Cleaning Petrified Wood With Acid

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

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[@tlhomphocalvinmateka9843]

Yes, for me it very helpful and I appreciate the information. But please can you let me know what type of permit you own for having, I will say this shop of yours? Or to put it right ✅️, how do you operate in terms of laws or regulations, because for me, this is a hobby but it costs here in RSA very expensive 40,000 for permit or license, can you please help on this part.

[@stormcloudestormcloude1408]

I have a piece of opalized pet wood that someone coated with varnish or shellac or something. I'd like to try and remove it. Are there any solvents you recommend or I should avoid?

[@skyblueeyes9968]

Hey I got a great idea for ya. I'm part Cherokee and live by their traditions and we make our own vinegar. Not hard to do at all but a little time consuming. Super cheap though. You can make a 55 gallon drum of vinegar for next to nothing and it takes the same amount of time as making a pint jar.

[@michaelfickel]

Polish two windows in that blue and shine a light through it. Great video, thanks.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I think these will be staying as is since they are rare.

[@DayTon-h9u]

Cool idea...thanks...👍

[@TheAdventureCloset]

The one at 13:30 looks awesome the way it is. Still looks rough, but all the colors are there. Great balance. Interesting watch.

[@TheIdeanator]

Tips on HCl: you can neutalize it with baking soda which just makes it saltwater or you can just leave it outside and let it evaporate as HCl evaporates pretty easily.

[@aprils5881]

This is the topic I've been waiting for! I have a so much rough petrified wood, I've been trying to figure out how to clean

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@siscokiddie3958]

Perhaps another related experiment for the future is this: Comparing the vinegar-on-calcium-carbide process at room temperature you use against the same process plus an application of heat. I frequently clean wood and fossils (silica) with this crud on it by putting it on the stove in a pot covered with a lid, and bring the solution slowly up to a simmer. I was amazed at how much faster and more complete the cleaning of the rock was! Since I don't have a spray gun like you do, I bought a set of metal pick set (they have several) from Harbor Freight for less than $5 to get in the nooks and crannies and continue the simmering process. Just wanted to let you know about this variation in your cleaning process.

[@jamesh5460]

I have a friend that works in a lab and gives me HCl in whatever concentrations I ask for which is really handy. The higher levels definitely raise the caution flag but works very well.

[@treasuresunderfoot7876]

I got my hands on some Saddle Mountain Wood years ago. It cleaned up good with Muriatic Acid. But there was some ugly bits stuck on a few pieces. A friend let me use his sand blaster to reveal stuff the acid couldn't get, and boy did it work good. I used silica carbide in the blaster.

[@Rickzolla]

The fact of acid bath cleaning is that the acid gets weaker as the chemical reaction continues. Eventually the acid is no longer acidic, but neutralized. Another full strength bath is necessary for complete cleaning. BTW, your channel is the best "nuts and bolts" rockhounding channel on KZbin.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@leonalbert4319]

I`m glad you did this video,I definitely would have been one of those people stressing over the white not coming all the way off, thanks for the tip and another great video

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked it! :)

[@patriciamckean4186]

Cleaning can be such a satisfying thing for your rocks!

[@largent45]

I always learn something from your videos! Thanks for sharing your awesome finds!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@rickw6521]

I don't know if you heard of the blue forest in Wyoming. The wood there is blue because of the type of algae when it was underwater. Very beautiful wood when finished. There is a lot of limb cast and tree's buried under ground. Well worth the trip. The only thing i really recommend is bring plenty of drinking water, there is no drinking water even at the camp grounds in that area. I know i would go back for more it was that awesome.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have looked into that location in the past few days. I would love to go out there and visit someday.

[@rickw6521]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Let me know i would come out for the same time. I don't have facebook, twitter or instagram. Those are just more junk that would clog my computer lol. And i don't need to be on video's as this is your program.

[@oldgamerchick]

Beautiful blue. Thank you for sharing. Awesome finds. 🙃☕❤❤❤❤

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@mikedodge3910]

Man, I really wish I had time to get over to Saddle Mountain again. I have a lot of family stuff (all good stuff) going on .

[@debbiewilson6806]

Good info didn't know about the 45% vinegar. Love my textile gun! You always come up with great and interesting videos Thank you

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

The 45% is really great, its cheaper by volume and takes up less physical space as well.

[@kylaabegglen1275]

Such beautiful material! Love the blues. Thank you for doing this video, great information!✌🤠

[@RockhoundTreasurehunt]

Great video! I use citric acid and get pretty good results but I think I'm going to give 45% vinegar a shot for a comparison. The Blue as well as purple hues are caused by Manganese dioxide. The cell structure is one way you can identify the species of wood when using a microscope if cell structure is present. Awesome stuff! Thanks!!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I really haven't used citric acid much, I should test it some to see how it stacks up.

[@darrinwilliams5715]

That was worth the wait.😎

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@TarnishedViking.]

WOAH!! Them casts look SWEET!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@gemstonebrad4481]

Love your channel and your information.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@themacz1671]

Those will look awesome when dun thank you for sharing the adventure 😎👍

[@annepickering4234]

Hi. Thanks for the information about vinegar cleaning. Slightly different here.....no 45%. Surprised at how well they cleaned.

[@Mike-br8vb]

Great video, very cool looking Pet. Wood!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@RagnarRocks]

Those blue pieces are super neat! Looking forward to seeing the inside! It might just be me but I've had wayyyyyyyy better results soaking that wood in citric acid, vinegar hasn't really done much for me....yet.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

That's interesting I wonder why it hasn't done much for you.

[@RagnarRocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Probably not using enough

[@CityRockhounding]

So cool, glad I watched this before cleaning some rocks I had. Very informative, made me think about what I really have. This was cool to see, thanks for sharing!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm glad you liked it!

[@kennethchristie5167]

Beautiful material 😍

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@Don-rz6jq]

Thanks for the video. I just ordered the 75 percent from that company. I’ll be of course deluting it with some water. Not sure how much would be best on petrified wood.

[@nancywalker6335]

Next time you’re in the woods, look down along the trail and notice the jumble of tree limbs. How they’re layed out and overlapping. That’s how I invision the Pet. Wood to have been laying either on the Shoreline, or in the Shallows as the Lava flows covered the area. The Silicates can’t tell the difference between the jumble, so it forms one rock.

[@patriciamurray5612]

After your last video, I dragged out some larger pieces of SMPW that I have stowed to look for more blue. Didn't find any but the little piece I sent you pics of actually has a purplish blue color so I was interested to hear that yours also has some purple hue. The color is awesome in bright outside light but loses a lot with typical inside illumination. I have a few pieces of the wood soaking in vinegar right now.... they've been in there for about 24 hours. It's doing a pretty good job but it takes a long time.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It does seems as though the blue wood is not common, at most people have told me they found one or two.

[@GREEKEXPLORERS]

Great video as always my friend!! Thank you for sharing!!

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you!

[@kylenicolls1321]

That's good to know about the concentrated acetic acid, thanks. I will have to get a gallon sometime. The yellowing that HCl gets is annoying, it bled into some Saddle Mtn pieces I was cleaning a few years ago. Randomly read yellowing comes from a reaction with air, but I don't know what specifically.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I will need to look into that some. I'm also not really sure why HCI can cause yellowing.

[@TeamSlapHappy]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding kinda a shot in the dark, but HCl yellows raw wood. So maybe the yellowing is from less petrified inclusions

[@navanawatt8415]

Try adding a piece of aluminium to the acid when doing petrified wood, it helps reduce & can prevent yellowing of stones

[@DayTon-h9u]

​@@navanawatt8415 Wtf ?

[@douglastaylor638]

Hi I just caught your videos I enjoy them thank you! When you say blue are you referring to blue forest petrified wood we acquired pick up loads on a property that we purchased some 10 years ago I’ve been playing around with

[@IndusRiverRock]

good work I like your well equipped workshop 👍

[@sandmaker]

Very informative, thank you very much. The cleaning did a great job. Are you going to use some iron out on the bigger pieces? I don't have a textile gun. It has been on my list for a while, but other things keep jumping the line. Keep the fun coming. Be happy, safe and stay healthy 😷⚒ I have no clue what the blue is.😜

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you! The textile gun is such an amazing tool to have for cleaning rocks. I really wish I got one sooner.

[@samcaudle9039]

I’ve used an ultrasonic cleaner on some

[@paigelee6321]

Interesting I’ve seen me miner use one of those guns very cool , I have some crystals that have something on them I’ll try some vinegar to see if that works , love the blue pieces,thank you for sharing 😊💙

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

The water gun really is a great tool for cleaning up almost any rock.

[@TheRogueRockhound]

Textile gun ftw

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Pew pew!

[@thekidks]

Thanks for info & video

[@ocklawahaboyrocks]

Ahhh... the part I'm worst at, taking the time to clean things up when I get home.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It can be very time consuming but well worth it to see what your finds really look like.

[@graemero5532]

Great video. Thanks

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@dustinfindsrocks]

I’m crazy I usually go with muriatic acid but I’m dissolving stuff from limestone matrix. I might try the 45% vinegar sometime. Those blue pieces are really nice, and I have not seen any blue petrified wood 👍🏼

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Have you experienced any yellowing from the muriatic acid?

[@dustinfindsrocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding I definitely have! I've learned the hard way you have to soak it a really long time in several rounds or in water with baking soda afterwards. I've had some REAL yellow crystals and geodes with bright yellow blotches a couple times LOL. Definitely a learning process.

[@dustinfindsrocks]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding My fluorite nodules turned out REALLY nice! Better than I was expecting.

[@MommyLongLegs4209]

I found several big chunks of petrified wood in my yard with what is very obviously crystalized bark and one even has a big hole filled with quartz crystals as well. Are these valuable?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Generally speaking no, they are not really that valuable. When people buy petrified wood they are mostly looking for full rounds, polish large pieces and what to know the location they came from.

[@nicolefogle4171]

vinegar always seems to leave more white residue on my pet wood. i have tried it several times and it never seems to work right for me.

[@TheBradinator214]

My area is heavy in iron, so it leaves a dark tough layer on whatever rocks or glass it comes in contact with especially in creeks. Can I use this same method?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It depends on what exactly you want to remove and from what.

[@janvafa9959]

Would an air scribe (used in fossil preparation) help get some of the undisolvable gunk off?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm not sure, I don't have an air scribe to test it with.

[@kimb2590]

Could wildfires effect the coloring on rock fossils ect.... Only asking as I have been finding strange partially blue tinted rocks and other items , even bones, either way I've been trying to figure out why!!! We had really bad wildfires couple years ago and was wondering if the fire was the culprit as I have never seen this on any other finds from the area before the fires

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Generally I would say no that the heat from a fire wouldn't turn things blue but it will make things brittle and fracture.

[@cliffmiller1021]

Ah, the smell of vinegar in the morning. Nice call on keeping the price down, offering alternatives. I'm still baffled by the blue, was it burnt wood before petrifying? Is there copper heavy minerals in the ground but then why only those few pieces altered, AND is part of it the flavor of wood it initially was. Great now I'm gonna rabbit trail down man made petrified wood. Thanks for sharing.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

These area all good questions that ill try to address in tomorrows SNS.

[@zoellerzoeller105]

A Newbie here, I just started rock hounding, and I am just trying to learn. What is the difference between petrified wood that is Agatized and Opalized? Can you visually tell a difference or does it even matter? Thanks

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have video up on the subject of petrified wood you might find helpful. Pretty much the difference is just the arrangement of the silica that moved into replace the wood. Sometimes it can be really hard to tell the difference but other times it can be really easy. I guess its hard to describe in text.

[@joniangelsrreal6262]

☘️ Happy St Patty’s Day folks…☘️

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Thank you.

[@erisi1406]

I could use some advise. I have a very nice piece of petrified wood that needs to be polished. I mage the mistake of filling the fine cracks with Starbond super thin superglue and then tried to clean it with Hydrochloric acid. The line are now very dark. I tried bleach. The only other thing I can think of is to polish it aggressively . Any suggestion on how to remove the color changed superglue in the fissures?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I'm sorry to hear that. Generally speaking I would say its done, you will never get all of it out.

[@travisdent7009]

Have you tried nail polish remover(acetone)? That is effective on removing oils and also attacks plastics but I think it would leave the stone intact...?

[@erisi1406]

@@travisdent7009 yes, I have. As I think more about it, there was glue on the surface of the petrified wood that went from clear to milky, but not black, so the black in the cracks might be something else. An ideal filler would wick, harden and be clear and have the same refractive index as the silica. I wonder if the uv cured resin used for windshield repair would be choice as a crack filler ? Somewhere I read about a heat set resin that jewers use but I can't find the information now.

[@DonohueLabs]

Vinegar is a quick prelim clean, but you didn't address the important question! Do the rocks smell like pickles afterward? 🥒

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

They do smell like pickles, but the texture is way off in a sandwich.

[@MMiller-e9s]

Could oxalic acid cause the color to be removed from petrified wood? I can not remember what it looked like before going in. It is white, gray and blue.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I can not, generally speaking things that are silica based are very resistant to acids.

[@MMiller-e9s]

@CurrentlyRockhounding Thanks, that makes me feel better. I was worried I messed it up, but I think it is a beautiful peice.

[@СергейКуликов-с9ш]

Just thought.. guys who use american length measures also convert 365 nm uv flashlight into nanoinches ? :)

[@Cherrycola14]

Can't you filter your vinegar after and reuse?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

You can not.

[@alexj9111]

Jasper confuses me. Is it chert stained with iron oxide? Is it chalcedony mixed with clay? Even petrified wood can look like jasper. I give up, but I know it looks divine.

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I have a video up on this subject you might find helpful.

[@alexj9111]

@@CurrentlyRockhounding Thanks.

[@patriciamurray5612]

I highly recommend the Agate vs Jasper video. I try to remember the crypto- (or micro-) crystalline connection. Agate & Chalcedony (transparent to translucent), Jasper & Chert (opaque) are all microcrystalline quartz (can't see the crystals or grains). Agate technically is a banded chalcedony, but there are many other types of chalcedony that are called agates (like moss agates, dendritic agates, etc.) Jasper and Chert are opaque but are also microcrystalline quartz. Jasper, in my book and from what I've read, is just a colorful Chert that has been colored by different minerals. Chert was highly valued by ancient tribes for arrowheads.... of course, some of those are beautifully colored chert (called Jasper!). Some Chert is so highly compressed it becomes a glass, which I am now referring to as flint. I'm sure there are a lot of people who don't agree with my way of classifying, but it really helps me and I believe I'm at least mostly correct.

[@alexj9111]

@@patriciamurray5612 Thanks.

[@reneecase7317]

Do you ever tumble you petrified wood? If so what type of prices?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I do not tumble and I do not sell rocks.

[@jaygregolric3946]

LLoooks like hemitite that blue color

[@taco12345able]

Would getting a stronger vinegar like a 99% vinegar work better?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

It can work faster but also comes at a much higher price.

[@lindapeterson6482]

Wire brush?

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

What?

[@stevemacdonald2303]

Yeah I am using vinegar to get fossil out of limestone

[@AGalahcalledSammi]

I tried Lysergic acid, it didn't work. But turns out, that's ok maaaan.

[@AvalonDreamz]

You literally talk about the same things I go on about to those who listen. After Afghanistan I don't trust any of them either. And people are out of control. All that he spoke about, I get because I feel the same. I am tired of rehashing it out and the explanation

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

I really have no clue what it is that you're trying to say here.

[@YukonJack]

​@@CurrentlyRockhoundingand the mystery continues! 😂

[@ianlauhon8760]

Go to the dollar tree it's even cheaper

[@CurrentlyRockhounding]

Not from what I have seen.

[@CockatoobirdmanBill]

I firn that sand blasting will take off most the loose stuff then use acid if needed..........Be well and be safe.......