#Omigod II
3 messages in this thread
Ben – after viewing the GIF, I had to use a 2-ton floor jack, a
come-along and 3 qts of superglue to get my tongue back in my mouth
and keep it there. that is one awesome dude you got there! From my
visit to Tucson, I would estimate that is is worth over 7,500 $US. As
you and I well know, worth is a subjective thing, for you and Anne,
it is probably priceless.
On lighting it, I suggest that you use a floodlamp of less than 150
watts, set about 1 foot below the crystal, with adequate venting to
dissipate heat out the sides of the stand. One unfortunate feature
of quartz is poor strength along the c-axis if unevenly heated, with
*possible* (not probable) fracturing.
A possible alternative to the wood/plexiglas stand, or the
wrought-iron, would be having a marble or granite base crafted by a
monument (headstone) company. The base could be hollowed for the
lamp etc. Just a thought. If it was in our house, it would probably
just set on the rug.
If you plan another collecting trip to that site, I *really, really*
would be interested in joining you, just to help load another one in
your rig dontcha know. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. know what I mean.
Butt is just a loonngg day's drive for us.
Sounds like you are having fantastic success in your collecting
endeavours. Congratulations! Amigo.
Last summer, Jan and I (and three testosterone laden teenagers)
traveled to Moab, UT, through western MT, and Wyoming. We stopped
near Kemmerer, WY to quarry fossil fish and came back with about 300
lbs of slabs. Most are the common Knightia that one sees for sale in
rock shops and shows, but we did get a nice display of gar scales (no
gar darn it), and a palm frond. I am preparing some of the fish
now. Would you be interested in one? (John,if you're reading this,
the offer's good for you too). I traded one for a bobcat skull
recently.
I am nearing completion of a 10 by 16 studio for all our geological
stuff, but as fate would have it, it must become a bedroom for Lars
for two years or so. All the kids have moved back here, so we are
overflowing available space. The studio looks out over our 13 by 15
foot Koi pond, with one Koi now about 4 lbs and 20 inches long.
Hee hee. Glad you like it, sorry about your mouth, there. 🙂
Worth is indeed subjective… and I don't think it'll ever be for
sale. Next fall I expect to go to the site, and depending on how that
adventure goes, perhaps I'd have one – or maybe even more than one –
for sale. But the first one you get is special, at least to me.
I'll keep the floodlamp away from the base, thanks for the hint. The
stand's going to be oak, and I will vent it, of course. Otherwise I'd
probably have a fire. 🙂 A stone base is out of the question, the
floor would likely give… the living room is now the designated
display location, and that's on the second floor of the house.
As far as going to the site together, I'm sure we can work something
out. I'll let you know in the summer, when I've got firmer plans but
while there is still time for you to make some. It'll be an early
fall weekend, for certain. I don't do that kind of heavy work in the
summer. We could meet in Butt. If you can, bring a 4wd pickup and
lots of wheaties. Strong testosterone laden offspring wouldn't be out
of line, either. 🙂
Re the fish, sure, I'd love to have one – no fish in the collection
yet, though I *do* have something resembling a lobster from Ft. Peck
Lake, as well as the more common baculites and ammonites and
innumerable shells of common appearance. In return, want some Barite
xtals from Ft. Peck and a Quartz Scepter from Crystal Park? perhaps
that would be a good trade.
I'd love to get a slab or two… especially raw and un-prepped, I love to
tinker with raw material in the cold winter months. Sadly, I have very little
to offer in trade at the moment, but I can certainly keep a tally and owe you
one. 🙂
I've met a few new fossiling friends on the Internet in the last few months.
This summer, I went to a quarry near Green Bay, WI with an English prof from
UW-GB and got a slab with a slim crinoid. I had a nice 3" wide flat pgydium of
an Isotelus trilobite all bagged up and I *thought* I put it into my pack, and
when I stood up, the Ziploc popped out and fell down a chasm, unreachable. 🙁
When I examined my collection to find a gift to give him for showing me his
favorite site, I realized most of my collection appeals to me only because I
found it, and most isn't museum quality. I did find a nice fern frond in soft
shale from Kansas that I gave him, and perhaps I can find one of those for you,
too.
I can't wait to get back to this shale site outside of Kansas City. Next time,
I think I'll send back a big box of it, some of it is incredibly delicate, and
you can cut it with a knife. By chance in the Science forum, I met the mother
of the guy who discovered the site a few years ago.