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

From: David Pensenstadler <dfpens01_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008 13:10:20 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <40337.11142.qm_at_web90307.mail.mud.yahoo.com>

Michael:

A very good magazine to subscribe to is METEORITE
magazine. This is a quarterly issue, edited by Larry
and Nancy Lebofsky, who are on this list. Check
online at: http://meteoritemag.uark.edu.

This magazine provides a wide variety of information
and updates on the latest in the meteorite world.

Welcome.

Dave


--- Michael Gilmer <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 04:10:20 PM PST