October 2016 Meeting Minutes


Minutes of the Meeting of Shenandoah Valley Gem and Mineral Society
Meeting date: October 10th, 2016
Intro:
President Mike Pabst called the meeting to order. There were 22 members and 9 visitors present. Thank you to Jilly for the refreshments.

Old Business:
1. Mike offered a special thank you to everyone who helped with the show. The committee was very happy that club members had over 18 displays at the show.

2. Treasurer Scott Gregory said that over 600 people attended the show including members. The profit was over $2700.

He suggested we add some upgrades such as shelves to the lapidary shop and that we increase our scholarship donation to JMU.

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New Business:
1. Plans for next year’s show – our 50th – will be in the works soon. If any members want to help or have suggestions to make this a great celebration, please contact an officer.

2. A suggestion was made that the Rock Rappers meet every other month during the Saturday work session at the shop. The first trial run will be in November on the 19th.

3. Charlie Rhodes volunteered to open the shop on another Saturday each month in addition to the regular time, because so many members are using the equipment. More details and times will be announced later if this can occur.

4. Suggestions for future programs were made – ask JMU geology students to present a program; and ask some of the vendors to talk, perhaps the week before the show.

Program Report:
Various members had stories and items to share from their show experiences.

Some of the items that were shared were


Next Meeting: November 14th at 7:30 pm at Waynesboro Church of the Brethren.

Wayne Peterson will do a discussion on field trips, which will include:
• Upcoming field trips
◦ Minerals to collect
◦ General field trip equipment
• Tips on improving your field trip experience
• The KY field trip -  and specimens that he & Brenda have collected from trips to KY

He will also have hands on equipment, unusual tools & some on-site cleaning and packing tips

Field Trip Info: Check out information here. Wayne is working on some field trips and info for us. More information was sent to members on 10/23/2016 by the club secretary.

Looking ahead:
  • We are asking club members to mark their calendars and plan on helping with the show at The Augusta EXPO Sept 23-25. Even helping for a few hours would lighten the load for everyone.

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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Notes from The Rock Shop - October 2016:
The Rock Shop was open for its monthly session on Saturday, October 15th, 2016.

We had nine members attend to work on various projects.

This session brought the return of the 8” trim saw, refurbished with a new heavy duty motor, a new premium diamond blade and a conveniently located on/off switch. Several users remarked on how it now “cuts rocks like butter”. It was noted that a clamp-on style lamp would be a good addition to give better illumination of cutting lines and angles. This will be added at the next session.

Likewise, a larger flatter pan for “oil absorbant” (kitty litter) will be acquired to give more surface area to use for slabs fresh off the saws. A selection of cab templates will also be added.

Justin got busy with some obsidian, some jaspers, emerald in matrix, aquamarine, lapis and some bloodstone found at the shop.

Linda worked on some unknown material to see how it would fare.

Kimberly found out that round cabs are a challenge to keep round, but the piece of sodalite she was working is going to turn out very nicely Dopping a round pre-form seems to be the best way to preserve the shape. She also spent some effort on some obsidian, jasper, and serpentine.

Jilly worked on pre-forming cabochons from chrysocolla, agate and sodalite.

Jennifer and Brandon came in for their first visit and brought along some materials to experiment with. This gave them the chance to try out the trim saw for whittling a piece down to a workable size and shape and then using the cab machines to form, sand and polish the pre-forms. Their enthusiasm was well-rewarded with some great results, and they are eager to attend future sessions.

Margaret was also a first time visitor and brought in a nice piece of Lake Superior agate to slice into slabs. She was able to get several pieces done over the course of the session and was very pleased with the outcome. She followed that up with a chunk of quartz and got nice slices there as well.

Charlie acquired a breath-taking piece of plume agate rough and began cutting some slabs from it. It will be turning into some “OMG” cabs soon enough. He is also considering making some composite cabs, using a colored piece (black basalt or similar) behind the white-and-transparent plumes to give it a dramatic setting. Looking forward to seeing these!

Jack brought a large piece of Outback jasper in to make an initial cuts on. The idea here was to square off both ends so the remainder can fit into the vise securely. The initial couple of cuts hint at some very pretty figure inside the stone. Stay tuned!

Leslie was also a new lapidarist this time. He brought in a piece of quartz and began getting experience on how to take a rock from rough to polished using the club’s equipment.

It’s great to see the variety of materials being worked and having a chance to enjoy the outcomes people are achieving.

Everyone took part in the cleanup and the shop was left in good order for the next session, which will be Saturday, November 19th, 2016.

NOTE: As per the New Business item above, we are going to experiment with having two Rock Shop sessions per month, with Charlie Rhoads leading the second session. The plan would be to continue the current schedule of the Saturday immediately following the club’s monthly meeting, and add a second session two Saturdays after that. Plans are still being finalized, but the tentative initial date for this second session is January 28th, 2017. Please visit the Events At A Glance page for subsequent dates, once established.

SECOND NOTE: As per the Old Business item above, the club is anticipating the purchase of a second Diamond Pacific Titan cab-making machine and doing some storage and power improvements over the course of the next several months. This is possible in large part because of everyone’s excellent efforts at making our gem and mineral show a success this year. With these additions and doubling the number of sessions per month, we hope that this will give everyone adequate access to the tools and space to enjoy the hobby!

Thanks,
Jack

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Volunteers for Refreshments, 2016:
February: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
March: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
April: TBD <<--NEED A VOLUNTEER!!
May: Jilly Weigel
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
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


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