it I'm going to leave it like it is . and start other one sum time .

[Hunts with stone]

You did a great job on that. Keep at it and save that one for memory row.

[littlehunters19862011]

well do im sure ill have sum more to post up soon .

[outback118]

The black stuff is slag glass . Don't use it , may have bad heavy metals in it. don't use pitcure tube glass eather , it has up to 80% lead in it and other bad stuff on the inside of the tube. Just think lead paint, BAD!!!   

go to a hardware store or window shop and ask if they have any scraps of non tempered glass. When I first started I would hit the flea market and buy cheep glass ware with thick bottoms to work with. one guy on ebay sells nice obsidian slabs ,most cost effective. then move to chert's and other stone as you can get them . but it is best to buy what you can hold in your hand and look at it first. they will have a nice clean pic and you get a bunch of chunky frozen crap that's only good flint and steel.

[NFFK]

I didnt read where you are from, but good chance there is chert in a creek not far away.  Knock on doors of landowners= never hurts.  Good way to get a new spot to hunt too.  They often ask what you want the rocks for- show em a point, and they are very interested = usually.
Some guys buy some awesome cheap material from garage sales that are selling fish tank material NOT the tanks but some of the rocks they use in them are awesome knappable material
For around $20 new or hit garage sales a turkey roaster and some sand make most chert easier too work.
Slabs are great too, but can be tricky for some beginners.  Slabs still need centerline and platforms which I think are learned to great extent from making bifaces     
Thanks for sharing

[1442]

round here in southeast texas, the railroad tracks where built up with dirt then a layer of river gravel, then covered with the slag rock. I can find places where railroad maintenance machines have cut down into the river gravel and expose a few pieces. They are hard as the rails and are saturated with an oily smell, but will knap. A copper bopper has a very short lifespan with it.
I have found a local material supplier with a large pile of bull gravel, and they will let me pick through it and get the pieces I want for $5 for a five gallon bucket full. There is all sorts of veriety in the bull gravel but a lot of it is very colorfull and knaps like a dream with no heat. Some is full of concete inclusions and some are kind of grainy, but still works pretty well. There can be a few cracks near the surface also but they can usually be knapped right out of the way.  Just another possible source.   Terry