June 2019 Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: June 10th, 2019
Intro:
President Mike Pabst opened the meeting at 7:30. There were 27 members and 2 guests present.
Old Business:
1. Reminder of show Sept 20-22. Those that wish to prepare a display case can pick them up on the Saturdays that the shop is open. These displays assist in making this an educational “show” not a sale. We also need lots of volunteers.
2. Scott Steele is working on field trips. *See field trip section below.
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New Business:
1. We are asking for a volunteer to take over the office of treasurer. Scott Gregory has filled this position for many years and has done an excellent job, and we thank him for his wonderful work. Please let me or an officer know. Scott will be glad to give advice.
2. We also need a volunteer to help chair the show. Two members may work together if need be. Scott has also done a terrific job in this capacity. Let us know. Thanks in advance.
3. Jack Glenn presented a PowerPoint summary of our show preparations.
Highlights are:
• Show times are 2-6 Friday, 10-6 Saturday, 11-5 Sunday. Friday evening the club hosts a carry in meal for the show’s vendors at 6:30
• For updates and info please see http://tinyurl.com/SVGMS-show-2019
• We have 95 tables sold – 20% more than last year
• Also at EXPO Sat. Sep.21 – Augusta Expo Yard Sale & Truckmania
• Displays that we are discontinuing due to space needed for vendors – tumbling, videos, oscillating flat lap
• New this year – (The club voted to accept his offer & pay for the supplies) Jack & Charlie will make an outdoor sluice table for kids 7-14; one bucket per day (we’ll need volunteers to help run this); possible display from DMME
• We need volunteers to put up flyers in libraries, businesses, etc
• We need volunteers to put up yard signs and take them down
• We need volunteers to set up tables Thur evening and take down Sun. evening
• Everyone please share info about the show – social media, website listed above, word of mouth, etc.
4. Save these dates! A club member, Michelle Jascot, will be teaching a wire wrapping workshop at Michael's in Waynesboro: July 6th – 4 to 6pm August 17th – 4 to 6pm Sept. 14th – 4 to 6pm Oct. 12th – 4 to 6pm
Program Report:
Mike Herrick presented a wonderful demonstration using his flat lap.
This machine uses diamond fused plates with various grit sizes to grind and smooth flat mineral surfaces. The harder the stone, the faster the wear on the plate – for example an agate wore out one in 4 hours!
Minerals should be cleaned before grinding – some can be soaked in CLR - Calcium, Lime, Rust Remover.
Mike demonstrated the flat lap using a fairly soft mineral – Ulexite, which is a borate mineral from California. When polished, Ulexite shows a fiber-optic effect, and is nicknamed “TV Rock”.
To polish that mineral, a 60 grit plate is used at first. There is a water reservoir which drips a small amount of moisture onto the plate. The water acts as a coolant and keeps dust down.
A timer is set to one minute. The mineral is moved around using gentle hand pressure, guiding it across the surface of the plate. The mineral is checked and can be done again if scratches are noted.
A 100 grit plate at 45 seconds is then used. A magnifying glass can be used to determine smoothness.
Each mineral and desired level of polish uses different grit plates – rhodochrosite may need 1200 to 14,000 grit plates to get a highly polished surface, for example.
If bald spots begin appearing in the grit plates, they should be replaced.
Thanks, Mike for sharing your talent with us!
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.
June 29 - (If you plan on going to this trip, please email Scott Steele at sisteele@augusta.k12.va.us to get the insurance information.)
National Limestone Mt. Pleasant PA Quarry https://www.mindat.org/loc-145516.html and Middleburg Quarry PA https://www.mindat.org/loc-267344.html
This trip is hosted by GLMSMC with the SMRMC also invited.
Anyone interested in this trip must get a certificate of insurance from our club officers (see email from SMRMC field trip leader: Mr. Eric Stahl specifically requested “a copy of our insurance certificate” from me when I called to request that we be added to this trip with the Montgomery County MD club.
This may be his new requirement --- yes, it is the first time he has asked me, too. Call him and ask him. We will also bring a signed waiver that Mont County requests and give to him as well.)
July trips: (more info later on these)
1. educational weekday trip to the DMME in Charlottesville
2. Rose River in Madison County
3. Contrary Creek in Louisa County near Mineral
September: Willis Mt
October: Turkey Hollow, Vesuvius
Other trips in the works:
Barger Quarry - Lexington
US Silica Quarry - Montpelier
Wintergreen Copper MIne
Cook Farm in Amelia
Next meeting:
Annual club picnic!
Looking ahead:
August - TBD
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. Check this page to see what you can learn to do!
If you’d like to present a program, please talk to an officer at a meeting.
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.
Deborah Grimm, Secretary
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Club Officers and Staff 2016-2019
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