ROCKWOOD ROCKHOUND NEWS

November 2001

This month Bob Morse will tell us all we ever wanted to know about glaciers Included will be some slides from our trip to Rice Lake, Wisconsin.

Election Time Again!
Where has the year gone? We need to once again elect new officers. Why not think about serving in some capacity for a year? We need volunteers for the nominating committee as well as people
to be officers. It would be great if some of our new members would consider helping freshen us up a bit!

COMMENTS, ETC
The Larsons wish to extend a great big THANK YOU to all the people who so graciously served those long shifts at the attendance desk for the show at Queeny. We could not manage without you!

Dues are Due
What a bargain! For the sum of $20 for families and $15 for singles, you get 10 copies a year of this wonderful newsletter (postage included) several speakers each year, a picnic and a Christmas Party. Now that is pretty hard to beat, so let us all pay our dues to Andy Larson at the next meeting.

Mineral of the Month
Hank Schlichter has chosen Galena, the Missouri State mineral as November’s “Mineral of the month.” If you have a nice specimen that you would like to show us, bring it along.

Marianne and Larry Toenjes have a new grand baby. Their son, Eric, and his wife, Kim, produced this little blessing on September 5, 2001. Laura Elise weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 21 inches long. Marianne mentioned that little Laura Elise really likes to be held. That is what grandparents do best!

Eleanor Stuut has recovered from her cancer surgery and will be finishing up her radiation treatments this month. She reports that she is feeling fine. If you would like to send her a card, her address is: 823 Parkfield Terrace
Manchester, MO 63021.

Christmas Party time!
Dianne & Andy Larson have volunteered to host our annual Christmas Party. The date and time will be decided at our next meeting on November 16th. We are thinking about having it on a Sunday afternoon like we did last year. That worked out well because who knows what the weather will be like that time of year. Also, we wouldn’t have to be running around in the dark trying to find the address. Think about it and let your wishes be known at the next meeting.

For Sale
We have another former member of our club, Bruce Babcock, who is selling his
equipment. He has an HP 8” diamond wheel, a stone shaper with 8”, a polishing wheel 4”diameter and an HP flat bed polisher. We can see from the photographs that it is in excellent condition. Make him an offer.
Bruce Babcock
254 Renaldo Dr.
Chesterfield, Mo 63017-2211
314-469-3923
e-mail: Babcock@swbell.net

News from Other Clubs
Next year the Quartzite Show will NOT be in Quartzite!!! It’s being moved to Laughlin, NV. January 11, 2002 there will be Cloud’s Jamboree in Laughlin (a gem, jewelry, fossil and mineral show) and from January 4 to February 3, 2002 at the Avi resort & Casino in Laughlin, there will be a Rock, Gem, Arts-Crafts & Mineral Show.

I don’t know how long the Quartzite Show has been in Quartzite but I think it’s a been over 20 years, so this is a big surprise.
Pick & Hammer News, 7/01 Via Quarry Quips, 8/01

Helpful Hints
When using soap and water to clean specimens, use dish soap--it does not contain a bleach that laundry soap often has. Use distilled water for the final rinse to preclude any residue from the water coating the specimen.
via rock Rollers, 11/90

To use your silver or gold scrap, take an old straw broom, wet it thoroughly, and pour your melted scrap down among the straws. The result will be a beautiful straw pendant.

If you like nuggets of silver or gold, take some more scrap and a small pan. Place some rock salt in the bottom, pour your melted scrap over the salt, and as the salt melts, there will be indentations similar to natural nuggets.
From Cabber Gabber1/89, via Breccia 11/99

Did You Know? Some stones create more gas while tumbling than others, probably because of the chemical content of the different minerals and rocks. Adding baking soda will help control much of the gas build-up. Early hobbyists used fillers such as rice hulls and wood and lather chips, but these created unpleasant odors in the workshop because of their bacterial content. Soap powder can be used in tumblers to act as a wetting agent and to thicken the slurry.
Eureka News 4/96 via Owyhee Gem 5/00