Monday, March 21, 2011

The Dolomite Pincher


You should never approach a Dolomite Pincher Rock quickly or thoughtlessly. While most rocks definitely prefer long periods of inactivity, they can accommodate a certain degree of unexpected jostling and never try to nip their waller while he tries to work with them.

In the contact sport of walling you can't always avoid injuries but with Pinchers it's a whole different story. You'd better not get them startled! A Pincher is an in-your-face-rock that bites first and asks to squish them later.

The Limestone Dolomite Pincher is a tough, solid looking incredibly agile rock, often hard to handle and, did we mention this? - likes to pinch. Many specimens are sleek and angular while others can be broad and chunky. But don't let their shape surprise you. These rocks are fast ! - especially the ones that are not held held 'fast' in the wall. They are not the passive aggregate type and they are certainly not 'pushovers'. They should never be left outside in your back yard, unsupervised. The best way to keep them in line is to build an obstacle course with them.

The Dolomite Pincher is territorial. They make great guard rocks. A large pile of them in the front yard can look quite intimidating. They will always try to pin your ankles and trip people up when they are stepped over so it's best to warn the neighbours to keep a safe distance. If you can't build a wall around your property to keep them back from being an eye sore, invisible fencing is probably not going to work either.

If you are hitting them with a hammer it is important to never make direct eye contact with them. If you want to take these kind of rocks for a good long wall it's probably better to look for the ones with the nicest faces and just leave the others alone to sort themselves out inside the wall, even if they do appear to be running the joint.

Go slow and exercise caution even with young
Dolomite Pinchers when attempting to put them in their place.
Make sure to look around and choose the right 'puppy' for you !