Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

╳Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

Groups

Recent Images in Discussions

Techniques for CollectorsHow should I clean and prepare this Vanadinite

6th Apr 2015 20:08 UTCDan Smith

What would be the best way to clean up this piece for display? It is approximately 10 in x 8 in x 7 in.

6th Apr 2015 20:10 UTCDan Smith

Some additional photos

6th Apr 2015 20:40 UTCBob Harman

DAN, A quite nice specimen. Actually I have seen a number of similar vanadinite examples with coatings such as yours. To be honest, I am not sure these really can be truly cleaned up to look pristine.

Anyway here is what I might do. First soak it in simple soapy water for a few days. Then judiciously use a hi pressure cleaning gun with water. Start out as a fine spray, gradually and judiciously transitioning to a more focused hi pressure stream. Be careful to avoid the most delicate areas and rinse the specimen in a bucket of water often as you clean it. Less might be better; you don't want to blow off some unstable crystal areas. I am not sure about using any chemicals including Super Iron Out on this specimen as I am not sure if they will significantly improve it over just water with a hi pressure cleaning.

Good Luck and CHEERS…..BOB

7th Apr 2015 09:11 UTCTomV

If it were mine I'd trim it. It's a big piece, and the "dirty" areas don't appear to have well developed crystals anyway, so I'm not sure cleaning would drastically improve the overall look. There's a natural line running up and down the left side of the specimen--looks like you could essentially trim along that but maybe 2 inches further to the right. Then turn the remaining portion horizontal for display. There's some unfortunate damage in the "good" area that will keep it from being a killer...but it's definitely an almost killer and worth some trimming. Just an idea.

Tom

7th Apr 2015 14:58 UTCRudy Bolona Expert

So all the pristine vanadinites from Morocco come out of the ground already pristine and what is the dull coating on the ones that are not?

7th Apr 2015 18:21 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

Yes, pretty much. I don't think the vanadinite will clean up much more than it is now, it's not a coating it's actually some kind of partial alteration (or simply a different growth) of the crystals themselves.

8th Apr 2015 21:48 UTCJohn Oostenryk

That is a nice specimen!

I have a smaller specimen like yours with the tan and a couple different reds too. I really like them all:)

Pretty much what everyone said~

If the piece is just dusty- I prefer a spray cleaner for dirty/greasy surfaces like 'MeanGreen' or '409'. Spray on - let sit for 5 mins and rinse. Window cleaners do not work well and avoid any with ammonia.

If mining grungy~ as Bob indicated- some dish soap in room temp water. Let it set for 20 min or so. Swish it around by hand (watch the sides!), and upside down too, and then see if any sediment is left in bottom of container. I like the plastic ice cream containers- they let light thru and are easy size to move.

If there is some sediment coming off- then cool- continue.

Using a sink sprayer is possible or even drizzle from hose, but be GENTLE! Start farther back and approach piece slowly.

Again, if you can do this over a bucket or plastic bin will help you see if there is any actual debris removed. It is also good to be able to catch liberated bits and loose xtls, not down the drain or into yard:(

I agree the piece could likely be improved with trimming and is not necessary, but that situation and process is whole different conversation.

I do a lot of trimming, but have not worked on material like yours, so will not hazard any comment there:)

Best Regards,

~JO:)

9th Apr 2015 01:35 UTCJames Pool

Like TomV said, I would trim it too for a better display. Start with that natural line on the left side. I would then see if it is possible to trim away the remaining matrix above and to the left of the large crystal in the middle of your first photo. It looks like there may be a nice cavity in that gap area with possible good crystals to give the trimmed specimen a nice edge to edge plate jammed with crystals. It looks like to be the case if the last photo is of the backside of the specimen.. I would not trim it any father than that if you want the effect of crystals and size. You could probably trim it farther to get relatively damage free toenails but those are pretty common in the market compared to a larger display piece. After trimming you can try the cleaning method that Bob mentioned. That frosted coating is most likely a part of the crystals and really cannot be removed, so cleaning would be for removing any clays and such that would get into the cavities. Obviously things can go very wrong while trimming especially with cavities as things may not break along a line you want so you would have to decide whether to take the risk or not.

9th Apr 2015 01:47 UTCDan Smith

Thank you everyone for the great information. I think I will try to do some trimming then soaking in soapy water. I hope it stays as one piece. It is one of the larger pieces I have seen. However, I didn't pay much for it (was thrown in when I was buying some blue barite crystals) so if it ends up as two pieces it will be unfortunate but OK.

9th Apr 2015 06:58 UTCKeith Compton 🌟 Manager

Hi Dan

I am reasonably sure that you will not be able to "clean" the cream crud off the specimen.

I am not sure what it consists of but I have had several Moroccan vanadinites coated like this and even more so. It is as if the vanadinites have been dipped in cream mud.

I understand that the Moroccan vanadinites formed as an alteration product of galena in association with baryte, cerussite and anglesite. Most are on a matrix of Baryte, Aragonite, Siderite Coronadite, manganese oxide and the like (or somewhere in between). Given the slurry of mixtures that must exist surrounding their formation in the first place, finding something that will remove the associated crud without damaging the vanadinites would seem doubtful, if it is a coating that is.

I have broken some of these coated vanadinite xls in the past and the colouration is not simply on the surface. As Jolyon mentions it is possibly an alteration.

Many vanadinites specimens with dark red xls, in fact have the creamy mud colouration on one or more sides of each xl just as your specimen displays the effect.

As mentioned, a simple wash is about all you can do albeit along with a judicious trim.

Cheers

Keith

9th Apr 2015 09:50 UTCDale Foster Manager

I have to say I personally would not look to trim the specimen. The matrix is an integral part of the geological setting for the mineral.

Personally I find nothing more pointless than loose crystals that no longer show any context of their formation.

As to cleaning, I agree that there is little likelihood of the 'frosting' being removed, rather just clean any muck from it with soap and water.

9th Apr 2015 17:23 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

There are two philosophies to trimming, one expressed by Dale Foster and the other by TomV. It depends on whether you want a specimen to be pretty or geologically significant. If you are lucky you can get both but in this case probably not.

11th Apr 2015 15:53 UTCTomV

That this was posted to a cleaning/preparation board, at least to me, suggests that the poster is concerned with improving the appearance of the specimen. If geologic significance was what he or she was after, I assume the piece would have been left in its current state and not posted in the first place.

11th Apr 2015 18:43 UTCDoug Daniels

I think his main concern is the coloration of the vanadinites - they are brownish rather than the preferred red. From many specimens I've seen, those that show this brownish coloration have something within the crystal, either a physical impurity incorporated into the crystal, or the chromophore is slightly different than in the red ones. In either case, there's not much that can be done to improve the appearance.

12th Apr 2015 00:07 UTCDan Smith

I guess I could have been more specific. My main concern (and it wasn't so much of a concern but rather a convenience) was with the matrix constantly coming off in small pieces. You can see what I mean in the first picture below the specimen. If cleaning helped with the color that would have been great but I'm OK with the way it is.

I'm just learning but I assume I can trim off some of the matrix without changing its geological significance since whomever mined/collected the piece decided how much matrix to leave on in the first place.

15th Apr 2015 10:09 UTCDale Foster Manager

If the matrix is a little friable and prone to flaking off, trimming might not really help.

I have several specimens in my own collection of Cassiterite and Wolframite in heavily kaolinised granite which regularly shed small amounts of matrix, there is little I can do about it other than just accept it is the case.

If it is a case that there are loose fragments resulting from the piece being collected, then a good clean and possibly a session in an ultrasonic cleaner might remove any remaining loose material.

15th Apr 2015 13:51 UTCNelse Miller

I have seen on a couple of threads where folks have stabilized friable matrix using diluted PVA based glues since they are less likely to show than others. I believe some matrix specimens of boleite from the Amelia Mine are treated this way.

Mindat.org is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 26, 2024 05:52:07

Go to top of page