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04-08-2007
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#1 (permalink)
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M.C. Grillmeister

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Rock Hounds Unite
"Rockhounds never ever die, they just slowly petrify"
I'm a lifelong rockhound. I know there are others lurking here, so I thought it might be fun if we joined in some discussions about everything related to rockhounding. This would include stuff like:
*personal anecdotes
*photos from your collection
*rockhounding sites you have visited or found
*web references for rockhounding
*books on rockhounding
*etc. etc.
I can't travel anywhere in nature without experiencing the rocks. As a kid, my pockets would always be filled with stones I collected throughout the day (my poor parents). I've done quite a bit of rockhounding and I've also traveled to various mineral shows (including Tuscon) to augment my collection. I've accrued quite a collection over time and would be interested in discussing various pieces with people here.
I'll post some photos and other information as I find time and see fit. Hopefully all you other rock lovers will pop up and share as well. 
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"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
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04-08-2007
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#2 (permalink)
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M.C. Grillmeister

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Blue Fluorite on Calcite, New Mexico
Here's a picture I just took of a specimen that lives by my sink. It is blue Fluorite on Calcite from New Mexico. I obtained it from a dealer in Tucson in 2003. It's a subtle piece from afar, but up close, it is a gemmy delight. This specimen is about 6" across and makes for a nice distraction while washing dishes. 
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Hypography Science Forums Moderator
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"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
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04-09-2007
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#4 (permalink)
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M.C. Grillmeister

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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
At least it wasn't a nose ring, so that way you could appear at least a little bit sane when asked, "what is that bizzare stone?"
I never found any coprolites around Oly, but I did find some nice carnelians in a creek south of Tumwater.
The PNW geology is awesome!
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Hypography Science Forums Moderator
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"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
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04-09-2007
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#5 (permalink)
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Percipient

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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
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Originally Posted by freeztar
At least it wasn't a nose ring, so that way you could appear at least a little bit sane when asked, "what is that bizzare stone?"
I never found any coprolites around Oly, but I did find some nice carnelians in a creek south of Tumwater.
The PNW geology is awesome!
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You play me coy, yes, no?  Carnelian of course is a variety of chalcedony, while my sample is an opaque red rather than translucent, and usually referred to as jasper. I have made a scan & have it below. Besides this varitey, the deposit has banded agate in white & blue, and drusy quartz. Oh...and gold.
Footnote: The value of all the gold taken from Gifford Pinchot National forest in the last 100 years, is less than $40,000.
(click for full-size view)

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04-10-2007
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#6 (permalink)
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M.C. Grillmeister

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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
Here's one of the pieces I found out there. It's quite translucent when held to a light. The drusy is amazing, which the picture couldn't capture. If you look on the left side of the picture you can notice some etching. In person it looks like the underside of a gilled mushroom. 
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Hypography Science Forums Moderator
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"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
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04-10-2007
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#7 (permalink)
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Percipient

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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
Quote:
Originally Posted by freeztar
Here's one of the pieces I found out there. It's quite translucent when held to a light. The drusy is amazing, which the picture couldn't capture. If you look on the left side of the picture you can notice some etching. In person it looks like the underside of a gilled mushroom. 
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Ooooooo!!! Very nice!  Even without the drusy's sparkle, I clearly see the hummocky form.
Do you do any lapidary and/or jewelry work with your stones? I borrowed a tumbler for a couple of years, but the one stone I had cut & planned to make into a ring broke apart during polishing. I tried it on the coprolites too; contrary to the popular saying, you can polish a turd.

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04-10-2007
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#8 (permalink)
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M.C. Grillmeister

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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
I bought a dremel to do some minor stuff with but I only used it once and got discouraged and haven't picked it up since. I've also got an industrial strength tumbler, but it's really more of a pain than it is worth, although I did have some really nice results with some agates I had found. I've also tried my hand at wire wrapping and that's probably my favorite way to work with stones. I like seeing jewelry that is not polished and sparkly, raw ya know.
Here's another Carnelian with a drusy "cave", found in the same stream.
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Hypography Science Forums Moderator
---
"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew." - Marshall McLuhan
"We must not forget that when radium was discovered no one knew that it would prove useful in hospitals. The work was one of pure science. And this is a proof that scientific work must not be considered from the point of view of the direct usefulness of it." - Marie Curie
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04-10-2007
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#9 (permalink)
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Explaining
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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
Quote:
Originally Posted by freeztar
"Rockhounds never ever die, they just slowly petrify"
I'm a lifelong rockhound. I know there are others lurking here, so I thought it might be fun if we joined in some discussions about everything related to rockhounding. This would include stuff like:
*personal anecdotes
*photos from your collection
*rockhounding sites you have visited or found
*web references for rockhounding
*books on rockhounding
*etc. etc.
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Well, I am quite well petrified and thoroughly and stubbornly stone-headed. I should've known that my early obsession with collecting rocks and minerals would lead to science.
I can't remember everything that's in my collection, because I haven't looked at them in years. They're stored in boxes big and little under my bed and in my closet, but the rocks I have include everything from slag gathered by Utah Lake to agate, quartz crystals, and a small geode, IIRC. I might have a trilobite fossil as well. I have somewhere The Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals.
Whenever I go hiking, I always spend an inordinate amount of time looking at the rocks and plants growing in them, which drives my father and brother nuts. I've always wanted to collect some fossils which might date from the time of Lake Bonneville. The mountains and benches here would've been islands and beaches at one time in the midst of that prehistoric lake.
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Teach a Wall Street banker how to build a fire and he'll be warm for the night. Set a Wall Street banker on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
Logic
The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding.
--Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary
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04-12-2007
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#10 (permalink)
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Percipient

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Re: Rock Hounds Unite
Quote:
Originally Posted by maikeru
Well, I am quite well petrified and thoroughly and stubbornly stone-headed. I should've known that my early obsession with collecting rocks and minerals would lead to science.
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All roads lead to science.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by maikeru
I can't remember everything that's in my collection, because I haven't looked at them in years. They're stored in boxes big and little under my bed and in my closet, but the rocks I have include everything from slag gathered by Utah Lake to agate, quartz crystals, and a small geode, IIRC. I might have a trilobite fossil as well. I have somewhere The Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals.
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Is that the Audubon Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals? I have it too.
Has your posting prompted you to drag out boxes of rocksez? Have you done any lapidary?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by freeztar
I bought a dremel to do some minor stuff with but I only used it once and got discouraged and haven't picked it up since. I've also got an industrial strength tumbler, but it's really more of a pain than it is worth, although I did have some really nice results with some agates I had found. I've also tried my hand at wire wrapping and that's probably my favorite way to work with stones. I like seeing jewelry that is not polished and sparkly, raw ya know.
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Dremel (or MotoTool) are good; I find the little cut-off wheels work great for cutting out small stones. What was the problem that discouraged you?
Wire wrapping good.  I developed a knack for making & twisting specialty wires, and they fit very well with unpolished/un-cut stones.
Nothing left to say except, "release the hounds!!!" 
Last edited by Turtle; 03-15-2008 at 02:20 PM..
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