Tips and Tricks

For the past several months I have had a contest running in the Puyallup Gem Clubs newsletter. Well we finally have an entry in the Tips and Tricks thanks to Khara Gunness. These are her helpful hints to keep your hobby organized and unbroken. Thanks Khara for the pictures and text.

Build a Sturdy Rock Storage System

Organize and store (at least part of) your growing collection!
By Khara Gunness

Start with a free‐standing pine storage unit that has 4 or 5 adjustable location shelves. These can be purchased unassembled at one‐stop‐shopping stores and measure approximately 32” wide x 20” deep x 63” tall. Take note of the various shelf spacing possibilities and shop around for some clear plastic tubs that will fit most efficienty within the dimensions of the unit. Tubs with lids can be purchased pretty reasonably in multi‐packs. If desired and to maximize usefulness, build additional shelves using the existing shelves as a template. After assembly, brace the back and two sides with a continuous piece of 1x2 lumber placed on the diagonal. Check for plumb and square all the way around before attaching each brace. The bracing is what allows for the heavier weight of rock by keeping the shelf unit from swaying. Slip a 4x6 index card into the front of each tub for labeling and load up the shelves with your collection! The system is quick and easy to build, fairly inexpensive, and most importantly, functional.

Cushion your Collection

Protect those rocks that you’ve worked so hard to acquire!

By Khara Gunness

Use Foamies or Fun Foam to cushion mineral specimens or to protect and separate slabs while in storage. Fun Foam is a soft 1/16” thick material made for use in kids crafts and can be purchased individually or in multi‐packs at craft stores. The foam is easily cut to any size and is flexible rather than rigid. I like the packs that look like a large brick, which contain around 65 sheets of 6”x9” size. The cost of the brick is about $8.

Organize Your Crafting Workspace

Take a little time now and more fully enjoy your craft for years to come.
By Khara Gunness

Perforated hardboards or Pegboards, traditionally used for hanging tools in the garage, are a handy organizational tool inside the house as well. A Pegboard near a craft workspace has endless potential and affords the crafter with much needed functionality and accessibiity. A Pegboard also takes up zero floor space and is quick and easy to install. It can easily be painted to match your décor and if your workspace is your dining room table, a curtain can be hung in front of the Pegboard to conceal its view when not in use. Pegboard accessories are numerous and include among other items: shelves, hooks, wire baskets, jars, book pockets, and paper towel holders (which can be used for anything on a spool). Don’t limit yourself though to these specific Pegboard accessories; use your imagination based on what it is that you want organized and play around with plastic bins, wicker baskets, wooden dowels, bungee cords, etc. As some of you may already be thinking, it turns out that I was not the first person to think of this idea. In a recent internet search, I came across numerous crafty bloggers showing off their too cute Pegboard workspaces. Check it out, be inspired!

I hope you have enjoyed these tips from Khara, I know I have and learned a lot.

Thanks for reading, Dana James, Editor, Puyallup Valley Gem & Mineral Club

Memorial to our Member Rob Stewart

Robert Cullen Stewart

On September 16, 2009, in Lacey, WA, Robert (Rob) C. Stewart went to be with the Lord following a short, but courageous battle with cancer. Rob was born to Doug and Deanna Stewart in Torrance, CA on November 24, 1969, where he, his older sister, Wendy, and younger brother Courtny grew up. Rob was an avid fisherman throughout his life, enjoyed participating in baseball, volleyball and recently added rock hounding to his recreational activities. He graduated from California Maritime Academy with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a B.S. in Marine Engineering Technology in 1991. He was honored as Distinguished Engineering student and Scholar Athlete of his class. Rob served with NOAA for 2 years then joined MEBA working primarily in the Pacific. Most recently Rob served as First Engineer aboard the Horizon 'Tiger' being a qualified Chief Engineer. Rob was devoted to his family, church family, fishing buddies and rock club friends all of whom are welcomed to celebrate his life at the Reality Church, 7th and Franklin in Olympia, WA., on Saturday, October 3, 2009. The service will begin at 1:30PM followed by food and fellowship. Family suggests donations may be sent in Rob's memory to The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Fund.

This obituary is from the Olympian newspaper along with the picture which doesn't really do Rob justice. I'm still looking through my vast collection of club photos for pictures of Rob to include in the newsletter. If you have any pictures, please feel free to e-mail them to me at djames50 at gmail dot com. Thanks, Dana James

Spiral Ring Tutorial

Thought you might like a new tutorial. This is also published in the Rock-A-Teer for August.

How to Make a Spiral Wire Bead Ring
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Spiral-Wire-Bead-Ring

Wire rings are very much in style this season. They can come in different shapes and colored beads to wear with different outfits. Twisting the wire is not difficult with the correct tools. All you have to do is make sure that the beads have holes in the center, so you can easily pull the wire through.

Supplies you will need:
• 1 foot (30 cm) 18g wire, soft. Hobby stores will usually have several suitable types (copper, sterling silver, etc.)
• 1 handmade bead with hole large enough to fit 2 pieces of 18g wire. (Rondell shape works best)
• Wirecutter
• Chain-nose (or needle-nose) pliers
• Ring mandrel or dowel in desired ring size - mandrels can be purchased through jewelry supply outlets and dowels can be found at your local hardware store. You may also be able to find something around the house of the right size and shape... a candle, broom handle, toilet paper holder, etc.

Directions:

1. Place center of wire against your form (a ring mandrel or dowel) and wrap twice around leaving the tails long.

2. Bend the tails up sharply.

3. Place the bead onto both wires and slide down to the base of the ring.

4. Bend the wires to a right angle directly on the top of the bead.

5. Spiral the wires on top of the bead. This can be a bit tricky. Start by making a small circle with one of the wires where it emerges from the bead, then push the other wire behind and against it, being careful not to overlap the wires. If you see the spiral start to puff up, use a small block of wood and press gently but firmly on the spiral to push it against the bead as you turn the wires. Continue spiraling until the desired size is achieved. Be sure to leave a tail of at least 2" (5 cm) on each wire to complete.

6. Bring the tail wires down to the ring shank on opposite sides of the bead and wrap around the base of the ring to secure. Trim and tuck the wire ends down and you are done!

Warnings:
These are very dangerous if done just slightly improperly. Be careful - make sure to tuck the exposed sharp ends into one of the knots on either side to prevent being hurt. Imagine giving this as a gift and they start to bleed, not a good sight. Suffice to say just put it on and tough up to check for problems. You may want to use a small jewelry file to file any sharp points.

Leather Fringe/Gemstone Necklace Tutorial

So many people were commenting on this necklace at the last club meeting and when I wore it at the Billings show, that I decided a tutorial was in order. I have posted the supply list and the steps on my personal blog HERE, so check it out.

If you would like this offered as a hands on this Fall, please let me know and I'll get it on the schedule.

Don't forget that the club library has a copy of my new book "Gem Tree Sculptures".

See you at the next meeting which will be August 14th at the Fruitland Grange at 7:30 pm. Dana

News from the NFMS/AFMS show

Well, here it is the last day in Billings, MT and we are ready to come back home. It has been a very busy few days here. The show started on Thursday, but all the vendors and exhibitors were setting up on Wednesday. We have seen a few Puyallup Club members here at the show, besides LaVon and Mike, Larry Hoffman and his wife along with Chuck Raup and his wife were here. Saw some old friends and made a few new ones.

I was able to teach 3 workshops and sell a few books, so that helped offset some of the expenses. If you are reading this and are wondering what book and what workshop, you'll have to ready my personal blog or my gem tree blog.

Obviously, if you have followed some of my posts on my gem tree blog and on the PVGMC newsletter, then you know that Paul and I came so that I could compete for my "Masters" in Gem Tree Design. I did get what I came for which was Masters at the Regional and National level, so two blue ribbons. I did not however achieve enough points to bring home the trophy...oh well, maybe another time.

I do have something new to share and that is the Rock-A-Teer was nominated for an award and received 2nd in the Federation for Large Newsletter and an Honorable Mention at the National level. The surprise this morning at the Editor's Breakfast was that I was voted into the American Federation Hall of Fame for Newsletter Editors. It was a great honor to be accepted and our ne

wsletter recognized at such a National level.

Here are a few pictures from the show. Hope everyone is well and surviving the heat back there in Washington and we will see you at the next meeting. Cheers, Dana James

Summer is Here

Well we had a winner of our May photo contest and that was Khara Gunness. Here are her entries.

Our current contest is for you to write an article on your favorite rock/gemstone. This contest will run through August and a wonderful mineral specimen will be the prize.

On another note, the Puyallup show was a great success and the club made enough money to pay all the bills and add to the scholarship fund. We are now looking for volunteers for the Puyallup Fair and the sign up sheet is being circulated now. If you would like to sign up and are a member of the Puyallup club or another local Washington club, please contact John Gottschalk at wsrogue (at) hotmail (dot) com.

July's field trip will be to Red Top on the 18th. Please attend the July 10th meeting for more specifics on where to meet and the time.

If you are looking for the July newsletter, I'm working on it today and it should be out on the web site tomorrow evening.

Cheers, Dana

Club Members Rock Photos

The contest for May for our club members is a photo of their favorite rock or mineral specimen. We received these entries today from Glenn Ripper. Can you top them?

Electric Blue

Electric Blue

Electric Blue Cab

Mexican Rainbow

Fire Obsidian

Tiger Iron Butterfly

I think the Tiger Iron is my favorite....what's your?

Puyallup Gem and Mineral Club 2009 Annual Gem Show

http://www.puyallupgemclub.org/new_pvgmc/PDFs/2009%20Show%20Flyer.pdf

The club hosts an annual gem and mineral show each year the first weekend in June. This year the show will be held from June 5th - June 7th. I have attached a link to the flyer, which is in a .pdf format.

Hours are Friday, June 5th, Noon to 6 pm - Saturday, June 6th, 10 am - 6 pm - Sunday, June 7th, 11 am - 4 pm.

Location is the Fruitland Grange Hall in Puyallup, WA

We will have a host of activities that include vendors, exhibits, demonstrators, raffle prizes, silent auction, and several activities for the kids.

Vendors will be selling everything from rough rock and mineral specimens to finished jewelry and rock/mineral display pieces.

Demonstrators will be showing all the lastest lapidary techniques in Opal cutting and polishing, Cabbing, Intarsia, Gem Tree design, Faceting, Precious Metal Clay, Beading and Fossil prep.

A club member will be on hand to answer questions about where to go to dig for your own rocks and minerals in the state of Washington and the various field trips our club offers.

A snack bar will be on location for those wishing to spend the day with us. Food is great and reasonably priced.

Raffle prizes in the past have ranged from a tumbler to finished jewelry items and mineral specimens. Most all items have been donated by the club members or vendors at the show.

All proceeds from the show benefit the club and it's scholarship fund.

Riffe Lake Part 2

Well Jim Sawaya and I decided to head back down to Riffe Lake again. This time we took our fishing gear. The weather wasn't too bad, the sky was clear but there was a pretty good wind blowing out of the east. After about a hour and a half to two hours I had caught my limit of Konakee, a.k.a. silver trout. They were between 12 and 15 inches each. Unfortunately Jim wasn't so lucky. We wandered back up to his van to put the fish on ice and gather up our rockhounding gear.
I told Jim that I wanted to walk in a ways before we started hunting as most people stopped to hunt fairly close. We hiked along the shoreline which is at a fairly steep angle up from the water and strewn with boulders and talus. There is water running down the hillside which sometimes under and though some of the talus areas which makes for some interresting footing.
Since Jim was exploring down closer to the water I decided to take the high road. I started to find small agate nodules and pieces of albite. As I moved further along I came across a few clusters of quartz crystals. Most of the agate I was finding was small and clear with no color. I then found a basketball sized rock that had some very nice blue agates that had amazing crystals inside. I trimmed alot of the basalt off and ended up with some very nice display pieces, I largest being softball size.
By this time Jim was hunting on the upper slope so I took the low road and found a very nice fortified blue agate and a gray one. Neither were very large but I should be able to get a couple nice sized cabs out of each. I also found a nice nodule about the size of large baking potatoe. At this point I had about 50 lbs. of rock and Jim had a fair amount so we decided to head back to the parking lot hunting as we went.
I got way ahead of Jim a couldn't see him behind me because of a rise in the terrain so I decided to rest my pack and wait for him to catch up. So I waited and I waited and I waited and no Jim. I figured he must of found something good and he'd be along in a few moments. So I waited and waited and waited some more. By this time I was starting to get a little concerned so I shrugged off my pack and went to look for him. I crested the rise and didn't see him so are started to think that maybe he had fallen. After more searching and I still hadn't spotted him I started to wonder if he had fallen into the lake with his pack on. I decided to head back to the van when I see a figure off in the distance waving at me, it was Jim. He had walked up to the top of the cliff and walked back to the van that way.
After cussing him out in my head and then feeling relief that I didn't have to explain to his daughter that I lost her Dad, I headed back to the van. When I caught up with Jim he told me that he had yelled that he was heading up but with the wind I didn't hear him. We compared our finds while having an ice cold liquid refreshment. Jim had found a nice cluster of light amethyst crystals and it was decided that even though Jim didn't catch any fish it was a great day anyway!

Saddle Mountain

On Saturday April 25th a small but merry band of rockhounders met up with Tony Johnson at the Shell station in Mattawa. There were six of us total. The weather was a wee bit on the nippy side with a very brisk wind blowing but that was better than the snow flurries we encountered at Snowqualmie Pass. We climbed into our vehicles and followed Tony to the collecting site. Tony pointed out a few areas to collect and Jim Sawaya and I settled on an area that has petrified wood with a reddish hue to it. The digging was relatively easy and we started to find limb casts pretty quickly. We realized that the best pieces were in a very narrow area so we concentrated our attention there. We soon realized that we had way more than the 25 lbs. each we were allowed so we did some serious high grading and left a lot for future rockhounders to find. We didn't even have to fill in our hole because someone else wanted to work it. As we proceeded to head back to my Jimmy some sort of insect flew into Jim's boot and stung him. We ran into a guy who asked us what we were looking for so we showed him what we had found and pointed out some areas to dig and what to look for. He thanked us and walked back to his truck. When he came back he had a couple Fat Tire Ales which we graciously accepted and proceeded to toast a successful day. The gentleman again thanked us for our help and left. About this time Tony wandered back and four of us decided to head for the diatomaceous earth pit for some opal.
When we got there the wind had really picked up. After searching around a short while I managed to come up with three softball sized pieces that weren't real fractured up and a piece that weighs at least 50 lbs. The wind really started kicking up dirt and it looked like a rain storm was trying to move in so it was decided to head for home. It was a great trip too bad the rest of you missed it. Rock on!

Rife Lake

Jim Sawaya and I decided to try an area new to us today. So this morning we headed south to Rife Lake, more specifically Mossyrock Dam. Yet again it was cold and rainy as we headed out but being true rockhounds we went anyway. One of my employees had recommended the spot and after seeing some of what she found the last time she was there it wasn't hard to decide to go. With some vague directions we drove to the spot without too much trouble, except for the part where we drove right past the parking area. Once we got turned around we pulled up and parked. Now I've been to a lot of rockhounding sites but this was one of the few I've encountered that had portapotties and another bonus, they were pretty well maintained.
We headed down the stairs, yes another first for rockhounding, hopped a wall and started walking the boulder and rock strewn shoreline. I was told not to pay too much attention until we had walked a ways as most people stopped and hunted fairly close. So with an ever watchful eye I picked up the paced and gingerly moved on. Sure enough as I got further away I started to notice lots of boulders and rocks with tiny blue agate nodules in conjunction with albite in it's mass form. As I moved further along the nodules started to increase in size and I found some workable pieces that were blue-gray in color with nice fortifications. About this time Jim got a call on his cell from his daughter. She was running an extremely high fever so we decided it would be best to head back to town. I found enough quality agate to warrant a return trip. As a brief note albite is a feldspar and is the main component in granite. It does form crystals but not real commonly. I hope to find some in future trips and I know quartz crystals have been found there also. My fishing gear will get packed also as the fishing looked to be pretty good there. Rock on, Mark Baumann

New Lapidary Arts Division at the Puyallup Fair

Clay Denny has been instrumental in getting a new division developed this year at the Puyallup Fair in the Hobby Hall. The classes and prizes within the new Lapidary Arts Division Y are:

Class 1st prize is $10.00 and 2nd prize is $5.00
6700 GOLD/SILVER FABRICATION
focus on lapidary arts
6710 OTHER METAL ART to include casting
or freeform design metal, enamel art,
metal filigree with focus on lapidary art
6720 CABOCHAN CUTTING/POLISHING
6730 FREEFORM CUTTING/POLISHING
6740 CARVING/INTARSIA
6750 GEM TREES, TUMBLED STONES
6760 FLINT KNAPPING
6770 FOSSIL DISPLAY
6780 ORGANIC GEMS DISPLAY
6790 INORGANIC GEMS DISPLAY
6800 PRECIOUS GEMS DISPLAY
6810 SEMIPRECIOUS GEMS DISPLAY
6820 CRYSTALS DISPLAY
6830 OTHER LAPIDARY ARTS

There must be at least 3 entries per class for any judging and prizes to be awarded. You may only enter 1 item per class, but you can enter as many classes as you wish.
Additional Awards will be:
Grand Champion – Purple Rosette plus $100 premium
Reserve Grand Champion – Lavender Rosette plus $25 premium

Look for more information in the Rock-A-Teer on how the club can help you in getting your entry ready. One idea is to have hands on classes that focus on developing your entry, or fine tuning your skills in Gem Trees, Silversmithing, Lost Wax Casting, Intarsia, Wire wrap or Cabochon cutting. There is a Division for Jewelry which has a class of Wire/Metal work where any Wire Wrapped item would qualify if class 6710 did not. We will try to get some additional detail around that craft and where those entries would be placed. Display area is to be no larger than 12” x 12” x 8”, so if you are thinking about creating a fossil or gem display, please keep that in mind.

Submitted by Clay Denny and Dana James