Goldstone/Adventurine Chunks

PolychromeBeads · #1 2010-06-30, 5:40pm

How long do the big chunks have to sit in the kiln before you drop them in water to get them to break up? I just tried it, and only one (yes one) tiny flake broke off - the rest just sat there in the bucket of water sizzling.

Also, I have a Chili Pepper kiln so I can't go over 1100 degrees - I was putting it in at my annealing temperature. Is that hot enough? Seems to me it should be...maybe I got gold Kryptonite and it ain't gonna break!

Aimee

GlassGalore · #2 2010-06-30, 6:17pm

I've seen people say they soak it at ~600F for about 1 hour before the water bath. If you heated it long enough, it may not break apart by itself in the water, but if it developed cracks from the thermal shock, you should be able to wrap it in a towel and give it a couple whacks with a hammer to break it apart along those cracks.

neagle · #3 2010-07-01, 6:26am

I get aventurine from a rock shop. I have never annealed it, and I just either whack it with a hammer or break pieces off with a rod nipper. Then I encase it and pull my own stringers. I do preheat the small chunks on a hotplate before encasing, though.

Pat · #4 2010-07-01, 7:07am

I also put in a towel or something and whack with a hammer. Easier to break down to manageable pieces.

GwenMorris · #5 2010-07-01, 7:12am

I whack it too. Great for stress relief.

jaci · #6 2010-07-01, 9:02am

ditto on helping it along after its been shocked!

It is great between a brass press

just cover it with a towel and smasH!!!! HULK SMASH!!! lol

beadgirl · #7 2010-07-01, 9:33am

Cover with a towel and whack it softly with a hammer. Do not hit it hard or you will be looking for itall over your studio. Wear safety glasses too.
Then you can heat it on a hot plate and encase with clear to pull stringers. It looks really pretty encased w med trans. purple.

playswithfire104 · #8 2010-07-01, 9:50am

I let mine heat at garaging temp for a at least an hour. Then I plunge it into cold water. I even put ice in the water to make it more of a shock from the heat of the kiln.

Prism · #9 2010-07-01, 10:00am

I put it in a baggie before putting in a sock or folded washcloth and hitting it with a hammer. The baggie gets smashed but it keeps little pieces from getting stuck in the material.

PolychromeBeads · #10 2010-07-01, 7:32pm

Okay, apparently Lisa was right - the chunk I heated and dropped in the water was actually shattered, just not falling apart. I discovered I could break it apart with my fingers if I wrapped it in a towel. I guess I assumed it would fall apart in the water the way hot glass usually does.

Now I gots me some pieces small enough to pull stringer!!

Aimee

MaryBeth · #11 2010-07-02, 11:53am

I see that you figured it out! I break mine up by double bagging the chunk in a plastic baggie and whacking it against the concrete floor. I don't use the heat it up and dunk method because it might impact the sparkle of the goldstone.

MerryFool · #12 2010-07-02, 1:47pm

Glad to hear it, Aimee!
On my last torching trip, I had fun pulling a variety of stringers from aventurine chunk encased in a variety of transparent colours.
The one encased in rubino was a juicy sparkly pink!
Did one in a grass green, a few different kinds of blue, as well as a light purple. Neat stuff and very fun.
Somehow these stringers are so much more sparkly than the ones you buy...

Truewealth · #13 2010-07-02, 2:52pm

So where do you guys buy chunks of gold aventurine?

neagle · #14 2010-07-02, 3:02pm

greatrough.com is where I got my gold, blue and green aventurine. Well priced and they were really nice.

Truewealth · #15 2010-07-02, 3:04pm

thanks Nina!

Sheila D. · #16 2010-07-02, 3:06pm

I just bought some yesterday at Franz.I pulled stringer but forgot to encase it first and it's way too dark.D'OH!

Truewealth · #17 2010-07-02, 3:14pm

I just sent a pm to Nina asking this question..might as well post it here too.

I love the look of gold aventurine rods. Are the chunks of aventurine that you guys are buying actually the stone/quartz aventurine?

These can be heated/shocked or whacked and then encased in glass?

Or are you buying chunks of aventurine already encased in glass???

Sheila D. · #18 2010-07-02, 4:05pm

They are rough chunks of Goldstone,which is a manmade stone.Not the same as the green Aventurine gemstone.I don't know why they call it that and not goldstone all the time.

PolychromeBeads · #19 2010-07-02, 6:10pm

I had a big ol' chunk that I bought quite a while ago. I used the "whack it with a hammer" technique to break up as much as I could, but there were still some pieces that resisted all the hammer-whacking I could manage. That's why I was finally heating and dunking some.

The pieces I used today seemed to retain their sparkle, so I don't think the heat and water did anything adverse to them. Mind you, I like the stress relief of whacking it with a hammer - but it's nice to know there are alternatives when violence doesn't work!!!

Aimee

Truewealth · #20 2010-07-03, 5:31am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheila D.

They are rough chunks of Goldstone,which is a manmade stone.Not the same as the green Aventurine gemstone.I don't know why they call it that and not goldstone all the time.

Okay....so Nina sent me a pm with a great link and description.

So...goldstone (sometimes called gold aventurine) is man made.

There is a gemstone called Aventurine as well....this is where I was confused.

Got it....thanks!!