|
LIVERMORE
VALLEY LITHOPHILES
Gem and Mineral Society |
|
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
President's Message: Due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be participating at the Wine Festival this year. If you were planning to help at the Wine Festival, thank you. We do plan to be at the Children's Festival at the end of summer. I encourage members to come to the April meeting and bring your fundraising ideas. -Bill Snyder, President
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Mike Gorges Mineral
Sale The sale of minerals, fossils and lapidary material donated by Mike Gorges is now behind us. We had a lot of help from both our long time members and our new members. Bob Trimingham had the minerals and fossils stored at his house and I had most of the lapidary material stored at my house. Joan and I are glad to have most of the material out of the way but we will be bringing the last of the lapidary material home that is still at Mike's. I know that Bob will be glad to have room to walk around his house. He had over 100 flats stored in every room of his house. Joan and I still have seven boxes of Mike's display minerals at our house plus we have his display case. We will be putting his case in at LITHORAMA 2008 in November and possibly at another show or two during the remainder of this year. We made a lot of individuals happy and other clubs happy with the material they purchased for their clubs to use for raffle and door prizes at their meetings. Many of our club members also purchased a lot of the material. The club made about $5100, after the sales tax was subtracted, plus we made about $1700 at LITHORAMA 2007. There is also a lot more material that we will use at LITHORAMA 2008. While we had the BARN rented we did some cleaning of some of the material that we had stored in the upstairs area. We could have done more cleaning but we were all tired after a long day. So! Again thanks to all who helped.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Sunshine Deloris Colonna is happy to be back home in Livermore recovering after an extended stay in the hospital at Walnut Creek. And, we are very happy to have her home again. Agnes Gorges is back at home and but is still recovery from her lung problems.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
POLISHING COMPOUNDS Everyone wants to know what the "Best" polishing compound is and how should it be used. Unfortunately, I don't think there is a "best" just a "better" depending on your technique for the stone in question. Here are some of my thoughts on the subject. Place To Look For Information: "Gem and Lapidary Materials" by June Culp Zietner is available at some book stores and from the Lapidary Journal. June has covered most, if not all, materials you will ever cut and has recommendations for cutting and polishing them. Fundamental Problem: Any recommendation for polishing difficult gems requires the added statement that technique is as important as selecting the polishing compound. Techniques are not well described in any book I have read. In fact, I have found many books to be hard to follow or contradictory. Most books describe techniques for agate and that is about all. Since agate is about the easiest material to polish, this is not very helpful. I think a whole book could be written just about polishing technique, so I won't be too helpful here either. The Old Standbys: The oxides, cerium, tin, and chrome have been used for years and with patience almost all gem materials have been successfully polished with them. But newer polishes are available and in most cases are superior to them. Colloidal Polishes: Colloidal polishes of diamond, alumina, silica, cerium, tin, and chrome are available from Rick Ford at mAji, Beavercreek Oregon. These polishes hold the polish in suspension better and require less polish and in general are faster then the standard polishes. Aluminum Oxide: There are several different aluminum oxides and they each have their place. The one you hear about most I think is Linde A. This is a .3 micron polish that has been around for a long time and could be listed as an old stand-by except for its price, it is about $100 a pound. Reynolds has a set of polishes available through Diamond Pacific and I have had very good luck with their .2 micron polish. FitzCorp in Point Blank Texas has a .1 micron polish that I think is a very good product, they have a lot of research behind it. Myers Rapid Polish gets my vote as the best jade polish I have tried yet (see my article in the June 1998 Rock and Gem). There is something about its structure that controls orange peel better. I find as time goes on, I am using aluminum oxides oftener and the old stand-bys less. Again, technique plays a large part in this. Diamond Polish: This has been the polish of choice for difficult stones for a long time by a lot of cutters, but I am not one of them. I think the extender fluid hides the surface too much and I am taking too long to get the polish I want. I know others use it and like it. Diamond Polishing Belts: There are several manufacturers of diamond polishing belts and wheels and all do an excellent job on agate. In fact, if you do mostly agate, I think the convenience is hard to beat. With the harder to polish stones I always seem to do better with one of the other polishes.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Lithogram Editor Needed! The time has come for another Lithophile member to have some fun editing and publishing The Lithogram. Please contact Bill Snyder (925) 443-5497 or Beth Myers (408) 897-3060 if you are interested.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Association And Car Problems As many of you know when Bob Trimingham goes on collecting trips and vacations, he all too often has car problems. Many of these problems are MAJOR. For years I have considered Bob a very close friend, but now I am wondering if that is a good idea. During this past year Bob has had one of these MAJOR problems. Now those problems have migrated to me. First was the replacement of the Fuel Sensor and Fuel Pump, over $700. Then it was the Transmission at over $5200. And then, the Crankshaft Position Sensor over $200. Except for the engine, I now have a new van. I was lucky all my troubles were here in Livermore while Bob's were in little towns in out of the way areas. So Bob! Remember, trouble comes
in 3's and we have both had our 3's. •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Bankhead Tesla Road Field Trip Date: Sunday, April 20, 2008 Material: l: We will be looking for float material, rocks and fossil clams. This is an exploratory trip, who knows what we might find? The date was changed from April 13 to April 20 due to a conflict in Nancy's schedule. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
General Meeting Minutes March 13, 2008: The meeting was called to order at 7:34 p.m. by President Bill Snyder. It was announced that treasurer Deloris Colonna was seriously ill and at Kaiser Permanente in Walnut Creek. Ernie Myers proposed that flowers be sent to Deloris and a number of those present contributed for this purpose. Bob Trimingham will take the bouquet and club wishes for a rapid recovery to Deloris C. tomorrow. Correspondence: None. Minutes: Bill Beiriger noted a correction to be made in the General Minutes of Feb. 14, 2008. Under correspondence "XYZZX" should be spelled "ZZYZX." Lithogram: no report Lithorama: Bill B. said the show this November will be his last as chairperson. A Lithorama guidance book is available. One corner of the Barn will be free for kids activities. Wine Country Festival: We will have a lot of new material. Help will be needed. Bill B. showed examples of new things for kids, such as dinosaur models that the kids assemble, plastic mini dinosaurs, etc. Bill B. is donating hanging display baskets that attach to tables. This will give us more room on tabletops. Shop Report: Dick Friesen said a work party is needed to clean the shop. Two hours might be sufficient. This possibly could be done after the sale on March 29, 2008. CFMS: Bob Whiteside brought a newsletter and called attention to a field trip to Texas Springs, Nevada on May 21 - 25. Fair Display: May consider doing, but a new volunteer is needed to organize and set up the exhibit. The Break: Door prizes and raffle. FieldTrip: The poppy jasper trip was cancelled (land for sale). Sunday, April 13 there is a field trip to the new Bankhead property off Tesla Road for rocks and fossils. The trip begins at 1:00 p.m. Details at the April 10 meeting. Old Business: Bill B. discussed his activities with the schools. Bob T. and Deloris C. helped him at the Livermore Science Fair and Shana Day and Joan Beiriger may help at the Pleasanton Science Fair on March 19. Bill B. gave a presentation to over 300 kids ( K-1, 2-8) at Holy Spirit School and found the participants appreciative. A talk to Livermore School district science teachers revealed they would most like rock and mineral identification kits (for 2009). New Business: • Dick F. is trying to arrange
a talk by master carver Glenn Lite (sp?) for our club in October.
The fee would be $75.00. Would be on our regular Thursday night
meeting date (Oct.9), but larger facility might be needed. Bill
B. will see if the library meeting room is available. Program: Bob Trimingham gave members
nine different ways to identify or distinguish between common minerals
using simple equipment. All of this was "hands on", with
the equipment for each test passed around in boxes. Meeting adjourned at 9:30 PM. Bob Trimingham, Secretary
Board Meeting Minutes March 21, 2008: The meeting was called to order
at 7:30 p.m. by President Bill Snyder. Correspondence: A letter was received from Western Dakota Gem & Mineral Society (Black Hills of South Dakota) proposing an exchange of rocks, fossils and "ideas". Tabled. Mike Gorges' Collection Sale Sale: • Bill B. showed a floor plan
and a set of rules for the sale that he and Bob T. put together.
Purchase of DVD set on Jewelry Class Techniques: Tabled. Festival Sales Material For Kids: Bill B. talked about purchase prices and suggested sale prices. Will discuss further at the general meeting. Shop: Dick F. and Lynn Zirkle have cleaned two saws at the shop. Program (April 10): DVD on either a National Park or the 2007 show at Tucson. Announcement: Bill B. will give a talk on dinosaurs at the shop on April 9 to six scouts. Shop tools will be explained. New Items: • Might
we prepare a program with slides, maps, etc. as a field trip guide
for schools, scouts? We are receiving requests for information in
this regard. The meeting was adjourned. Bob Trimingham, secretary
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Field Trip Guidelines Adapted from El Dorado County Mineral & Gem Society Please try to follow these simple suggestions to make our field trips fun and smooth running for you, the participants, and for the field trip leaders. These guidelines apply to all outings: 1. Be on-time to the designated meeting place and ready to go. 2. Sign-in on the sign-in sheet so we know that you have joined us. 3. Sign the appropriate waiver form. 4. Listen to all instructions given by the field trip leaders. 5. Field trip leaders typically use walkie-talkies, CB's and cellular phones. If you have one, too, be sure to check with the field trip leaders to see what channel is being used and/or exchange cell phone numbers. 6. When in convoy, follow the vehicle immediately in front of you and keep an eye on the vehicle immediately behind you, do not pass the vehicle in front of you. If you no longer see the vehicle behind you, stop and wait; there could be a problem and they might not have a walkie-talkie/cellular phone that can reach the leaders. By doing this, the chance of having a large "break" in the convoy can be minimized. 7. Walkie-talkies CB's and cellular phones should be primarily used for emergency communications or travel assistance, not for unnecessary "chatter." 8. Once at our collecting site, a sample of what to find and where to find it should be made available by the field trip leader. It is your responsibility to listen to the field trip leader and view the collecting material. 9. If there is more than one site to visit in the day, all persons must be accounted for prior to departing to the next location. 10. Remember to keep your field trip leader informed as to all matters of importance. 11. Rely upon your field trip leader's directions and guidance; they are more familiar with the territory. 12. If you are going to leave the group to make a "side trip" or to explore a surrounding area, be sure to notify your field trip leader. 13. If you are leaving the group early, let your field trip leaders know. Some etiquette and safety tips: 1. Do not litter! Pick up all of your cans, bottles and lunch sacks. Always leave the place cleaner than when you arrived. 2. Please inform your field trip leader if you intend to take dogs or cats with you. 3. Be sure to bury any toilet tissue. 4. Try to stay on existing roads when traveling, and park to the side of the road so others can get around your vehicle to pass if necessary. 5. Always follow the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies' Code of Ethics. Equipment Checklist - What to take on your next field trip. FOR YOURSELF: * Hat/Head covering with large brim * Boots/Sturdy footwear * Insect repellant/tick spray * Sunscreen * Food, Water, Drinks * Toilet Paper * Towel * Change of clothing (long-sleeve shirt & long pants) * First-aid/snake bite kit * Handiwipes FOR YOUR VEHICLE: * Extra Gas * Spare tire and jack * Shovel, axe * Tool Box * Maps, GPS, Compass * Extra water * Rope and tow strap * Tire repair kit * Knife FOR COLLECTING: * Protective eye wear/goggles * Gloves * Kneepads * 5-gallon buckets, tote bags, backpacks (for carrying rocks) * Small plastic containers for delicate specimens (film containers work great!) * Old paint brush, toothbrush for cleaning specimens * Magnifying glass and/or loupe * Spray - type water bottle * Paper towels, newspaper and plastic bags * Magnet; MOHS test kit; hydrochloric acid * Ultraviolet light * Knife * Small or collapsible shovel * Rock pick(s), garden claws, and long screwdrivers * Small & large sledge hammers * Pry bars and gads * Various chisel sizes OTHER * Metal Detector, gold pan * Binoculars * Mirror * Walkie-talkies * Tent/shelter Source: CFMS Newsletter, December 2007 ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
The CFMS Code of Ethics I. I will respect both private and public property and will do no collecting on privately owned land without permission from the owner. II. I will keep informed on all laws, regulations and rules governing collecting on private lands and will observe them. III. I will to the best of my ability, ascertain the boundary lines of property on which I plan to collect. IV. I will use no firearms or blasting materials in collecting areas. V. I will cause no willful damage to property of any kind, such as fences, signs, buildings, etc. VI. I will leave all gates as found. VII. I will build fires only in designated or safe places and will be certain they are completely extinguished before leaving the area. VIII. I will discard no burning materials - - matches, cigarettes, etc. IX. I will fill all excavation holes which may be dangerous to livestock. X. I will not contaminate wells, creeks, or other water supplies. XI. I will cause no willful damage to collecting material and will take home only what I can reasonably use. XII. I will practice conservation and undertake to utilize fully and well the materials I have collected and will recycle my surplus for the pleasure and benefit of others. XIII. I will support the Rockhound Project H.E.L.P. (Help Eliminate Litter Please) and will leave all collecting areas devoid of litter, regardless of how found. XIV. I will cooperate with Field Trip Leaders and those in designated authority in all collecting areas. XV. I will report to my Club or Federation Officers, Bureau of Land Management, or other proper authorities, any deposit of petrified wood or other material on public lands which should be protected for the enjoyment of future generations and for public educational and scientific purposes. XVI. I will appreciate and protect our heritage of Natural Resources. XVII. I will observe the "Golden Rule", will use Good Outdoor Manners and will at all times conduct myself in a manner which will add to the stature and Public Image of Rockhounds everywhere.
••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Oh, Yeah. . . Let's make
a deal!
Also goto the Equipment Sale - Free - Trade Page on the Web-Site •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• |
|
|
 |