[meteorite-list] New guy introduces himself with a couple of question

From: Michael L Blood <mlblood_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:08:26 -0800
Message-ID: <C3C3844A.138D6%mlblood_at_cox.net>

Hi Michael,
            Most of your questions have been answered, BUT I strongly
Encourage you to look into the cutting solution sold by "Rusty"
Bill Mason. He is on the cutting edge of meteorite rust, preservation
Cutting, etching, etc. (yes, pun intended).
        I don't know if he wants his email address posted on the list, so,
If you contact me off list I will give it to you. If you are going to
Tucson, definitely hunt him down. Oil sucks! Rust Sucks! He has
Solved those problems.
        As for a saw - if you are only going to be using it to trim (not
Cut slabs) you can, with a little shopping around, get a
Decent saw for around $100 OR, if you are in a large town, join
The Gem and Mineral Society and you will be able to get one used.
There are a number of "Tiny" saws with 4" blades if you are going to
Stay small, but I suggest a 6" with arbor clearance, as you have MUCH
More versatility. The last one I got is now entirely enclosed in high
End plastic, has a rather small resavour (good for economy) and I think
I paid like $184 for it. Other than for slabbing, it is pretty much
everything you would want. Then, REALLY IMPORTANT is the blade.
I use a 6" size 06 blade that cuts almost as thin as a business card, yet
Zips through even agate slices. If I am very patient I can even "slab"
A small stone with it, but that is not what it is made for. The blades
Cost $40 and last forever if treated right and you don't cut iron slices
With them - though I have cut a few pallasites with mine - and even a
Thin iron or two.
        The point is, you can try to go super cheap ( with a used trim saw -
Bulky, heavy, dirty and possibly problematic, but you are still going to
Spend $40 on a blade and you can set yourself up for life with a fine,
Light, easily cleanable self contained saw for under $200.
        Whatever you do, get meteorite cutting mixture from Bill Mason,
You just mix it with distilled water and you are off and running. Very
Need and easily cleaned off (I use 96% alcohol on my pieces - be careful,
Very inflammatory)
Best wishes, Michael
PS: Send me a JPG of yourself for my meteorite friends page. As Mr. Rogers
said, "Won't you be
my neighbor?"

on 1/28/08 8:57 AM, Michael Gilmer at michael_w_gilmer at yahoo.com wrote:

> Hello Everyone and List Members!,
>
> I hope this is not a breach of list etiquette and if
> so,
> I apologize in advance for my indiscretion. I just
> wanted to take a moment and come out of the shadows
> where I have been quietly lurking and soaking up the
> collective wisdom of this group. My name is Michael
> Gilmer and I am a private newbie collector from
> southern Louisiana. One of our fellow list members
> got me started on collecting a year ago, and things
> have snowballed since then - with my personal
> collection
> growing by leaps and bounds. I'm not going to name
> drop,
> because he would probably be embarassed to hear me say
> this, but I consider him my "meteorite mentor" and his
> willingness to answer my questions in a friendly and
> patient matter impressed me quite a bit. So I want
> to thank him (you know who you are!) and also thank
> the other members of the list for sharing your immense
> knowledge of the field of meteorite collecting.
>
> I have dived into meteorites head first and started
> buying up the "definitive" books in the field -
> Rocks from Space, Cambridge Encyclopedia, and the
> like.
>
> I've tried to do my homework on the subject and I have
> tackled it in a similar, almost-obsessive way, that
> I approached telescopes and eyepieces - another hobby
> of mine that eats up my time and money! ;)
>
> But I still have a couple of nagging questions that
> I really can't find any answers for using the usual
> web searching. So I'd like to ask those questions
> here. :)
>
> 1) The IMCA. Is this group for private collectors, or
> just for collector/dealers who also sell specimens? I
> was looking over the IMCA website and I read the
> bylaws - and it appears to be a group of mostly
> dealers who police each other and police the general
> meteorite market looking for frauds and
> misclassifications, etc. Is there any advantage to
> joining the IMCA as a private collector with no
> intention to become a dealer? And if so, how does one
> go about joining and getting "two members to vouch for
> you", if you are a total newbie to the field and don't
> have two vouchers? Do I just have to bide my time and
> earn my chops like everyone else did I assume?
>
> 2) Cutting open specimens - lapidary saws and lapidary
> blades seem to be the most preferred method. But, for
> cutting small practice specimens, could a diamond
> blade be adapted for a table saw or other powered saw
> (that is not a pricey and specialized lapidary saw)
> and could
> that be used to cut specimens? Oil fed/cooled saws
> also seem to be preferred, but could I use a "regular"
> saw and have an assistant inject coolant onto the
> cutting surface while I cut? How important is all of
> this for slicing in half very small specimens -
> smaller than a chicken egg for example?
>
> 3) Getting specimen classified. Is there a preferred
> place to have this done? I notice there are several
> places that offer this service and they vary. Is
> there one predominate service or are they all equally
> authoritative?
>
> Again, my sincere thanks to the group for providing
> such a wealth of info and ads! - yes, I have been
> buying some of your specimens - several of you. ;)
>
> Regards and happy hunting!
>
> Mike Gilmer
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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Received on Mon 28 Jan 2008 04:08:26 PM PST


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