Thank you Mick and Jeff for the valuable hints on cracking large boulders, theres one about the same size as the one you were working on in your video close to my home , I've finally got a plan now on how to attack it . Great video guys ,looking forward to a few more before the season is finished .best regards from Lloyd.
good little video.thanks for centering in on sound.Sometyi mes just putting your hand and feeling the vibrations will narrow down the time it takes to find fissures.Also I would like to thank you and Jeff for making the crystal lake video.I was up there a week ago and found it easily and have now about 50 lb. of peristerite with interesting colours of base rock.As I retire in 2 years it will give me funds to continue in my dotage.I have prospected most of the west coast and have learned more by hands on than college.Thank you for your work,Ed.
I've found a pretty fluid boundary between "taking my time" and "smashing all the crystals" doing work like that. First off, I don't work in dolostone as often as I do in either gunflint shale/sandstone/slate that's been silicified (looking for veins of lovely green fluorite with marcasite speckles in/on very sharp cubes) or places where granite has intruded and I'm after the associated quartz veins for amethyst. I know the exact difference in sound (and feel) in the rock you're talking about, but I usually try to go with the largest feasible hammer first, to try to persuade fractures on my terms. I want the gunflint to come out in blocks, so I can then lay them with the thin vein facing me I again use the largest reasonable hammer to try to crack it open in one hit. Yes, it's a shock through the piece, but one big shock seems to yield only a couple chipped or broken crystals in the interior vugs, where in my own personal experience, using the chisel and a 4lber I tend to need so many hits that by the time I get anywhere I've blown up ½ of what I'm after. As for the granite, the simple mantra I've learned both hounding and prospecting in it: smaller hammer, smaller pieces. :p do lots with the 4 and 6ft wrecking bars too. How about that, eh? Different rock hounds, working different types of rock, using different strategies.... I won't be quite so quick to grab ol' twelvey next time i'm working dolostone! I'll just go for a little 4lb ham 'n chis! Thanks for the info!
excellent sharing this subject is lesser spoken about but you made it pretty simple just follow the natural fissures until you get to where you wanted to go. I had a funny conversation where a friend told me about a piece of betroytial chalcedony I recommend him to chip out it turns out he destroyed it and he has always been sad about it. I usually leave something there if it's pretty enough but I've also had it where I tried to leave stuff and even the local firemen will remove druzy formations with their pick axes I guess we are all human and I've cut some rocks incorrect in my saw. Thanks for the help I feel a better grip on it now.
You could easily pass off as actor Rade Šerbedžija's bro. You resemble him quite a lot, specially his role in the Mark Wahlberg movie Shooter. Its a celeb look 👍
To each their own, but a wedge chisel and a sledge is far quicker which IMHO means less vibration damage to crystals. You also have to realize many pockets may have been damaged in the 30's when they were dynamited off.
Hello there I found many sparkly and different rocks in south river Ontario this summer I would like your help identifying them could you please respond I can’t find away to get ahold of you I tried on here now n Instagram thx I’m Melissa
Cool video I’m a new rockhound and I try to learn as much as I can to see where you guys are looking etc . This was helpful thank you
Full of useful info thanks! Hope you got what you were looking for :)
Thank you Mick and Jeff for the valuable hints on cracking large boulders, theres one about the same size as the one you were working on in your video close to my home , I've finally got a plan now on how to attack it . Great video guys ,looking forward to a few more before the season is finished .best regards from Lloyd.
good little video.thanks for centering in on sound.Sometyi mes just putting your hand and feeling the vibrations will narrow down the time it takes to find fissures.Also I would like to thank you and Jeff for making the crystal lake video.I was up there a week ago and found it easily and have now about 50 lb. of peristerite with interesting colours of base rock.As I retire in 2 years it will give me funds to continue in my dotage.I have prospected most of the west coast and have learned more by hands on than college.Thank you for your work,Ed.
Amazing!
I've found a pretty fluid boundary between "taking my time" and "smashing all the crystals" doing work like that. First off, I don't work in dolostone as often as I do in either gunflint shale/sandstone/slate that's been silicified (looking for veins of lovely green fluorite with marcasite speckles in/on very sharp cubes) or places where granite has intruded and I'm after the associated quartz veins for amethyst. I know the exact difference in sound (and feel) in the rock you're talking about, but I usually try to go with the largest feasible hammer first, to try to persuade fractures on my terms. I want the gunflint to come out in blocks, so I can then lay them with the thin vein facing me I again use the largest reasonable hammer to try to crack it open in one hit. Yes, it's a shock through the piece, but one big shock seems to yield only a couple chipped or broken crystals in the interior vugs, where in my own personal experience, using the chisel and a 4lber I tend to need so many hits that by the time I get anywhere I've blown up ½ of what I'm after. As for the granite, the simple mantra I've learned both hounding and prospecting in it: smaller hammer, smaller pieces. :p do lots with the 4 and 6ft wrecking bars too.
How about that, eh? Different rock hounds, working different types of rock, using different strategies.... I won't be quite so quick to grab ol' twelvey next time i'm working dolostone! I'll just go for a little 4lb ham 'n chis! Thanks for the info!
excellent sharing this subject is lesser spoken about but you made it pretty simple just follow the natural fissures until you get to where you wanted to go. I had a funny conversation where a friend told me about a piece of betroytial chalcedony I recommend him to chip out it turns out he destroyed it and he has always been sad about it. I usually leave something there if it's pretty enough but I've also had it where I tried to leave stuff and even the local firemen will remove druzy formations with their pick axes I guess we are all human and I've cut some rocks incorrect in my saw. Thanks for the help I feel a better grip on it now.
You could easily pass off as actor Rade Šerbedžija's bro. You resemble him quite a lot, specially his role in the Mark Wahlberg movie Shooter. Its a celeb look 👍
Great video, thank you!
Thanks for the learning experience. Havagudun Bud.
Thanks for the tips!
To each their own, but a wedge chisel and a sledge is far quicker which IMHO means less vibration damage to crystals. You also have to realize many pockets may have been damaged in the 30's when they were dynamited off.
What Magnification do you use for your photos?
Great video and very helpful. Do you have any tips on how to work granite, marble and trap rock?
I found this on the side of a road in Brantford. It's very heavy? Any ideas?
Apparently I can't send pictures!
Caver461, What does it mean if I've found a giant hollow boulder from a lava flow?? What is inside such a rock?
Mississippi Valley Deposit!
Hello there I found many sparkly and different rocks in south river Ontario this summer I would like your help identifying them could you please respond I can’t find away to get ahold of you I tried on here now n Instagram thx I’m Melissa
hey sir, pls give me job i will work for food:D