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Nov 2019Re: New Toy / Tool for Mineral CollectingReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Field Collecting.I had made a tool similar to this years ago, but it operated more like a fence post pounder to be used on a 6' pry bar. I quickly learned that handle orientation was crucial for ergonomics. when the handle was perpendicular to the rod, the shock drove right through your hands and wrists. Having the ...
Nov 2019Re: "Pyrite Disease"Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in Techniques for Collectors.I just thought I'd give those old post it's 10 year bump! haha! I'm curious to know what the long-term results have been from the folks that posted on this thread. My specimen is now about 25 years into the "repair" and last I saw it, it was still doing well. Unfortunately it's been in storage for ...
Dec 2017⚠12 imagesRe: Daylight Fluorescent MineralsReply from David Zimmerman (2) in UV Minerals.Hi Rob,
Some of the diamonds in the Smithsonian are so fluorescent that they have a milky bluish cast in natural daylight. Also, what about the hackmanite from Mont Saint Hilaire? I've found some that kept their bright pink colour during the day and were not just the tenebrescence. For that ...
Mar 2014Re: Fibers on Petrified WoodReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Sorry Wayne....no can do! I could send you a fiber if you are super interested in figuring it out. It might take a few weeks to arrive, but I'd be happy to do that if you'd like. The ratio of length to width makes a human hair look FAT!
Mar 2014Re: Fibers on Petrified WoodReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Hi Bela!
Wonderful! If your specimens are conifer; do you know what layer of wood or bark these needles or fibers might represent? Cambia possibly?
Mar 2014Re: Fibers on Petrified WoodReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Hi Adam,
Not to go far off into the sidelines, but don't we have documented cases of human soft tissue being preserved for thousands of years in mummies? Don't we have evidence for soft tissue of animals and plants being encased in glacial ice for tens of thousands of years? I believe there is a ...
Mar 2014Re: Calcite Twins from unknown U.S localityReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.As somebody who has seen and collected tons of calcite from WI, IA, and IL, I'd have to say that I don't think I've ever seen a secondary growth of yellow calcite. My first reaction to seeing the piece was that it looked Mexican. If it came from the upper tristate district, I'd guess that it was ...
Mar 2014Re: What's This?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Hi Stacy and welcome to mindat! Yes, better pics are a must as it turns this more into a guessing game than anything. Well, the two orange ones in the foreground appear to be agate and probably Brazilian in nature, but could also be common opal which is also just another form of quartz. Your cut ...
Mar 2014Re: Fibers on Petrified WoodReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Hi Adam,
While RC dating and stratigraphic dating are above my normal interests, I do know that soft tissue preservation has been recorded from animals as well as plants. I remember reading about bone marrow in a T-Rex and of course the many examples encased in amber. So on the basis that we ...
Mar 2014Re: Fibers on Petrified WoodReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Hi Jordan! I knew you'd come through for me! I'm afraid to admit, but it's been a while since I've cut some conifers down, but isn't their "bark" composed of many layers? I can almost remember a fiberous layer closest to the solid wood, but those are certainly some fuzzy recollections. I guess ...
Mar 2014Fibers on Petrified WoodPosted by David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Hey Gang!
Long time no visit! Anyways, I made it to Tucson recently and took a side trip up to Holbrook again to dig for some petrified wood OUTSIDE of the park boundaries at one of the local ranches. I just pulled the pieces out of HCL to remove the caliche and was surprised to see fibers all ...
Aug 2016Re: How Large is the Largest Herkimer Diamond?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Ahhh, yes, good ol Jim on the hill!! Give him a hoot for me, will ya Jason? I think I figured out the mystery growth in the earlier posted crystal, along with LOTS of help from others in the thread on negative growth. What I learned (and later observed) is that when quartz is in contact with ...
Aug 2016Re: How Large is the Largest Herkimer Diamond?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.And why didn't you snap a pic of it for us?!? I would sooo love to see a pick of such a giant.
Aug 2016Re: How Large is the Largest Herkimer Diamond?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Jason
Once you get down to the goonie layer you'll average a pocket everyday or just about. I'm not down to the Druze layer yet but I'm rippin up the goonie and diamond layers!!
Bonjour Johnny! I've been a busy boy lately but things are starting to normalize again so I should be chiming ...
Sep 2013Re: Cleaning Sweet Home RhodosReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Techniques for Collectors.Hi Jim
The main crystal is 2 cm on edge, so it is worth me taking all the time needed to prep it up. Also...does anyone have an idea what Brian and the crew would charge to prep this piece? Ballpark of course. I really like the thrill and gratification of prepping my own stuff though.
Sep 2013Cleaning Sweet Home RhodosPosted by David Zimmerman (2) in Techniques for Collectors.Hey Gang,
Just bought a "fixer upper" specimen that should be fun to play with. It needs to have many of the small rhodos gone in the foreground to expose the nice crystals underneath (sulphides) and to eliminate distractions from the piece. My first thought was that I could just simply use an ...
Aug 2016Re: How Large is the Largest Herkimer Diamond?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.HI Jason,
What an amazing looking inclusion!!! I'm jealous!! It looks like it is following the crystalline lattice which I think makes that a negative crystal growth. That piece would make for some really nice macro photography pics. Who's your claim neighbours up there? I've got Frank, Bob, ...
Aug 2016Re: How Large is the Largest Herkimer Diamond?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.HI David!
I don't think she'd mind but if I were you I'd really find an easier way to collect diamonds man!!! At her location the digs are hundreds of yards away from the parking area, so that just seems like an awefull amount of work to gamble on finding a diamond. If it were me, I'd rather put ...
Aug 2016Re: How Large is the Largest Herkimer Diamond?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Michael,
What a nice stone! In the district we calls those goonies or elestial quartz but not usually diamonds. They have a completely different look to them. What a great find and yes those pockets are quite a bit pricy. I've heard mixed results on those pockets. Check your piece over very ...
Mar 2013Re: Sulfur crystal geodeReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.John, I think we both might be correct.....if I remember, the location was between Dallas City and Niota. It's been about 9 years ago now, so the geodes aren't the only thing with cobwebs in them! I dug them on private land that was accessed during the Geode Days celebration....back when it was ...
Jun 2014Re: Thunder EggReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Minerals.Dave,
I just want to thank you for posting your information and I enjoyed reading it very much. I'd say that your thoughts are just as valid as anyone else's here, and by the sounds of it, more-so than others. I've learned a lot my reading your information and would welcome further discussions. ...
Oct 2016Re: Cleaning FluoriteReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Techniques for Collectors.Welcome to Mindat Maureen! :)-D
I can't say that I've ever heard of fluorite being salty....but it could depend on the environment on where it was collected. Fluorite is a safe mineral and you can certainly wash it without damage. BUT, there is a VERY good possibility that you have a mislabeled ...
Mar 2013Re: Sulfur crystal geodeReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Steven,
Thanks for posting so much about this. It is very interesting material and I enjoy learning more about it. Do you have any pictures from your KY stash that you could post on this thread? I know there were a couple places near Keokuk that had petroleum in that was slightly thicker than ...
Jun 2013Re: R. A. Kosnar claim, Yucca Hill, Steven's Ranch, Lake George, Park Co., Colorado, USAReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Localities.Mario,
As Rock pointed out, the whole area is very dynamic with regard to claims and names. I'd say, that if you have a location on the specimen with the label, then you just keep it as such. It is more than likely that Mr. Kosnar had a dozen claims or so himself, with a dozen or more ...
Mar 2013Re: How do you tell natural citrine from iron staining?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.HI Bob,
Have you ever tried to put a rust-bomb geode in Super Iron Out before? I haven't, but I would think that it should have a reaction. I've cracked open probably 500 rust bombs before....mostly in KY, and I don't remember if the yellow went from rind-to-rind before. I see most of your ...
Mar 2013Re: How do you tell natural citrine from iron staining?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Rock and others,
Is there any kind of oven testing that can be done with heat? Since most of the citrine on the market is made this way, I would assume that a replication of the proper heating conditions would affect citrine and not rust. I guess I'm in the camp that if SIO did not damage the ...
Mar 2013Re: Mineral labeling softwareReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Myself, I would just futz around with Excel and make up a label-printing component to go off from my Excel-hosted mineral database. I think it would be rather easy to do and the price would be right.
Jul 2013Re: Who's Going Rockhounding This Weekend ?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Scott,
I haven't been to the Field Museum in many years, but I'm sure that it follows the same trend as all the big museums.....put the minerals in the basement and put the dino bones on the museum floor. If you live in the area, you should take a trip up to Jeweler's Mutual Insurance ...
Mar 2013Re: Mineral RegretsReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Mickey,
At least my mineral regrets didn't post back on this thread to make me relive the pain again!!! What a small world! :-D
Jul 2019⚠1064 imagesRe: Gail's NEW favourite of the day, PART 2Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.I'll find out if the "West is the Best" in exactly 2 weeks from now. I'll email my contact list all the details when I get settled in out there. I'm looking forward to doing a lot of mineral exploring and mountain hiking in British Columbia. A good chance that I'll be making another trip down to CO ...
Mar 201343rd Annual Monroe, Wisconsin Mineral, Fossil, and Gem Show Mar. 9-10Posted by David Zimmerman (2) in Mineral Shows.Hello Mindat-ers,
With over a hundred tables of specimen and jewelry dealers, display cases, demonstrations, and lots of kids activities and presentations, this show is greatly geared towards education and keeping things affordable for the attendees. Free parking, free-will donation for entry, ...
Jul 2019⚠1064 imagesRe: Gail's NEW favourite of the day, PART 2Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Great piece Ryan, with wonderful presentation of the main crystal. You, more than most, can certainly appreciate how rare they are....especially the spherical crystal shapes. I'd guess that there are a thousand hemisphere garnets found for every one that is a sphere from Jeffreys.
Mar 2013Re: Muscovite pseudo after tourmaline?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.That's the first time I've ever been accused of having a sharp memory! :-D It's a nice piece worth remembering.
Mar 2013Re: Muscovite pseudo after tourmaline?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.Dan, didn't you already ask this question about this same piece last month or so? I won't take the time to hunt down the thread, but I seem to remember everyone posting similar replies to you about this exact piece.
Apr 2013Re: New Rockhound QuestionsReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Anthony, and welcome again to Mindat! :)-D
I won't rehash anything that has been said so far....and I agree with everything except I'm not a fan of breaking crystals. A crystal will never look more perfect than it does at this very moment, plus it took millions of years to get to that level ...
Mar 2013Re: What exactly does "World Class Mineral" mean?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Just to put things in perspective; We had many museums over last year to do donations with, and that was my first time doing multiple "museum" quality pieces for donations. I can say that one of the museums took an AMAZING piece, dare I say killer piece, that was damaged when I handed it to my ...
Feb 2013Re: Motel review for TucsonReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.I can say that last year (2012) we stayed in the "Quality" Inn, which was the Marty Zinn show on the outskirt of town. It was convenient to have dealers all around and we paid something like $60/ night or so because we booked almost a year in advance. BUT, I woke up in the morning and found a dead ...
Sep 2018⚠346 imagesRe: Only from Canada, eh?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.That's hilarious Maggie! I've never thought about cleaning my vodka with my herk collection before......I usually clean my herks while I polish my vodka!! :)-D
I wonder if that makes the crystals more tasty? One could just roll 8 or 9 in your lower lip and suck on them all day! Steph, make sure ...
Feb 2013Re: Flying With Your "Loved Ones"Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Mark,
I can't speak to your concerns about the radioactives (my hunch is to just mail them ahead of time), but as for the carry-ons, your tackle box sounds like a great idea. I can also pass along a story that an international dealer told me a while back; He said that he was coming back from ...
Feb 2013Re: Spam from mindat membersReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Most people just delete spam and go on with their day. I don't know why they would want to clutter up the boards here on Mindat with it. Anytime someone uploads something to the internet they are exposing themselves to theft and/ or spam. That's just how the internet works....unfortunately. I'm ...
Feb 2013Re: Claening mineralsReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Brian,
While Alfredo is absolutely correct....it's all about science....I would say that my favorite cleaning agent these days is Super Iron Out, which is a powder sold in most cleaning departments in places like Wal-Mart or online. It is also one of the safest for minerals, but it can have ...
Feb 2013Re: Tribolite helpReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Identity Help.I'd just add that poor people in 3rd world countries no no bounds to the time they will use to make cheap specimens. A good example would be the "grape agate" from China. http://www.essencecastle.com/eshopedb/flower-show.asp?refno=MNO1044G Pieces like that were going for $30 in Tucson last year and ...
Feb 2013Re: Calcite from Mount Sterling area, Illinois ?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.I think it will be a very hard task to try and find definitive locality data based on this information. As Hal pointed out, there is a Sterling, IL, which very possibly could have a quarry that could've produced similar material. The problem is that the area that could've produced this piece is ...
Feb 2013Re: Calcite from Mount Sterling area, Illinois ?Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Herwig,
Nice looking piece you have there. It might be harder to attribute this piece to a single location because I've seen similar material from Pints Quarry in Iowa, as well as the old Pough(sp?) Quarry (Vulcan Materials now) in Oshkosh, WI to name just a few that come to mind. I'm sure ...
Feb 2013Re: Illinois areaReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Field Collecting.Hi Keith,
Welcome to Mindat! :)-D
The Badger club in Monroe WI the most active field-trip club in the region and has some members from the Chicago and Milwaukee areas that have joined just to keep posted on the 12 trips they do each year. They collect at many of the locations you mentioned. ...
Feb 2013Re: Fake Bisbee Copper on PyriteReply from David Zimmerman (2) in Fakes & Frauds.I saw those for sale last year down there at one of the tent shows. It looked a little bit more believable than Ken's link, but it was still bad enough for me to think it were a fake....and I think it was going for $20 or so. I guess judging by the link these things have taken value!!! :-D
Mar 2013Re: Sulfur crystal geodeReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Mike,
If you use water, you would probably want to set a bucket in the same room as the specimen and let them attain the same temperature before doing anything. I think I'll also have to introduce you to Mindat's favorite little friend....mr. watergun. Find it on ebay searching for Niagara ...
Mar 2013Re: What to Look for When Buying MineralsReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Gosh, what a subjective topic Steve!! A funny thing is that when I buy minerals I look for oddities and will forgive some damage and maybe even some repairs if it is odd and unique. Now, Jane looks exclusively for damage-free material even if it is more ordinary. She and I often differ on what is a ...
Sep 2013Re: GeodesReply from David Zimmerman (2) in General.Hi Bob,
Nice looking map you made there and hopefully that will helps some of the noobs and old-timers as well! My first impression is that the area in IA should probably be extended in a narrow band to the NW (and possibly much more) because I've got many pieces of literature in my collection ...
Mar 2013Re: Moving a mineral collection cross country...Reply from David Zimmerman (2) in Field Collecting.Hi Phillip,
This advice is coming from someone who has moved a collection across country.
First off, I would consider selling them at the East Coast Gem Show in Massachusetts. That might be the easiest thing for you to do.
Second off, if you do make the trip with your truck, you might ...
