Patina Patina Patina

[monsterrack]

I hear folks talking about patina on artifact and when they seem to have a stain from something then they are real in some folks eyes but when there is no patina then RED flags go a flying. Patina comes from the matrix that is around a artifact, so if found in the same field and creek then they should have the same patina right, no that is wrong. In this great country we have all types of soils and water ways and everyone makes a different patina. What you find on one point in one field may not be the same across the road and what you may find in a creek should have the same patina every time right, wrong again. This photo shows my point to this thread, all of these artifacts where found in the same creek, in the same water, but look at the difference in the patina, some are heavy and some show hardly none at all. All the artifacts shown in the photo was found within 1/4mi of each other

Don't let patina stain be your ruling judge on a artifact, learn what the chipping should look like for that style and stone type for that part of the country. So many pass judgment on artifacts because the patina is not what it looks like around their area or what they have seen from other artifacts. Like the artifacts I have shown they don't always have patina on them.

 

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[GatorBoy]

Some areas of the country are just known for the predominance of heavy patina such as southwest Georgia... Recently I commented on a find a beautiful one at that made by Americus.. My comment in that instance about whether or not he soaked it to clarify the patina was by no means a red flag in that instance I know of at least one field of his that's very sandy that produces very little patina on the artifacts he has also found some agatized coral in that field.... in a roundabout way I was just hoping for him to describe which field he found it.
Sometimes points here can have completely different patinas 10 feet away from each other
. one being mixed in with shells and another not... or even a recent fire ant pile can completely change the look...
Generally speaking here in Florida if something was found in one of the rivers in a certain part of the state a lot of us can pick out exactly what River immediately by looking at it of course there are exceptions but when you know an area you inevitably get to know the patina that's most common for the area.
It's very hard if not nearly impossible to judge anything completely by looking at photographs you've proven that by posting ones you've made yourself and added fake patina... So in that instance looking at the flaking wasn't going to do a whole lot if the person who did the knapping was knowledgeable... Just saying.

 

[GatorBoy]

No mistaking a recent break on this one either..

 

[redbeardrelics]

That is a wonderful creek you are hunting there Monsterrack ! Good info by posted by you and Gatorboy. It is interesting that there are also flaked stone artifacts found that will have a different patina on each side of the artifact, indicating the different exposures to the elements that can happen depending upon how the artifact is positioned to the soils around it. Another important aspect regarding patina, and maybe the most important, it the type of lithic. Some stones will weather, deteriorate, or patina different than others, located in the same environments. HH

 

[monsterrack]

That is right redbeardrelics, some stone is affected by UV rays and some are not. The creek that those artifacts came out of is mostly filtered sun light,
if you look real close at the stone, you can tell the ones with the dark stain are more pourers and it being that way I believe micro organisms can attach themselves to it. Then once that happens they build up with time, if that makes sense.



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[monsterrack]

Gator that sure is heart breaker , what type of material is it. It looks like it has been though hell.



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[GatorBoy]

Yeah that poor thing has been through a lot.
Its fossil coral

 

[GatorBoy]

I think you can see polyps in one of these photos.. This is one crusty dude

 

[theviking]

Great info guys, love that crusty chunk of coral, Gator. Most of the stuff I find around here seems to show little to no patina, with a few exceptions. The first pics are of a ugly blade/preform thing found in two pieces about 15' apart. Each half has a different patina on both sides. Next is the only Quartzite piece out of a dozen or more that shows any creek stain. The next piece is some black chert with some funky patina on the outside, but showing the nice black stuff at the break.

 

[VERDE]

Hey monsterrack!! You guys amaze me with your finds!! Thanks for the info!! Hope you're well up in the hills of the Natchez!! Anyway, GOOD LUCK and GOOD HUNTING!! VERDE!!

 

[yakker]

Really good info from both you guys- thanks monsterrack for the thread. Perhaps I might add that some say don't wash yer points... Patina doesn't wash off.

Yak

 

[GatorBoy]

Very true just don't wash them in acid ... For Pete's sake

 

[yakker]

Very true just don't wash them in acid ... For Pete's sake YIKES!!! NNNnnnoooooooooo! Yakker

 

[theviking]

A member here named Treefrog used to clean some of his artifacts in muriatic acid.. They had some serious funk on them.

 

[GatorBoy]

I remember Tnmountains saying something about that

 

[theviking]

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/n...s/236637-5_6_2011-dig-pic-video-cleaning.html

 

[GatorBoy]

That's it...nice!
He's getting away with that on material real high in silica... If he were to try that on some stuff of a little different composition he could completely destroy what he was cleaning very easily.
I never understood why somebody would want their old things to look new myself

 

[theviking]

Did you see the before pic? That's not mud, its a crusty/funky kind of stuff that does not wash off. In most instances I agree not to over clean any artifacts, but in this case I think I would have done the same. I believe his thought was that he would never sell, so it didn't matter if they appeared too clean.

 

[GatorBoy]

Yeah I saw the photo I've had to deal with a lot of stuff like that on fossils a long soak in mineral oil may have softened that up enough to be removed but to each their own

 

[Americus]

Very interesting thread and some super artifacts that you found in the creek.