Minutes
from our Jan 10, 2013 meeting:

Attending:
Larry & Betty Schwartz, Sherri Dougan, K. Meyers, Sheri & Ed
Anderson, George Mazeika, Sylvia Pauly, Jean Willey, Margaret Tackett
& Carol Willey

Treasurer report was discussed and approved

Discussions:

*Be sure to check out our web site: Oregon Coast Agates.org

*Dues are due please give to George or mail to PO Box 293, Newport, OR,
97365

*Kay talked about the Agate Festival Jan 19^th & 20^th in Yachats

*Kaywill mention our show along with Agate Festival to Grant McCombie
when she does the agate and beach combing interview for channel 8 in
Feb.

*Margaret gave a report about the Hatfield centers Beaver Creek Natural Area new trails open to the public. It is ¼ mile up the road from Ona
Beach toward Beaver Creek, be careful to the tides as it is marsh
land and some of the trails can be covered with tide water.

*George gave a report on the visits to our web site January we had 946
visitors, and Nov 795.

*Sheri mentioned we could look into a Facebook site on swap shop (rocks) it has 900 members

*Sheri is willing to do a fossil trip (Sheri just had surgery so has to be a spring trip)

*Mention of another field trip to the Rice Museum

*Kay has volunteered to help with the show with Ed Anderson

*Carol reported on the issue of publication of phone numbers & address
in Directory, it is optional as long as the officers of the club are
posted with numbers

*Insurance question was brought up about our liability, Sylvia will check intoit.

*Door prize was won by George and Margaret.

Show was on caving in Colorado (cave of the winds) Silent Splendor

President:
Ed Anderson

V. President: Sylvia Pauly

Secretary: Larry Schwartz/ Carol Willey

Treasurer: George Mazeika

Show Chair: Ed Anderson

Federation Director: Carol Willey

Editor: Carol Willey

Web Master: George Mazeika

Hidden
Dangers in our hobby

Acetone:
An industrial type of solvent containing harmful vapor

Hydrogen
sulfide:
By-product of sulfur and water. Deadly poison!

Manganese:
In dust or vapors, it can damage the nervous system.

Quartz,
agate, sandstone, granite, chert, flint:
All are of the silica rock family. The dust from this family
contributes to silicosis of the lungs.

Styrofoam:
When heated or burned, it releases toxic gases.

Abalone:
Grind and polish only when wet. Be aware that any odor detected is
highly toxic.

Malachite:
Work wet, as the dust created when working dry is toxic.

Lead:
Known to enter the body from dust, fumes, and water. It can damage
the brain and neuromuscular system.

While
it is not healthy to fear everything, one should be aware of hidden
dangers in apparently innocent looking material that we all use
extensively in our hobby. If you are using a material that is new to
you, read the labels and heed any warning. We want all lapidarists to
remain a healthy lot and continue to live long, active lives!

Via:
Bems Tumbler,May 2008 and many other publications

Camp
Hancock- NFMS Federation Rock Hound Retreat 2013

Above
left
picture of camp housing.  Right
picture
lapidary work space

Below
left Lyle working on a cab (trying to find the tiny scratches you
have to do over)

Right
bottom
some of the perfect cabs created in the lapidary shop

This retreat is open
to anyone interested in rocks consider going in 2013 you will enjoy 8
hours of classes every day and with meals and lodging included.
Application will be at the meeting.

Apologies from the WebMaster,  but the photos for the above article would not load onto the site. Hope to have the issue resolved soon.

Cleaning Druzy Specimens

To clean and shine most druzy specimens, use Easy Off oven cleaner (fume free is OK). Spray the specimen and then leave it overnight in a
closed container or bay before rinsing. This even works on iron
stained quartz crystals. Using some disposal gloves is a great idea
when cleaning with chemicals.

Via:
The Tumbler May 2008

How
to find the fire in Fire Agate

Fire agate is a quartz-based rock with layers of iron oxide in chalcedony which results in iridescence. It occurs in nodules of milky or grayish translucent chalcedony. Sometimes it is found in botryoidal
growths in geodes and in chalcedony roses. Fire agate appears as a dull, reddish brown layer, but when the surface layers are removed the rainbow colors or iridescence are exposed. The fire is brought out by tumbling, trimming, and grinding off the outer layers to expose the iridescence. Polishing magnifies the fire.

To find the fire, remove the matrix, then tumble polish the stones.
Tumbling removes the excess chalcedony. When polished, remove excess stone around the edges, then polish and set. Allow the stone to
retain its irregular shape and polish slowly, so you don’t go
through the fire layers. The graceful natural shapes are superior to
those cut to calibrated sizes, as the best fire doesn’t always fit
a mold. To set it off, mount the fire agate in a custom-made gold or
silver setting. Fire agates are most often found in Arizona,
California, Idaho and Mexico, among other locales.

Via:
Gems of the Rogue/ May 2008

Additional
article about:  Fire Agates of Arizona

At first glance Fire Agates are not impressive. They appear as a
reddish-brown rock covered with a coat of chalcedony. When this
covering is removed and the stone is polished, there is a burst of
rainbow colors. The glowing reds, yellows, oranges, blues, purples
and greens are responsible for the “Fire Agate”.

The cause of the fire is still a puzzle. Some collectors attribute the
iridescence to the presence of minute plated crystals of goethite
sprinkled with layers of chalcedony.

There is a difference between the Fire Opals and Fire Agate. In the Opal, the fire comes from long chains of spherical quartz molecules that reflect light. The fire in the agate is due to a buildup of
alternating layers of quartz and limonite, and oxide of iron. Stress
patterns that develop between the layers cause the light to refract,
thus producing the rainbow colors.

The Fire Agate is rare and the play of color under the chalcedony places it in the gem class.

It is about seven in hardness on the Mohs scale which makes it suitable
for gemstones. Unlike Opal, it does not crack, lose its color and is
not affected by moisture or lack of proper care.

Via
Rock Chip Reporter/Aug/2004 & others

Show time is June 15-16 Father’s Day weekend it is not too early to think about what you are going to do to make a great show this year.
Raffle prizes, donation of rocks, help with set-up, tear down, time to volunteer   your time during the show. Think about it, WE NEED YOU!

Weird Geology

Mica from Heaven: minerals falling from the sky

From time to time, unusual objects including fish, frogs, birds, seed and nuts, have been reported to fall in swarms from the sky. But on July 17^th, 1806, mica fell from the sky at Pimlico, England. After a storm in
the middle of the day, the streets of the town were found to be covered with mica. One two-inch-square sample from that fall was originally labeled “talc” but was later identified as being mica. On October 9^th 1939, coal fell from the sky on Springfield, Missouri, during a
hailstorm. After the storm one part of town was peppered with small chips of coal about one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch across.
Hailstones with black interiors were reported: when these hailstonesmelted, they left behind a small piece of coal.

Other unusual hailstones have been observed. In one fall reported in 1872, each hailstone had a small crystal of “sulphide of iron” (pyrite) at its center. Also in 1872, in Switzerland, was a fall of “hailstones” that turned out to be mainly composed of imperfect cubic crystals of salt (halite).

These unusual mineral falls may be bizarre and hard to believe, but they have a reasonable explanation. Windstorms might sweep over piles of coal, crusts of salt in the desert, or a surface occurrence of mica or pyrite where the crystals are weathering out of rocks. The wind may pick up small mobile fragments, and then winnow them according to size, shape, or density, thus, flakes of a single mineral might be separated in air from dirt, leaves, twigs or other detritus. A local downburst of wind might then deposit the mineral flakes concentrated
in a relatively small area. If the sorted fragments were carried high enough they could be sucked up into a thunderstorm, becoming nuclei
for hailstones. Likewise, strong windstorms might carry fragments great distances. It is possible; for instance, that the halite “hail” stones that fell in Switzerland originated in the deserts of North Africa.

Ref:
Handbook of Unusual Natural Phenomena by William R.l Corliss,
(Arlington House, New York, 1986) p. 268-279, Gems of the Rogue
Nov/2007

NFMS
Member Club’s Show Schedule

March
2-3 East Kingco Rock & Gem, Pickering Barn, 1730 10^th
Ave NW Issaquah, WA, 98027 across from Costco

March
2-3 Owyhee Gem & Mineral Society, OConner Field House, 2200
Blaine, Caldwell, ID

March
8-10 Tualatin Valley Gem Club, Washington Co. Fairplex, 873 NE 34^th
Ave, Hillsboro, OR

March
9-10 Magic Valley Gem Club, Twin Falls Co. Fairgrd, 215 Fair Ave,
Filer, ID

March
9-10 Rock & Arrowhead Club, Klamath Co. Fairgrd, 3531 South 6^th
St, Klamath Falls, OR

March
15-17 Timpanogos Gem & Mineral Society, Spanish Fork Fairgrd, 475
S Main, Spanish Fork, UT

March
22-24 Mt Hood Rock Club, Kliever Nat. Guard Armory, 10000 NE 33^rd
Dr. Portland, OR

March
29-30, Panorama Gem & Mineral Club, Ag Trade Ctr, NE WA Fairgrds,
Colville, WA

March
30-31 Sweet Home Rock & Mineral Society, High School Gym, 1641
Long St. Sweet Home, OR

March
30-31, Mt Baker Rock & Gem, Bloedel Donovan Com. Ctr, 2214
Electric Av, Bellingham, WA

April
6-7, SE Idaho Gem & Mineral Club, Bannock Co. Fairgrds, 10558
Ifft Rd, Pocatello, ID

April
12-14 Golden Spike Gem & Mineral Club, Weber Co. Fairgrds, Ogden,
UT

April
13-14 Idaho Falls Gem & Mineral, Idaho Falls Rec. Ctr, Idaho
Falls, ID

April
19-21 Willamette Agate & Mineral Society, Polk Co. Farigrds,
Rickreall, OR

April
20-21, Yakima Rock & Mineral Club, Washington National Guard
Armory, Yakima, WA

April
20-21, Lakeside
Gem and Mineral Club, NFMS Mid-Year Meeting, Benton Franklin County
Fairgrounds, Kennewick, WA

April
27-28 West Seattle Rock Club, Alki Masonic Temple, Seattle, WA

May
3-5, Rock Rollers Club of Spokane, WA, Spokane County Fair & Expo
Ctr., Spokane, WA