April 2018 Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: April 9th, 2018
Intro:
The meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm by Mike Pabst, our president. There were 34 members and 2 guests present.
Old Business:
March meeting was canceled due to snow. There was no old business discussed.
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New Business:
- Mike asked if there were any suggestions for topics for the May meeting. He will show a video about a mineral topic if not.
- Michael Herrick, sphere maker, had some of his beautiful samples on display. He said if anyone is interested in making one, please let him know, and he can set up a time for his shop in Harrisonburg. mvherrick@gmail.com
- An item of interest – Mike Pabst had an intriguing micro-mount viewer made by Philip Cosminsky in 1956. Mr. Cominsky (1906-1981) was a renowned mineralogist who gave JMU hundreds of micro-mounts and built mineral cabinets to store them. The viewer was a pentagon shape and had a circular moveable viewing platform that allowed an individual to see the specimen and name simultaneously.
Program Report:
Member Charlie Rhoads gave a demonstration and talk about cutting, polishing and making cabochons.
The process is not complicated, but takes a while so patience is needed.
The rock needs to be fairly hard and a rough slab of 3/16” to 5/16” is used.
Charlie marks his patterns with a permanent marker or an aluminum nail.
The lid must be closed on the saw!
Various grit wheels are used to trim and polish. The higher the number of grit, the finer the abrasive.
The area and equipment must be carefully cleaned as even house dust will affect the result.
Bonding takes a while, and Charlie recommended 24 hours.
His main advice was “Do it fast, or do it GOOD!” He does good work!!
He had several displays of professional grade cabochons as well as many pieces of jewelry he has made over the years.
Thank you, Charlie for an informative & interesting program. Charlie is always happy to discuss the process with anyone.
Field Trip Info:
Please refer to “SVGMS Field Trips News” documents you receive from the club secretary for a description of the current status of field trips and details about upcoming trips.
If you are a club member with paid-up dues and you do not receive the “Field Trip News” document when they are emailed, please contact the secretary at loverocksandminerals@gmail.com or at a monthly meeting to correct this issue.
This will be the principle way information about field trips are distributed to members, so we want to insure everyone is correctly addressed.
Looking ahead:
The program for the meeting will be a video presentation: What’s HOT in Munich 2017. This is a “news report” on the special goodies that were displayed last fall at the Munich show, which is the second most important mineral-fossil-gem show in the world, after Tucson. This is a chance for us rockhounds on the lower 99.9% of the economic ladder to see what rich collectors are buying.
Just a note of information. The Morefield Mine in Amelia is out of business and is for sale. There are 15 acres and and 60 minerals. We’ll miss those VA minerals! The mine is actually owned by the Martin Marietta Corporation. The current operators had a 30-year lease. It’s hard to predict whether this mine will ever be open to the public again.
Remember that the lapidary shop is open the Saturday following a regular meeting and on the second Saturday after that. Leo, Charlie & Jack can assist you. Open from 9 am to noon. There are several slab saws and trim saws. Keep in mind that safety is a priority, and wear closed toe shoes, safety glasses, with no loose hair or long sleeves. Children must be supervised and closely monitored to insure they are safely using the equipment.
If you’d like to present a program, please talk to an officer at a meeting or sign up at this link:
http://www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org/next_neeting_program/sign_up_to_present_program.php
Anyone can sign up to bring snacks for a monthly meeting by clicking this link:
http://www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org/next_meeting_info/sign_up_to_bring_refreshments.php
Be sure to keep up with our website www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org and our Facebook page Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society for updates and information.
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Volunteers for Refreshments, 2018:
February: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
March: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
April: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
May: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
June: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
July: N/A - Club Picnic
August: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
September: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
October: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
November: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
December: N/A - Club Christmas Dinner
Deborah Grimm, Secretary
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Club Officers and Staff 2016-2018
President – Michael Pabst
Vice President – Leo Cloutier
Show Co-Chairs – Dean Hostetter/Scott Gregory
Educational Outreach -- Deborah Grimm
Secretary/Newsletter -- Deborah Grimm
Field Trip Coordinators - Wayne Petersen/Scott Duresky
Treasurer – Scott Gregory
Web Site Coordinator – Jack Glenn
Club web site: www.shenandoahvalleyrockclub.org
Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShenandoahValleyGemMineralSociety
Club email: svgem-min-club@live.com