Rock Bingo! Turkey Dinner. Meeting, Tuesday, November 26 th : Fort Worth Gem and Mineral Club Newsletter. November Inside this Issue:

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1 November 2013 Fort Worth Gem and Mineral Club Newsletter Inside this Issue: Program 1 Events 2 Special Announcements: No THURSDAY shop nights in November. Rockhounding Report 2 Birthdays 2 Minutes 3 President s Report 3 Picnic Report 4 Articles of Interest 5-6 Committee Positions 7 Club Info 7 This newsletter is distributed the 3 rd week of each month. Send articles, announcements, & editorial corrections by the 2 nd Tuesday of the month to: Janice Craddock fwgmc.editor@gmail.com Permission is granted to reprint material provided credit is properly cited. Meeting, Tuesday, November 26 th : Rock Bingo! That is not hard rock or classic rock. It is BINGO with ROCK related PRIZES. It is a great way to increase your collection. If you can, bring something to donate for prizes. Our normal potluck, starting at 7:00, will feature a Turkey Dinner Bring the trimmings for a traditional thanksgiving celebration. The club will provide the turkey.

2 Events December EL PASO, TEXAS El Paso Mineral & Gem Society s annual show El Maida Shrine Auditorium 6331 Alabama Hours: Fri. & Sat. 10-6, Sun Contact: Jeannette Carrillo (877) gemcenter@aol.com Website: Dec 7 & 8, 2013, Austin, Tx; Paleontological Soc. Of Austin Annual Fossil Fest, Sat & Sun, 9-5; Indoors at Old Settler's Association Headquarters Highway 79, Round Rock, TX (3 miles east of IH-35, next to Dell Diamond) Rockhounding Report Bob joined the Lockheed Martin Recreational Area Rockhounds on the field trip to Mason. He reports having a great time in one of the most beautiful parts of Texas and the weather was perfect. He did not take any photos but had lots of fun and picked up quite a bit of fluorite. There will be numerous trips into Montana fossil country to the Pierre and Bear Claw formation areas looking for ammonites, baculites, scaphites, natiloids, and many other shells (70-95 million years old) in the ancient sea bead areas. They are also working on a collect of dinosaur fossils from the Hell Creek Formation. There will also be a guided tour through the Eastern Montana Badlands. The town of Terry is allowing their 2 block city park for dry camping and other activities. For more information contact Doug True, Fieldtrip Chair, or at dtruefossils12@yahoo.com A BRIGHT IDEA! FIELD TRIPPERS, use plastic jugs (milk, bleach, etc.) for rock holders. Cut off the neck, leaving the handle. Location of you finds can be marked on the jug with a magic marker. The plastic jugs are not harmed by dampness or dirt. SEPTARIANS should not be stored directly on the ground. They will soak up moisture and eventually come apart, leaving only the calcite centers. via Fox News, via MWF Newsletter, June 2001.via SCFMS newsletter Sept-Oct 2013 Save the Date Multi-Federation Field Trip from the November 13 AFMS Newsletter The town of Terry, Montana is hosting the AFMS 2014 Multi-Federation Field Trip July 31 August 4, Terry is right in the middle of some of the best Montana rock hounding areas. We ll have numerous trips to the Gravel Bars on the Yellowstone River; productive areas that I ve been hunting on annually for 40+ years. Many are access only through private property, but permissions have been granted. We ll be hunting for Montana agates, Jasper, Petrified Wood, fossil coral, stomatolites, and numerous other oddities. November: 09-Martha Phillips 21-Lilly Brooks 22-George Field December: 09-Don Pelikan 14-Janice Craddock 17-Bobbie Wilson 27-Steve Hilliard 30-Schuyler Bullock Cowtown Cutter, November 2013 page 2

3 Minutes October 22nd The meeting was called to order by President Mary Hilliard at 7:30 pm. Minutes: Susan made a motion to accept minutes as printed in the newsletter, Schuyler seconded. Motion carried. Treasurer's Report: Given Show: Contract was received and down payment was made. The remainder is due in April Old Business: The annual club picnic was good, beautiful location and weather. New Business: Janice announced a shop safety class for new members. An will be forthcoming. The about classes that went out last month received little interest, contact Janice if you would like to sign up for a class. Field Trips: A mid week field trip for November 7th is scheduled to Lake Bridgeport. A trip to Jacksboro is a possibility. Christmas party: December 14th at 6 pm. Meet at 5:00 pm to help decorate. A ham will be supplied by the club, bring a covered dish and a rock related gift suitable for boy or girl. Officers: Schulyer will be the Treasurer for next year. We need a 1st Vice-President in charge of Field Trips. Drawing: Red ticket- Janice, White ticket- Carl. have rock bingo. It's always a lot of fun. Meeting adjourned at 8:45 pm. Respectfully submitted, Hope Porter, Secretary President s Note We had a really good auction at the October meeting. There were a lot of neat items auctioned off. Our Novrmbrt meeting will be the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, so we will have a turkey dinner (the club will furnish the turkey). We will be playing Rock Bingo. So come on out for some fun and fellowship. Since the holiday season is upon us, we will not be having any work nights on Thursday. We will get back into the swing of things in January. We really need to finish setting up the classrooms and saw rooms so we can start using them. We have really missed seeing some of you guys who have not attended several of our meetings. I know for some of you things come up and make it difficult to come, but hopefully we will be seeing you all at the upcoming meetings. See all of you on Nov. 26. Bring a friend! Mary Hilliard President Membership dues are currently due. $15.00 for individuals, and $20.00 for family. November meeting: We will have turkey provided by the club bring a dish. We will also Cowtown Cutter, November 2013 page 3

4 Picnic Report Fort Worth Rock Club field trip to the Brazos River October 20, 2013 were found, as well as, plenty of caramel colored flint. Lots of pebble stones for tumbling was fun for the kids. Steve and Mary cooked hamburgers and hot dogs and we all brought pot luck side dishes. It was a beautiful day with the temperature in the 70 s, sunshine and a shady spot for the picnic. We had approximately 23 people who enjoyed the day with us. What a wonderful time we all had eating outside and sharing with friends. We had a special treat as Carl Silvey demonstrated flint knapping for us. For those of you who are not familiar with this term, it is making arrowheads, by striking flint rock at a special angle. A special thank you to David and Linda for setting up the use of the facilities. Thank you, Carl we truly appreciated it and enjoyed you showing us. The Brazos River was low, so that gave us a large area of river rock to scan over, all afternoon. Crinoids and a couple of fossils Submitted by Kathy Silvey Cowtown Cutter, November 2013 page 4

5 Articles of Interest Agate Cleaning by Ron Whealdon from Rock Rustler s News, 11/2012, via Gem Cutters News 12/ via The Backbender s Gazette 11/13 I have been asked a couple of times to submit this information for the newsletter after explaining to people the steps that I take to clean the agates, quartz, and jaspers that I find. Cleaning Supplies: Wash basin with hot, soapy water Additional wash basin with warm, clean water Stiff-bristle scrub brush Dishwashing gloves Lint-free towel(s) Thoroughly scrub specimens with hot, soapy water until you can no longer remove any material and stains. Then rinse in the clean water and dry. Oxalic Acid Bath This process can be used to remove ruststaining from your specimens. Supplies: Old crock pot (may be found at garage sales or the Goodwill store) Oxalic acid 1-gallon jug (clean) 1 gallon hot water. Funnel Slotted plastic long-handled spoon Chemical-resistant gloves Safety glasses or goggles Baking soda 5-gallon bucket of clean water This process should be done outdoors and while wearing the safety gear (gloves and glasses). DO NOT do this indoors! Measure out 4 ounces of oxalic acid onto a piece of paper, and using the funnel, carefully pour into the 1-gallon jug that has been filled half-way with hot water. Using the same funnel, slowly pour in the remaining hot water (careful not to allow the jug to overflow). Replace the cap tightly and then gently rock the jug back and forth to mix thoroughly. Feel free to hum a soft lullaby if you re inclined to do so. Carefully pour acid from the bottle into the crock pot, filling it no more than 2/3 full. One at a time, place a specimen in the slotted spoon and carefully lower into the crock pot. DO NOT allow specimens to just plop into the crock pot! When all of the specimens have been added to the crock pot, put the spoon into the bucket of clean water. Plug in the crock pot and turn on to its low setting (mine has off, low, and high ). Allow the specimens to bathe for about 12 hours, then turn the crock pot off and unplug. Let the specimens continue to soak in the crock pot for another 12 hours. I will start the process when I get home from work, turning off the crock pot before leaving for work the next morning. After the 24-hour bath, use the slotted spoon to carefully transfer the specimens from the crock pot to the bucket of clean water. Soak the specimens in clean water for 72 hours (changing the water at least once every 24 hours). Repeat the Cleaning processes above to remove any material that may have been loosened by the acid bath. If a specimen still exhibits staining, you can repeat this process as necessary. I d think that after a week of cooking and soaking in oxalic acid though, either the stains are there for good, or they require a more drastic approach. Disposing of Oxalic Acid Supplies: 5-gallon bucket of clean water, about 2/3 full Large box of baking soda Chemical-resistant gloves Safety glasses or goggles Hose attached to a water source Cowtown Cutter, November 2013 page 5

6 When oxalic acid yellows, it has outlived its usefulness and it is time to dispose of it, but safely. Again, this process should be done outdoors while wearing gloves and glasses. Carefully pour the contents of the crock pot into the bucket of clean water. Carefully pour in the baking soda, a little at a time, stopping in between pours to allow the fizzing to stop. Once you reach the point when fizzing no longer occurs, then the acid has been neutralized enough for disposal. Carefully pour the contents of the bucket onto the driveway and rinse down with the hose. Oiling This process can be used to give your specimens that wet look without keeping them in water and without needing to polish them. Supplies: Old crock pot (not the same one used for the acid bath above) Mineral oil (can be purchased from some drug stores and is located in the laxative isle) Slotted plastic spoon Paper towels Lint-free towels This process can be performed indoors. Fill the crock pot about 2/3 full with mineral oil. One at a time, place a specimen in the slotted spoon and carefully lower into the crock pot. You could just let the specimens plop into the crock pot, but then you end up with a mess to clean and risk chipping the bottom of the crock pot. Plug in the crock pot and turn on to its low setting (mine has off, low, and high ). Allow the specimen to bathe for about 3 hours, then turn off the crock pot and unplug. awe. *Note, the oil will keep for a long time. It may start to look milky after sitting idle for a while, but it clears up again once heated, and I ve yet to have the oil stain my specimens. I hope that you ve found this information useful. If you have any tips for the care and treatment of rocks, minerals, and stones; feel free to submit them for publication in the newsletter Jewelry Cleaner Make Your Own via MOROKS 9/2013 and Rocky Mountain Federation News 9/2013 via The Backbender s Gazette 11/13 Ingredients: 1 tablespoon salt, 1tablespoon baking soda, 1 table-spoon dish detergent, 1 cup water, 1 piece aluminum foil Directions: 1. Heat water in the microwave for 2 minutes. 2. Cut a piece of aluminum foil that covers the bottom of a small bowl. 3. Pour hot water into bowl. Place salt, soda, and dish-washing liquid into bowl. Place jewelry on top of foil and let it sit for 10 minutes. Rinse jewelry in cool water and dry jewelry completely with soft cloth. Discard solution after use, and make a new batch next time. Let the specimens continue to soak in the crock pot until cool. Lay out a couple layers of paper towels on a counter or other flat surface. Using the slotted spoon, transfer the specimens from the crock pot to the paper towels. Using a lintfree towel, wipe off any excess oil (being careful as the specimens may still be warm if you didn t let them cool enough). Enjoy that wet look while displaying your specimens for public. Cowtown Cutter, November 2013 page 6

7 Officers & Committee Positions: President/Sunshine Chair/Show Chair Mary Hilliard samehil@embargmail.com 1 st VP of Field Trips Schuyler Bullock sbbr@cirranet.org 2 nd VP of Programs Martha Phillips marthamirantiphillips@yahoo.com Programs Irene Stemple nstemple@att.net Treasurer Fran Loyd P.O. Box , Ft Worth, TX Membership Susan Thielker ammonite_hunter@yahoo.com Site Manager Stephanie Moran Fwgmc.webmaster@gmail.com Newsletter Editor/Shop Foreman Janice Craddock fwgmc.editor@gmail.com Secretary Hope Porter hopeporter5150@aol.com The Fort Worth Gem and Mineral Club was founded in It is also a member of the American Federation of Mineralogical Societies and the South Central Federation of Mineralogical Societies. PURPOSE: The purpose of this club is to promote the study of geology, mineralogy, and the lapidary arts. We also strive to stimulate the interest in the searching, and collecting, of minerals and fossils. MEMBERSHIP: Membership shall be open to anyone interested in the purpose described above. DUES: $15.00 per person, per year. $20.00 per family, per year. MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box , Fort Worth, TX PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 3545 Bryan Avenue, Fort Worth, TX CLUB WEBSITE: Cowtown Cutter, November 2013 page 7