[meteorite-list] Making Micromount Meteorites

From: Michael L Blood <mlblood_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:00:12 2004
Message-ID: <B96C2EAB.13D8%mlblood_at_cox.net>

Hi Ron & all,
    Well, I gotta MOSTLY side with Ron on this one. But I have a good deal
of ambivalence:
    LABELS: No problem with the mb boxes, as I make labels in a strip to be
placed on the edge of the box with a small piece of scotch tape - you can
bend the tape under at one end to make a tiny "tab" so it can be pulled off,
should you want to open the mb for some reason. However, I do NOT like
that I do not have the name of the piece on the top. I put the name and
petrologic category (ie: "Nakhlite") on a small strip cut to fit on the
bottom portion of the top of a conventional micro box & name with full
details (date and place of fall/find, TKW, etc.) on the bottom of the
conventionals. Since I can get the name on the "face" of conventionals,
but just as much info on the strip for mb s and the mb s are MUCH easier
to make, cut and put in place, I, therefore see "labels" as a draw.
    DISPLAY: I find there are plusses & minuses for both. The mb has it
all over the conventional as far as viewing the individual specimen -
WAY better viewing. However, the conventionals can be displayed in
groups far more attractively - especially in the 45 count case with black
velvet covered foam holding each in place - very visually satisfying.
This is what I have my "Hammers" set in. So, it is a frustrating "draw"
on "display" - with the mb WAY better than conventionals individually
& the conventionals display better in sets......what's a guy to do? However,
overall, the advantage of individual viewing is SO much better with mb
boxes, they do get the edge in display, and a huge edge if considered
only on an individual basis.
    SHIPPING: mb boxes are THE safest way to ship any specimen I am
aware of. I have to carefully pad most specimens in conventional
micro or macro boxes, even though one side is foam or fiber and the
other is plastic, on occasion, without a thin slice of foam material between
the face of the box and the specimen, you can get breakage, no matter
HOW well you package it - and I am VERY meticulous in packaging. I
figure if I cannot throw it across the room & bounce it off the wall
with complete confidence the piece will stay in tact, I have no business
putting it in the mail, for sure as God made little green apples, some
jerk in Dallas or LA or some transfer point will do exactly that.
    In addition, the mb s DO keep, in my opinion, a far better "seal."
    So, for shipping and overall protection - again, the mb s have it
all over the conventionals. (This is also the case with larger display
specimens. I would always rather a new purchase include a membrane box than
a riker or plastic box....)
    Therefore, on the whole, I have to say that while conventional
micromount boxes do have a couple of advantages (group display and
face labels) the membrane boxes are a great improvement in every other
way.
    In spite of all the above, I DO love my macromount collection in the
conventional boxes & will definitely NOT be changing them. They
display beautifully, look terrific in the drawer cabinet they are in &
I will not be changing them - and, in fact, apart from some exceptional
micromounts, I will be sticking with the traditional boxes in my
micromount collection as well because I DO enjoy the "visual" of the set
better. If I were just starting out, I would likely go with the mb s in
micromount, however, and have done so in some catagories, such as
the Lunars and the SNCs.
    That's my feelings on the mb vs plastic display boxes. But, I could be
wrong - my wife tells me I usually am.
    Best wishes, Michael
    

on 7/29/02 11:16 PM, meteorite1.com at capricorn89_at_earthlink.net wrote:

> Re: [meteorite-list] Making Micromount MeteoritesMembrane boxes represent a
> new technology. While one-inch plastic boxes have their advantages,
> primarily their low cost, membrane boxes have theirs as well. First of all,
> the invisible membranes 'hug' the specimen so that it will not move. Even a
> "Bessey speck" will stay in place, although I would not recommend using one
> with something smaller than a grain of ordinary beach sand. If it is
> angular, the top of a plastic box will push the specimen into the pad, with
> stress on the piece. I lost a Governador Valadares Nakhlite when I opened
> one of those little plastic micro boxes. It had slipped into the crack
> between the pad and the side of the box and I wanted it to stay in the
> center of the pad where I could display it. When I opened the lid, the
> differential in air pressure caused it to leap out of the box. (MB's will do
> that as well as the lids fit very tightly and you need to tug a bit to get
> them off). I can remember seeing it in "slow motion" in a perfect parabolic
> trajectory right off the shelf, into the air, and down into the thick carpet
> three feet away. Very expensive vacuum cleaner dust! Fortunately Dean took
> mercy and gave me a great price break on a replacement. Membrane boxes do
> hold the specimen in place, with no stress, and you can turn and twist the
> mb and see your specimen from all sides. If I have a micro with crust and a
> polished side, I want to be able to see all of it. And they are very tight.
> (I imagine the plastic boxes are probably just as tight, except with the
> ones I had, the lids would jiggle off sometimes and the micros would get
> mixed up. We had them in a display case where hundreds of children tramped
> across the floor and banged around, causing everything to vibrate). By the
> way, labels can be put on one side. Then you can see all of your specimen
> as well as the label. I personally have a problem having to turn the box
> over to see the label. Compare the value of your meteorite to the price of
> the box. Compare a goat cart to an automobile! :=) All I can say is that
> many of my clients, once seeing how membrane boxes work, transfer entire
> collections to them, not just the micros, but larger pieces up to 6 x 12
> inch slices. I use them exclusively for all the micros I sell.
>
> I do use Riker-type boxes sometimes, and I use membrane boxes. I see a
> choice for different reasons...different purposes, and everyone has their
> favorite. I use the traditional 2 x 2 inch plastic boxes with inserts for
> some of the specimens in our museum display. They stay in one place and
> need only be viewed from the top, and for them that is a good use and fully
> acceptable. The great advantage of the traditional box is that they are
> dirt cheap and I can well understand the need for financial restraints with
> meteorite collecting. It is really unreal! And I do appreciate and respect
> everyone to have their own preferences.
>
> And...I have a car, and if I had the zoning, I'd have a goat-cart too.
> Would be great fun! :=)
>
> I will be happy to send a free postpaid "sample" membrane micro box to
> anyone who will send me their address (for the next 24 hours!) *
>
> *(LEGAL DISCLAIMER:) Offer Expires: Tue. July 30 11:30 P.M. Offer refers to
> one (only) #12, 38 x 38 x 18 mm membrane micro box (meteorite micro not
> included). Offer not extended to anyone to whom I have already sold a
> membrane box; one box per household. Relatives not eligible. If I am
> swamped with more requests than I can reasonably handle, I reserve to (and
> will) end the offer prematurely and without further notice, at my
> discretion, by sending an e-mail to the "list". e-mails must be received by
> the deadline at the e-mail address below. (Guess that covers it!) Or,
> please go to the mb website and browse around!
>
> Ron
> R. N. Hartman
> METEORITES and MEMBRANE SUSPENSION BOXES
> rnh_at_meteorite1.com
> www.meteorite1.com
> order_at_membranebox.com
> www.membranebox.com
>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
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-- Dan Quayle, 11/30/88

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Received on Tue 30 Jul 2002 02:53:15 PM PDT