The Bitterroot Conglomerate
Newsletter of the Bitterroot Gem & Mineral Society
Vol. XXX issue 5
Presidents Column
Mike has not submitted a report again this month
Editors Notes
As I read various magazine articles and try to learn about all the many rock variations I often wish that one of our member Geologists would make up a small display of some of the various rocks and especially the indicator rocks for some of the metallic ores. It could be from 2 to 6 samples for each display and would be a different display for each month for 3 or 4 months then repeated for the next 3 or 4 months so the members could have a chance to learn the samples at sight. I believe it would benefit all of us to have continuing education in rock identification.
Do any of you know what host rock the opal is found in on the Club’s claim near Salmon?
As we are out rock-hounding we might even stumble upon a valuable ore deposit that could be claimed and sold to a mining company. At the present time I know of one group that is actively searching for silver ore.
Minerals such as Calaverite, Nagyagite, Petzite, Pyrite and Arsenopyrite are gold bearing. Minerals such as Acanthite, Cerargyrite, Polybasite, Pyrargyrite, Stephanite and Naumannite are silver bearing with naumannite an important mineral of selenium with silver.
Are any of us able to even partially identify any of these minerals? I doubt it unless we are trained in Geology and mineral identification.
Several years ago Don Tibbs brought rock identification kits to a meeting for us to work with and try to identify the various specimens in the kit. It helped at the time but is so easily forgotten, so we need continuous refreshing.
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.
Ralph
BGMS Minutes
None submitted. I guess the Secretary forgot my email address.
Following is an email received from the Secretary last evening.
Hi Everyone
As you may know when there is an event scheduled we ordinarily will only have one meeting that month.(Only in March) This month it's been decided we need both meetings. We'll have a meeting this Tuesday the 10th, 7:00pm at the Corvallis Church to discuss the final details of the show and recruit help with the club activities. We're asking all members to participate as we have a lot planned and need help in the kitchen, at the door, silent auction, salt tank and the kids table.
We also need a head count and an indication of the number of dishes we'll have for the dealer potluck dinner Friday nite. As you may be aware we hold a potluck to welcome the dealers and all members are welcome to bring a dish and join us.
In the place of a program on Tuesday we'll use the time to stuff the shopping bags we'll be giving away at the door.
I hope to see you all there Tuesday and at the show this weekend. With your help this will be the best show in the history of the club.
Thanks
Pam
BGMS CABBING Mach.
I’m not sure who has the machine this month.
Field Trip Report
None, I guess no schedule is available yet.
I’m repeating this communication that was received concerning a possible field trip with another club.
Dear Fellow Rock Hounds, My name is Donna Barker and I am a member of the field trip committee for the Idaho Falls Gem and Mineral Society (IFG&MS) in Idaho Falls, ID. We would like to invite you to a joint club field trip to the Spencer Opal Mine in Spencer Idaho, on July 16th, 2011. I have attached the particulars of the trip and hope you will join us and pass this information along to whomever may also be interested. We look forward to meeting you and digging in the dirt with you. Call me @ 208-881-9306, email to donameche@cableone.net with any questions you may have. Thanks and see you soon, Donna
Mining Committee Report
Still no information on a back-hoe operator to dig on the claim this spring.
MT Council Report
None.
N.W. Federation Report
None this month.
Sunshine Committee
No report.
Programs
I guess the program Chairperson is keeping future programs a secret, at least the editor hasn’t been notified of any.
Show Report
None. I’m sure the Show Chairman has been too busy to send me a report.
A Lapidary Tip
OXALIC ACID LIGHTENS TIGER EYE as well as cleaning iron oxide off quartz and the like. Use 1 tablespoon per cup of water. OXALIC ACID IS A POISON, so do NOT use cooking utensils if you decide to boil to speed up the reaction. A bit of aluminum foil or nail will speed things up. Green water means it's working. It's best to work with a finished, but unpolished cab. Petrograph via Breccia et. al.
SAFETY
It's Just Dust, Isn't It?
Part II, Control and Ventilation for Dusts and Particulates
Peter R. Girardot, PhD
Chair, Safety Committee, SCFMS
The toxicity of fine dusts was covered in Part I of this series, which pointed out that most fine dusts not only can, but will cause lung disease. Grinding or cutting of gem and lapidary materials produces fine dusts of this kind. The conclusion is that we should control these dusts.
Club Shops
There are two methods of control for a small to medium sized club shop: 1) collecting dusts at each individual source 2) collecting dusts for each room ("fugitive capture") In collecting at the source, each machine or each operation would have a dust collector at the point of operation. This is expensive. At 1996 prices, complete dust control for a 5000 square foot building with no partitions or rooms could cost $10,000 to $12,000.
Alternatively, "fugitive capture" control would require separate rooms for different operations. Each room would have a filter device completely collecting all the dusts and mists and returning the air to the room. Filter devices hang from the ceiling and can collect everything in a 1000 square foot area down to 0.1 micrometer in size. Initial cost (1996) would be $1.75 - $2.25 per square foot of floor area. Maintenance requires new filters at $100 per filter once a year when used 20 hours per week.
Home Shops
In a home shop, there are two ways which work to ventilate workplaces, and normal home heating and air conditioning is not one of them.
The first is dilution ventilation. As implied by the name, it mixes contaminated air with large volumes of clean air to reduce the concentration of contaminants. Then the diluted mixture is exhausted from the workplace. Anyone who pays home heating and air conditioning bills can imagine the costs this would entail. In addition, this works for vapors or gases but does not
remove dusts, mists or highly toxic gases.
The second is local exhaust ventilation, which is collection at the source. This does remove dusts, mists and highly toxic gases and also removes smaller amounts of air. It requires a hood, ductwork to carry the air, an air cleaner to filter or purify the air before it is released outside and a fan to pull air through (Fig. 1). For this to work correctly, 1) the hood must be close to the
source, 2) the air flow must be high enough to carry dusts and mists away, 3) contaminated air must move away from your face, not past it, 4) exhaust air must not be able to re-enter the workplace or the home, 5) there must be enough make-up air to keep the system operating properly. (This last is often a problem in home shops).
Types of hoods
Some saws or grinders have built-in dust collectors. (Fig. 2). These need only to be connected to ductwork and a cyclone before venting. Rockhounds should not work with dust-producing machines unless they are connected to dust collectors.
Movable exhaust systems, called "elephant trunks" (Fig. 3) have flexible ducts and can be equipped with pulley systems or flexible arms to move to any position.
Slot hoods (Fig. 4) draw gases across a work surface, away from the worker. They are rather expensive, but can be used for any kind of bench work.
A good reference for planning ventilation is "Ventilation, a Practical Guide", CSA, 5 Beekman St., New York, NY 10038, which includes calculations. Air flow devices can be used to measure air velocity, and you can always look to see if dusts and mists are moving. Incense smoke, soap bubbles or cheap perfume also help here. Beware too of fans that are so noisy that you would rather not turn them on. Check periodically to see that the system is working properly. By moving the dusts, mists and fumes away from you and safely collecting them before exhaust, health problems from grinding or cutting can be eliminated or minimized.
Part III will cover hazards from particular types of dusts.
(Figures reproduced by permission from "Artists Health and Safety", by Monona Rossol, Allworth
Press, New York, 1990)
Another Lapidary tip: 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
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
The end this month
SAVE USED POSTAGE STAMPS FOR CANCER RESEARCH!
GIVE A HOOT - DON"T POLLUTE! KEEP MONTANA GREEN
