The Bitterroot Conglomerate
Newsletter of the Bitterroot Gem & Mineral Society
Vol. XXIX issue 5
Presidents Column
Mike will have a report later.
Mike McConnell
Editors Notes
The editor has been spending a considerable amount of time out of the area so it is difficult to get all of the material for the newsletter by the time he needs to print it and mail it out. Committee Chairpersons please get your reports in by the end of the month, otherwise they will not be in the newsletter.
I think there are some questions that should be voted on by the members concerning the Club Web-site, some of them are as follows;
Should the Club Officers and phone numbers be listed?
Should the meeting minutes continue to be kept on the site?
Has anyone been looking at the site?
Is it best to keep the treasurers financial report off of the site?
How many would be willing to receive their newsletter on the computer instead of the mailbox?
Should all past articles be kept on the site?
Are there other things that should be put on the site?
I will need reports from the Chairperson of the various Committees during the last week of each month so they can be included in the newsletter.
The Editor is not responsible for the accuracy of articles accepted, items for sale, nor are the opinions expressed therein necessarily those of the Club Officers, members and/or the Club Editor.
BGMS Minutes May 11 and 25, 2010 - None submitted:
Report
The Bitterroot Gem and Mineral Society Show was a good show as reported by the people I talked to. Thanks to all the club members for your help, you all did a job to be proud of. Most of the dealers I talked with were happy, but there were some who had a belly ache, not our fault if their prices are to high or the material was not good enough. Looking forward to the show next year, and success. Steve
Mining Committee Report
I am still awaiting a phone call from the Excavator operator that did the original digging at our Blue Grouse Claim. If he cannot do our reclaimation work and open up some new areas for us I hope he can refer us to another good excavator operator in the Salmon area.
MT Council Report
None
N.W. Federation Report
None
Sunshine Committee
None
Programs
None so I don’t know what is planned for our June meeting.
FIRE SAFETY
By Bill Klose, EFMLS Safety Chairperson
With the approach of the summer camping season, all campers should be reminded about the use of fire in the timber and range lands. Most forest and range fires are caused by human carelessness with only a few caused by lightening.
Always build fires in prescribed areas if present, and if not, clear an area of leaves, grass, and branches, and make a rock ring around the fire area. Prior to starting the fire, check the local papers, radio stations, police, firehouses, or ranger stations, to see if an outside burning ban is in effect. In very dry conditions, even the roots under the burning pit may allow a campfire to spread. Do not start a campfire in an old coal mine where a coal vein may lie just below the surface or where the mine has been used as a land fill and may be filled with combustible materials. Never leave a fire burning unattended. Put it out with water if possible, then cover with earth. Never throw away a match until it is completely out and cold. If you smoke, be sure the “butt” is completely out, break down the paper and tobacco and grind it into the earth. For filter tips, break the tip off and take it with you in your trash bag.
Keep a clean camp. Eliminate litter by taking it with you in your trash bag. Glass containers containing clear liquids and cans in the open can act as a magnifying glass or mirror if in the sun and can cause fires by focusing the sun’s rays on combustible materials.
Be careful where you drive. Catalytic converters on automobile and truck exhausts emit gasses at about 750 degrees Fahrenheit and can cause grass fires, especially if you stop on dry grass and leave the engine running.
If you should cause a fire or find one spreading, call for help, spread the word to others in the area and then attempt to prevent it’s spread. If it has spread over too wide an area or can not be contained, evacuate the area and let the professionals handle the fire. Do not become cut off and isolated where the fire and/or smoke can overcome you.
Possible sites for future Field Trips
The following are Rock-hounding sites by GPS Coordinates in the State of Montana.
The Club has a GPS unit for our use on Field Trips.
Wayne Farley is in possession and control of the GPS unit so contact him to make sure the GPS unit will be on your field trip.
375-1341
Sapphire
Argenta Mine 45 16.78 , 112 51.70 jasper / agate / fossil
Bannack Mine 45 11.77 , 112 57.77 jasper / agate / fossil
Bannack Mine ( 2) 45 12.02 , 112 55.05 jasper / agate / fossil
Bannack Mine ( 3) 45 09.66 , 112 59.51 jasper / agate / fossil
Billings 45 35.08 , 108 34.73 jasper / agate / fossil
Billings ( 2) 45 41.04 , 108 38.39 jasper / agate / fossil
Billings ( 3) 45 43.94 , 108 32.00 jasper / agate / fossil
Billings (4) 45 45.98 , 108 28.71 jasper / agate / fossil
Bluewater Creek 45 19.92 , 108 48.13 jasper / agate / fossil
Butte Mines 45 57.23 , 112 48.13 jasper / agate / fossil
Butte ( Rader Creek) 45 52.56 112 21.03 quartz crysals
Butte ( Delmoe Lake) 45 59.55 , 112 21.02 quartz crystals
Canyon Ferry Lake 46 38.58 , 111 41.32 fossils
Castle mountains 46 28.19 , 110 41.10 jasper / agate / fossil
Clyde Park 45 51.62 , 110 39.27 calcite
Clyde Park ( 2) 45 51.00 , 110 38.71 calcite
Colstrip Access 45 53.03 , 106 37.60 fossils
Columbia Falls 48 52.60 , 114 29.67 calcite
Columbia Falls ( 2) 48 56.67 , 114 33.45 HORN CORAL
Cooke City 45 04.02 , 109 57.55 jasper / agate / fossil
Crystal Park 45 29.00 , 113 06.11 jasper / agate / fossil
Drummond 46 43.28 , 113 05.27 jasper / agate / fossil
Elkhorn Mines 45.29.00 113 03.73 jasper / agate / fossil
El Dorado Bar 46 43.49 , 111 51.24 sapphire
Ruby River Reservoir 45 14.58 , 112 06.54 ruby , sapphire
French Bar 46 39.57 , 111 44.88 sapphire
Mineral Hill 45 04.20 , 110 38.02 jasper / agate / fossil
Gardiner Quarry 45 02.54 , 110 42.72 travertine
Gem Mountain 46 14.83 , 113 35.54 sapphire
Glendive 47 03.46 , 104 40.93 fossils
Glendive ( 2 ) 46 54.38, 104 41.38 fossils
Glendive ( 3) 46 59.18 , 104 44.68 fossils
Great Falls 47 55.76 , 111 42.12 fossils
Great Falls (2) 47 58.42 , 110 36.72 fossils
Hecla mines 45 36.22 , 112 56.00 jasper / agate / fossil
Helena Sapphire Mine 46 41.29 , 111 49.17 sapphire
Hyalite Peak 45 23.00, 110 57.87 hyalite
Ingomar 46 34.60 107 22.51 fossil
Lavina 46 16.67 , 108 55.75 fossils
Lavina ( 2) 46 16.67 , 109 08.00 fossils
Lewiston 47 13.12 , 109 12.35 diamond
Lolo Hot Springs 46 39.54 , 114 37.69 , crystals
Lovestone 46 39.60 , 111 46.52 sapphire
Melstone 46 35.89 , 107 52.06 fossils
Metropolitan Bar 46 40.27 , 111 48.16 sapphire
Miles City 46 25.11 , 105 40.30 fossils
Montana Onyx Quarry 45 04.85 , 112 12.92 onyx
Neihart 46 58.19 , 110 42.95
Pryor 45 24.52 , 108 20.27 fossils
Vipond Park 45 41.96 , 112 54.94 quartz
Radersburg 46 11.70 , 111 37.48 jasper / agate / fossil
Red Dome 45 12.52 , 108 48.21 fossils
Hell Roaring Plateau , 45 02.24 , 109 27.07 jasper / agate / fossil
Red Lodge 45 02.04 , 109 24.51 jasper / agate / fossil
Rochester mine 45 36.78 , 112 30.38
Roundup 46 22.50 , 108 31.09 fossils
Roundup ( 2) 46 15.39 , 108 27.71 fossils
Roundup ( 3) 46 46.87 , 108 36.34 fossils
Roundup (4) 46 48.45 , 108 37.48 fossils
South Pryor Mountain 45 03.52 , 108 32.24 jasper / agate / fossil
South Pryor mountain (2) 45 00.38 , 108 25.88 jasper / agate / fossil
Spokane Bar 46 40.03 , 111 48.97 sapphire
Stillwater River Mine 45 21.85 , 109 48.50 jasper / agate / fossil
Stillwater River Mine (2) 45 23.09 , 109 52.45 jasper / agate / fossil
Swamp Frog 45 03.02 , 108 26.26 uranium
Three Forks 45 54.68 , 111 19.22 fossils
Three Forks 45 55.00 , 111 21.40 fossils
Three Forks 45 54.93 , 111 24.08 fossils
Three Forks 45 57.67 , 111 34.38 fossils
Tidal Wave 45 32.41 , 112 10.69 jasper / agate / fossil
Townsend 46 20.17 , 111 31.91 jasper / agate / fossil
Virginia City 45 17.63 , 111 56.73 jasper / agate / fossil
Warren (1) 45 03.78 , 108 38.65 jasper / agate / fossil
Warren (2) 45 03.28 108 40.10 jasper / agate / fossil
Warren (3) 45 01.95 , 108 39.89 jasper / agate / fossil
Yellow water Reservoir 46 53.86 , 108 28.93 fossils
Yogo Gulch (1) 46 52.29 , 110 20.71 sapphire
Yogo Gulch (1) 46 52.35 , 110 20.01 sapphire
Yogo Gulch (1) 46 53.37 , 110 15.05 sapphire
Yogo Gulch (1) 46 52.71 , 110 21.38 sapphire
The credit for the Montana GPS rockhound sites is a CD " Idaho - Montana
- Montana GPS Rock Collecting & Mining Locations" by James Radtke.
Since there are several new members I will include some of the lapidary tips that were previously published in the newsletter.
Send Us Your Tips, Help Fellow Rock Hounds
Getting a Great Polish
Use Magnification while working through the grits. When you get a great polish using magnification, you will have a fantastic polish unmagnified.
Keeping Vibe Laps Cleaner
Use a shower cap, or press and seal to cover your Vibrating Lap. Be sure to use a different cap or new press and seal for each grit. Place the cap on, or seal the rim of the pan.
Seeing Better
Use bright lights when working on Gemstones, this give you a better idea as to what the stone will look like in full sun, of course when possible, use full sun. Bright lights help when working with stones like Rainbow Obsidian, and star Garnet, etc.
Get Them Really Shiny
After the polish stage in your tumbler, run the load with soap. Load as much volume of Ivory soap as you would grit. (i.e. 3tsp of grit = 3tsp of Soap) Use Ivory flakes non detergent, or shave a Ivory soap bath bar. Tumble with Plastic Pellets for 1-2 days. You will be surprised about the extra shine.
Contamination
Whether you use a flat lap, tumble, or use a grinding wheel, you have to be very careful full of cross-grit contamination. If you have done everything right, and still can’t get a polish, you might suspect contamination. Check your polish wheels for contamination.
Bad Air!
NEVER breath rock dust. Is that clear enough? Never grind rocks dry, do not breath rock dust. You can get some serious lung problems. DON’T DO IT!
Cabs Always Fall off the Dop.
Well a couple of possible reasons, first, if you are using old dop wax, or wax that has been heated many times, you may have to recharge it to get its tackiness back. Do this by melting some real beeswax in with the dop wax. Second, if you left the dopped cabs in the shop overnight, and the temperature dropped, that is just like putting them in the freezer to detach them. You will have to redo the cab, or bring the dopped cabs inside so they stay warm.
Healed or Not?
If you are not sure as to whether a fracture in a slab is a healed fracture of not, wet your finger and swipe it across the fracture. Watch the fracture as the water dries, the fracture if NOT healed will take a bit longer to dry out. If dries at the same rate as surrounding stone, most likely it is healed.
Diamond Saw Won’t Cut.
If your blade still has diamond on it, and won’t cut, run a brick, concrete, old aluminum oxide grinding wheel, or Obsidian about 3” thru the blade. This will strip off any alloy that is covering the diamond particles allowing them to cut. If you have no diamond left, you need a new blade.
Keep the Oil Out
If you suspect that the rock you are about to cut will soak in oil, you should soak the rock in water for at least 24 hours before cutting. This fills the porous areas with water. Cutting oil can stain some stones. Denim Lapis is an example. Soaking in water really helps to minimize oil soak in.
Secret Recipe
Experiment with polishes. If you are having trouble with that certain stone, try mixing polishes. I use Cerium Oxide mostly, but if I have trouble, I have been known to add a bit of Tin Oxide, or even Linde A. Red Rouge can help with Obsidian. I have used as many as 5 polishes together, and a lot of the time, I will get great results were one polish would not quite do the job. Experiment a little.
Tiny Work.
When polishing small crevices, use a shish kabob stick. the larger ones will fit a Dremel or Dremel like hand piece.
Simply dip the tip in water, then in the polish, and let it go. Fire Agate is a fine example for this tip. Thanks Elmer.
Soap all the way!
Try doing your tumble cycles with “ALL” even in the grinding stages. Gives a deep and very shiny polish. Thanks Guy DiTorrice
Keep your tables from getting scratched
A practice I've started on my polished trim stock (fossils, petrified woods,
obsidians, agates, jaspers) and for the polished thunder egg halves - I seal
the non-polished portions or surrounding non-polished matrix. Have
experimented with a wide range of products and find certain grades of Vinac,
Airflex and Flexbond (formaldehyde based) and Butvar (acetone based) as
extremely quality products. Gives the finished product a real
commercially-prepared feel and provides a non-scratching surface for
specimens you don't want to put on a stand or glue felt/fabric on the
non-polished surface. Thanks Guy DiTorrice
For Sale. An ore car from the Betty O’Neil Mine near Battle Mountain, Nevada. In good shape. $500.00. Contact Posey at 961-4116
For Sale. Jim Rayner in Hamilton has a Fram Tom Tock Grinder Set-up with 2 diamond wheels, and a 10” trim saw with new blade, new motor on a steel stand for $800. 375-0663
end
SAVE USED POSTAGE STAMPS FOR CANCER RESEARCH!
GIVE A HOOT - DON"T POLLUTE! KEEP MONTANA GREEN
