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EL GAMBRISINO
October 2010 - Volume 52 - Issue 9 they send them on to our troops. Lets see how many we can collect. Brecken Uhl will lead a day trip to Hillsboro on Sat. Sept 25. There will be a Camp out to Round Mt, AZ on Oct. 1, 2, 3. Eric will send details and maps via email. The meeting was then adjourned. *******************************************
PROGRAM NOTES
The speaker David Kirkpatrick of HSR here in Las Cruces gave a talk that was titled: The El Paso and Southwester Railroad: Archaeological and Historical Perspectives.
FYI: There will be a campout Oct. 29, 30 and 31 in one of our favorite sites - Orogrande. We will be there on Halloween so bring a costume if you would like. Details and maps will follow shortly
Unfortunately I was unable to attend so am unable to provide a synopsis of the program but heard that it was most interesting and informative and that it garnered much interest. Eric Fuller sent me a web site that pertains to and expands on Daves topic so you might want to check it out. http://home.swbell.net/lwsumner/histo ry.htm ******************************************* The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi. LeRoy Unglaub sent in the following notice. The Doa Ana Archaeological Society will meet at 7 PM Tuesday, 12 October 2010, at the Good Samaritan Auditorium, 3011 Buena Vida Circle, Las Cruces. Holly Radke the Collection Manager/Register, New Mexico Farm & Ranch Museum will present a lecture on museum preservation. She will discuss the different preservation techniques used on cloth, paper, metal, and other material curated in the museum. She will also discuss techniques that can be used for family heirlooms. . *******************************************
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filled the corral located at the end of the trailhead. Eric and I hiked back on Sunday to do some further exploration and accompany Alan and Brenda who drove up on Saturday and missed the group hike. We also ran into the Albuquerque club who hiked in on Sunday. Some members of their club camped just down the road from us at our suggestion after they had difficulty finding a spot. Two of their members including Mike Potts who was their trip leader joined us for Happy Hour on Sunday evening. We had fun sharing collecting sites and swapping lies! The steams were all pretty much full and running. I was surprised to see that much water so late in the year. It made the hike pleasant for both the people and the dogs. The ladies all played Yatzee one night after happy hour and had a great time. We saw bear, turkey and deer track in the area, but no wildlife sightings that I heard about. The weather cooperated throughout the weekend and no more rain fell after the drive up. Our campfires were smaller than usual, but the food was fantastic. Jon Stewart and I even tried a golf trick. I brought a club and some plays and Jon tried demonstrating. Luckily no windshields were broken, but it was close. Attendees were: Allan & Brenda, Kathy & Eric, Val & Darwin, Jon & Chris, Brecken & Julie, Janette, Dorian, Ted & Susie. Following are a few of the photos that Eric took at Rabb Park.
Hillbilly Camping
Silver Moonstone
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metal that first brought Spaniards her from half a world away. Finished with the arrastre, the bulk of the group returned with Al Spencer (who had just arrived) to the vicinity of the first Jasper location - but to a much more productive specific locality. Satisfied with their prizes for the day, the group escaped the late summer heat and trickled back to pavement, lights, and air conditioning... until next time, that is!
Sunday morning when I tried to start my engine I found the battery was dead. Alan Gadberry and Ed Leake jump-started the battery and I aired up the tire that had gone flat again. Doug also had his problems with a broken spring and had to rig a heavy chain to keep his two right back tires on his trailer separated. Sunday pm I followed Doug out and my tire held up until I got to the highway. I aired it up again and it lasted until I got to the repair shop, Emergency Repair Services, where Doug was waiting for us. He had called the owner (both a friend and customer of his) who sent Justin who repaired both of my tires at a cost of $20. If youre ever in the Lordsburg area and have vehicle trouble this is the place to call. As Doug said "This will be a campout you're always gonna remember!" Indeed. And may I say many thanks to all the Good Samaritans who helped us. . .
EVER WONDER
Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin? Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed? Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'? Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word? Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'? Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour? Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food? Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?
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Away we went on our quest and meeting up with the Uhls who were on their way in to camp. It seems that the phone number Doug had given Lee was jumbled and we couldnt locate a tire as everything was closed up tight by the time we got into town. The shower was great and the bed very comfortable. Morning brought another soon to be hot day and no luck on the tire issue. By the time we got back to camp the ATVers were on their way out. They were going to look for that missing road (Peebs found it), an old homestead and the geode source. From what I understand they found all of these things. More people arrived at camp and set up. It was over 90 degrees by then and not many felt like going out. . Not being one to set around camp I got ready to head out. Three other women joined me and we jumped into the Cherokee and did the loop road with many stops along the way. I dont know about the others but I had a half bucket full of chalcedony geodes, roses and fire agate. We got back into camp in time for lunch with some new arrivals. A quick head count of attendees came to 27, a large group to be sure.
Submitted by Maxine Wyman Be sure to read the article submitted by Jan Hoffman for further details.
As Lee, who was also moteling it, was going back to Lordsburg she was elected to try and find a spare tire for Jan. I decided to pass up Happy Hour and head out also as it was getting near dusk and tired time.
Once again I decided to pass up Happy Hour and head for home to recover from vacation and rock hounding. Lee also decided to head for her motel so we said our goodbyes and headed out. On the way we met the ATVers who had been out all day and were full of stories of their adventures; exploring new roads, finding the geodes, metal detecting around an old homestead and picking up some fire agate, etc. They were all ready for a shower and Happy Hour. Saturday night was a little windy and a little rainy as reported by Eric Fuller. Sunday was beautiful and more rock hunting was done.
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sawdust). Well this may be true, but in my experience (and this article is nothing more than one persons methods learned through trial and error) I have only had one herkimer diamond damaged. (There was a large stress fracture in a 2" crystal that "popped" during cleaning.) But in terms of odds, I have cleaned thousands of herkimers and only that one broke. The ultrasonic cleaner is the best way to clean zeolites from New Jersey. Especially delicate natrolite sprays or terminated pectolite. Unfortunately they are expensive. If you shop around for the best price you will pay around $150.00 for every quart of capacity. I have a three quart unit that is more than adequate. Unless you collect a lot of large specimens, then a 1-1/4 quart unit will suffice. I highly recommend getting a built-in heater. it is well worth the extra expense. It will heat the solution to just below boiling and keep it at that temperature. That is perfect for cleaning with oxalic acid (see Part I). The heat accelerates the action of the acid, but prevents the acid from boiling. Sand Blasting Sand blasting sounds exotic but is more common than you would think. All of the pink tourmaline in purple lepidolite sold has been sandblasted to expose the harder tourmaline. The sand blasting removes the softer lepidolite very quickly and leaves a more natural appearance than chisels or scrapers. The new pink chalcedony from New Mexico being sold by Ray DeMark is all sandblasted. In its natural state it is rough and encrusted. A quick sandblast and only the harder quartz chalcedony remains. Amazonite from Colorado is also cleaned with sand blasting. These crystals often have a late growth without the blue-green amazonite color. The outer coating is blasted off with glass beads and then the surface is "polished" by sandblasting with a soft limestone powder. A sand blasting unit is not expensive. The basic setup can be purchased for around $50.00. However the air compressor to drive the sand blaster is expensive. Unless you already have access to a 3.5 HP air compressor, then sandblasting is not for you. There are many different media that you can use in a sandblaster. Anything the consistency of table salt can be blown through the gun, wet or dry. Glass beads are readily available and are the hardness of quartz. But you can purchase many different hardnesses down to 3.5 on Mohs scale. The goal is to choose a media softer than the mineral you want to keep but harder than the mineral you want to remove. I have found it works great for removing schist matrix from almandine garnet and staurolite crystals. There has been much discussion regarding the effects of sandblasting minerals including an article in Rocks and Minerals. The article points out that chalk dust with a hardness (H) of 3 has been found to abrade periclase (H: 5.5). The article points out that the force that you drive the media can result in damage to the specimen and recommends testing on a sample until you get the right balance of air pressure and correct media hardness. Air Scribe This is a miniature reciprocating impact chisel commonly used by fossil preparers to expose fossils. ARO air scribe Model 8315 costs $289.00 and comes with a medium carbide tip. Additional tips are available in fine to coarse for $31.00
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each. from Main Tool Supply, 55 Lafayette Ave., North White Plains, NY 914-949-0037 These tools reciprocate at 36,000 cpm and are very efficient at locally removing matrix. Fluorescent collectors find these are the best tools for removing calcite from willemite specimens because acid will etch willemite. Water Gun Similar to a sand blaster, the water gun is used in the dry cleaning industry as a stain remover (they blast cleaning agent right through the fabric). The Krebs 5000 cost $350.00 and is available from Aurora Mineral Corp. at 516-623-3800. The action is a combination of sandblasting and ultrasonic. The gun creates a fine, high powered jet of water that will loosen most clays or dirt. It is very forceful though and not suitable for delicate minerals. The advantage is that you can put solutions other than water in the gun. In theory you could shoot oxalic acid through it. But since oxalic acid requires time to work the value is questionable. And remember the toxicity of oxalic acid, the last thing you should do is create a fine mist of oxalic acid that you could accidentally breathe. A simpler and cheaper alternative to the water gun is to take your minerals to a do-it-yourself car wash. Lay out all of your minerals and for $1.75 in quarters you can blast away almost anything with the water gun can, plus you can get a hot wax at the same time. In conclusion, you do not have to spend lots of money to clean your minerals. In many cases the brass brush is all that you need. Remember also that these mechanical methods are often the first in a many step process. You may start with brass brush then use hydrochloric acid and finish with oxalic acid. The "Waller" Solution This method of mineral cleaning was first introduced to me by Roland Franke as a simple method of cleaning iron stain from minerals. Further research reveals different methods of using the basic solution. As originally described by Roland the solution is made by dissolving in one liter of distilled water: 8.4g Sodium Bicarbonate 17.4 g Sodium Dithionite 5.9g Trisodium salt of Citric Acid (sodium citrate) Once mixed, the minerals are immersed in the solution. The cleaning action can be accelerated by placing in an ultrasonic cleaner. This solution is not appropriate for indoor use because, once mixed, there is a strong odor of rotten eggs. Use only outdoors or in an area with proper exhaust venting. As usual read all precautions on the individual component packages. The solution is good for only about 24 hours and should be discarded after that. Since a liter of solution may be more than you need, the Geological Museum of Copenhagen (Hansen, 1984) suggests a variation - you can prepare a stock buffer solution of one liter water, 28 g sodium bicarbonate and 59 g sodium citrate (citric acid). Then when ready place your specimens in a container, pour in buffer solution to cover the top, then carefully sprinkle on top 1 g sodium dithionite for every 30 ml of buffer solution. After five minutes another 1 g of sodium dithionite is added in the same way. They also recommend sealing tightly with a lid
and keeping at room temperature to avoid the formation of sulfides and sulfur. If you have heavy iron stain a specimen may require several treatments in succession as the solution becomes saturated and loses effectiveness. After your piece is clean then wash in distilled water for an equal amount of time that the specimen was in the solution. Then in running (or regularly changed) tap water. Apparently the solution works by reducing Fe+3 to Fe+2 and then dissolving Fe+2 in the Citric Acid. The Sodium Bicarbonate balances the pH to be neutral. This last point means that theoretically you can clean any mineral in it without worrying about etching it. Practically though caution should be taken by testing on samples prior to immersing your best piece. This is the conclusion of the articles on cleaning minerals. But it is not all that can be said on the subject. I have stayed clear of the more hazardous hydrofluoric, sulfuric, nitric acids and treatments for specialized uses such as cleaning native copper. If you are looking for more information I highly recommend starting with John Sinkankas books Field Collecting for Gemstones and Minerals (originally published as Gemstones and Minerals: How and Where to Find Them) and Gemstone and Mineral Data Book both published by Geoscience Press. References Hansen, Mogen, Cleaning Delicate Minerals, Mineralogical Record, March-April 1984, pg. 103 John H. Betts - All Rights Reserved Check out his great web site: www,johnbettsfineminerals.com
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By Maxine Wyman
and iron oxide. The secondary ores are Cerussite, Smithsonite, Calcite, Dolomite, Chalcopyrite, Hemimorphite, Limestone and Silica in the form of chert. There is well known evidence that the easily accessible Galena was known and used by mid-eighteenth century Indians or early frontier dwellers for making bullets. Many very small workings were in production for years but the first major strike occurred in August 1870 by two miners, Elliot Raines Moffet and John B. Sargeant with their Discovery Shaft mine. It sparked a mining boom that would last for the next 75 years. By 1874 the district produced 200 tons of lead a week. The transport of the mineral was done by wagon over very primitive roads to the transport centers on the rivers. When the Railroad came to Joplin in 1877 it only then became profitable to ship the once nuisance Zinc to the smelters in St. Louis and Illinois. World War 1 brought increasing demand for lead and zinc and so mining activity expanded. In 1926 Tri-State mines produced their greatest amount of ore with 15,716,400 tons of it shipped. Production fell with the Great Depression but boomed once again during WW11. In the post war years production rose and fell with demand. As awareness to the dangers of lead in paint and inks grew the need for lead fell. At the same time the need for Zinc in die castings fell as the use of plastics and aluminum increased. The final closing of all mines between 1965-1970 was due to increased operation costs and diminishing profits. No longer being pumped free of water the mines are now flooded and due to the oxidation converting the sulfur of the metallic sulfides (mostly the Marcasite) they are full of sulfuric acid.
In my latest cross-country jaunt I was fortunate enough to visit this museum. I was given a very friendly greeting with much purring and rubbing by Percy their cat. Even though they werent officially open yet I was let in and the lights were turned on for me. The historical part of the museum was very interesting but it was the mineral half that I was delighted to see. In 1931 the Tri-State Mineral Museum was opened to the public. The city had offered a concession building in Schifferdecker Park to house it. This building was open to the elements. Mine operators donated $2,000 to enclose the building with glass windows, buy cabinets and build exhibits. Collections were donated and models of primitive mining and milling equipment were built. It was open only during the three months of summer. In 1969 the Joplin City Council created the Tri-State Mineral Museum Advisory Board to oversee the renovation and operation of the museum. Under their leadership the building was completely overhauled; cinder block and brick to replace the outer glass wall, an innovative roof of Zinc alloy was installed, a second floor twice as large as the original was added along with custom designed cabinets and lighting and heating. It was reopened in 1973 featuring self-guided tours and is now open year around. During this extensive renovation much of the information concerning individual specimens was lost. A lot of the information had been in the heads of the founders and workers and that has been lost with their passing so the records of specimens are sketchy at best and nonexistent for many. However, the specimens speak for themselves. The museum was renamed in Oct. 1994 to honor its longtime curator Everett J. Ritchie. It preserves and displays the districts mineral specimens and interprets its geology and geochemistry. Exhibits and photographs illustrate mineral processes and methods and explains how the mineral industry affected community life. Joplin, Missouri is in the center of what is known as the TriState Mining Area which is famous for its lead mines. This district lies in the Southwestern part of Missouri with extensions into the Southeastern corner of Kansas and the Northeastern corner of Oklahoma. This is an area of some 2,500 square miles. Its Calcite and Galena specimens are legendary and are in museums worldwide. The primary ores are Galena PbS (lead sulfide), Sphalerite ZnS, the primary ore of Zinc and Marcasite FeS2 which is the most abundant iron sulfide found in the Tri-States area. It is readily oxidized and produces sulfuric acid, ferrous sulfates
. Galena Crystals References: *An Introduction to the Tri-state Mineral Museum by Virginia Laas, Everett Ritchie & Daniel Stewart *The Everett J. Ritchie Tri-State Mineral Museum & Its History by Everett J. Ritchie *Joplin, MO Historical Guide www.visitjoplinmo.com
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October is another month with two birthstone choices Tourmaline and Opal. Tourmaline has become a favorite gemstone among jewelry designer, and gem collectors the world over. Since it is available in a wide variety of colors, it is ideally suited to almost anyone's taste. Tourmaline also is known for displaying several colors in the same gemstone. These bicolor or tri-color gems are formed in many combinations; gemstones with clear color distinctions are highly prized. One multi-color variety is known as watermelon tourmaline, and features green, pink, and white colors bands; to resemble its namesake, the gemstone is cut into thin slices having a pink center, white ring, and green edge. Tourmaline is found in many localities including Brazil, Afghanistan, East Africa, and the USA. The name opal derives from the Greek Opallos, meaning "to see a change (of color)." Opals range in color from milky white to black with flashes of yellow, orange, green, red, and blue. An opal's beauty is the product of contrast between its color play and its background. Opal is a formation of non-crystalline silica gel that seeped into crevices in the sedimentary strata. Through time and nature's heating and molding processes, the gel hardened into the form of opals. The opal is composed of particles closely packed in spherical arrangements. When packed together in a regular pattern, a three-dimensional array of spaces are created that give opal its radiance.
imitation turquoise have the lowest value. Comparison shop. Buy from reputable dealers or craftspeople. For a purchase of more than $30, have the seller write the items source and materials used on the receipt, or get a certificate of authenticity.
Summarized from Sunset Magazine Dec. 1997 via Breccia 5/02 via The Rock Collector Oct. 2003
JADE
Via The Mountain Gem (June 02), Fire & Ice (June 03) A diamond will scratch and easily cut jade, but a jade hammer can, in turn, crush a diamond to powder. It is the cross-matted structure of jade that makes it nearly impossible to break if you drop a solid jade cabochon on the cement. The Chinese used jade for anvils, just as we use metal. Sometimes the same anvil was used for several generations.
Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.
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OCT 9-10--SIERRA VISTA, ARIZONA: 36th annual show; Huachuca Mineral & Gem Club; Elks Lodge, Wilcox Ave.; Sat. 9-6, Sun. 9-4; free admission; live demonstrations, educational displays, dealers, jewelry, gems, fossils, equipment, lapidary supplies; contact Maudie Bailey, P.O. Box 1596, Sierra Vista, AZ 85636, (520) 378-6291; e-mail: gmbailey@msn.com OCT 16-17--SEDONA, ARIZONA: Show; Sedona Gem & Mineral Club; Sedona Red Rock High School Cafeteria, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Rd.; Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4; free admission; guest speakers, slide shows, Kids' Corner, displays, demonstrations, raffle, gemstones, minerals, crystals, fossils, beads, jewelry; contact Gayle Macklin, P.O. Box 3932, Sedona, AZ 86340, (928) 399-9588; e-mail: gayleis@gmail.com OCT 22-24--AUSTIN, TEXAS: Show, "Gem Capers 2010"; Austin Gem & Mineral Society; Palmer Events Center, 900 Barton Springs Rd.; Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $5 (all three days), seniors $4, children 13-18 $1, 6-12 50 cents, 5 and under free; more than 30 vendors, displays, Rock Food Table, touch table of rocks and fossils, demonstrations of cabbing, wire wrapping, faceting, polymer clay, fossil cleaning, kids' day Fri., Wheel of Fortune, Gem Mine, jewelry making, rocks that glow in the dark, grand prize; contact Brian Wetzig, 6719 Burnet Ln., Austin, TX 78757, (512) 458-9546; e-mail: ShowChairman@AustinGemAndMineral.org ; Web site: www.GemCapers.com NOV 6-7--AMARILLO, TEXAS: Annual show; Golden Spread Gem & Mineral Society; Amarillo Civic Center, 401 S. Buchanan; Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; admission $2; jewelry, gems, minerals, fossils, metal detectors, working demonstrations; contact Roy or Wanda Finley, 9170 FM 1151, Claude, TX 79019, (806) 944-5464; e-mail: finfran@midplains.coop NOV 13-14SOCORRO, NM: 31st Annual NM Mineral Symposium; Macey Center, NM Institute of Mining & Technology, Socorro, NM. http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/museum/minsymp/ for information and registration. DEC 3-5--EL PASO, TEXAS: El Paso Mineral & Gem Society; El Maida Auditorium, 6331 Alabama; Fri. 10-6, Sat. 10-6, Sun. 10-5; adults $3, seniors $2, under 12 free; gems, minerals, fossils, beads, jewelry, tools, books, equipment, geode cutting, silent auction, demonstrations; contact Jeannette Carrillo, 4100 Alameda Ave., El Paso, TX 79905, (877) 533-7153; e-mail: gemcenter@aol.com JAN 1-31--QUARTZSITE, ARIZONA: Show, "Desert Gardens International Gem & Mineral Show"; Desert Gardens RV Park; 1064 Kuehn St. (I-10 Exit 17, south side); 9-6 daily; free admission; crystals, minerals, rough, polished, jewelry, lapidary equipment; contact Sharon or Sandy, 1064 Kuehn St., Quartzsite, AZ 85346, (928) 927-6361; e-mail: info@desertgardensrvpark.net ; Web site: www.desertgardensrvpark.net
For further information or shows please check: www.rockngem.com There are many, many shows listed all over the country at this time of year
Thought for the Day: I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page Newsletter that I swear I did not make any changes to. Classifieds:
Sorry, no goodies this month. If you have an item you want to sell, please use this FREE feature.
Some Interesting Web Sites for you to Check Out: Please send me any of your favorites that
you think we might be interested in and I will pass them along.
http://www.poi-factory.com/taxonomy/term/35 10,053 US campgrounds in Garmin or Tom Tom file format http://sar.lanl.gov/maps_by_name.html Good source for free downloads of New Mexico topo maps which can be viewed, saved to disk, or printed. They are in the TIFF format. 1:24000, 1:100000 & 1:250000 maps are available. http://www.gone2thedogs.com/ What kind of a dog are you? This is a fun quiz.
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Gemcrafters & Explorers Club, P.O. Box 3091, Las Cruces, NM 88003
Member of: American Federation of Mineralogical Societies Rocky Mountain Federation of Mineralogical Societies Blue Ribbon Coalition www.amfed.org www.rmfms.org www.sharetrails.org
We meet on the third Friday of the month at Gardiner Hall, Room 118, NMSU campus, Las Cruces, NM at 6:30 pm for social and 7 pm for the meeting. There are no meetings in July and December. Dues are $10 per person per year and each additional family member is $2 per year. They are due Jan. 1st of each year. A membership form will be emailed or mailed to you in December to be filled out and returned with your check BY MAIL to the treasurer.
Our purpose shall be to gather knowledge and provide educational benefits to members on geological, archaeological, lapidary, and mineralogical topics of interest, to include assistance to members in all lapidary problems, the study and identification of minerals and gem stones in the rough, the field study of geological formations which produce minerals and gem stones, the collection of minerals and gemstones, and the exploration of any geological or archaeological topic or area which may be of interest to the membership.
NOTE: All articles and photographs are by the Editor Maxine Wyman unless otherwise noted. Any address or email changes must be sent to me at: gambrisina@gmail.com
Info for the Newsletter: If you have information, articles, pictures or a website related to gem
crafting, rock collecting or exploring and would like to share please give me a call at 649-4900 or email me at gambrisina@gmail.com If you have a good idea or story to tell I will be more than happy to help you write it up. Also if you have minerals, outdoor or camping equipment, etc. that you would like to sell please let me know for our FREE "Classifieds." Maxine Wyman, Editor
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